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beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Nettle & Bone was a curious book in many ways. Despite the fact that I gave it four stars, I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. I might edit this review one day when my feelings become clearer (but don't hold your breath on that one).
Let me say one thing - the writing is excellent. It's crisp, sharp and elegant. T. Kingfisher is clearly an old pro at this style, and not a word is wasted. I also really appreciated how Kingfisher takes common fairy tale tropes and uses them in ways that are alternately hilarious and profound. The female characters in this book are all incredibly strong, courageous and intelligent, but each of them expresses these qualities differently.
The issues I had may have had a lot to do with the time I took to finish it, despite its relatively short length. The pace was definitely slower than I would have liked, and there were times when the phrasing was just a little too cryptic and philosophical for my taste - I want to be intrigued, not confused!
Overall, this was a well-written, thought-provoking fantasy, but I wish it could have moved at a slightly faster pace.
Let me say one thing - the writing is excellent. It's crisp, sharp and elegant. T. Kingfisher is clearly an old pro at this style, and not a word is wasted. I also really appreciated how Kingfisher takes common fairy tale tropes and uses them in ways that are alternately hilarious and profound. The female characters in this book are all incredibly strong, courageous and intelligent, but each of them expresses these qualities differently.
The issues I had may have had a lot to do with the time I took to finish it, despite its relatively short length. The pace was definitely slower than I would have liked, and there were times when the phrasing was just a little too cryptic and philosophical for my taste - I want to be intrigued, not confused!
Overall, this was a well-written, thought-provoking fantasy, but I wish it could have moved at a slightly faster pace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Child death, Animal death, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, and Cannibalism
smoakwithwifi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Violence, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Miscarriage, Animal death, Slavery, Cannibalism, Child death, and Pregnancy
bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.0
I put this on my TBR list for a reason, I assume. However, by the time I actually got around to reading it, I didn’t remember that reason. And as I tend to do with books that are on my TBR list, I didn’t even bother to read the back cover before I started reading. So I really had no idea what to expect going into it. So I was pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it happened to be and how much it felt like a genuine fairy tale, albeit a darker one.
The story moves very fast and seems shorter than it is. It goes back and forth between past and present, showing Marra’s quest to kill the abusive prince as well as the backstory – her life as a third-born princess and how she decided killing the prince was the way to go in the first place. It was a little confusing at the beginning as it went back and forth. Both storylines were interesting, but the backstory was told out of order so it wasn’t always clear where events fit in the timeline. Once I got oriented a bit better, I managed to fit the outlines of the story together and enjoyed it a lot.
I was somewhat expecting a YA book (I have a tendency to gravitate towards those in general) and all the accompanying tropes. So I was pleased to find that not only is this not YA, Marra turns all of the protagonist tropes on their head. She’s thirty years old. She hates being a princess not because she wants her freedom or anything, but because it’s a lot of pressure and politics and she’d rather knit and embroider at the convent. She’s incredibly innocent and considers herself a coward, but doesn’t recognize exactly how much she is willing to go through to save her sister. And as a final interesting bit, she’s slightly below average in mental faculties and aware of it, which was interesting and unique and in its own way a bit refreshing. She was a fantastically interesting and unique character, and also quite easy to like, if just slightly too bland to adore.
The rest of Marra’s questing party were quite fun. I loved the grouchy, powerful, knowledgeable old woman, and her relentless matter-of-factness was fantastically entertaining. The former knight who was trapped in fairyland for a while and not sure what to do now was okay, but incredibly bland – notable for being muscular and vaguely kind, but not possessing much in the way of personality. The fairy godmother was a later addition to the party, but she was rentlessly cheery and I enjoyed her quite a bit too. The chicken possessed by a demon and the dog made of bones who hasn’t really figured out he’s dead were both fun (mildly amusing and completely adorable, respectively), but were both more like pets than actual characters, no matter what the back cover said.
The plot moves very fast and the book seems a lot shorter than it is. The three “impossible tasks” are over and done with fairly early. It alternates the quest to collect allies and kill the prince who murdered one sister and is abusing the other with Marra’s upbringing as a third princess and in the convent. Despite the past having significantly less plot than the present, I found it just as interesting. All of the story itself was very good. It’s the details where things start to struggle, and most of them I noticed more in retrospect.
The magic was fairy tale-ish but the system was vague, which was fine for the kind of story this is. I really couldn’t get a sense of the world beyond “generic medieval-ish fantasy,” and even with Marra growing up in a convent I only got the vaguest sense of one minor deity-ish being. It was … fine, but I think there could have been more done with it. Also with the demon-possessed chicken – there’s a lot of potential in that idea that never played out. And there’s an interesting theme about trying to force people to receive your help when they don’t want it. It’s a very worthwhile message and an interesting idea to contemplate, but I don’t think Marra ever actually learned the lesson so I’m not sure it really counts as a theme in the first place.
Despite the shortcomings, I very much enjoyed the book. It struggles in the details, but the problems are easy to overlook while reading. Usually when a book has two storylines, I prefer one over the other, but both the past and present stories in this one were enjoyable, which is unusual and deserves major props. I appreciated a protagonist who isn’t whip-smart and is just honestly trying her best. It was a solid plot, good characters in general, a great protagonist, a mostly happy ending, some fun and interesting ideas, and some good emotions. The details may be lacking in retrospect, but it doesn’t affect the reading experience, and on the whole it’s a very good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child death, Murder, Blood, Violence, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death and Cannibalism
thoseoldcrows23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nettle and Bone is a lovely cross between sinister darkness and wry humor. I found myself falling immediately for this strange little cast of characters and caring deeply about their safety. The plot, though simple, was engaging and propulsive, and the world was full of enough magic to intrigue and enough shadows to frighten. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and look forward to reading more from Kingfisher this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Child death, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Cannibalism
Minor: Torture, Slavery, Abortion, and Miscarriage
wilybooklover's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
4.5
This author never fails for me! Such a unique, complex take on the classic fantasy quest. Less romance-y than the other books I’ve read from her but no less delightful. The typical T. Kingfisher formula: spooky and a little bit horrifying threaded with humour and underpinned by kindness and hope. Loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Confinement, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Child death, Murder, and Dementia
Minor: Rape, Abortion, Cannibalism, Torture, and Slavery
clovelatte's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Pregnancy
coraalane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal death
directorpurry's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
Minor: Animal death
yogomagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It’s a quick read, and although some of it felt a bit rushed, it was overall a very refreshing story with solid characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Domestic abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Animal death
surelyinthefountain's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
I found this book very uneven. Some parts were exactly my speed, but I think the gaps between set pieces are too noticeable. I think there's this part maybe 2/3 of the way through where it hits its stride, but the ending itself (the ending after the ending) feels rushed. Like, hey, we didn't get an obligatory "the het pairing knocks boots" scene yet. And, hey, let's remove all stakes by not having the dog be permanently killed off. It isn't that I want the bad thing in my ending. I'm just a little like...why did you even bait us in the first place? Come now.
It's my own problem, I know. I've grown to despise more and more with time the type of story that has few narrative compunctions with horrible, unspeakably grim things happen to people -- but oh no! A CUTE ANIMAL? GETTING HURT? Well that's just unacceptable. (Yes that is unacceptable, and yes it's harmless, and yes it's not meant this way -- but I just can't quite divorce this trope in my brain from that type of specifically white person logic that builds gorgeous humane societies with full AC and heating for shelter pets while human rentals don't even have window AC units and those without homes are lucky to find even a shaded sidewalk square to park their bodies.)
I think I might be done with T. Kingfisher books btw. Sometimes, something should just 100% be your sort of thing, but it's just not vibing with you the way you feel like it should. And man, considering how common my complaint is for her books that I wish they'd go full creepy and drop the romance, I think her stuff may just not be the right formula for me.
It's my own problem, I know. I've grown to despise more and more with time the type of story that has few narrative compunctions with horrible, unspeakably grim things happen to people -- but oh no! A CUTE ANIMAL? GETTING HURT? Well that's just unacceptable. (Yes that is unacceptable, and yes it's harmless, and yes it's not meant this way -- but I just can't quite divorce this trope in my brain from that type of specifically white person logic that builds gorgeous humane societies with full AC and heating for shelter pets while human rentals don't even have window AC units and those without homes are lucky to find even a shaded sidewalk square to park their bodies.)
I think I might be done with T. Kingfisher books btw. Sometimes, something should just 100% be your sort of thing, but it's just not vibing with you the way you feel like it should. And man, considering how common my complaint is for her books that I wish they'd go full creepy and drop the romance, I think her stuff may just not be the right formula for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Miscarriage, and Misogyny