A review by itsnotalakeitsanocean
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark hopeful sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

After the really average books that put me in a reading slump, this book took me right out of it. Even though I've been contending with a terrible bout of insomnia, I legitimately enjoyed this book enough to want to know where it was going to go next every time I put it down.

Things I liked:
  • This book had a really good, consistent dark fairy tale atmosphere without being overly despairing or angsty. My heart did drop a little at
    the thief wheel scene in the tombs
    but in a good way kept me reading to find out if
    this was the end for our protagonists
    .
  • Marra was a very believable character and protagonist. It could be argued she didn't really contribute much compared to her companions but considering she was largely sheltered for most of her life, I think it's more forgiveable for her to make stupid decisions or seem immature.
  • If you like fairy tale magic systems, this is the book for you. The book never bogs you down with infodumping or exposition on said system, but takes the time to explain things concisely.


Things I didn't like:
  • I feel like the demon chicken was very underutilised compared to the rest of Marra's companions, and it was never explained why the dust-wife had a demon possess the chicken to begin with.
  • The romance between Marra and Fenris felt a little forced in my opinion. It was sweet enough but I feel like it was there purely to make the booktok/booktube girlies squee. We could have shown Fenris was a decent guy without having to force him and Marra into a romance.
  • I feel like there could have been some more minor conflict between the main party, especially when
    Agnes</spoilers> joined them or between them in the boarding house trying not to be suspicious in front of the landlady.
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