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ceruleanheather 's review for:
Nettle & Bone
by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"You are an absolute grump, and so is your chicken."
This is one of my favorite books I have read recently. Absolutely delightful! It has a dark fairy tale vibe, with a female adult protagonist (age 30). Marra isn't extraordinary or super talented, she just wants to be safe and help her family. She serves with nuns, where she makes friends and learns about midwifery and how to prevent pregnancies. Then after receiving some shocking news Marra ends up completing impossible tasks for the Dust Wife in order to find a way to help save her sister.
The story unfolds as a quest to save Marra's sister and to right some egregious wrongs. Along the way, Marra uses the strength that she has earned and learned as she faces obstacles and magic. Her traveling group eventually expands to include a reanimated dog skeleton that becomes her pet, a crochety old witch-type who is both wise and wise-cracking, a demon chicken with a magical alarm bell, a misunderstood murderer with a good heart, and a bubbly fairy godmother who is unfortunately better at curses than blessings.
Nettle & Bone was very reminiscent of The Princess Bride in some parts, and there were parts that reminded me of the storytelling style in books like Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. It is a fairy tale made for adults, but one that could be enjoyed by teens as well.
The Bone Dog comes back to life at the end and I cried!!!
(Trigger warnings for pretty much anything you might find in an older patriarchal society with monarchs. No spice, but some sweet romance is included.)
This is one of my favorite books I have read recently. Absolutely delightful! It has a dark fairy tale vibe, with a female adult protagonist (age 30). Marra isn't extraordinary or super talented, she just wants to be safe and help her family. She serves with nuns, where she makes friends and learns about midwifery and how to prevent pregnancies. Then after receiving some shocking news Marra ends up completing impossible tasks for the Dust Wife in order to find a way to help save her sister.
The story unfolds as a quest to save Marra's sister and to right some egregious wrongs. Along the way, Marra uses the strength that she has earned and learned as she faces obstacles and magic. Her traveling group eventually expands to include a reanimated dog skeleton that becomes her pet, a crochety old witch-type who is both wise and wise-cracking, a demon chicken with a magical alarm bell, a misunderstood murderer with a good heart, and a bubbly fairy godmother who is unfortunately better at curses than blessings.
Nettle & Bone was very reminiscent of The Princess Bride in some parts, and there were parts that reminded me of the storytelling style in books like Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. It is a fairy tale made for adults, but one that could be enjoyed by teens as well.
(Trigger warnings for pretty much anything you might find in an older patriarchal society with monarchs. No spice, but some sweet romance is included.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Murder
Minor: Torture, Cannibalism