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A review by twistykris
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.5
A uniquely funny, scary, dark book that was a joy to read. This is NOT a cozy fantasy by any means. There are elements of cozy fantasy: found family, adventure, humor. But there is a lot of dark content and some mid-high stakes. Please check the trigger warnings.
The world-building was fantastic and it felt like every character was truly fleshed out. The dust-wife was just an absolutely grumpy gem that I adored and her demon chicken made me laugh out loud multiple times (though I wish we could have seen more of what the demon chicken could do and how she came to have a demon inside of her). Marra was a great character, though sometimes her self-doubt got to be a little grating; it felt like every chapter had her inner thoughts of "I can't do this, I'm making a mistake, this is a dumb idea, these people don't want to help me." I understand it to an extent, but it just felt whiny at times.
Not exactly a page-turner at certain points- some of the pacing was a little off for me and it felt like it jumped from plot point to plot point in a weird manner that I only realized later on that it's meant to read like a fairy tale (which makes sense, I feel silly for not recognizing it earlier). Overall a very enjoyable read!
The world-building was fantastic and it felt like every character was truly fleshed out. The dust-wife was just an absolutely grumpy gem that I adored and her demon chicken made me laugh out loud multiple times (though I wish we could have seen more of what the demon chicken could do and how she came to have a demon inside of her). Marra was a great character, though sometimes her self-doubt got to be a little grating; it felt like every chapter had her inner thoughts of "I can't do this, I'm making a mistake, this is a dumb idea, these people don't want to help me." I understand it to an extent, but it just felt whiny at times.
Not exactly a page-turner at certain points- some of the pacing was a little off for me and it felt like it jumped from plot point to plot point in a weird manner that I only realized later on that it's meant to read like a fairy tale (which makes sense, I feel silly for not recognizing it earlier). Overall a very enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Child death, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Cannibalism and Injury/Injury detail