A review by lucybbookstuff
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

4.25

I had a lot of fun with this!!

I very much enjoyed Kingfisher's prose - it was often beautifully descriptive without getting flowery. And also had a wonderful thread of humor throughout.

I enjoyed how self-referential this book is. It's a fairytale and it knows that, but also actively interrogated the simplistic storytelling and messaging/morals of classic fairytales. Love that it leaned more Brothers Grimm, too, with spooky curses and faerie stuff. Not everything could be magically fixed, at least not at the drop of a hat, and that was the point.

I liked Marra and her slow, realistic growth throughout the book. But the best part was definitely the full goofy ensemble. This would have been very boring without the sassy dust-wife, gentle giant, silly aunt, and endearing animals.

Overall, quite enjoyed this! It didn't have a ton of oomph to make it a real page-turner or a favorite, but I like it a lot and I'm excited to read more Kingfisher.