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steve_recs's Reviews (71)
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Purple and preachy. Character lacks a real goal. All characters are annoying.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Serviceable writing delivers a straight-forward plot about a scheme to combat systemic abuse of power and the commoditization of women. Unfortunately, Nettle and Bone falters due to an ironic critical error. Though presented through her point of view, this is not Marra's story.
Fatal flaw: passive character, insubstantial worldbuilding
SPOILERS AHEAD
Marra does a bit of necromancy to reconstruct a dog with bones. Cool!
She shreds her hands crafting a cloak of nettles. Cool!
Those things don't serve a purpose for the rest of the story. Really?
She goes to a goblin market full of magical wonders. Cool!
She trades a tooth for a melodramatic himbo and a disguise for the dog that doesn't do anything. Hmmm.
Marra makes the cloak and the dog to convince a Dust Wife to kill her sister's abusive royal husband. After that, she contemplates the cruelty of patriarchy, thinks about how useless she is, and ogles the man. At one point, she attempts to resolve a conflict by invoking the respect of religious authority, but it's to no effect, and himbo knight steps in to save her.
The real stars of this story are the Dust Wife and Agnes, two old magic ladies who actually know how to get things done and thus do most of the things. Occasionally Sir Existential Crisis operates as a currency via labor to fund their excursion while Marra recalls how bad at doing anything she is.
Eventually, there's some forced romance between Marra and the himbo which is about as interesting as it is unexpected. There's more chemistry between Agnes and the Dust Wife. I'd much rather listen to their commentary on their role in the world and this assassination plot. But this story comes through Mara's POV, so we get her thoughts on how she shouldn't be inviting romance into her life while she shares only-one-blanket with the dark and stormy knight.
The overall tone of the story struggles to find a lane with grim elements meant to invoke discomfort and generally creepy feelings. But before the dark atmosphere has time to sink it, here comes a one-liner with the comedic timing of a class clown who doesn't know when to shut up. After a dozen punctuative squawks from the demon chicken, (who is also a more compelling character than Marra), you get the impression that this whole book might actually be on long "why did the chicken cross..." joke.
There are a lot of interesting parts mingling in Nettle and Bone, but missing the lifeblood of an active character, they never animate into a compelling story. Imagin if this had been told through the eyes of the older women, exploring how their relationship to power affects their relationship to the world. Or even the knight, Fenris, as he reclaims honor by recognizing it through new terms. Hell, let's even the chicken's perspective, embracing the comedic energy. But a character without growth, competence, or aspiration? She has no place delivering any story, especially not one intended to carry such an important message.
Fatal flaw: passive character, insubstantial worldbuilding
SPOILERS AHEAD
Marra does a bit of necromancy to reconstruct a dog with bones. Cool!
She shreds her hands crafting a cloak of nettles. Cool!
Those things don't serve a purpose for the rest of the story. Really?
She goes to a goblin market full of magical wonders. Cool!
She trades a tooth for a melodramatic himbo and a disguise for the dog that doesn't do anything. Hmmm.
Marra makes the cloak and the dog to convince a Dust Wife to kill her sister's abusive royal husband. After that, she contemplates the cruelty of patriarchy, thinks about how useless she is, and ogles the man. At one point, she attempts to resolve a conflict by invoking the respect of religious authority, but it's to no effect, and himbo knight steps in to save her.
The real stars of this story are the Dust Wife and Agnes, two old magic ladies who actually know how to get things done and thus do most of the things. Occasionally Sir Existential Crisis operates as a currency via labor to fund their excursion while Marra recalls how bad at doing anything she is.
Eventually, there's some forced romance between Marra and the himbo which is about as interesting as it is unexpected. There's more chemistry between Agnes and the Dust Wife. I'd much rather listen to their commentary on their role in the world and this assassination plot. But this story comes through Mara's POV, so we get her thoughts on how she shouldn't be inviting romance into her life while she shares only-one-blanket with the dark and stormy knight.
The overall tone of the story struggles to find a lane with grim elements meant to invoke discomfort and generally creepy feelings. But before the dark atmosphere has time to sink it, here comes a one-liner with the comedic timing of a class clown who doesn't know when to shut up. After a dozen punctuative squawks from the demon chicken, (who is also a more compelling character than Marra), you get the impression that this whole book might actually be on long "why did the chicken cross..." joke.
There are a lot of interesting parts mingling in Nettle and Bone, but missing the lifeblood of an active character, they never animate into a compelling story. Imagin if this had been told through the eyes of the older women, exploring how their relationship to power affects their relationship to the world. Or even the knight, Fenris, as he reclaims honor by recognizing it through new terms. Hell, let's even the chicken's perspective, embracing the comedic energy. But a character without growth, competence, or aspiration? She has no place delivering any story, especially not one intended to carry such an important message.
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This gruesome and occasionally snarky cosmic horror has great use of language and terrific world-building, but here's why Edenville misses the mark.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Fatal flaw: insufficiently motivated character
Quinn doesn't like Cam, her boyfriend. He's an insufferably self-absorbed writer who's only written one thing.
Quinn doesn't like Renfield County. Something bad happened to her friend there, and the area has a bad reputation.
Therefore, when Cam is offered a residency at Edenville, a college in Renfield, Quinn goes with him because her mother criticizes her taste in men. This is where our trouble begins.
The excuse about her mother's disapproval is mentioned once at the beginning, but it's never established why her mother's opinion matters. She never talks to her mother, never sees her, and never talks about seeing her. We do get plenty of interaction with Cam and with the setting of Renfield. Both are always hostile and/or uncomfortable, leaving the reader wondering why she stays.
Due to Quinn's reluctance to live in Renfield, the couple devises a "veto" word that either of them can say upon encountering too much creepy shit. Then they have to leave. Though constantly aware of this mechanism as she encounters creepy shit, Quinn doesn't invoke the veto word until halfway or more into the story. Then Cam ignores it. In short, the whole "veto word" thing adds nothing to the story other than another constant reminder that Quinn doesn't want to be there. Unfortunately, this also reminds us that she doesn't have sufficient motivation to remain in the story.
The most wayward misstep with Quinn is her awareness of horror as a genre and her place in it. She accuses Cam of being a cliche dumb horror movie skeptic who ignores the obvious signs of danger. However, she herself is a cliche horror character: the aimless, unmotivated muck-about who reveals world building for no obvious reason. Perhaps her lack of self-awareness is intended to be ironic and satirical. Unfortunately, without transcending the flaws she's lampooning, Quinn fails to be more than the mediocrity she reflects.
Edenville had all the pieces it needed to be a complete and compelling story, but it left them scattered to be visited in incoherent and fleeting glances. The author is skilled enough that my interest is already piqued for what Rebelein makes next. Until then, Edenville shows us why an ambiguously motivated character undermines story by breaking immersion with the ever-present question of: "but why?"
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes