Nettle & Bone

CW: mentions of cannibalism, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, death of a child, mention of death by torture, domestic abuse

This is only my second book by the author but once I finished reading Paladin's Grace, I decided not only that I needed to finish that series but also anything the author writes. This one just happened to be her latest and though the premise sounded a bit too creepy for my taste, I just had to give it a try. And wow what a ride this turned out to be.

This fantasy is definitely unlike anything I've ever read and I was definitely expecting something unique from the author, but this was way above my expectations. The author just throws us in the middle of a very creepy situation where we don't know what's happening and then goes back and forth to set the buildup for that creepy beginning. But the best part of the book is that the author manages to drastically change the tone of the narrative from creepy to sad to slice of life to happy to adventurous to high stakes, and it's all done so brilliantly that we never find it difficult to navigate. The writing also has this way of being subtle but packing a punch and all the emotions come out at very unexpected times, so it's a very unpredictable reading experience but that's what makes this so much fun. The pacing is also perfect, taking its time at the smaller moments and moving faster at crucial sequences, making for a very immersive read and the mood as well as setting changes also work perfectly. Another most surprising part are the settings themselves - there is a blighted land, there are cannibals, saints, a goblin market, fair folk, magical godmothers, creepy catacombs - we never get the why of any of them; they all exist and are part of this world and we just get to go along with the author's quirky imagination.

But I also think it's the themes the author incorporates here that makes this such an impactful story. There's a lot of indirect and direct commentary on the status of women in the society, how they are constrained by the roles they have been assigned, and how difficult it is to get out of them. I especially found the implications around how pregnancy and motherhood has a way of constraining women to be very timely, especially because bodily autonomy is on the line in our real world these days. The domestic abuse depicted isn't shown in any graphic detail but the implication of it is very stark in the silences, the helplessness a wife can feel when her husband is an abusive man with lots of power is laid out for us in a way that scares us, and through our main character we realize that the only way out of that helplessness is for someone to decide enough is enough, and do something to help out the victim. Every single character here is in someway feeling constrained by what they think they are allowed to do, and only when they try to help out each other are they able to get out of the rut and find their freedom. Even when the story feels horrific and dark, it's the hope and kindness that keeps us going.

And the embodiment of that kindness first and foremost is our main character Marra. She is the third princess of a small kingdom but politics and diplomacy is not her cup of tea. She finds more fulfillment when she is sent to a nunnery and spends many years there working on her weaving and embroidery, as well as helping women during pregnancy and childbirth. This also gives her a unique perspective on the kinds of issues women face in society, and motivates her to do something about saving her sister from her abusive marriage. I also liked how the religious order she is a part of was very practical about helping out and doing the required things, rather than just preaching faith.

Once she starts on her journey to save her sister, she collects people (and some not people) to help her out and they all become this very quirky found family which is amazing. First is the necromancer dust wife (and she doesn't need another name) who gets exasperated with the conviction of Marra and can't help but go along with her. Following them are a bone dog and a demon possessed chicken and just don't ask me why they are there... you just get attached to them and it's inevitable and there's no need to know what their purpose is. Next we get a warrior called Fenris who is still guilty about his past actions and is happy to have a new purpose in his life. While the dust wife is more on the grumpy side, Fenris is a good man who is very considerate about Marra's boundaries and concerns and they make for a good team. I really liked their low key friendship and it's potential for more. And the final piece of this found family is Agnes, Marra's godmother who always blesses every child with health but is hiding so much more. She is the perfect example of someone saying no to their destiny and choosing decency and I loved her. She definitely adds some cheer to the somber proceedings.

We also have many other side characters who make small appearances but everyone is quite memorable. Marra's mother is a queen and she will do whatever is required to ensure the safety of her people, even if it makes her daughters unhappy and unsafe. Marra's sister Kania has strength of her own, surviving with what means are available to her, waiting for the day she'll get the opportunity to get out of her situation. We also have the Northern Kingdom's very old godmother who has mysterious powers and I really liked the little glimpses we got of her story. All of them together make this story very very uniquely memorable.

In conclusion, this is a book I didn't know I needed, but I'm so glad I picked it up. This is the kind of fantasy I'm excited to explore - subverts tropes and fairytale expectations, is very thematic but in a way that's very organic to the story, a very unlikely cast of characters who will slowly grow on you, a perfect blend of dark and creepy and optimism, and overall a story that sucks you in and never lets you go. I also liked how the stakes weren't world ending but the personal nature of them made us feel more emotional. What I got from it was that we should all try to help someone out in anyway that we can and be kind, and maybe we'll find our own happiness that way. I deeply enjoyed it and this cements my conviction to read more of the author's works soon. And I already feel like I'm gonna have a very tough time coming up with my favorites list at the end of the year, but this will surely be one among them.

DNF at Chapter 6 (Page 68)

I see this author praised time and again for fairy tales and retelling. With all the praise this one was getting, I thought it'd be worth trying.

There is some interesting aspects. The world and the the inclusion of domestic violence in a fairy tale. The idea of a bone dog and the blend of old magic.

So why the DNF? It felt incredibly slow and rushed at the same time. I felt like I never got to know the characters before they were put into a scenario. It felt a bit like tokens on a board game. The characters have a purpose but no real substance to them. I found myself putting down the book with no real inclination to pick it back up again. I wish that the writing was doubled in size. I wish that more pages were devoted towards their small kindom and introducing the family. I'd have liked to learn more about the oldest sister and have a small connection with her before she died. Plus the start of the bone dog was meant to draw the reader in, but instead it had the opposite affect. I just felt confused.

I loved the vibes of this whole book. The characters were great, and I loved every single one of them. The world was rich and the magic sufficiently dark. The goblin market was perhaps my favourite part, it made me wanna reread any fay-ish book I have ever read. Marra and Fenrir were amazing together, and I loved their little moments and their large ones. I had very different expectations from the first couple of chapters than what it turned out to be, but fuck was this good. 

I don't believe in God but I would believe in any saint of Our Lady of Grackles. A five star rating. Dark themes, but a heck of a lot of humor and found family. I listened to the book and that bummed me out because listening was too slow. Reading would have been faster and I just wanted to know what was happening next.

I particularly liked The Goblin Market, with its wares, payment in days of your life and the value of a nun's tooth. Not to mention that BoneDog can have a playdate at the dog park with my dog!

Pick this book up and make room for this family because you will be wanting to adventure with them again.

The way people talked about this book on YouTube made me want to read it. It was okay. I thought Marra was so immature for her age. She acted too much on her “feelings” when making decisions. She never quite understood that her actions have consequences. The bright side of this book is Bonedog. Overall, an average book at best. 3 stars.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars but the author note at the end pushed it down. At 240 pages, this is a rather thin fantasy, literally and figuratively. At times it was quite clever and interesting but the characters are flat and the plot is predictable so I never felt drawn into the story.Thank you to Tor Publishing who kindly sent me a free ARC for review.Generally, I'm a fan of authors appending information for the edification of readers (and in the case of historical fiction, I consider it de rigeur) but sharing that the plot was dreamed up in the grocery store should be saved for interviews as it smacks of unnecessary vanity.

Wow this book was really different from ones I normally read but I enjoyed it nevertheless. It was a perfect blend of creepy, yet lighthearted and fun. I mean how can you not enjoy the random yet lovable blend of characters that the MC has to go on mission with to save her sister from an evil ruler.

You've got:
- An FMC who is a princess yet raised as a nun and is awkward and out of her depth
- A dog made of bones who is just happy to be there
- A bone woman who can control and see the dead
- Her demon possessed chicken
- A fairy godmother who is more predisposed to curses rather than blessings
- A golden retriever knight who is convinced he will die at by the end of the mission and has happily resigned to his fate.

4.5 stars
I had so much fun reading this one! The cast of characters was fantastic! I also enjoyed the quest.
At first, I wasn't exactly enjoying it, even though I was intrigued by it. But after the first few pages, I fell in love with the story and the characters.
Entertaining, with dark elements, a great cast of characters, and an interesting quest. Super enjoyable.

I felt the beginning a bit confusing because the scene at the start was so different from the scene that followed. I eventually figured out the moment my focus had shifted to my own world was when I would have caught that the 2 scenes are for the same woman, just her present and her backstory.

The characters were interesting and unique, I enjoyed getting to know them. The storyline moved along nicely, a few sidetracks that added new characters and moved the story along in some way. Well done author! I think the sidetracks are a tricky edge to walk.

If this is the first in a series, I'd read the next.

While there's no denying that this is a good book, it didn't seem as standout to me as it apparently did to many other readers. On the plus side, there's some great inventiveness, with some striking scenes and clever use of the tropes of the genre. Speaking of which, the genre in question is “fairy tales” in particular, rather than fantasy in general - this is a dark, adult tale that's clearly rooted in stories such as Sleeping Beauty. Despite dealing with some themes that one wouldn't expect in a story for children (although nothing particularly graphic or sexual) it also manages to be surprisingly bright and optimistic in places and the bickering elderly witches are enjoyable to read.

The downside, at least for me, was the slow start. The story actually begins in media res and the extended flashback that follows is written in a curiously detached style that I'd describe as “tell, don't show”. For instance, although there is some dialogue in this section, for the most part, we are told what the conversation was about rather than reading it directly. Things improve greatly once the story reaches the point where we came in, and the protagonist's quest to save her sister from the evil Prince gets underway. But, for some reason, I wasn't quite able to get over the beginning, and that drags it down from the full five stars.

But it's still well worth a read... and bone-dog is cool.

A Dark-Cute Fairytale

Dark themes do not necessarily lead to a dark book. Nettle and Bone approached mature themes, and occasionally evoked dark scenery, but its tone and characters were endearing and charming. For example, there's a resurrected skeleton, but it's a dog skeleton, and he's really friendly. Marra is keen and perceptive, but due to her youth and sheltered upbringing, she can be naive at times. Through her eyes, we learn of a world of kingdoms and magic: Hidden fairy markets, strange spells, witches, fairy god mothers, and a noble knight with a dark past. In spite of all the tropes however, each character is more than they seem. They all have interesting personalities and quirks, and the way they interacted felt human and natural.

Kingfisher's magic with this story is in how she creates something that feels familiar and fresh at the same time. It reads somewhat like an old-fashioned fairy tale - but one that fits with more modern ideas of morality. Women, including older single women, have value and are not just evil witches, and the handsome prince is not the good guy, but the villain. Probably the most subversive element is actually that Marra's mission is essentially to save her sister from a toxic and abusive relationship, and that everyone agrees this is a mission worth fighting for. In the age of he-said-she-said, the idea that a woman being mistreated by her husband is ample grounds for a great quest is a quietly radical idea. This is the kind of story I'd read to my daughters... But not until they're a little older.

4.5 stars.

Oh, how I loved this book! It's out of my comfort zone, I'm not usually a fantasy reader, preferring dark and creepy thrillers and ghost stories to other worlds and fairy folk. But I was reading The Twisted Ones by T.Kingfisher, and loving it (and laughing out loud) when I saw this pop up on Netgalley (thank you kindly).

It tells the story of a princess who has to undertake three impossible tasks to win the help of a “dust-wife” (a witch who can speak with the dead) in order to kill a prince. Along the way she meets a cast of loveable, flawed characters as they embark on their quest.

It's a fairytale at heart, but also a tale of found family, sisterhood and determination. Highly recommend.