Nettle & Bone

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.