Nettle & Bone

I was unsure of this one going in for two reasons. 1) The overused A&B title format which just signals blandness to me and 2) I had my big fairy tales but for adults phase all the way back at Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, so I'm hard to please in this area. My hopes were raised when I found out that T. Kingfisher is actually Ursula Vernon whose graphic novels I've enjoyed for many years, and her style and flair really saved the book from the mire of grown up fairy tale tropes. It's a good story, that suffers maybe a little too much from deux ex machina plot devices, but the characters and writing make it feel part of the world and not a cheat. Overall enjoyed it and would recommend to people who love a dark fairy tale and people who used to love them but have lost faith in a tired subgenre.

Dit verhaal start als een horrorroman en zet daarmee een toon die het eigenlijk niet waarmaakt. Het blijft wel sterke sfeerbeelden oproepen, wat het gehele boek naar een hoger niveau tilt, maar uiteindelijk voelde ik me wat misleid en wou ik dat ik dit leuker vond dan ik deed.

Begrijp me niet verkeerd, ik heb nog steeds genoten van dit boek, maar het had me toch niet zo in de ban als ik had verhoopt.
Ik hield vooral van hoe traditionele sprookjeselementen werden gebruikt en hoe we kennismaakten met veel interessante concepten en nieuwe interpretaties, maar niks werd echt uitgediept, waardoor er veel open vragen blijven. De personages bleven ook net iets te vaag voor mij om me emotioneel betrokken te voelen.
Al met al genoot ik wel van dit verhaal tijdens het lezen, maar vond ik het op het einde toch vooral hart en passie mankeren, waardoor ik uiteindelijk toch wat ontgoocheld was.

Ik heb heel veel moeite gehad met het bepalen van mijn sterrenbeoordeling en schipperde constant tussen een 4 (want de ideeën zijn toch wel geweldig) en een 3 (maar de uiteindelijk uitvoering liet me wat beteuterd achter). Uiteindelijk besloot ik het toch naar beneden te halen naar een 3.

“Injustice and the desire for revenge age the body, but they keep the soul going halfway to forever”

Nettle & Bone is a wonderful adult fairy tale where a third born Princess takes serious matters into her own hands. Along the way she picks up allies that normally might be only seen in glimpses in other fairy tales. T. Kingfisher does a great job of fleshing out details of the story while still progressing the book at a good pace.

This book is a finalist for this year's Nebula award and for good reason!

Pros: light romance, fun magic, interesting world

Cons: some readers might be put off that certain matters are skirted over

Marra’s older sister is married to the prince of their larger neighbouring kingdom. After a death and some unpleasant revelations, Marra is determined to save her sister, like a hero in the stories she read as a child. But how does one become a hero, and how do you kill a prince?

The opening of this book grabbed me by the throat and immediately pulled me into its world. Though the plot has some unpleasant elements the book on the whole is surprisingly upbeat. I loved the subtle humour, especially when the romance thread entered.

Marra doesn’t do politics well, which is a problem for a princess. It was nice seeing her build a group of friends who helped with her quest. They’re a quirky bunch and a lot of fun to read about. I loved Kingfisher’s take on the godmother mythos.

The magic is never explained and appears in various guises. There’s a goblin market, a woman who can talk to the dead, and Marra is able to complete two impossible fairytale quests.

I needed a lighthearted read so I appreciated that the book glossed over the disturbing elements of child death and physical abuse. Some readers might be put off the fact that the author doesn’t show the full fallout of these impactful events. I had the impression Marra was supposed to be neurodivergent, and so she doesn’t pick up on things the way others do. As the point of view character, this colours how the reader sees the world as well.

I found the story quick moving and compelling. This is an uplifting book with an excellent wrap-up that leaves you feeling content with the world.

I was a bit wary of reading this because of the ‘dark fantasy' label which made me expect all kinds of horror and gore.
But it actually turned out to be quite a pleasant read. The ‘dark' part was absolutely natural for this kind of a story and wasn't at all scary.

I loved the characters. They were so simple, yet so believable, all of them had a vibrant personality, even the bone dog and demon chick.

And I was very happy when the bad abusing piece of crap king got his due.

Well, marrying a prince is usually a dream. USUALLY.This book has one of those rare times where it is not a dream. It is rather a nightmare. And Marra, is going to help. The prince will be dead.
This book was just really clever and exidently written. It worked for keeping up the experince I had from reading the other books from this author.
I find the ideas really fun and intruqing. I felt exited and happy to turn almost all the pages. I did not use a long time reading this and I felt I just rushed threw it.
It is not 100% that I wish I could wipe my memory. But really close to it to be honest.

The worldbuilding from the very start was fun and intresting, as the other books I have read by him also are. I mean who does not want to know what happens futher when the mc is wanting to kill a prince. To help her sister. The explenations were not too dense and it all just flowed easily and effortless.
So yes I really enjoyed it.

Great seeing older characters (30 years and higher) take the main stage. I had fun reading this fairy tale inspired fantasy. The quests at the start were very attention grabbing and world building was solid. My favorite part has to be the humor, Agnes and the Dust wife really stole the show. 

This is my first T. Kingfisher book, I'll definitely have to check out her other books. 

Nettle and Bone was my February read for the Sword and Laser podcast. This book was DELIGHTFUL. It's a fantasy/fairy tale very much in a similar lane to Naomi Novak's Spinning Silver. Not only is the story interesting, the characters are surprising, and the book has a dry humor that I just loved. I deeply wish this book was a part of a series, but that does not appear to be the case. So, lacking that, I'll simply have to read more by this author.

My first T. Kingfisher book was Thornhedge and I loved it so much I thought I should read some more. This one, Nettle & Bone, plays with godmothers, magic gained from doing impossible tasks, and graveyard keepers who talk with the dead (and also keep chickens that sometimes have demons). Also the Goblin Market is mixed in there, and a really cute straight romance that didn't bother me at all! I don't know if Kingfisher has a type but both Toadling and Marra have a similar feel to them, young, inexperienced, stubborn but also not really sure about themselves except what they should be doing (and that they are doing something wrong). And it is a fun character to follow.

I like N&B starts in media res with Marra making a skeleton dog, singing from the folk song Twa Sisters; which reminds me of the impossible tasks from Scarborough Faire. Maybe there are more folk songs woven in the rest but I did not recognize them.

 This book was an absolute delight.  Not a kissing book, as the romance is quite mild compared to the White Rat books, but that???s a good thing, I think. Romance is a thing, and helps in some very dire, very dark circumstances, but it???s not the point of this book I think, until the very, very end. Bigger fish to fry and all that.  It???s actually quite optimistic overall, even when things get very dark. But it???s a kind of practical optimism, nothing overly bright and shiny in it. It takes the realities of the world, what can and can???t be changed, but shows that the things that can be changed, no matter how small, really do matter, because they can sometimes help move the big, unchangeable things towards something better.  There???s some uncomfortable truths voiced in here too, but it does it in a way that???s??? I don???t want to say gentle, because it???s not, not necessarily, but blunt without being hurtful. 

I liked this book. In terms of pacing, I feel like the book was a bit rushed near the end and I would have enjoyed it alot more if the later half of the book was longer.

This isn't epic magic quest so if you're looking for that or a really in depth magic system this book is probably not for you. It builds up the atmosphere really well and the characters are likable.

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.

This was such a unique and darkly delightful read. I can totally imagine a Tim Burton-esque movie being made out of it, as it tends toward that dark, magical, slightly strange feel about it. After really liking the first initial part of the book I wasn't sure about it for the rest of the first quarter, as it seemed a bit disjointed but as it progressed, it kept getting better and better. Our main character Marra was likable once her initial frustrating naivete gives way to determination - although I think that is rather part of the point of her character arc. Her companions on the journey are what makes it so entertaining and enjoyable though. The bone dog, the gravewitch, the fairy godmother and the disgraced Knight are the most interesting and likable part for me. The journey isn't of the epic kind, but I kind of liked that it was engaging without needing to delve deep into the lore. Kingfisher has a deft way of conveying the world without bogging it down in a lot of verbiage and I enjoyed that aspect, as well as her ability to make it still feel very fairytale-ish, even with all the tropes turned on end and the bizarre and dark nature of the story. Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the book. I find that in a lot of books that are either ‘fairytale retellings' or claim to be ‘modern fairytales' they miss the overall whimsical feeling and charm that a fairytale has. This book hits it on the head even if it does have some rather dark topics.

If I had to pick my favorite thing about the book (other than the atmosphere), it has to be the characters. I can't say which is my favorite because they all are. The grumpy witch, the ADHD godmother, the demon-possessed chicken, the curious dog made of bones, the himbo knight, and our determined protagonist are all lovable. And, I have to say the romance was very good also (I love soft love!!).

The only things that I didn't like about the book was that the first third of it were all flashbacks and towards the climax things got jumbled and forgettable. Even with these slight grievances, I'd still recommend the book anyway.

If you liked Neil Gaiman's Stardust, this book is for you. It had a similar vibe of quirky characters, a fairytale plot, unexpected twists, and adventure. In fact, the vibe of this book actually reminded me a lot of DnD.

I now want to binge read all of T. Kingfisher! I'll definitely be re-reading this book in the future!