Reviews

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

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dustyshell's review against another edition

3.0

This was an enjoyable read, but didn't wow me in any way. It took me several chapters to find my groove and the second half had more intriguing action and plot line to me. It did mix a few of my favorite story elements--fantasy, a little bit of dark macabre, slow burn/realistic relationship building (without the high spice), and good character development of the protagonist.

dinah_yukich's review against another edition

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4.0

Enjoyed; light but amusing take on fairy godmother combined with interesting world that answers just enough but leaves just enough unanswered

effaly's review against another edition

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2.0

"Nettle & Bones" is quite the magical ride, with some really intriguing world-building. But there are a couple of things that bugged me.

First off, I absolutely loved the vibes in this book. T. Kingfisher knows how to create an atmosphere that sucks you right in. The world she's built is unique and full of intriguing magical concepts that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Now, here's the thing – Marra, the main character, is supposed to be 30, but she often feels more like a YA character. Her actions and thoughts don't quite match her age, which can be a bit jarring if you're expecting a character who behaves like a typical 30-year-old.

And let's talk about the romance subplot. Marra dealing with her sister's domestic abuse, and suddenly there's this romance angle... that just didn't fit and felt weirdly inappropriate. There other more interesting sub-plots but unfortunately, there were done as quickly as they came.

And then the annoying thing where one would say something, very straight forward and easily to understand, and a character (usually Marra) ask "What?" or "Eh?" and it was explained again. It happened way too often and was sooo annoying.

Overall, it was a fun ride, but there were too many things that bothered me, to really enjoy it.

seyahrue's review against another edition

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5.0

This was very different from what I was expecting but I ended up loving it. The opening few chapters of the book were so engaging and did an amazing job of setting up the world.

I loved all the characters, especially bone dog and the dust witch, and the ending was really satisfying. Would definitely recommend to fantasy fans!

Looking forward to trying out some more books by T. Kingfisher, her writing in this was so good in this.

countesslemongrab's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Pretty good book - very unique story. I liked that the FMC and MMC were older compared to other fantasy I’ve read. I enjoyed the humor and the quirks of the story and characters

fizzieee's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious slow-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

This was so quirky and unique it took me quite a bit to get into l, but once i was in I really enjoyed the storyline and the disarmingly adorable characters. I was really rooting for this little troop towards the latter half of the novel and honestly wish it could’ve been just a bit longer to enjoy even more (but honestly it was a perfect length, not overdone and drawn out).

T. Kingfisher has such a unique style, with gorgeous prose, and very relatable subject matter, even in a darker fantasy setting. Very impressed and will pick up more of their books.