Nettle & Bone
Ratings401
Average rating4.1
This is my kinda book. It's weird, it's beautiful, it's exciting to follow, it's fantasy...gahhhh, what more can I say? Oh, there's a chicken possessed by a demon. That is all.
I loved this far more than I expected. What Moves the Dead was not my cup of tea. Found it was a little too cute and the payoff to the mystery wasn't all that interesting. I thought the characters were pleasant but the tense-ness was just a tad too high.
N&B was such a charming book from end to end. I do appreciate how TK doesn't wax on and on. This is a borderline fantasy heist with incredibly likeable characters up and down. And the brevity and speed of this adventure prevents me from wishing for more depth.
If you told me that they were going to turn this into a series, I wouldn't question it. They set up a big world with lots of unanswered aspects and I would go with these characters in an instance. Give it up for Bonedog.
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.
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.
I finished this book in one day. It was really good. The easiest 5 stars ever. This was a fun fantasy story with great characters. I loved everything about it. If you want to read an adventure story with magic elements read this book. HIGHLY recommend!
I enjoyed the journey, as always with Kingfisher, but I wish everything didn't end so predictably. The magic in this book is well constructed and unique, as are the characters and the world. But the narratives and plots wrap up too neatly too quickly.
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!
I loved this book. It reminded me of Neil Gaiman's Stardust and Neverwhere, which have been my favourites for a long time. The only reason this wasn't a five star read for me was the fact that there wasn't a lot of detail, which made things seem superficial at times.
However, I am now convinced all stories need at least one chicken.
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.
A perfect cosy-ish fantasy with demon chickens, bone dogs, sad rogue knights, goblins, fairy godmothers, lovely nuns and strong Queens. A brilliantly crafted and superbly weighted fantasy outing that made me want more.
Book Club Pick #8
Very different than what I was expecting. Just a cozy little fantasy, with found family, and many interesting characters to meet along the way.
Sometimes I appreciate a subtle villain but then again this antagonist is one you love to hate.
Kingfisher continues to be awesome.
Will add more review soon.
I recently read my first T. Kingfisher book and fell in love with it. I wanted to read more of this authors book and me and a couple of friends decided to buddy read this one together. While I did enjoy this one I didn't love it as much as the first book I read by this author which was Swordheart.
This is a fantasy with a quest and we meet a lot of great characters along the way. I will say this book throws you straight in from the beginning and it can be a bit confusing at times but I say stick it out. It's a fairly simple plot line but for me I love a good easy plot when it comes to fantasy because there's not a whole lot you need to keep up with. I would have liked the magic to have been explained a little bit and I personally would have liked a little bit more of the romance but that's a personal preference. I know that a lot of people prefer not to have a whole lot of romance in their fantasy and if that's the case then I would say this is definitely for you.
There were moments that had me laughing out loud but there were also some harder topics talked about but it's done in a vague way but I will still say to look for triggers if you are easily trigger by certain topics. Overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more if this authors backlist.
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.
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.
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.
This was an enjoyable read with characters you want to spend time with. I particularly loved the grave witch with her demon rooster and the godmother who was meant to be evil, but instead lived a mediocre and kind life with her chickens.
Why did I think she must have slighted me? Why didn't it occur to me that she might just be doing the best she could?
‘Go,' she whispered... ‘Run and be free. They cannot use what they cannot find.'
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this dark fairytale book! Some of the writing is so poetically beautiful that it drove me to rant my friends ears off countless times and it is also at times hysterically funny! The characters are lovable beyond belief and the main character, Marra, is just so relatable with her commentary (it's not 1st person but you know what I mean). 100% recommend for classic fairytale vibes with a side of creepy and funny antics!
One of my favorite fairy tale type stories! Actual characters and reason to care rather than rich atmosphere.