Nettle & Bone — Book Review with Content Warnings

Author: T. Kingfisher

Genre: Alternate fairytale, dark fantasy

Series: Standalone

Age Rating: Teen+

Synopsis

Marra is the third-born princess, discarded and sent to a convent while her older sisters are married off to a prince, one after the other. When she discovers that her sisters have been abused by the prince, she takes matters into her own hands, embarking on a quest to free her kingdom from his tyranny.

Content Warnings

General Rating: Teen+ (14A / PG-13 / TV-MA)

• Spice Rating: Mild—shared bedroll, no intimacy

• Violence Rating: Moderate—sword and battle violence

• Profanity Rating: None

• Other Trigger Warnings: pregnancy, death of a loved one, death of a child, bullying, abusive relationships, domestic violence, miscarriage, murder

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

A fun, snappy dark fairytale retelling that offers hope from tyranny and liberty for women.

What I Liked

• Very fun! T. Kingfisher delivers imaginative storytelling at its finest.

• Snappy dialogue—witty, clever, quick. My favourite kind of dialogue.

• Band of misfits—a gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. I loved them all.

Themes and Reflections

• Misogyny and the powerlessness of women: Marra realizes that her fate is tied to the prince’s tyranny; she has no power over her future until she grasps it for herself. This is a common theme in many fantasy books written by women, and I think it is an appropriate pushback to centuries of misogyny in our very real world.

• Unlikely friends: Marra bands together with an unlikely group of misfits, all of whom have been cast out from polite society. The dearest of friends are often found on the edges, aren’t they?

“The history of the world was written in women’s wombs and women’s blood and she would never be allowed to change it. ”

— Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher

Writing Style

• Fluid, elegant, humorous prose

• Fast-paced, sometimes uneven pacing

• Enchanting, lighthearted, hopeful, and comedic in tone

• Archetypal characterization, endearing

• Snappy, witty dialogue

• Rich, sprawling worldbuilding

• Third-person POV from Marra’s perspective

• Memorable and evocative
  

Tropes

• Court intrigue

• Forbidden magic

• Found family

• The unlikely hero

• Quest
  

Books Like This

• The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec

• A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

• A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow

• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Publisher Info

• Publisher: Tor Books

• Release Date: April 26, 2022

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