Nettle & Bone - T. Kingfisher

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I seem to be an outlier rating-wise for this dark fairytale by T. Kingfisher, and I'll admit that part of it may be that I wasn't in the right mood to read a fantasy title when I thought I was.


Having read Kingfisher's incredibly creative novella "What Moves the Dead" last month and absolutely loving it, I really couldn't wait to get my hands on "Nettle and Bone." The first few chapters were intriguing, dark, and laid the groundwork for a promising fantasy tale. Not soon after though, I felt my interest waning and unfortunately it was never fully captured again. 

The story's setting, characters, and overall plot were too familiar and simply not unique enough for me to call this a fairytale that T. Kingfisher has made all her own; I felt like I had read multiple versions of this story before and found I couldn't connect to the main character, Marra, or her vengeance-fueled mission to kill the prince. Ultimately, this fell rather flat for me and is a story I'll soon forget, I wasn't nearly as emotionally-invested in it as I wanted to be.

If you're someone who lives and breathes the fantasy genre, this very well could be the book for you. Kingfisher's writing is undeniable descriptive and she is a very talented storyteller; this story in particular just wasn't for me.

Rating: 3 Stars

Publication Details: Out 4/26/2022, Tor Books

Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!

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