Nettle & Bone

Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop

Nettle & Bone takes a girl on a magical journey to find the strength within her to do the impossible and save her to save her sister from an abusive king.

Part humor, all fantasy, Nettle & Bone surprises the reader with clever and entertaining storytelling.

Storytelling
Nettle & Bone is something different in the best way possible. Following Marra, the third daughter of a small kingdom that borders larger ones but has control over the waterway, Marra was not prepared for the throne.

Marra was treated as the spare, but that never bothered her. She had no desire to be queen or any inclination to be a husband. Soon after her oldest sister’s death and her other sister’s marriage, Marra is placed in a convent. However, on a visit to see her sister, she notices the bruises on her arms. Soon Marra discovers her sister keeps herself pregnant to stay alive. This is the catalyst for Marra. Determined to be the hero her sister needs, Marra embarks on an impossible journey.

On her journey, she meets a Witch who gives her impossible tasks. They should be impossible, but Marra is determined to kill her sisters’ husband, so she completes them. With Marra’s new bone dog, they gather a wayward night and a reluctant godfather with a penchant for curses.

The references to classic fairytales are hilarious and fit perfectly into the narrative. For example, Marra wants to be in a fairytale to save her sister. In fairytales, the heroes always complete impossible tasks and save the day.

And that is precisely what Marra does.

Characterization
But the story would have been dry if not for those characterizations.

I can’t quite find the word to describe Marra, but she is unsure of herself. She seems quite practical, determined, and matter-of-fact, much like the witch. They balance each other out, especially since the witch knows more than Marra. Absentminded, that’s the word. Marra can sometimes be quite absentminded, so when she realizes certain things, these moments make the reader smile.

Of course, it is the godmother who steals the show.

She’s a powerful godmother when it comes to curses, and the only blessing she can give is one of good health.

There’s a scene when she curses a baby chick to find shelter, making the reader laugh out loud. Another with a cursed puppet that controls women, and finally, the scene where our heroes save the day.

It was utterly comical, especially with the demon-possessed rooster.

The way the characters delivered their lines and how they each balanced one another gave the humor in the story more life. These characters make the reader laugh and smile.

Final Thoughts
Nettle & Bone was such a delightful read. Full of incredible characters, tremendous character growth on Marra’s part, and humor throughout, it engages from beginning to end.

See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn

I picked this book up for bookclub. I have read a few of the author's other books and have enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but I found that I enjoyed it as well.

Each of the author's books have been very different, and this one leaned more heavily into magic than I was expecting. There were tinges of fairy tales along the way, but not very heavily.

I didn't give it five stars because of the way that the story ended. After the tension in the story, it was a very predictable ending. Otherwise, the story was great. Highly recommended!

This is my first book by this author. This gave me some brother Grimm fairy tale vibes and I loved it. The first few chapters were a long build up that went back and forth to past and present. The adventure didn't really pick up until about 40% into the book but it was so adorable and I loved it. The characters are delightful and witty. You have a princess who is a nun in training of sorts, a sweet former knight, a sassy old witch that talks to the dead, a kind and strange fairy godmother, a demon chicken and a bone dog (who is so anything for). You can't go wrong. This was the sweetest little story and the ending made my heart smile.

This was such a fun book. I read it on vacation, which definitely did not fit the vibes of Cancun, but this was still so fun. It's not really a horror book, it's more like a found family quest type of thing. I feel like the author did a good job at building out the world and making you immersed in it. The falling action was anti-climactic but the characters were all loveable and I enjoyed the dynamics between all of them. Live Love Finder <3

Fun adventure and great little found family on a quest!