thecandlelightlibrary's Reviews (1.25k)

Thank you to Macmillan/Tor-Forge for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 

 

Nettle & Bone is just about everything I love in a fantasy. Magic, humor, interesting worlds, satisfying conclusions, and lovable characters who sit outside the norms (and sometimes rigid boxes) of their societies. I’m new to Kingfisher’s novels, but her work is quickly becoming a favorite and it thrills me that I still have most of her backlist to look forward to. Nettle & Bone feels both familiar and entirely unexpected; the characters might all have roles you’d find in a “classic” fairy tale, but each character fits into their roles differently than your expectations would suggest. The dust-wife, in particular, I found absolutely hilarious and I aspire to have her sense of wit and self when I’m her age. 

 

Overall, this story thoroughly entertained me from start to finish and I hope we get to read more in this world in the future. Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC of this title. 

Thank you to Tordotcom/Macmillan Publishing Group for sending me an ARC of this title. I received this copy for free and this review contains my honest opinions. 

 

The Way Spring Arrives is a collection of Chinese speculative fiction short stories written (and translated) by women and nonbinary authors. Anthologies are hard, and I was so excited to dive into one that specifically gave a space to female and nonbinary creators. 

 

The strongest stories for me were: “What Does the Fox Say?” (which, was also my favorite story of this anthology and one I already can’t wait to reread), “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe: Tai-Chi Mashed Taro”, and “The Way Spring Arrives". I also enjoyed each of the 5 essays included and their glimpses into different parts of the anthology/translating process and thought-provoking questions. 

 

Unfortunately, though, several of the stories didn’t work for me. A couple of the stories were too graphic for my tastes and one in particular I felt ignored an important (and necessary) conversation about consent. Additionally, since this collection of stories varies so widely among genres and switches between them with each new story, I would have appreciated the intended genre on each story’s title page. I think I would have enjoyed many stories more if I hadn’t been struggling to place genre in such a limited space. 

 

Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a free ARC of this title.