Nettle & Bone is small in scale and huge in imagination. Kingfisher builds a bleak fairy-tale world, then sends Marra on a rescue mission that feels strange, funny, and grim all at once. The magic is odd, the companions are unforgettable, and the book keeps its emotional center steady even as the story gets weirder.
What makes it work is the balance. It has bones of classic quest fantasy, but the voice keeps pulling it somewhere sharper and more modern. It feels handcrafted rather than assembled.
That gives it a lot of charm and a little bite.