Nettle & Bone

I enjoyed the novel, but I rated it B -. This translates to 2 1/2 stars, in my rating system. I was wildly positive about the book and the writing when I started the novel, but I felt it became more ordinary after...

SPOILER ALERT - if you wish to avoid any spoilers, please stop reading now.

...we meet the dust-wife, and and set out on the quest. It definitely dropped in my estimation after they enter the goblin market. I didn't know goblin markets were a "thing' - it features prominently in James Alan Gardner's series "They Promised me the Gun Wasn't Loaded"and "All Those Explosions Were Someone Else's Fault" (highly recommended - by the way). I guess I am showing that I am not much of a fantasy reader - you might have guessed from my handle "thegooddoctor".

I am rather surprised that this novel won the Hugo. Perhaps the lack of a Hugo nomination for the vastly superior "Babel" by R.F. Kuang wasn't entirely accidental? (Sorry - there are already far too many conspiracy theories about, especially in the enchanted realms to the south of Lake Ontario).

I would recommend Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher instead. I rated it A - (or 4 stars for this website). I would have no hesitation considering that novella Hugo-worthy.

My rating system for this website (I have done reviews for over 80 "books" (including short stories, novelettes and novellas, as well as novels).

Their system is out of 5 stars, and allows you to use half-stars, so highest rating is 5 full stars, next-highest 4 ½ stars, etc. -- and lowest is ½ star. I did NOT want to space these ratings equally, giving just as much precedence to low-quality mush as to really good works. For that reason, I laid out my system as follows:

My rating system: I begin with one star being equivalent to a rating of "C -". Progressing upwards, I add ½ star for each step, up to the maximum 5 stars, which is equivalent to a rating of "A"+. I reserve ½ star for BOMBS, there being no option of zero or negative stars. As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't squander half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.