Nettle, by Bex Hogan - Nicola
What a truly magical book this is!
In all honesty, I did a thing you should never do, and I chose this book purely based on it's captivating cover... dark fantasy is not my normal 'go-to' genre.
That being said, I am so so pleased I did, I finished this book in less than 24 hours - curse the human body's need to sleep!
The book is about a girl called Nettle, who has been diligently raised by her grandmother, reading her tails of the faery world. Nettle then accidentally falls through a portal and finds herself trapped in a faery kingdom, and her only way to escape is to complete three impossible tasks.
She uses what she learnt from her grandmothers stories, and from her new friend, fellow-prisoner Connor to start to navigate her way through the futile tasks. Through the magical beauty of the place, there is also ugliness and cruelty, with a deep-routed undercurrent of deception. You know there is something different about Nettle; she's not quite the same as the other humans who have been held captive there for decades... but what is it?
This book transported me into a new world. I couldn't help but immerse myself in the captivating descriptions of this terrifying place. This world reminded me of the film 'Labyrinth' that I watched as a child. This book beautifully absorbs you into the juxtaposing themes of beauty and deception while also giving you a small undercurrent of a love triangle bubbling away on the periphery.
A big five stars from me, and thank you for making me explore a new genre. I loved it.
Nicola
