4.5 stars

The marketing material that comes with the eARC describes Hardinge’s writing as ‘unique gothic imagination carried by luminous prose’, which is really a much more succinctly accurate description than anything I could come up with! And this book absolutely lives up to everything you expect from her work: an extremely creepy setting that feels like a character in its own right; a bizarre world where nothing is as it seems; a twisty plot full of mysteries, betrayals, and turns you never could have seen coming, but make total sense when they do; loveable characters who deserve the absolute world; and discussions of themes that are impressively wide-ranging and nuanced!

So let’s break those down one by one:

The Wilds is a classic Hardinge setting, and it is CREEPY. It has a personality right from the first sentence, and the feeling of darkness and danger permeates the whole book.

Beyond the basic setting, the wider world is also so fully-realised and layered. Not just the physical geography, but also the terrifying array of supernatural creatures, and of course the curses, which was such a unique and creative conceit that opens so many doors for exploration.

The plot is gloriously complex. Even for Hardinge, it’s complicated and twisty, with an unusually and sometimes bewilderingly large cast of side characters we only encounter briefly, but her writing is masterful enough that every thread is pulled together by the end, and every character and encounter contributes something to our understanding of the world and themes.

The characters are simply everything. Nettle in particular has my whole heart, with her quiet strength and compassion, and a depth of trauma that she struggles to let anyone see. Kellen took me longer to warm to - he is arguably more flawed, and that particular brand of impulsive stubbornness that I can often find irritating - but he grew on me too, and I loved the way they balanced each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Some of the themes here are things Hardinge has explored before - it touches on power and injustice, family, and what it means to be human and live in a society. But this book is in large part concerned with trauma: the things that anger and hurt can push people to, and how different people can react differently to the same emotions; and what it means to heal and forgive. It’s dark and it’s heartbreaking, but it’s also beautiful.

Nothing I can say will do justice to the beauty and creativity of this book (see aforementioned incoherence). For those who are familiar with Frances Hardinge, I’d probably compare this most closely with Verdigris Deep and Gullstruck Island, and tell you to absolutely go and read this as soon as possible! If you’re new to her work, all I can do is to recommend her as strongly as possible (though with that said, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest this book as the place to start - Verdigris Deep is my usual recommendation for Hardinge beginners, then come back!)

CW: death; accidental sororicide; trauma; institutionalisation; references to emotional abuse by a parent; people being transformed into animals and inanimate objects; reference to beheading; references to spousal abuse

A multilayered, well plotted, and riveting story that kept me hooked. Great storytelling and characters, excellent world building.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Frances Hardinge explores the nasty sticky world of hate, resentment, repentance and forgiveness in a creative and exciting read. Using close observation of human nature and frailty and fantastic language she delights the reader. In an original world of wonder and horror, Nettle and Kellen work through whacky, unpredictable plans to become who they really are.

I was sad when this book ended. Totally enjoyable but full of great discussion. points about emotions and how to deal with them. Equally, in a classroom, Hardinge demonstrates the beauty of language and how imagination can be released if you ask, 'What if?'.

Unraveller is probably the best Frances Hardinge book I've read, although I say this every time she releases a new book. I could have devoured it in a day, but I read slower and slower as I got into it because I really didn't want it to end. Set in a magical world where the 'normal' unmagical people are mostly sheltered from the magical people by both geography and admin, there is one area where the two worlds leak into each other. People who hold secret resentments can nurse a 'curse egg' which grows the longer they hold onto the feelings and eventually erupts and curses the object of their hatred. Kellen is a boy who has the gift of unravelling curses and releasing the cursed. Nettle is someone he has helped in the past. They are bound together and when Kellan's quick temper gets him into trouble one time too many, both are sucked into a web of subterfuge and double dealing that will see them risk everything they have and are to set things right. This is beautifully plotted with great characters and fascinating thoughts about hatred, resentment and revenge and how that shapes us as people. Hardinge is a brilliant writer who goes from strength to strength. I'm already excited about what she might write next.

I found this to be a very complex book, a lot is going on, and it covers a wide range of themes including domestic violence, friendship, but most of all hate, which is the main theme of the book as one of the main character’s, Kellen, is the only person who can undo those who have been cursed by someone who hates them.

This isn’t a light read, but it’s an enjoyable one. I feel this may be more of a setting up book for the second one - I presume it’s the start of a series?!! It feels far from over..

My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Raddith sits alongside a mysterious area known as the Wilds. If you look at it, it doesn’t seem that big or anything to worry about. But as you travel near or – best not! – into the Wilds, the topography shifts. Things you think you see might or might not be real, and almost certainly they will be magical. Dark magics, though, dark dark dark.

One of the main types of magical creatures are the Little Brothers – basically, magic spiders. Eeeek! I didn’t know this going in, and my arachnophobe sensibilities were on high alert! Don’t worry, though, this was fine: no Arachnophobia traumas o.O

Kellen grew up in a weaving town, with close links to the Little Brothers – fellow weavers, after all. But he’s politely thrown out after developing a tendency to unravel anything he’s near: cloth, clothes, anything woven and more.

Out in the world – still a young teen – Kellen learns he can use his gift to help the cursed. For, in this world, certain people fester not just with anger and other bad feelings, but with ‘curse eggs’. Eventually they will send the curse out to attack, with often horrific results. One such curse was cast on Nettle and her siblings. Nettle faired lightest, transformed into a heron. Even now that Kellen has unravelled this curse, the girl still remembers having wings. Together the pair travel, helping other cursed folk, and helping send cursers to the Red Hospital.

But one day, they discover a curser has escaped – and has a grudge against Kellen. Is the mysterious Gall, one-eyed and bound to a dangerous Marsh Horse, there to offer help, or to use the pair – or something darker yet?

I do love Frances Hardinge’s story telling. It’s always so rich and deep and beautifully drawn with words, and this new tale is no different. The world of Raddith and the Wilds comes to life so very readily, and the fear of the creatures that inhabit it – human or otherwise – soaks through every character.

If I had one ‘complaint’, I wasn’t really too fond of the main characters being so young. But, that’s on me as the intended YA or a little younger audience will probably be more appreciative. It isn’t a big issue, but occasionally we are reminded that Kellen in particular is a teen prone to strops and unrealistic idealism. Still, the story unravels – hah – around them gloriously, heading to places I could not have expected at the start, and providing a very satisfactory modern, dark, fairy tale-esque story.

I might also feel like there’s just a little too much crammed in here, that could have benefitted from loads more exploration – although it does all add to a very rich tapestry and background. Maybe we’ll get another book set in Raddith (hint hint ;)).

Overall, this book is wonderful, in both senses. A very worthy addition to the likes of Deeplight and The Lie Tree and I really must go and dig through some more of her back catalogue now! Recommended, all of it.

A unique and beautifully ravelling world as per usual with this creative and talentedly minded author. The world itself was intriguing and had me wondering more and more the further I read, with every page revealing that little bit more of the mystery. With its labyrinth style vibes (in my opinion) it was that tad bit of strange mixed with wonder that I couldn’t quite describe again if you asked.

So you may ask having read the last paragraph why is it three stars. This is due to the writing style just not been to my tastes. It didn’t catch me and the flow of it just wasn’t quite there. It may be the fact that the way in which the author writes this isn’t to my taste as this was the same with her last book but I thought give this one a try as well see if maybe it was just the time at which I read it, however this seems to not be the case again. The world it self as above is absolutely beautiful and Cinematically would be brilliant for the screen but the writing doesn’t catch me enough to get me involved into the story and the characters. I always find that the flow isn’t there I just struggle to connect and unfortunately this is the case with this one as well. As I said it may just be not to my taste so I’m not saying don’t go read this as the world is very intriguing but the flow just isn’t there for me.

Kellan has a unique ‘gift’: he is able to unravel curses and free those who have been cursed, often leading to the capture of cursers who end up imprisoned in the Red Hospital. He travels with his friend Nettle, who he previously released from her step-mother’s curse which transformed her into a heron, and together they try to help others. When a mysterious one-eyed man named Gall turns up and offers them a way out of a tricky situation in return for Kellan’s services as an unraveller, they accept and soon learn of a dangerous conspiracy to free cursers. Can they untangle the threads of the plot and stop it before it is too late?

I was completely hooked by this story and raced through it. The world building is excellent, due to Hardinge’s beautiful description and brilliant imagination, and I loved the idea of the Wilds, brimming with danger and mysterious creatures.

Unraveller is the first book by Francis Hardinge I’ve read and I’m not sure what has taken me so long. I’d recommend this to those aged 12+ who enjoy fantasy with a dark edge.

Another absolutely stunning book from Frances Hardinge featuring some endearing characters. Living in a time where curses can be cast by anyone with dramatic repercussions for both the curser and the cursed. Enter Kellan, a unique individual who can remove or “unravel” curses after a curious encounter with a magical spider-thing, and Nettle who was once cursed into living as a heron until Kellen unravelled her curse. They are assisted by Nettle’s brother Yannick who decided to remain cursed and lived his life as a gull and a man who has sold his soul to a horse.
Sounds too weird and far-fetched? It’s not. It’s a beautifully crafted story about life, love and consequences. A classic!
If you’re an adult, please don’t be put-off by the YA label. Read it, you won’t be disappointed.

A rip roaringly good YA fantasy novel which will also appeal to adults.

Kellen and Nettle live in a magical world of spiders and cursers, moonlight and swamps and Kellen is the one person with the unique ability to unravel it all, which is it's own curse as well as a gift.

This was my first novel by Frances Hardinge and it is full of suspense and magical monsters, many who have a deeper, hidden meaning. I will be looking out for more of her books as this one had me caught in her web.

This is a highly imaginative fantasy tale for young adults. As always, Frances Hardinge's writing is superb, full of entertaining and unique characters. This story follows the adventures of Kellen and Nettle as they try to track down a missing prisoner and discover who is behind the conspiracy. Hardinge's imagination knows no bounds. in terms of character and setting. This is a highly entertaining read.

Frances Hardinge’s books just get better and better. Her settings are so fantastical and yet so beautifully written that they are utterly believable. There’s a whole world in every one of her books. I read this in one sitting. I didn’t do anything else all day, and I don’t consider it wasted time.

Unraveller is a lovely dark fantasy with more than a touch of fairy tale, but only the most gothic and creepy kind. Wailing women in the swamp and a moonlit market at sea. Dark creatures in the Wilds where saying the wrong thing could be cataclysmic. The Little Brothers who enable the cursers with curse eggs…

And such sympathetic characters. Nettle, caring common-sense, tragically cursed as a child, who is carrying the world on her shoulders. Kellen (who is, frankly, such a teenage boy) fixated on doing the right thing until he is no longer sure what exactly is the right thing. Even the side characters feel like real people.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Frances Hardinge and MacMillan for an ARC of this novel.

What would you do if you could hate someone enough to curse them and transform them into something other? Would your enemy turn into a tree that you could fell and cut and use as timber in a ship? Would they turn into a worm that you could use as bait for your fishing time and time again? Would you transform them into a bird, a heron, a hawk, a dove perhaps? And how would it feel to be transformed back into a person again? How much of the true you would survive?

This is the central motif of Frances Hardinge’s new novel: Raddith is a land that contains The Wilds and it is from The Wilds that this cursing power or phenomenon comes. Along with a wealth of eldritch creatures, mysterious rituals and Midnight Markets, Little Brothers and Bookbearers and Dancing Stars. The Wilds is a place that defies the limitation of human knowledge, understanding or physics: whilst they appear from outside to be “a meagre band of damp greyish woodland only a few miles deep”, it is bigger – vaster – on the inside and

if you are rash enough to venture down among the trees, you will discover your error quickly. The innocent appearance of the Wilds is a lie. The marsh-woods are every bit as strange, vast and perilous as the stories say.

It is no secret and no surprise to my friends, colleagues, family and readers of this blog that I love Frances Hardinge’s novels – from the historical Cuckoo Song and The Lie Tree to the fantastical Deeplight and A Face Like Glass – and her world building is extraordinary here, even by her standard! Her opening chapter addresses us directly as if we were a foreign visitor to Raddith, and the duality between the Chancery-controlled human world and The Wilds is exquisite. We hear the rumours and stories before we are introduced to the real horrors of those Wilds.

Hardinge’s main characters are Kellen – the eponymous unraveller of curses – and the previously-cursed Nettle, youths little more than children who eke a living out of the unravelling Kellen can do. Unfortunately, his ability to unravel curses extends to the more literal tendency to unravel fabric around him which, combined with both a hot-headedness and a miscievousness, lead to all sorts of trouble.


It is with one spot of such trouble that the book opens and as a result of which Kellen and Nettle are incarcerated until released on the orders of a mysterious one-eyed stranger named Gall, a man who had sacrificed an eye – and possibly more – to bond with a Deep Wilds marsh horse, a terrifying carnivorous, dangerous creature that seemed to bear the appearance of a horse but not much else equine.

What Gall does is introduce Kellen and Nettle to a wider narrative: apprehended cursers have been going missing and everyone knows that a curser always curses again so missing cursers become a matter of concern to those at the highest levels of power. These cursers are, essentially, a weapon of mass destruction.

In fact, this is one of the most thoughtful responses to the concept of crime and criminality that I have read. The fate of the cursers apprehended by Kellen is appalling:

We lock them away for years in windowless rooms in chains and iron helmets.

And this is fate of those who have not just cursed and therefore caused irreparable harm to someone else, but also to those in whom the ability to curse is detected even before they have unleashed it. How should a society deal with those capable and predisposed to violence? In our real world where authorities may believe themselves capable of identifying potential terrorists and extremists and their sympathisers through racial profiling and social media flags, how should we deal with those characters who are in fact still innocent?

And what about the flip side? How should we deal with those who have suffered at the hands of others? The curse victims in this novel – and there are many that we encounter – are scarred and changed by their experiences, sometimes physically and always emotionally. The novel really challenges us to consider how life-changing experiences can be managed and supported when those experiences shatter our very ability to trust others.

After all, can we ever trust those things that “everyone knows”?

Through the course of their journey, Kellen and Nettle visit a range of curse victims and rescue them. It does make the narrative a little episodic and certainly some of those rescues, however wonderfully written they were, did not necessarily advance the plot or character development. I did love the way that Kellen unravelled them, usually seeking an understanding and an empathy with both curser and victim and encouraging them to accept a new truth themselves – that perhaps their loved ones might be the very curser who transformed them and turned their lives into a nightmare.

Hardinge’s language is, as always, gorgeous and sensory especially when describing the weird and otherness of her world. Kellen’s talent is described in language which is redolent with metaphor and imagery, extending and deepening the metaphor of the unravelling and fabric deliciously. The flashback of how he acquired his power from a Little Brother in a tumult of fabric destruction was exceptional and energetic and just brilliant.

I also adored Gall! Terrifying certainly at times, eldritch in his bond to the marsh horse, wholly human in his difficult but very real love for his husband. Hardinge gave us just enough humanity in him to see him caught between her two worlds, bound to the Wilds but loving a human. In fact this being caught between two worlds felt central to the novel too: is it a coincidence that the Wilds themselves are in a marsh, neither quite land nor yet sea?

Whilst for me, Cuckoo Song will always be my favourite Hardinge novels, this explored the same territory and, as a novel, reaches those same heights. However deeply embedded in the fairytale and the other, Hardinge created characters who are ultimately utterly human and convincing.

A fantastic read!

I really enjoyed this fantasy story, it was an original and imaginative storyline. It is well written and Frances Hardinge has created a magical world, with plenty of villains, magical characters and twists I didn't always see coming.

The characters were fascinating, a mix of villains and the misunderstood, they played well off against each other and kept my attention throughout. Kellan is the Unraveller of curses and Nettle is one who was cursed and whom Kellan saved. I liked these two and enjoyed their relationship, they were both lost in many ways and found each other an anchor of sorts. I liked Gall, the Horseman, who offers them freedom from jail but at what cost? None of these characters is exactly what they seem and I was never quite sure what would be revealed next.

The story is aimed at young adult readers, but as a very mature reader, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be adding it to my Granddaughter's Christmas booklist for certain. If you enjoy a good fantasy with new worlds, well-written characters and creatures that behave in ways you wouldn't expect then I can highly recommend this book.

Frances Hardinge is one of those authors you trust implicitly as a reader - you know she will build you a world that swallows you up whole, just like the marshwoods in Unraveller, and you're happy to lean into the tide and be swept away. Unraveller is a gorgeous fantasy with a rich, complex world, and an equally complex view on anger, grief, and what it truly means to be cursed.

*review in exchange for netgalley arc*

This book is quite bizarre to me; it’s the kind of book I should have loved but for some reason I just…didn’t? I have read this authors works before and had the same response - loving the premise and elements of her books, but not the book itself. I think sometimes it’s a case that a book and author can have all the things you love but it’s just not your cup of tea, such as the case with this one.

The writing is stunning. Very beautiful and descriptive, immersive and whimsical in its style. It sometimes was a bit too descriptive and metaphorical as I had to go back and read the sentence again to understand what I’d read, but I also think this writing style works really well and is effective for the type of book and story this is.

I loved the unusual, imaginative and creativity of the magic theme in this book - having hatred be a reason someone can cause curses? Amazing!

I loved the characters’ skills - being able to literally undo - unravel - the curses and that being a job? Genius!

I just found the plot and writing style a bit confusing which is why I struggled my way through the book. I found the more I read, the more I enjoyed it but I think had this been a book I’d picked up myself, I’d have maybe not persisted.

Having said that, I think a lot of this is personal reading taste. This book feels like a magical, whimsical and unique story. A fairy tale for adults. I’m sure some people out there will love this book!

This tale has a charmingly unhinged main character in Kellen, a great chase and mystery and an otherworldly, beautifully imagined world… BUT the true joy for me came from 1) the awkward, understated vulnerability of the once-cursed-as-a-heron girl Nettle and then 2) the gossamer fine balance of truth as you near the end of the book, where, as though the haze from the Deep Wilds has reached your perception too…you're not quite sure where reality lies. Really gorgeous.

UNRAVELLER has all the quirky heart you expect from Frances Hardinge's books.

Curses are born from human hatred and sense of being wronged, and the misguided attempt by magical spiders to help. Kellen can unravel curses by understanding why a curse was set, helping the curser find peace - and restoring the cursee (who often did something to "deserve" it.) There's therefore stigma within the society for both the cursed, who don't seem to have a cure for being able to curse and thus curse again, and also the cursees.

The flip side of Kellen's abilities is that he unravels woven things. Clothes, tapestries, furniture... It was a really fun magical "misability" (that does come in handy, but not as much as it's a hinderance!) that fits in perfectly with the quirky feel of Frances Hardinge's books - that charm of a slightly off-kilter world.

Kellen is so abrupt and impulsive, not always thinking before he speaks - so gets in trouble as much as he does in people's good books for helping them. By contrast, he travels with Nettle, who was once cursed to be a heron and has much more common sense. Her brother was cursed as a gull and has remained on (plus two other cursed siblings with different outcomes) leading to some complicated family dynamics!

The world is rich with myths and folklore, woven through the story as curses. There is the bone harp from the twa sisters (also retold in SISTERSONG), the Brothers' Grimm Six Swans (also retold in SIX CRIMSON CRANES), horses who drown people, and so much more. I loved seeing all these folklore tales (which have been told so many times) reworked in a new way to fit a new world and magic system. The familiarity of those tales helps make this new world also feel familiar.

A beautifully crafted tale of friendship, love and hate.

Thanks to MacMillan and NetGalley for ARC version.

Frances Hardinge’s sparse prose deftly describes the relationship between Kellen, a boy blessed with the ability to unravel curses, and Nettle a girl saved by Kellen from a curse that turned her and her siblings into birds.

The country of Raddith is vividly imagined, and the Wilds Kellen and Nettle explore are populated with fantastic creatures that are in turns terrifying and unforgettable. The story exposes the complexity of family relationships, the corrosive nature of hatred, and the consequences of using and abusing power.

I found all the characters in the book wonderfully complete and carefully observed, and the story was interwoven with fey mythology and old magic. The ambiguity of good and evil, and the importance of personal choice provide a broader moral backdrop to what is already a great and well paced story.

I will now work back through Frances Hardinge’s earlier books, exquisite language and storytelling like her’s is too rare to miss or squander!

I really enjoyed the start of this book, but as more and more characters were introduced it started to feel really overwhelming. The concept was great but I found the many tangents hard to follow and it took a lot of effort to focus on. Initially I thought this would be a great read with KS3 students but the complicated nature of the story would be too much I think. I would however work with excerpts as it’s really well crafted and has some beautiful parts.