This audiobook was a joy to listen to from start to finish. The narrator had good pace and I could follow easily.

This is a big read, with a dizzying amount of characters and twists. It was difficult to know who to trust - even the protagonist, Kellen, appeared unreliable at times.

Frances Hardinge often writes books on dark themes with complex characters and this was no different! It felt Tokien inspired with curses, magic and quests galore. The settings are truly stunning and almost characters in their own right. For every positive action or place visited, this book then offered evil and unsettling locations.

Kellen has to learn an awful lot about himself and learn to trust those around him. There are some eerie characters in this book, but don’t be fooled by them - nothing is ever quite as it seems!

Such a new concept and the world is built slowly with such intricacies it will stand the test of time. The characters are flawed and likeable or not, as the story requires. The plot has twists to keep you enthralled. I really enjoyed it.

Sadly I can't finish the audiobook, I swapped my phone and the netgalley app didn't keep the download.
Based on how far I got and the sypnosis I think my rating is correct. I do have a physical copy of this book so I'll be updating my feedback once I've finished reading that book.

2.5 stars.
This book is simply too long, has too many characters and tries to do too much and therefore nothing quite *sticks.* I had heard such good things about Frances Hardinge so was excited to pick up this with a dark magical market where emotions and magic are bartered for, bought and sold but instead I felt like I had been turned around and round until I was dizzy and didn't know which direction I was heading much like the cast of characters in this.
HOWEVER, I'm not put off reading from Frances again, the backlist seems very well loved so I will try again.
A note on the narrator: this was read so well. They had an innocent way of speaking that made me feel like it was the authentic voice of the characters and seemed to pick accents that took on the rougher and nastier characters to. The emotions of those speaking were clearly portrayed. The audiobook is. Must for a book this long and Eleanor Bennet did nothing but add to it's magic

I usually love Frances Hardinge's books but I found this one difficult to follow and quite confusing. I think some different voices for different characters would have helped.

A truly unique take on the fantasy curse, Unraveller is a tour de force by Frances Hardinge. It knows exactly where its power is and how to wield it. Sure to be a firm favourite for 11-12 year olds who want something more from their magical stories.

Frances Hardinge has quickly become one of my all-time favourite writers and I enthusiastically devour every book she releases, and Unraveller is another absolute spellbinder of a book.

The plot, world and characters were so immersive and well-constructed that I felt like I was living the story in among with them and was physically unable to stop reading until I turned the last page.

This is a world where magic spiders can ‘gift’ a curse egg to those who are angry which, when fed with their hatred and misery, grows until the curse flies free with some hauntingly horrifying consequences. Images of people cursed into boats, clouds, birds and monsters are going to stay with me for a looooong, long time, so don’t say I have warned you… this is a darkly mesmerising fairy tale!

Part mystery, part horror, part fantasy, this author’s books are officially classed as Young Adult fiction but as an adult reader (fat TOO adult these days, in my opinion!) I utterly adore them. I love all of the characters – main and side; good, bad and grey – and simply didn’t want the book to ever end.

I’ve already bought this in hardback format for my ‘keep’ shelf, where it will sit proudly with Deeplight, displaying their beautiful covers, while their mesmerising contents will sit permanently in my imagination.

This is a dark fantasty where anyone has the ability to create a life destroying curse, but only one person has the power to "unravel" them. Kellen doesn't really understand his power, but is willing to help. However, Kellen has also been cursed!

Really enjoyed this one, the narrator was such a good match and easy to understand. There was enough to keep me engaged, which I often struggle with audiobooks.

Because of the writing, the story is really well put together and atmospheric and paints a beautiful picture.

This story is set in a very unique and strange world, where the Little Brothers gift people the ability to curse others who have wronged them.
It was a good story but I found it went on a bit too long and I didn't know how to feel about the characters, at times I liked them but I could never really build up much empathy for them.
The narrator sounded a little too sweet but I did like her.

This is quite a tough one to review, the world building is great, the atmosphere eerie, and the Little Brothers, the creepy curse-bitey spiders, just- adds to that.

What makes this hard to review is both it's simplicity and complexity. At times it feels very young, and the narration of the audiobook adds to this feel, it's read by a narrator who seemed suited to Middle Grade fiction, fairly high-pitched, making Kellen and Nettle seem like children, the travelogue scene style, curse after curse, also felt more Middle Grade and scenes started to be a bit forgettable, I found that I couldn't remember the various characters that Kellen and Nettle interact with, Kellen didn't really grow much as a character, and Gall turned out to not be as interesting as he first appeared, if I'd read the physical book, it might have sunk in better, but the audiobook didn't stick.

On the other hand, the use of curse-unravelling to unravel deeper pain, and exploring the causes of hate, was much more mature and nuanced, and more suited to YA or older readers, though the audiobook didn't really play out as YA either..

I'll probably try to read the physical book at some point, I really liked the imagery, the world, and the intention behind the narrative, so I'm sure I'd enjoy Frances Hardinge's other books too, but the audiobook lost me, I had to speed it up after a while of feeling like it was moving too slowly, and I think I'd like the written copy better.

Interesting book, I enjoyed this a lot. At times it was a little hard to follow but this happens to me with audiobooks from time to time as I can't consult earlier pages to confirm characters. But overall a very interesting book!

I listen to this book and can recommend the audiobook. I love the narrator and the pace was good for me.

This is one of the best YA books I have read in a while. I found the story very compelling, the characters were all brilliant. It kept me guessing, even when I thought I had figured out what was going to happen it surprised me!!
Also, the narration of the audiobook was perfect for the story. I thought it truly felt like Nettle was telling the story.
The only thing that I thought was lacking was a conclusion to Gall's story, I felt like we needed a little more of him & his husband's reunion- though I am glad he got his happy ending :)

Oh, I love Francis Hardinge. Her worldbuilding really is unparalleled and she brings an originality to these worlds that is often missing in fantasy, especially when aimed at young adults. In Unraveller we meet Kellen and Nettle who live in Raddith a world where anyone can lay a curse on another, a power deriving from the Little Brothers. Mistake them for normal spiders at your peril! Raddith is a dark world where terrible curses can afflict anyone and those who cast them have no choice. Kellen is a curse-breaker, Nettle a girl once cursed with the form of a heron. Kellen unravels things, curses and cloth, but is starting to lose control of the ability which could destroy everything. He a Nettle embark on a quest to understand where this ability comes from and why it is getting worse.

It's a gripping story, full of Hardinge's trademark darkness and moral quandries. She doesn't underestimate or condescend to her audience but challenges them with complex situations and moral puzzles. Her ability to pepper the narrative with history, mythology and zoology means that it is effortless to sink into her multilayered world. The plot is fast-paced and ably supported with excellent characterisation of her young MCs and the supporting characters.

Eleanor Bennett captures their characters well, although when narrating Kellen, his clench-teethed frustration and impatience became a little repetitive and tiring after a while.

Unraveller was my third Frances Hardinge book, and by now I can safely say I'm looking forward to catching up on all her books! As with the others I read, this book was just dark and creepy enough which made it a perfect November read. The world-building was also spot on, with the main storyline enriched with little nuggets of local lore, customs and magical creatures. I alternated between the e-book and the audio version for this, and I have to say it worked beautifully: the audiobook narrator in particular did a spectacular job bringing all the characters to life!

The plot was very original and definitely highly engaging: in the land of Raddith, anyone who strongly hates another person may curse them and only one boy, Kellen, has the power to unravel curses. Kellen himself is cursed, however, and unless he can learn how to unravel his own curse, he risks destroying everything and everyone around him. The story soon starts to show its multiple layers and, just like a complex tapestry we follow a thread at a time until the whole picture is clear before our eyes. The author does a great job weaving and unweaving the tale and the luscious, atmospheric setting plays a big part in that.

As Kellen and his friend Nettle journey across the land, they engage in a series of quests, unravelling various curses as they go. Pretty soon, it started to feel as though we were deep in a cycle of travel, quest, curse, unravelling and repeat. Although some of the places they visit and the characters they meet were fascinating, it did start to feel a little repetitive at times, and there was an almost endless parade of secondary characters who were introduced and left so fast I struggled to keep up with them. Sadly, this also meant I didn't really grow attached to any of them so that, when a few made a further appearance at a key point later on in the book, I was mostly unfazed.

This was really a shame, as in contrast I liked the main characters very much! Both Kellen and Nettle were unique, complex and deeply flawed and I loved them both so much for it. Their friendship and loyalty to their other friends and family members were an absolute delight to read about, and I really appreciated how they were called out on their mistakes and worked to put them right. There was real character growth here, which made me even sadder that it was limited to the main characters only.

Unraveller is a perfectly creepy read, perfect for readers who are looking for vivid settings and original world-building, despite the story dragging on a bit in the middle.

[Actual rating: 3.75/5, rounded up]

AI enjoyed this, it was a really unique way of delving into another world. I liked the characters and the variety of forms. I did find some bits slower at times and perhaps a little unnecessarily so at that.

I listened to this via NetGalley and teamed it with my physical book. The audio was well paced and I did enjoy it. I found the whispering narration irritating though and would have preferred a little more definition between Nettle’s story and her spoken words. I’m intrigued to read more from this author!

Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for the audio book of Unraveller for an honest review.

In Kellen and Nettle's world anyone can create a life destroying curse but only one person has the power to unravel them. Not everyone is happy about this and suddenly the two are in a race against time to save themselves and others who have been touched by magic.

An original and creative YA fantasy from Frances Hardinge involving magic, curses and creatures of myth. I loved the idea of the story however the audio book felt overly long which made me loose interest. I think there was just too much crammed into the story. Too many cases of Kellan and Nettle going to different towns meeting new characters learning their stories and unravelling their curses.

As we met so many characters through these many sub-stories I found myself forgetting who was who a bit. Therefore I felt some of this could have been cut down in the story.

That aside the narration on the audio book was very good and Hardinge's writing as usual was eloquent and captivating.

The story itself was a very creative and original idea and well worth a read or listen. I did enjoy it however I just felt there was a few too many characters and sub-stories added into this title which led to confusion and disinterest as it felt a tad repetitive. Which is why I have rated the title 3 stars.

Actual rating 3.5.

Who could resist that cover?! Not sure if this one falls under MG or YA but it’s such a gorgeous adventure full of myth and mystery that any youngsters are bound to fall in love with!

In the magical land of Raddith, there are many people who’ve been cursed - and it’s Kellen’s job (along with sidekick Nettle) to unravel the curses and send the cursers to prison so they can’t curse again. Except it turns out Kellen himself has been cursed and Nettle has her own secret to hide…

This story should be, and probably is perfection, yet for whatever reason it just didn’t feel as compelling to me as I was hoping for - I really enjoyed it and loved the magic and imagination behind it, but it just wasn’t one of those stories where I was desperate to get back to it every time I had to put it down if that makes sense? Which is really the only bad thing I can say to be fair!

Having said that, it really is a bit of an epic story full of mythical creatures good and bad, and endless adventure! It’s also a lovely story of friendship and family, and there were some really moving moments. No doubt MG/YA fantasy fans will fall hard for this one!

It started really well, but unfortunately, I DNF because I found the plot too complicated to keep up with. Thank you for opportunity to read and review..

Audio review: Narrator was a little slow (until I speeded up the recording) but very clear and definitely suited to this story. I enjoyed her performance.





Mian review: In the end, I really enjoyed this but I came close to DNFing it in the first quarter because it was difficult to get a toe hold. I couldn't help comparing it to Skinful of Shadows and finding it a bit lacklustre and shallow. However, that was only initially. It's actually a very nuanced and multi-layered book that looks at the idea 'hurt people hurt people' but also poses the question 'where does it all start?' Is revenge or retribution ever warranted? Do people do bad things to each other because they've been wronged or because they have developed issues with another person that are theirs alone to fix, in which case doing harm is never okay? It's an interesting conundrum, at which point Hardinge adds a magical element whereby everyone in this world is capable of exacting a terrible curse on someone who has hurt them. Of course, not everyone who feels wronged, actually is, so what happens is that people who harbour private resentments and hatreds end up doing terrible harm, sometimes deliberately and sometimes by accident.



Into the middle of all this wanders Kellan, the unraveller, cursed by a web sprite to unraveller anything that comes into contact with him - including curses, and Nettle, a girl who was once cursed to be a heron and now battles her own rage. Kellan is hard to warm too but by the end I was invested in his arc, I liked Nettle from the start. Add in a folklore book's worth of strange creatures haunting the Wilds, and you end up with a strange but lovely tale that is nevertheless unflinching in examining its subject matter. Give it at least 30% before deciding whether to continue or not though because it takes at least that long for all the strands to shake themselves out

This is the first of Hardinge's book I have read and I am wondering if it was the best place to start. The story and plot itself I really enjoyed, I just felt that it dragged a bit too much. The first half just seemed to quests with nothing to do with the outcome. I know background is important, but I don't think that much was necessary. I did like the characters though, especially Nettle. I had an ebook as well as audio copy of this book but much prefered the ebook