This book will invite comparisons to Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, but the writing style is simpler. It is a compelling story. I guessed the twist but that didn't spoil it.
Changeling children are a resonant topic from an autistic perspective and this book used the idea of a changeling to articulate what it's like to grow up feeling like you don't fit in. It's relatable, considering it's a fantasy book.

This has such a gorgeous cover but that's where my praise ends. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I keep thinking one day I'll find a book with faeries I enjoy but I just do not get along with them. I want to love fairytale-esque fantasy but this one wasn't for me.

This was a nice read. Fantasy seems to be quite overrun with fae at the moment so it's nice to have the more folklore-accurate depiction of faeries with their trickery and deception a major part of the story. It was similar to Holly Black's depiction and I relished in the similarities.
The book started off relatively infuriating with Nettle outright doing the opposite of what she was taught which left me feeling like the first few chapters were wasted. It also read a LOT younger than I was anticipating, definitely an enjoyable read but maybe more for a 10-14yo.
Ebook copy provided to me by Netgalley- thank you!

I LOVE BEX HOGAN AND I LOVE THIS BOOK.

having read some of Bex Hogan's other books I was excited to get the Arc of this. The COVER IS TO DIE FOR and the book itself is a lovely read too.

I like nettle and the fact that her character feels like it stepped right out of an old school fairytale. Which this book feels like frequently - we have fairies and goblins and voices in the wind. I was here for it ALL. Very Brothers Grimm.

This book would definitely suit fans of Holly Black etc.

Reading Nettle really made me feel as though I had been transported back to my childhood, where I could rediscover the wonders of fairy tales all over again.

Hogan's simple yet lyrical writing style breathed life into the Faery Kingdom, and I loved exploring this strange new world alongside Nettle. As an FMC, Nettle was a perfect blend of curiousity, determination, empathy, and stubbornness, which made her both likeable and realistic. The supporting cast of characters we encountered throughout the novel were well-rounded and carefully thought out as well, and I really liked the relationships that Nettle built with them all.

Yes, the plot twist and the ending may have been a little predictable, but that didn't make the journey, filled with goblin markets, faery balls, trials, and plenty of magic, any less enjoyable. I'd highly recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a fast-paced, heart-warming read this winter.

Thank you so much to Head of Zeus, Zephyr and NetGalley for my eARC of this book.

The perfect antidote to the new Romantasy version of the Fae. These Fae are not handsome sex toys with wings. These Fae are tricksy and conniving and vicious. I loved going back to the roots of the Fae that I’ve missed so much. The only problem I had with the depiction is that these Fae could lie and I prefer it when they dance around the truth with clever wordplay.

The main character, Nettle, was really fun. I do love half feral girls with knives and leaves in their hair. Although she did fall into a bit of a “not like other girls” trap, I feel like that’s a hard one to avoid when a character doesn’t fit in with their peers because they’re so different. But I didn’t get the moral superiority of the author with Nettle. Just a girl who wasn’t like the other girls.

I really liked Nettle’s brilliant mind. How she could see the loopholes and tricks she could use to complete the tasks set for her, and how her affinity for nettles helped her so much. She was a good character and I’d love to see more from her.

I’ve loved Bex Hogan’s books before and this was no different, looking forward to see what she does next.

I love Bex Hogan's writing and this novel truly swept me away. A slightly different genre to her other YA fantasy adventures, this had a whimsical fairytale air to it with echoes of Rumplestiltskin. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the fae because of the ever-changing world and constant trickery, Hogan completely won me over. I loved the characters, the set-up and plot and the well-written love triangle will have YA readers on the edge of their seat. This is a magical and entrancing story with a sweetness that is tempered by hard edges and truths. There was a perfect balance between lightness and shade and I can't wait for more.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

I'm on a bit of a readathon-style mission to review a bunch of NetGalley ARCs before the end of the year, and I'm pleasantly surprised to say it's made finding books like this one really enjoyable. Nettle took a couple of chapters for me to buy into the narration style, but once it got going I found it really fun.

This novel takes all those classic fragments of faerie stories and combines them into an exciting and alluring adventure. It does justice to those elements with the prose heightening everything to their full, magical potential, exploring the human side to being enchanted to dance forever, being tricked into eating faerie food, and finding the loopholes to solve impossible tasks.

While I spotted the twist right from the beginning (it's not particularly subtle), the way the plot threads were tied up was massively satisfying even if you've seen it coming for 200 pages. I would call this a children's book above YA honestly, and I would've adored it as a pre-teen as an introduction to this sub-genre.

I adore Bex's writing, and a fairytale?? Yes please. So I went into this with very high hopes, and was not let down! I love the way that we get the portal into fairy, then the tricks and cleverness that can be employed in order to complete the tasks.

There were a lot of parts of this that lean into the typical elements of fairy we see in stories, and I think Bex navigated them really well. My favourite parts were how she made friends and what happened because of it, and the goblin market which was honestly fab.

My only real niggle was the ending felt quite bittersweet for me - I understand it, and it didn't affect my rating, but it felt like quite a harsh decision from the character.

This perfectly walked the line between the whimsy of a fairytale and the sinister elements of fairy and I can't recommend it highly enough! I also listened to the audio and the narrator did a fantastic job.

5 stars, definitely pick this up if you've been considering it!

I was very excited for this book and I was not at all disappointed to keep it short and sweet and of course spoiler free I just want to say how much the author put time and thought into the well written story and how hooked I was from start to finish. The cover is absolutely beautiful and I would recommend anyone to give this book a go.

The cover lures you in and the text keeps you staying. A nice fairy tale that captivates and entertains. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

a thoroughly enjoyable faery tale that is full of heart and oddity. bex hogan explores a fae world that is whimsical and exciting in a way that feels fresh yet traditional.

nettle is a joy, and a well paced read to escape into.

3.5⭐️

Nettle is very easy read, it is quite a short book and very fast paced. It is set within magical, luscious fairy lands that were described beautifully, allowing for a very clear and enchanting mental image for readers to get swept away to. The story of Nettle feels just like a traditionally told, age old fairytale, and I loved that aspect in particular.

As for the actual plot, we of course follow Nettle, our young FMC who has just wound up in Faery, a mystical land far from home. We experience Nettle’s navigating this new world first hand from her own perspective, and all the enchanting characters she meets along the way.

Some of my favourite things about this book include the very Shakespearean feel between the Fairy King and Queen, who felt very reminiscent of Oberon and Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I really loved Bex Hogan’s writing style too, it was very whimsical and lyrical, which was lovely to read. And I also really liked certain characters like Ellion and Gammi.

As for aspects I didn’t love as much, I didn’t feel massively connected to Nettle as a character unfortunately. I also wasn’t really feeling the love triangle subplot, though I do understand its relevance and that it represents Nettle’s ties to both the fairy and human worlds. The story, I felt, didn’t quite have the originality that I’d hoped for and I also thought the ending felt a bit rushed.

All in all, I did enjoy reading this book and I think I’d recommend it to fans of YA, low stakes, fairytale-style fantasy.

Nettle has always been a bit out of place in the human world, drawn to magic and nature. She lives with her grandmother and they have a beautiful relationship (it made me tear up as a girl who also had a great relationship with her grandmother).

Her grandma is ill and Nettle finds her way into the world of the fae where she is drawn into a deal with the faery king to complete three tasks. It seems like an impossible challenge but I loved how Nettle dealt with this, the way she thinks and makes things work.

I loved her relationship with Connor and how that grew and how they tried to help each other. Even in faery land, Nettle is something of an oddity and I really enjoyed seeing this explored.

I don't want to say anything that could be a spoiler for this brilliant story, but I loved how it resolved and that there were a few surprises that caught me off guard.

Nettle is another stunner from Bex, and you should definitely read it.

Nettle is an enchanting YA faery tale filled with manipulative faeries and impossible bargains.

When Nettle falls through a patch of nettles and into a faery realm, she is determined that nothing will keep her from returning to her sick grandmother - even if it means she has to make a series of impossible bargains with the realm's capricious king. Nettle's three, seemingly impossible tasks come with unforeseen dangers, but completing them brings her closer to Conor - a mortal who has been stuck in faery for centuries - and Ellion - a shadow faery in the service of the king.

Secrets, faery tricks and magical balls fill this enchanting fantasy story. The world building is emersive, and there feels like so much left to explore and delight in Hogan's faery realm. This is a perfect Autumn read.

Thank you to Zephyr and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

2.5 stars.

This was a fun, light read. I did enjoy the description of the fae realms and the otherness that Nettle felt there - it did feel like a faerie tale.

I have a few issues with a few aspects though.

I felt like the plot was somewhat predictable and I could tell where it was going to go and this did take away from my ability to enjoy the book.

I also felt like the characters could have done with more depth and development and I found that I couldn't care for the romance plot of the book and I did find myself slightly disapointed with the book after I had finished reading it.

𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒋𝒊𝒔: 🌿🏰🍋 🍬🧌🪞🧚🏻‍♀️

𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆: 𝒟𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉. 𝐼𝑔𝓃𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓋𝑜𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝒹. 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓅𝒶𝓉𝒽𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒕: A short, YA faerytale for fans of Holly Black about a wild misfit who finds herself in the darkly foreboding Faery realm 🌿

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕:
🌿A story inspired by folklore and fairytales
🏰Hans Christian Anderson’s The Wild Swans meets A Midsummer Nights Dream
🌿A dark, dangerous and dreamy Faery World
🏰Magical Bargains & Fickle Faery Tricks
🌿It’s easy to read in one evening (it’s only about 120 pages long!)

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘: Nettle is a beautiful little book that feels (both in length and style) like a classic fairytale. The faery realm is well crafted: a horrifyingly beautiful and whimsically haunting place where lavish balls are tarnished by humans cursed to dance until their feet bleed, gorgeous gowns are gruesomely dyed red with blood and the king deals in trickery and impossible bargains, growing more desperate with each day still estranged from his Queen.

For such a short book, the author did a great job of crafting a rich world with interesting characters who felt unique and rounded but I must say I would have loved it if Nettle was part of a series of short novels, each focusing on a character because there were some I wanted to know even more about, especially Ellion and Marigold! I would absolutely read more of Bex Hogan’s writing and recommend anyone who enjoyed Holly Black’s books to give Nettle a read!

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A stunning and immersive read. The world of faery is so thoughtfully described and vividly brought to life by Bex Hogan. From the very beginning, you feel an immediate empathy for Nettle and the confusing situation she finds herself in. In style, it reminded me of a fairy tale and I'm looking forward to recommending this to some of my UKS2 children.
I've never read anything by Bex Hogan before, but will now be looking out for her other books.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc! All the things in this review are said of my own volition.

Nettle was such a fun story! It definitely reads like you’re transported into a fairytale and are just following along on this journey. It really made me think of The Cruel Prince, with the fey being twisted and grim, things never seeming to be how they really are and whatnot.

I did kind of see the ‘big twist’ coming, but it was still enjoyable to see how the author would tackle it, so I really didn’t mind it that much. There were many other twists that I definitely didn’t see coming and I had a great time discovering them!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will preface this by saying I do read and enjoy a lot of YA but I feel there are different categories of YA - YA that feels like 'true' YA, aimed at a younger audience and YA that can be read by a young adult but really is suitable for anyone. I think it's possible to write a timeless and ageless novel inspired by traditional fairy lore but this fell into the former category and as a 33 year old woman felt a bit too young for me.

Whilst naïve, I did enjoy Nettle as a character and the worldbuilding was nicely done, with beautiful descriptions of the faery realm. We follow Nettle as she navigates this new world and there's lots of mystery at play.

The writing was quite simple and as a short read I think that this would be perfect for someone younger who isn't as well versed in this genre. As someone who has read quite a few books in the same vein over the years this didn't offer anything new for me.