3.5⭐️
This is a really nice fairytaleesque story with a lot of elements from fairytales of our childhoods. There were a lot of resemblances to Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher and it also reminded me a lot of The Cruel Prince trilogy by Holly Black.
Not a bad book, but I felt it lacked in originality.

The audiobook was tell narrated and produced. No notes ✨

Nettle has always been a bit different from the humans surrounding her. When she falls through a fairy portal, to a beautiful & mysterious new world, she's not surprised when she's different from the fairies that surround her also.

I absolutely adored this book. It was so incredibly descriptive & created vivid imagery in my mind of this wondrous fairy world. The world felt so rich and luscious and straight out of a fairytale. It feels like a YA fairytale (in the best possible way!).

This book has:
✨ a story of self discovery
✨ a love triangle (though, this is not the main focus!)
✨ trials to overcome
✨ magical creatures
✨ tricky faeries
✨ pacts with a faery king
✨ sherbet lemons
✨ adorable sprites
and so much more. It also had some darker elements than I expected, but I loved this as it upped the stakes.

I did feel like I knew where the story was heading - but I don't think that's a 'negative' at all - in fact, I think the truth was weaved through the book in a way that gets you excited for the outcome.

I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook ALC, so thank you to Netgalley & Zeus audio for giving me the chance to review this. I loved Anna Burnett's narration - it fit the story so well and I think she performed it perfectly.

Definitely pick this up if you're looking for a whimsical, fantastical story that will completely absorb you.

A warm thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book for an honest review.

A shimmering, perfect little fairy story! Nettle was an absolute delight, equal parts cozy, whimsical, and witty. All the light humour of novels like Brandon Sanderson’s Tress of the Emerald Sea, and akin to the weird and wonderful faerie worlds built by T Kingfisher in Thornhedge and by Holly Black in her Folk of the Air novels. While marketed as Children’s Fiction and YA, I think this book would also be suited to any adult looking for a warm hug of a book. Anna Burnett’s narration of the audiobook perfectly captured the tone of this novel, and she did a brilliant job carrying our characters’ voices. Bex Hogan is an author I would love to continue to read more from!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus Audiobooks for the ARC

A fun and short history about a girl who makes a deal with the faery king in order to save her grandmother. The worldbuilding was good and the romance part good. I liked the friendship and found the fmc's missions interesting. The revelation at the end was fantastic

This book works so wonderfully in audio form. It is full of magic and whimsy. It’s dark and rich with faerie lore.
Whilst the story isn’t necessarily complex, it is magical and beautiful and I enjoyed every second.
The audiobook vividly transports you into the world.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Nettle
Bex Hogan

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

It's been an absolute age since I last read a book about fairy's or the Fae and I have got to say that I'm ashamed!
I adored fairytales and stories about flowers fairies and Fae when I was younger and for some reason, I've just not managed to pick anything like it up since - well that's definitely going to be changing because wow! - I loved this book so much!!

We follow the story of Nettle - brought up on stories about Fae and the ways of the forest by her Grandma, she always knew she was different.
As her Grandma is getting older and frailer, she promises to do anything to help her get better - but got much more than she bargained for when she slips through a portal into the land of the Fae, who only want to trick and trap her there.

Oh my, where to start!?
I absolutely adored everything to do with this whole book.
From the stunning front cover to the magical writing style - with a varied mix of characters that jump right off the page to an intriguing and compelling storyline that just sucked me in from the first page to the last!

This was so easy to read and I honestly just couldn't put it down. I was instantly immersed in this magical world and I honestly wanted to pack up and live there!
I loved all the magic and the magic system, the issues with the King and Queen, the balls and the glamours - this had it all!

Nettle was absolutely adorable! In fact all of the characters completely embedded themselves in my heart - even the not so pleasant ones!
I couldn't get enough of the friendship that Nettle and Conor developed and this played out so, so beautifully with each of them helping out and supporting the other throughout - my heart broke a little though for them!
The relationship with Ellion brought about different feelings and I was really rooting for them to the end.

I feel like I knew where the storyline was heading - but I absolutely didn't care when I was proven right - this was just too glorious!

I've not read this author before and I just know that I'll be hunting out more of their books - but I also really hope that there might be more to come from Nettle and the Fae world in the future too!

Ok, I'm off to find my next Fae read in the meantime......




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

If you want the atmosphere of The Cruel Prince lands - try this!🧚🏼
This felt like the fairytales my mum used to read with me as a child!🌱🍁

Nettle has always been seen as a dirty child, a mess, a misfit. She has found all the love she needed in her grandmother. Only her grandmother becomes ill and Nettle makes a bargain with a faery king to save her.

What beautiful descriptions! It is a short book, but it has a full plot, curious characters, and vivid imagery.

Admittedly, the ‘twist’ was extremely predictable to me, yet the writing was gorgeous enough that I still felt pulled in.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for providing me with the arc in exchange for a review!

This story is pure magic, with beautiful world building, an intriguing plot, and interesting characters. I was drawn into the story of Nettle and the challenges that faced her when she found herself unexpectedly in the fae lands. There’s darkness and danger, as well as friendship and romance, all tied up in a lovely short(ish) story. I enjoyed how the fae magic and different types of fae were woven into the story, as well as how Nettle defied expectations and used her cleverness in facing the fae world. She’s brave and determined, and a great character to read. I wouldn’t want to give anything away, so I’ll finish by saying the ending holds some surprises for you, too!

The audiobook was narrated well and I enjoyed reading the book this way!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This story has everything I was expecting from a fae and fairytale section.

A young girl(Nettle) finds herself swept into the land of a fairy kingdom where the love-and-hate relationship between the King & Queen has kept the realm's forces on edge. All Nettle wants is to go back to her grandmother whose health is failing day by day, but as she is held captive here, she ends up doing the one thing her grandma warned her never to do - makes a deal with the Fae King. Now she has to complete the 3 tasks assigned to her, or she will be stuck here forever...

It was thrilling to read a story that has so many angles to it. Everything that happened here always had a trick to it. Paying the price of everything you want with wishes, objects, promises, secrets and much more. I was not really in awe of any of the characters, though the story was quite sufficient to keep me entertained.

It's short, witty and the dialogues are written really well. Great for an autumnal fairyland escape with a whimsical feel!

This is perfect for fans of Tithe (modern faerie stories). Nice gentle world building with twists and fantasy drama. This is a great YA/ NA read.

Nettle is an instant fairytale classic. I absolutely adored her character, she’s a misfit and has the most wholesome life. This is then turned upside down as we go into the land of fae, which is full of the usual trickery and interesting characters. The lore and myths are drawn from and expertly crafted. For a short book it certainly gives a bit of everything, some trials, fairy dances, potential romance and power plays. I loved the world-building, the characters and the magical feeling this book provides. The narration is lovely to listen to and one I will definitely listen to again and again. Highly recommend and I cannot wait to see the art produced after people read this. The cover is definitely as beautiful as the words inside. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

"Nettle" by Bex Hogan is an immersive, fairy-tale-inspired fantasy that brings together some of the most beloved elements of the genre—an eerie faery realm, a goblin market, and breathtaking yet unsettling imagery. The story follows Nettle, a changeling torn between two worlds: the human realm she doesn't fit into and the enchanting, dangerous faery world that both tempts and betrays her. Nettle’s journey, driven by her desire to save her grandmother, leads her into dark bargains and deeper mysteries. Her relationships, especially with the human Conor and the enigmatic faery Ellion, adds depth and complexity to the tale.

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is its world-building. Hogan paints a vivid picture of a dark faery kingdom with two moons and scarlet stars, evoking a sense of wonder mixed with foreboding. The goblin market, a classic fantasy trope, is especially well-executed, bringing a magical, yet creepy, atmosphere to life. The story’s imagery is both beautiful and haunting, which creates a compelling backdrop for the plot's darker twists.

While the atmosphere and plot were engaging, the pacing felt a little uneven at times. Some parts of the story seemed to drag while others, especially the ending, moved too quickly, pulling me out of the narrative flow. This may be intentional, the writing was not bad by any means.

That said, Anna Burnett's narration elevates the audiobook experience. Her voice brings Nettle’s world and emotions to life, making the story more immersive and engaging. Burnett's performance adds a layer of charm and intensity.

Overall, "Nettle" is a well-crafted fairy-tale fantasy with rich imagery and a darkly enchanting setting. The relationships feels realistic, and the dialogue is refreshingly natural. While it didn’t quite become an all-time favorite due to some pacing issues and writing that didn't fully captivate me, it’s still a solid recommendation for fans of folklore and atmospheric, slightly eerie fantasy tales.

Nettle falls into the Faery world and makes a deal with the King to help her dying Grandmother.

There she meets Conor (human) and Ellion (Shadow Faery) who helps Nettle with her 3 tasks.

But what Nettle finds is so much more!

It was dark, there was treachery at every corner and it read like an old time fairytale - loved it!

'Wild. Untamed. Feral. Prickly. Strong. Powerful. Beautiful. Mine.'

This had a lot of elements that I love in fantasy - a fairy-tale setting, a goblin market, beautiful and sometimes disturbing imagery. The relationships were quite realistic and the dialogue wasn't overdone or cringey.

It was darker than I expected at times, but I didn't mind it and it added to the creepy yet somehow homely atmosphere.

The only thing keeping it from being an all time favourite is the writing itself - it's not bad by any means, but it didn't grip me. I didn't feel the urge to pick it up and the ebook took me just under a week to finish. Also, the pacing felt a bit off to me - some things developed slowly and others quite quickly (such as the ending). I suppose this fits with the fairy-tale style, but it took me out of the flow.

Anna Burnett narrates the audiobook and she does this excellently. Listening to her tell Nettle's story has me more engaged and I'm enjoying it a lot more the second time around.

Overall, it's a pretty good fairy-tale and one that I'd recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC and Zeus audio for the ALC

I loved this! The writing was so charming and atmospheric. It gave off proper fairy tale vibes. It was dark at times but not too dark, the right level of creepiness.

The narration was perfect, added perfectly to the magic of the story. I can't wait to start recommending this!

3.75⭐ rounded up.

Nettle was an well written YA fairytale meant mostly for teens, though older audiences will appreciate the story if you liked books like The Cruel Prince or A Feather So Black.

The cover was so stunning, I had to find out what it was about. I love stories where the Fae are a little cruel and weirdly beautiful.

Although I found this an easy listen, the story was a little lackluster at times, but I liked the ending.