There's an overarching plot having to do with large, shadowy conspiracies (of course; this is Hardinge, after all), but the start of the story feels almost picaresque as Nettle and Kellen travel around unravelling curses. This is a job the impetuous Kellen is quite unsuited for, as a curse cannot be unravelled without identifying the curser and their motivation. That's where the cooler-headed and reserved Nettle comes in. Some of these episodes are fascinating and have the texture of folklore (Pale Mallow the bog-witch!), and many of the cursers are sympathetic - victims themselves who were given, unasked, the power to take revenge. I expected nothing less from Frances Hardinge… Fairytale unique story, loveable characters, crazy imagination but also felt so interesting and addictive, those are all I got in “The Unraveller” This is a story for which it’s hard to give an “elevator pitch”, a deft distillation of ideas and themes in a few pithy sentences. It’s too complex for it, and its characters are layered and messy and difficult, and full of wonderful contradictions and sharp corners. And the brilliantly fantastic worlds of Hardinge’s imagination resist the soothing simplicity of stark binary contrasts, instead showing (always showing, never telling) the lived-in ambiguity of reality, however fantastic it might be.

Frances Hardinge’s Unraveller is a beautifully written and richly imagined fantasy with a deliciously twisted, dark fairytale-esque aesthetic I couldn’t get enough of! Moss hung in great, green-grey swathes from the branches. Everywhere there was the cold, lush smell of the woods with its undercurrent of rot, its fierce green freshness and the scent of a thousand marsh flowers gaping their fat silken petals in the summer dark. It’s wonderful that in a story about unravelling - curses, yes, but also the tangled webs of resentment and hate and pain - Frances Hardinge instead weaves a very complex and deeply nuanced tale with a whole onion-worth of layers. Meglio ancora, la Hardinge (non per nulla, pluripremiata) riesce a trasmettere con un linguaggio accessibile e fresco dei messaggi che possono definirsi universali. Once upon a time, he lifted a curse from a family of children who’d been turned into birds. One of them refused, remaining a gull. One did something terrible and has not recovered. And one is Nettle, who spent three years as a heron and is now Kellan’s shadow. Her past haunts her, and being human is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, but she is dogged and patient and watchful, and Kellen would not be as good at his work without her.I can't really shake the feeling that all the people raving about all the "layers" in this book must not read awfully complicated books often, because I found the "layers" utterly underwhelming. In a world where anyone can create life-destroying curses, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but uses it to help those who have been cursed, including his ally and closest friend, Nettle. But Kellen himself is cursed, and unless he and Nettle can release him, he is in danger of unravelling everything - and everyone - around him. My hosts started to realize that just because somebody *feels* wronged, that doesn’t mean they are.” Once again Frances Hardinge has delivered a story that's a little bit different and creepily atmospheric. Set in a world full of disagreeable magic and malicious curses, the plot is complex, multilayered and full of rich imaginings. It introduces us to a whole host of questionable characters. Those who curse, those who are cursed and anything and everything in between - think inventive supernatural creatures. I like sinking into a Hardinge book knowing absolutely nothing. Not even reading the flap copy. It makes for a uniquely rewarding experience. And, to my delight, I discovered that this particular book was attempting something wholly original. At its heart, this is a detective novel. You have our two heroes, one the detective who can unravel each case they come across and other the moral compass that keeps him pointed north. You have evil on both a governmental level (always a topic Hardinge enjoys) and on a smaller more cult-like level. But through it all our two heroes are interviewing suspects, solving crimes, and trying to keep from getting gutted along the way. So much of the fun comes from watching Kellen gather the clues together to find the connecting (forgive me) thread. It’s not Agatha Christie but it ain’t half bad. Sometimes you catch on to what Kellen’s after before Nettle does, but most of the time you’re with her, floundering along in his wake.

I also appreciate Hardinge's morally ambiguous characters - none of them simply good or evil, but each motivated by a complex blend of history, chance, and personality - and I really like the way her worlds manage to be spooky and dark but not hopeless. It sounds very critical and don’t get me wrong, there’s so much creativity and enjoyment here. But it just never came together and I never cared about any of the characters. And then that overcomplicated ending just happened and I was already losing patience by that point. I doubt I’ll remember much of this story in a few months. Regrettably, this one joins the other forgettable books, like Skinful of Shadows, Verdigris deep and Deeplight. I loooved this world where hatred could make certain people develop a form of magic that could curse other people. The way the magic worked, what was done to them (or not), the firm the curses usually took ... it was rather wonderful (in a very dark and twisted way). Especially since it gave a unique perspective on greed, desire, revenge and the twisted forms love can take.I’m happy to say that Unraveller did indeed have all the magic I expected! Reading this aloud with my kids, I was again swept up in a story full of wonder and joy. But it also discussed the power of pain and anger and forgiveness, the consequences of keeping your anger and resentment close until it turns into something you’re unable to control. With solid Discworld vibes, a complex, emotional friendship that doesn't become a romance and a series of chaotic events, I think this may be the best work Frances has ever produced. While most of her previous books felt more in the Middle Grade category, I think this story could easily appeal to adult fantasy readers. Perhaps you will decide that all the stories of the Wilds and the Raddith cursers were invented to entertain tourists. And at night, when you see a many-legged shape scuttle across the ceiling of your bedchamber, you will tell yourself that it is a spider, and only a spider . . . Like so many Hardinge characters, Kellen and Nettle are primarily focused on survival; it’s the arrival of Gale, with his marsh horse and mysterious employer, that sets them on a different kind of adventure—one that asks very Hardinge-y questions about freedom and justice and wisdom and rage. Kellen is the title character, but Nettle is his equal, and Hardinge is very clear in how both their skillsets are valued, both their flaws painful and real. He acts and she observes, until a time comes that Nettle, too, has to act—because she’s learned so very much by watching, and by beginning to understand her human self again.