Unraveller

by Frances Hardinge

A dark YA fantasy about learning to use your power and finding peace, from award-winning author Frances Hardinge

In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them.

Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously—including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion and closest ally.

But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything—and everyone—around him . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Horror, Young Adult Fantasy, Adventure, Magic

489 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Frances Hardinge spent her childhood in a huge, isolated old house in a small, strange village, and the two things inspired her to write strange, magical stories from an early age. She studied English at Oxford University and now lives in Oxford, England.

Reviews

[Nataliya · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

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.

“My hosts started to realize that just because somebody *feels* wronged, that doesn’t mean they are.”

Unraveller is a story with so much plot that never lulls and yet never feels rushed. It’s rooted in the ideas of strong friendship and responsibility, the subtle but extremely important distinctions between anger and hate, and recognition that there are at least two sides to every story, and what you believe isn’t always true. It is about the importance of thinking for yourself and asking questions, even when painful and uncomfortable, and questioning assumptions, and thinking about the consequences. It’s a story about learning to deal with your pain, and not in the easy way. And it’s a story about the power of understanding and empathy, and the heavy weight of guilt.

“I think anger’s alright, actually. Lots of you have been treated badly, and most of you never asked for any of this. But… hate’s different. It eats you up and makes everything worse. You’ve all suffered enough already, haven’t you?”

Frances Hardinge is without a doubt among my absolutely favorite writers, and her books are always a delight and pure pleasure. Not only is she excellent with words and is able to create brand-new fully fleshed worlds that are fresh and feel vividly real, but she also does what I wish every writer felt comfortable doing. She trusts her readers. She trusts us to understand subtleties and nuances and to make our own conclusions without ever hitting us over the head with any anvil-sized messages. She’s too skilled for that. She trusts us to think — actually, she *expects* us to do that. And for that I love her works. She makes her writing feel effortless — and that’s the skill to be admired.

“Even if you didn’t dwell on the past, however, sometimes the past dwelt on you. Sometimes it remembered you and came after you for revenge.”
—————
“Gentleness is often mistaken for weakness, but the two are not even close cousins.”

It’s “middle grade” literature, which is ridiculous. Hardinge writes more than suitably for adults, but these are also stories that you can hand to a young reader without cringy embarrassment for your book tastes. Young age of her characters does not detract from the high level of clever complexity, but does - thank all the literary deities - end up romance-proof, which at least to me is a welcome reprieve of the easy storytelling trends that lets us because they sell. This book is carried on the strength of its story, not on the whiff of hormones, and it’s wonderful.

“The rest aren’t bad people. They’re just desperate and wounded, putting their faith in the first person who told them they weren’t monsters.”

5 stars.

———————
My reviews of other Frances Hardinge’s books:
The Lie Tree
A Face Like Glass
Gullstruck Island
Verdigris Deep
Deeplight
Cuckoo Song
A Skinful of Shadows

——————
Buddy read with Nastya

——————

Also posted on my blog.

[nastya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another creative well-written young adult fantasy from the master of the atmosphere and whimsy. Even though this felt so unlike all the other books I’ve read penned by her. If you’ve been following Hardinge’s career so far, you know she’s into whimsical, often surreal stories written in ornate language. This was different. This was .. overstuffed, crowded.

The language is more focused and streamlined, there’s no meandering, the plot progression is very intense. Quest after quest after another quest. This was the easiest and quickest I’ve read her book and unfortunately at some point I got a bit tired of it. It’s just got repetitive. Because I realized, perhaps, because of the absence of quiet moments, I started to forget what I’ve read before while I was still reading it. And I did read it in a few days, mind you.

Scenes just don’t get a place to breeze and characters they meet along the way feel disposable. That’s why when we found out the identity of the a traitor, and it should’ve felt like a huge betrayal, but since we just got a few pages with that important character before that and they were very unmemorable, I was struggling to remember who that character was and what was the scene with them 300 pages ago. I failed and I didn’t care enough to go back and check.

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.

Awesome buddy read with Nataliya, who enjoyed it much more.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is your favorite author? It’s the kind of question an adult asks a child or a child asks a visiting children’s book creator. It suggests a world of extremes. A world in which when you have a favorite anything it's a single solitary favorite. This applies as much to favorite ice cream flavors or favorite movies as favorite colors or favorite types of dog. But when you ask a reader who their favorite author might be, you’re opening up a whole can of worms. Who could possibly decide such a thing? I mean, besides me, of course. Cause my favorite author is Frances Hardinge and there’s not much more that needs to be said about that. To my mind, she has never written a bad book. She wrote one relatively weak one early in her career, but that was practically decades ago. Since that time her books have exemplified a kind of relentlessly creative cacophony of controlled chaos that I simply can’t find in another writer. And though her publisher will market her as young adult, her books don’t really fit neatly into any age bracket. Smart kids can devour her works. Adults with a penchant for books where you find yourself repeatedly saying, “How does her brain come up with that stuff?” adore them. So imagine my delight this past March when I was in Bologna, Italy for a book fair and I saw, across a room, a poster for Hardinge’s latest title: Unraveller. Granted, it would take practically a year for the book to come out in the States, but by gum if that’s what it takes then that’s what it takes! The result? Folks, I don’t particularly care to sound like a broken record so I’ll just say this: If you would like to read a story you’ve never read before, one that flies by the light of an internal logic so straight and true that you never doubt for a moment that this is a real world, Unraveller is your next read.

The country of Raddith has any number of notable features, but the fact that its citizens are capable of cursing one another has to be right up there. Kellen should know. Over the years this young man has managed to make a living out of unraveling people’s curses. The ability to curse, you see, is a gift bestowed upon people by a spider-like race of creatures called the Little Brothers. Kellen has the ability to figure out how to undo such curses, and he is accompanied by Nettle, a girl he once rescued from her own curse, who has relentlessly stuck by his side ever since. Together, the two of them are approached by a member of the government to uncover a great conspiracy. Someone is releasing cursers from The Red Hospital where they are held. And one of those cursers has it in for Kellen. In fact, he may be cursed already.

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.

The mystery aspect is relatively new. And I’ve read Hardinge enough over the years to pick up on many of her regular themes. There’s the quiet female heroine that has a lot more going on under the surface than anyone suspects. There’s the surprise villain, originally so sympathetic. But even when you think you’ve seen this author cover these paces before, she always has a surprise up her sleeve. For example, I’ve never seen her tackle the issue of trauma as head on as she has here. The cursed, cured by Kellen, are left with incredible PTSD after all that they’ve endured. So it is that Kellen’s greatest flaw is how he cures and runs, leaving them to pick up the pieces of their inner and outer lives on their own. But as you read, how each cursed person deals with this trauma varies hugely. It’s amazing to watch two entirely different characters believe that the other one has managed to figure out how to live in the world, when both of them are just scraping by from day to day. And while she’s certainly created traumatized characters in the past, I was awed by the sheer number of understandable motivations Hardinge has been able to conjure up on these pages. With an enormous cast, even the worst of the villains here are comprehensible. Terrible, yes, but you see where they’re coming from.

Another theme? Hardinge is a fan of islands. This makes a fair amount of sense. There’s always a bit of water where she’s concerned, and islands make for convenient locations for fantasy destinations. They’re compact with little potential for expansion. Islands have played a large part in Gullstruck Island (originally called The Lost Conspiracy in the States), Deeplight, and now Unraveller. And unlike, say, one of the planets in Star Wars she supplies each island with multiple types of terrain and environments. Even more fun, though, is watching her construct each specific fantasy world. Leviathans as gods in Deeplight or sentient volcanoes and out of body experiences in Gullstruck Island. Here, the magical beings bear far more similarities to the faeries of one of my favorite Hardinge books Cuckoo Song than anything else. Hardinge understands faerie worlds well. They operate by strict rules that you must understand or pay the price. They aren’t inherently evil but they do not wish you well. There are bargains to be made and your wits are required at all times. She’d never really done anything with spiders before though, so I guess the time was nigh.

If I haven’t made it clear before, it’s Hardinge’s writing that I come for, time and time again. I don’t reread authors very often, but I reread her. Part of that is, as I’ve mentioned, her iron grasp on thematic issues. But I also love her sympathy for regular people. It comes through in every book she does in some way. In this particular case, the key to all of this is how the curses were originally intended as a gift, meant to give power to the powerless. But when you hand hurt people unlimited power, they are prone to making horrible, life-altering, impossible mistakes that they can’t take back, even if they wanted to. This is a book about good intentions gone awry, and how hard it can be for someone in a position of power to give to people without it more power without, y’know, mucking everything up. Only, y’know. With sentient spiders.

I’d never really had this reaction before but the book series that Unraveller reminded me the most of as I went through this story was the wonderful but almost completely forgotten Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy by D.M. Cornish. Not thematically so much, but in terms of traveling the countryside where your relationship with the monsters and other creatures is given a set of rules that the hero, inevitably, tramples. Also, y’know, colonialism, but that goes without saying. I never expect to dislike a Frances Hardinge book anymore but the degree to which her books work in difficult themes, like the trauma seen here, have only gotten increasingly astute. I don’t know how she does what she does. And, happily, as long as she keeps churning books out as remarkable as this one, I’ll never have to figure it out.

[Ricarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, these certainly were characters to my liking: a weaver's son who causes every kind of thread near him to unravel, a girl who once was a bird, a man who is deeply connected to a meat-eating water horse, a man who once was a boat (!) and the list goes on.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances Hardinge books generally fall into two categories for me: those that feel unpleasantly like drowning (Cuckoo Song, A Skinful of Shadows), and those that feel pleasantly, or at least enthrallingly, like drowning (The Lie Tree). Most of them feature a growing, breathless paranoia that I must like at least a little because I keep coming back for more.

Unraveller is an anomaly because I never fell in at all - never felt the story pull at me like a vortex, never felt invested in any of the characters. In fact, I put it down 30 pages before the end to go to bed (at a reasonable hour, even).

It's not the fault of the setting. Hardinge is an audacious worldbuilder, and this one is set in a swampy world full of spiders that bestow the ability (or maybe inevitability) to curse upon people who have enough hatred in them, allowing even the poor and downtrodden to have power over those they hate. Main characters Nettle and Kellen have both been touched by curses: Nettle and her siblings were turned into birds by their stepmother's curse, and Nettle watched as her hawk-brother killed her dove-sister. Kellen was bitten by a spider and given the exceedingly rare gift of being able to unravel curses, including Nettle's.

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.

Hardinge's writing is always good; it seems a bit less adorned in Unraveller but remains full of evocative similes ("her mind clenched like a fist, and her personality hissed out of its grip like grains of sand between tight fingers") and atmosphere:

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.

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.

And yet. The story meanders for at least the first half, and despite a narration that spends at least some time in Nettle and Kellen's heads, both protagonists feel distanced and closed off especially when one of them turns out to be hiding a massive secret. Several very interesting characters drop out of the story when their curses are resolved, never to reappear. There are at least two sudden but inevitable betrayals that probably should have felt like a sucker punch yet elicited nothing more than a shrug from me.

3.5 stars; a book of considerable merit that didn't quite manage to sink its claws into me. Many thanks to Nastya for sending me her copy before it was published in the US.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardinge has probably written her best novel in this one. The worldbuilding is dark and Kellen and Nettle are some rather complicated characters with a problem.

Unravelling -- and curses -- fill these pages. If a book could be a dark bog and if the magic comes about through hate, then this is the fully realized, fully fleshed-out result.

To be entirely honest, I was flowing along with this for a while, sometimes wondering how it could get better, but no worries... it does. It has a great ending, which is kinda surprising because it got really, really dark.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.Hardinge has a very individual, unique style that I always find original and highly imaginative. I loved all the characters in the story and the wonderfully creative world building. How does she come up with such great stories?! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm calling it, this is my new favourite Hardinge book!

Kellen is a young man with an uncanny gift: he can undo (unravel) curses. That's how he met Nettle. She and her siblings had been cursed by their stepmother and Kellen helped ... only Nettle didn't leave his side afterwards and now they are traveling this strange, hate-driven world together.
After being imprisoned for mouthing off to some pompous idiot merchant, Kellen is rescued by a marsh horse and her rider on behest of their female patron - she has a job for the unraveller.
And what a job it turns out to be! Much more than any of them had expected!

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.

But I also loved the more visual parts of the worldbuilding. From bogs to marshes, from rivers to the metropolis; whether we were in lonely places or ones bursting from the seams with inhabitants - this world was beautiful in every way.

Moreover, every person we meet was so unique. Some were infuriatingly self-righteous, some were true villains, others were victims of circumstances, there were unteachable idiots and cunning conspirators. In the middle of this varied group of people, we had two marvelously wonderful kids that had to grow up way to fast and are now trying to navigate heartbreak and danger without losing themselves in the middle of it all.

The writing, always top notch with this author, somehow struck me as especially enchanting. In addition, we got more than one twist and following the winding road, puzzling constantly, trying to find the way out with the best possible outcome was a delight. True, my heart got broken a time or two and my blood ran cold, too. The combination of it all was truly powerful.

Anyway, I could sing this book's praise for hours and never tire.

[Melika Kalhor · Rating 4 out of 5]

جزو بهترین کتاب های یانگ ادالتی بود که اخیرا خوندم. سرگرم کننده، با ایده های جدید و متفاوت و یه فضاسازی جدید و جالب. خوندنش خیلی کیف داد و ازش مفصل تر مینویسم

اپدیت:

خلاصه:

ردیت کلا سرزمین عجیبیه ولی عجیب‌ترین چیزی که در موردش وجود داره اینه که اونجا، نفرین‌ها واقعی میشن! ممکنه یهو به خودت بیای و ببینی رئیست رو تبدیل به دمپایی خیس دستشویی کردی یا یه نفر تو رو تبدیل به یه گلدون شکسته کرده!

و تنها کسی که واقعا می‌تونه این نفرین‌ها رو بشکنه، کسی نیست جز کلن. پسر ۱۵ ساله‌ای که یه نفرین‌شکنه و کمک می‌کنه آدمای نفرین شده به شکل اولشون برگردن. همونطور که به نتل کمک کرد تا نفرینی که نامادریش روش گذاشته بوده رو باطل کنه. اما هر موهبتی، یک روی دیگه هم داره...

نظرم در مورد کتاب:

من خیلییییییی زیاد از خوندن این کتاب لذت بردم، به چند دلیل.

اول این که، به شدت ایده‌ی جدید و جالبی داشت. انقدر اخیرا کتابا شبیه هم شدن که وقتی آدم با یه ایده‌ی متفاوت روبه‌رو میشه واقعا لذتدبخشه.

دوما این که، جهانی که نویسنده ساخته خیلی یونیک و متفاوت بود. هیولاهای متفاوت، ساختار متفاوت و در کل تجربه‌ی جدیدی محسوب میشه برای خوندن کتابای فانتزی.

سوما این که، خیلی سافت و دوست داشتنیه ولی در عین حال کار خودش به عنوان یه فانتزی سیاه رو هم خوب انجام میده. شما رو غرق جذابیت‌های دنیای خودش میکنه، ولی یادش نمیره که هر از گاهی هم مو به تنتون سیخ کنه.

خلاصه که من خیلی دوسش داشتم. البته شاید میتونست از لحاظ شخصیت پردازی بازم یه کوچولو بهتر عمل کنه. به خصوص در مورد ویلن اصلی. ولی به هر حال سرگرم کننده و دوست داشتنی بود.

من ترجمه رو دوست داشتم. مقایسه نکردم البته ولی ترجمه روونی بود. یه جاهایی دیدم که گفتن کلمات سخت داره. نمیدونم متن اصلی هم همچین کلماتی داشته یا نه ولی به هر حال یکی از لذت‌های کتاب خوندن همینه که کلی کلمه‌های متفاوت یاد بگیری و دایره لغاتت گستره‌تر بشه.

خلاصه، خیلی خوندنش لذت بخش بود و خیلی پیشنهادش میکنم. به خصوووص به بچه‌هایی که تو رده سنی کتاب قرار دارن.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frances Hardinge does spiders (kind of!). Very high spider count. And curses, and guilt and anger. Fantastically rich, detailed, weird universe, and not one, but two, interesting teen main characters, with their own issues and growing up to do.

I was saving this book as a treat, and it was, as expected from the author, very very good at many things. But it was oddly uncompelling to me, the main plot zig-zaged in floppy ways, character development was surprisingly shallow, particularly the secondary characters. There was a bunch of, for lack of a better word, side quests which did not fit quite well.

There is though, an immortal line, I loved, thank you Yannick, we have all been there...

‘Don’t do that,’ growled Yannick, who had just kicked Kellen. ‘Don’t drop mysterious hints without explaining. Nettle puts up with it, but I will headbutt you.’

[Christina Pilkington · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

I always know I’m in for a magical experience whenever I pick up a France Hardinge novel. Her prose is magical, her characters always have a bit of magic, and the magical atmosphere of her settings always draw me into the story.

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.

Our main protagonist, Kellen, has a talent for unravelling curses. One day he meets Nettle and unravels her curse and they become close friends. But then Kellen discovers he’s become cursed. As Kellen and Nettle investigate his curse, they go on a journey where they discover secrets and lies and the truth about their friendship.

I love the nuance in Hardinge’s writing. She evokes so much emotion and brings her readers along a thought-provoking journey, yet her messages are never heavy-handed. I’m getting so tired of these in-your face YA stories that scream to the roof messages and themes rather than trusting readers to come to those same conclusions simply because the author has written a well-crafted story.

This wasn’t a perfect story for me. There were one too many side quests, so the plot did get a bit muddled in the middle for me. A more tightly edited story would have made this a 5 star read.

But I will be thinking about this story for a long time. It had so many unique and endearing characters, the setting of the Wilds was exceptionally magical and I loved Nettle and Kellen’s growth throughout the novel.

I’d highly recommend picking up this book!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Abrams Kids, Amulet Books for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. This was my fourth read from Hardinge, and I'd rank it second, after Deeplight, ahead of Verdigris Deep and Fly by Night.

So I impulsively decided to read this relatively new Hardinge novel instead of Gullstruck Island, which would have been next for me by order of publication. She's only done three books with a male lead, to the best of my knowledge, and this is one of them.

If you've read them, you'll notice my 1, 2 & 3 above are her "boy" books, and yes, for whatever reason, some part of me expects to identify with a male lead more easily than female, but in this particular case I found the female co-lead, Nettle, the more relatable of the two. While Kellen's emotions are familiar, the rashness of his actions was something I could never afford. (Nettle gets equal pov time, but Kellen is the "Unraveller" of the title.)

Each of the four books by Hardinge I've read thus far have a very different feel. Not so much that it's hard to belive they're by the same author, but you certainly couldn't accuse her of repeating herself based on what I've read so far.

They've each been a very distinct reading experience, and difficult to anticipate. While she's marketed as a children's author, and her protagonists are young, (15 in this case), there's enough going on that I sometimes forget I'm reading a supposed "children's" book. The first few chapters here got me imagining a much more drawn out and detailed intrigue style plot, but it plays out in a more direct adventure style, while still managing to have a lot going on both in terms of plot and thematic elements.

I think the isolation and hiding among the normies type elements will be super relatable for any flavor of queer readers. As with her other novels, there's no hint of sexual or romantic desire ever expressed Kellen or Nettle, either towards each other or anyone else, which honestly, given their ages feels a bit odd. But we do get a married gay couple as secondary characters, which I loved. I won't name them as the reveal was a definite part of the experience for me. (I was a touch disappointed they didn't get a moment together in the epilogue.)

In spite of the themes, this is nowhere near as dark or heavy as Deeplight. I found the writing excellent on a sentence level as well, there are some delightful lines without straying into the somewhat overwritten territory of Fly by Night.

Anyhow, another fantastic read from a wonderful author. Just ignore that they're marketed as children's books and enjoy, Hardinge is undoubtedly a much better writer than most everybody doing fantasy for grown ups.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

I loved every single second of this immersive (and utterly addictive) masterpiece. And reading this genuinely felt like one of those vivid dreams that you find soo beautiful you desperately hope never to leave. It’s only on closer inspection do you realise you’ve actually stumbled into a nightmare of the strange and magical—that’s what Unraveller felt like, but in the most glorious way.

I absolutely loved how detailed and lush the world-building was, the spellbindingly strange, sprawling landscape was just exquisite and the inhabitants really added a depth that truly made reading this an immersive experience.

I really liked both main characters we’re introduced to. Kellen is a rash, flawed and complex character who finds himself with a gift to unravel the curses that are inflicted from “cursed eggs”, formed from the build up of people’s long buried hatred and spite. I really enjoyed exploring his concept of justice, but his anger issues (one of his biggest flaws) were also really interesting to watch as his “gift” of unravelling can cause everything in his vicinity (garments, furniture, objects) to unravel when he experiences heightened emotions. Most of the narrative revolves around his impulsive tendencies and the result of his rash decisions—most of which do get him into a spot of trouble on more than one occasion. But his journey does involve some self reflection and I enjoyed seeing him learn the importance of having a little patience.

Nettle, our other protagonist is the complete antithesis to Kellen, she’s methodical and cautious in her approach to most situations but also caring, which I felt definitely helped to balance out some of Kellen’s chaotic, callous and unpredictable tendencies. She internalises a lot of her problems which does make her seem a little colder/ uncaring to begin with however, we do learn why she’s soo guarded and I genuinely felt emotional over what she had to endure (having been cursed by her stepmother.)

The supporting cast of characters were also really well crafted and the uniqueness (and detail) that Hardinge imbues into each one was pretty impressive. Whether unjustly cursed, the person doing the cursing, or even just one of the beings or creatures from the magic infested wilds—I was fascinated by them all. I could easily read a novel based on every single one of them, but I did have a soft spot for Gall and Yannick who I found especially fascinating.

Having given up an eye to control the fiery (and deadly) marsh horse, marsh rider Gall was a character I spent the most time on the fence about —he’s a morally ambiguous character (due in part to his bond with such a wild and dangerous creature) but given the mystery surrounding him I was a little unsure where his loyalties would eventually lie. I did, however, really enjoy what little of his backstory we did unravel which really made me see him in a new light.

Likewise, Yannick really came into his own as character in the second half of the book as we learn a little more about his life beyond being Nettle’s similarly cursed brother. And his interactions with Kellen in the later chapters were soo entertaining.

Overall, a beautifully written and genuinely compelling, fantasy with a unique magic system, plenty of intriguing characters and plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. It wraps up nicely with a pretty satisfying and—more the most part—fairly uplifting ending. If you love your fantasy dark and deliciously twisted then I definitely recommend picking this up.

Also, a huge thank you to Bethan at Macmillan Kids UK for this stunning finished copy.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Apparently I'm a minority here, by not thinking this is Hardinge's best book yet.

My expectations were indeed quite high after Deeplight, which is an utterly brilliant book.
Unraveller had all the parts it needed to be great, but just didn't work for me in the long run.

To boil it down into two parts: Firstly, it was too long.
Secondly, I really disliked Kellen as a character and thought his total lack of character development was very unlike Hardinge for most of the book. His more or less complete 180 degree turn came very late in the book and by then I thought it was a bit too late.

For me, the book dragged a lot.
It had mysterious, wondrous places and objects, but the first half of the book felt very much like "Where are we going?" and "Why are we even going?" stacked on top of each other.

Normally this has never bothered me in a Hardinge book before, but since I only really liked Nettle as a character, thought Kellen was a bit of an ass, and found the marsh horse rider, Gall, sorely under-developed, the book never really kicked off until somewhere around the 70% mark.
(And by then I was quite frankly a bit bored.)

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.
And because of that, I was mostly under-stimulated, mentally, for big parts of the book.

Maybe my lack of fear of spiders helped take the edge of this story? I don't know.
It didn't spark my imagination as much as others of Hardinge's books.

Which doesn't make it a bad book, though. It's still good. Just not as great as I was expecting from all the reviews.

Will I come back for more Frances Hardinge in the future?
Yes, of course!

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25*
"I’m nobody’s weapon. And I’m not hatred's plaything either.”

I’m always in awe at Hardinge’s writing style. It is rich, arresting, and even at times lyrical. She also has the knack of creating bewitching tales, as she does here, with compelling characters. I was more than happy to follow Kellen and Nettle on their adventure. It is perhaps aimed at the younger side of her readership but all can enjoy. I certainly did, and I reckon that is partly because there is always a feeling of threat in her stories, lurking in the shadows but ever so close, about to pounce on you. And then, the prose, of course...

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic!
Unraveller has so many layers waiting to be unravelled (sorry, couldnt resist but it's true!).

Unraveller features Kellen, an unraveller of curses and Nettle, a former cursed one whom Kellen has unravelled along with her siblings. The two pair together and travel unravelling people's curses, but find themselves imprisoned in the first few chapters. They're offered a release through the form of a contract with a one-eyed Horseman (Gall) who is the messenger for someone higher up but that's not revealed until later and there are no spoilers here! Kellen, Nettle and Gall and his horse visit the Red Hospital where cursers are kept and discover an escapee and the rest of the book follows their journey to find the fugitive so they can unravel a curse. On the way, they travel through Mizzleport, the Highlands, Shallow Wilds, Deep Wilds and more meeting a variety of characters: the cursed, cursers and everyone in between whilst unravelling a deeper conspiracy involving the government of Chancery itself.

The book features a depth of themes including but not limited to: victims, survivors, anger and hatred, trauma, therapy, cults, betrayal, domestic abuse, all under the guise of a stunning fantasy world with curses and the riveting and mysterious Wilds.

The book also includes positive LGBT+ rep.

Highly recommended. My signed proof copy was kindly provided by the Barnes Children's Lit Fest and I'm incredibly grateful.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating might seem low, but I'm very happy I finally read a Frances Hardinge's book and I'll definitely read more. I was warned that this one was a bit different from the others and more "scenes crowded" and a bit too fast-paced and yes, that's true. One of the mcs is pretty dislikeable at times, too, but it didn't bother me. In the end I liked the writing, the world was very imaginative and the plot entertaining. It's also deeper than it first appears on several occasions, in my opinion.

PS. It's a YA book. I don't know when we started calling every book with 14/15yo MCs "middle-grade" but that kinda piss me off :)))) Sure, it's an adventure book, there's no romance and it does reads young (which doesn't mean it's simple). But one does not need to star a 17 yo falling in love to be YA, and I'd like it very much if adults readers wouldn't categorize everything from their own pov, because where do we stop??? This is a book written for 12+. It's YA.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

I loved the relationship and connection between Kellen and Nettle, I think this is the closest I've seen to a Queerplatonic relationship in any book, friendship isn't quite enough to describe the way they're bonded, but they're definitely not a romantic couple either.

Unraveller feels like a true fairytale, there may be wondrous creatures and mysterious forest settings, but there's also a Marsh Horse that may eat you and definitely a solid chance of being turned into a harp, a bat or a ship if you get on someone's bad side. It's very funny throughout, but balances that out with themes of grief, fear and rage.

I'm on a winning streak with fantasy books with year that I hope I can continue. I'm so excited to see what Frances brings us next, as every book I've read has managed to be better than the rest. I can't imagine how she's going to outdo this story, but I can't wait to find out.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more book reviews and content here!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

When you pick up a Frances Hardinge book, you're guaranteed a unique reading experience. She's one of the best storytellers in the business, and her books are equal parts whimsical, humorous, and dark.

Unraveller was one of my most anticipated books of the year (I screeched when I realised she had a book out this fall), and absolutely loved it. The worldbuilding and magic are immaculate - I loved the concept of cursing and the way she explores it in this book - and her characters are so lovable and wonderfully written (even when you want to shake them).

If you're looking for a standalone fantasy adventure that's the perfect escape from reality, I cannot recommend Unraveller more highly. It's easily one of the best books of the year!

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hardinge is a brain in a billion. In every book she builds a fantastical world with never before imagined realities, and shows us what it means to be human.

Unraveller explores the themes of vengeance and justice to the tips of their ramifications.

Popsugar 23: #49: The longest book (by pages) on your TBR list (432 pages, I know this is not overly long, but with a TBR list mainly made up of middle-grade fiction, it was distinct. I only had remove one book from my GoodREads list to manipulate Unraveller into its deserving spot. And really, did I want to read CATCH 22? Not so much.)

[Mangrii · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 / 5

En el país de Radiz algunas personas tienen la capacidad de maldecir a sus enemigos. Otras, como Kelen, tienen la habilidad de destramarlas. Y algunas, como Netel, han sido salvadas por su poder. Ahora, junto a su fiel aliada y compañera, Kelen viaja a través del país deshaciendo (o destramando) las maldiciones que puede a su paso. Pero aquel que destrama los maleficios lleva una maldición en sí mismo, a menos que Netel y él mismo puedan destruirla. Kelen es un peligro para todo y todos a su alrededor. Una gran organización, a instancias del Gobierno, parece estar detrás de ello. Kelen y Netel, acompañados y respaldados por un miembro (especial) del gobierno, se embarcarán en una gran aventura para sacar el mayor de los secretos de Radiz a la luz y encontrar a la Organización que parece estar orquestando, bajo las sombras, todo un ejército de maldecidores.

Aventura detectivesca
Gran parte de la obra de Hardinge suele estar en relación con el poder, la corrupción y, por supuesto, las mentiras (piadosas) que sostienen el mundo. Aquí, en esencia, El destramador de maldiciones se trata de una novela de aventuras y de detectives. No es el caso de la semana, pero Kelen y Netel nos sumergen en su mundo como el detective y su brújula moral, resolviendo un misterio criminal (tras otro) y tratando de encontrar el hilo conductor de todo. Un mal en ciernes que va cobrando forma, caso a caso, pista a pista, guiándonos con mano firme (y a veces despistándonos) por una ingeniosa construcción tanto de su mundo como de sus personajes. Todo fluye, todo parece ir solo, y como el cauce de un río, todo parece encontrar su final y desembocadura adecuada. No es Agatha Christie —y a veces se repite un poco— pero tampoco le hace falta. La estela de Kelen y Netel es suficiente andamio para desentrañar y sostener todos los misterios que rodean Radiz y a nuestros protagonistas.

Kelen y Netel
Si algo sostiene con fuerza a El destramador de maldiciones es Kelen, que tiene el don de deshacer y revertir las maldiciones, y Nettle, que fue maldecida en el pasado y encerrada en forma de garza, y ahora, vive con sus remordimientos a la vera de Kelen. Ambos, forman una especie de amistad tóxica, de una relación compleja de dependencia sin estar de acuerdo en varios puntos vitales, como los malditos o los maldecidores. Mientras Kelen solo busca entender y resolver cada una de las maldiciones que se le presentan, es Netel la que ve el otro lado, aunque no lo expresa, de resolverlas. Como lo ha vivido en sus carnes, sabe lo que significa volver de estar maldecida. Piensa en el increíble trastorno de volver, en los pedazos de sus vidas que les queda. Lo mejor de El destramador de maldiciones es como ambos comienzan a curarse entre sí, a entenderse y confiar con el tiempo, poniendo de su parte, convirtiendo su dilema principal en un aprendizaje y fortaleza para ambos. Simplemente sobreviven rotos buscando cómo existir en el mundo.

El mundo inmersivo de Hardinge
¿Acaso Radiz y su folclore no existen? Cuando uno cierra El destramador de maldiciones piensa y siente que ha vivido en Radiz por un tiempo. Que existe y es real. La inventiva y la acomodada construcción de su mundo es de lo más inmersiva. Si tienes que viajar al país de Radiz, prepárate bien, comienza la novela. No me extraña. Hardinge sabe moverse como pocos en los mundos de las hadas, otorgando ciertas reglas estrictas y costes que aprendemos con el tiempo. Los escenarios se sienten reales, las maldiciones y maldecidores, así como las instituciones, otorgan verosimilitud a lo que narra; y las criaturas que pululan por la historia, son de lo más originales (aunque un poco spoiler mencionarlas). Sin embargo, la clave, es la propia historia del pasado de Radiz. La tregua entre la nación y la Tierra Salvaje es un equilibrio insostenible y peliagudo, entre lo conocido y lo desconocido, entre fronteras y medias tintas. El viaje de Kelen y Netel nos mostrará las dos partes del conflicto, construyendo una visión global de lo rota que esta la sociedad de Radiz, aunque ellos no sean conscientes de ello. Aquí, es un tabique central, el ladrillo que no puede faltar y que apuntala, quizás un poco más, el proceso de crecimiento de Kelen y Netel.

Elementos en conflicto
Si algo me fascina de El destramador de maldiciones es como muestra dos mundos fronterizos que viven en un conflicto permanente y silencioso. El mundo humano, dirigido por la cancillería, y el mundo salvaje, gobernado por el poder de las leyendas, el de los hermanitos. Ambos viven en tensión, unos más conscientes que otros, dando forma a las causas y consecuencias de las maldiciones. Maldecidores, maldecidos y humanos conviven, sin embargo, en el miedo, en las leyendas, en el del odio y la traición que pesa sobre ellos. Las consecuencias —físicas o psicológicas— que muchos han vivido hacen temblar los cimientos del mundo. La amistad y la lealtad no son elementos que convivan en Radiz. Departamentos gubernamentales e instituciones tratan de controlarlo (y casi ocultarlo) todo. Sin embargo, los huevos de maldición y los maldecidores no desaparecen. ¿Cómo se convive con ese regalo? Hardinge tiene la respuesta, y es el verdadero meollo de todo: tratando el daño y cuidándolo en el tiempo.

Reseña en el blog: https://boywithletters.blogspot.com/2...

[Raine · Rating 5 out of 5]

[book received via netgalley e-arc, but review is honest.]

i loooved this book. a classic hardinge story full of twisty mysteries, darkness, and wonderfully unusual characters. i'll probably write a longer review at some point but i just have to express how happy i was to be reading this book. it's a fantasy that breaks out of the ideas and tropes of the "classic" fantasy genre, reminiscent of gullstruck island and fly by night (if you happen to have read those ones by hardinge too), chock-full of creative and clever ideas... and i just love it so much! <3

FULL REVIEW:

the queen of creepy fantasy RETURNS!!!! unraveller is an unapologetically classic frances hardinge story full of twisty mysteries, darkness, and wonderfully unusual characters, and of course i LOVED it. (if you didn't know by now, hardinge is my favourite author of all time and always will be.)

unraveller's plot and the world itself are both chock-full of creative and clever ideas. deep wilds full of frightening and eerie supernatural creatures? bizarre inventions and unexpected betrayals? cities and towns and people that are never all as they seem?? check, check, check!

the characters are uniquely unusual, loveable and flawed, as always with hardinge novels. our leading duo consists of kellen, a boy with the power to unravel curses, and nettle, a girl once cursed herself, and they are accompanied by a stony and untrustworthy man named gall... who is possibly no longer fully human. they are thrown together into a conspiracy that cursers are gathering in secret to strike at kellen and the government itself, and the trio must set about unravelling the mystery.

i genuinely think hardinge is one of the best fantasy authors ive read when it comes to giving her characters (and honestly, entire worlds) realistic flaws and acknowledging and working through them, and unraveller is no exception. both characters are so well-developed, and i loved following them throughout the story, especially nettle! she's so lovely and so strong, and i adore her with my whole heart.

as i already mentioned, mystery is a big aspect of unraveller, and whilst cuckoo song, a face like glass & gullstruck island remain my fav hardinge books this one was still very creative and enthralling with its twists. the cursers and curses were so fun to read about and unravel alongside kellen and nettle. ALSO, the overarching more serious flaws of the world itself were really well tackled (as always), and i always find it so clever how hardinge threads much darker themes into her work.

in conclusion: GO PREORDER UNRAVELLER BY FRANCES HARDINGE RN

[mesal · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

If you love excellent fantasy worldbuilding and really well-crafted character relationships then please, please read Hardinge's books. I will say this over and over and over again until more people listen to me, because these books are actually gold.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 - Più leggo quest'autrice e più resto impressionata dalla sua capacità di tessere trame complesse, rivolte al pubblico giovane (sono fantasy YA), ma con un livello di profondità maturo e affrontando tematiche perfettamente fruibili dagli adulti.
Meglio ancora, la Hardinge (non per nulla, pluripremiata) riesce a trasmettere con un linguaggio accessibile e fresco dei messaggi che possono definirsi universali.

Non ho usato il verbo "tessere" a caso, stavolta, perché la base della storia è proprio la capacità di scagliare maledizioni, creando ragnatele di odio che avvolgono le vittime, una magia sviluppata dagli abitanti di Raddith, grazie all'apporto di ragni soprannaturali, chiamati Piccoli Fratelli; le persone si scagliano maledizioni addosso, a volte con esiti mortali (pensate alla trasformazione in un mostro da cacciare o in un animale che divora la propria famiglia), venendo punite e rinchiuse nell'Ospedale Rosso (benché spesso i condannati siano recidivi).
All'opposto, il giovane Kellen possiede il dono di "disfare" la malvagità, cancellando ragnatele e maledizioni, non sempre accontentando i beneficiati e la stessa collettività.

Mentre si guadagna da vivere con il suo talento, aiutato da Nettle (ragazza salvata a sua volta da una maledizione che ha colpito in modo doloroso lei e i fratelli) si ritrova invischiato in una sorta di grande complotto, che potrebbe colpire direttamente anche lui.
Così la trama prosegue su due filoni: le indagini dei ragazzi per sciogliere le maledizioni locali che incontrano, e la ricerca, più generale, per capire chi sono i veri nemici e i membri di Salvezza.

L'ho trovata una storia avvincente e suggestiva, ispirata da varie fiabe gotiche (tra tutte, la fiaba dei Cigni Selvatici di Andersen), ma sempre tesa a sviscerare il problema del senso di colpa di chi maledice e la sofferenza di chi subisce e viene guarito. Spesso, le maledizioni traggono origini da motivi futili, da incomprensioni familiari, ed è vero il concetto che il male invocato può ritorcersi contro chi ne ha fatto un uso dissennato.
Un libro corposo, da gustare per l'azione, e su cui riflettere.

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

as usual i can read a hardinge book and love every moment of it and as usual i think it's perfect. the only problem i have with her books are when it's done, i have to wait for a while to read another of her books.
as you can guess, i think i am a bit biased and am reading the book thinking i would love this and i think her style and people and stories do resonate with me. i really do think them perfect for me. beautiful world and fantasy, complex characters all with darkness and light and people changing through the story.

[Leonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's what I call a ride. 

[Huck · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Amelinda Bérubé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen of the AutoBuys strikes again!!! So much delightful creepiness and heart in this story - weird and fascinating and relatable and just a hell of a satisfying ride from start to finish.

[Punk · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where hatred and anger can give people the power to curse their enemies, to turn them into animals or objects or worse, Kellen is one of the few—if not the only—person who can undo these curses, but this ability has gotten him the attention of the wrong people, and now he's on the run with his best friend and partner, Nettle, a girl who was once a bird.

Hardinge can really write. This is an original story with unique happenings, interesting places, and some really great prose, but the way the plot is structured threw me out of the story halfway through. This happened in Cuckoo Song, too, where the story's whipping along, hits the middle, slams on the brakes, does a fifteen-point turn, and then heads off in a new direction. Is it a metaphor for the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood? Maybe. Does it make the story feel jerky and aimless for a significant amount of time while it's recalibrating? Yes. Do things eventually get back on track? Very much so. Though, in the second half, some of the decisions the characters were making didn't make much sense. Either the characterization wasn't strong enough to explain their actions or they were just doing shit for plot reasons. Either way, there were some moments that didn't fit with what I knew of the characters or work to give me a better understanding of them.

So this was a five-star read for the first half, a sad frown in the middle, and then back to a galloping finish as Hardinge brings together all the threads, begins the work to dismantle harmful systems, and gives everyone the ending (or new beginning) they deserve.

Contains: human (and non-human) trafficking; descriptions of animal harm, violence, and some body horror and gore.

[bookclubforme · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨🕷️

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.

The story itself follows Kellen, it's unruly protagonist, who has a rare and highly sought after gift. A gift that allows him to unravel (undo) the previously mentioned curses. We witness as he and his unusual companions, throw themselves deep into the unknown, in a bid to save those who have been cruelly jinxed and to bring down a unidentified enemy abetting those who curse. Of course, nothing is quite as it seems...

In short and without giving anything away, what takes place is a captivating tale, set deep within a beautifully crafted world that as a reader, we slowly get to explore. The many mysteries in need of untangling, and the numerous twists and turns, make the story all the more enjoyable. My only complaint would be that I found it a *bit* to long - however, there was no way I wasn't finishing!

3.5/4 ⭐

✨🕷️