There are two kinds of books with faeries. The kind that are more folklore based and the ones that use some of the tropes but ultimately are more like bedazzled humans with special abilities. This book fell more into the latter category. Which is fine, those books tend to be incredibly popular and lots of people love them. I prefer more of the other type. I did like the use of nettles in this story, and the impossible tasks. But the characters, world, and writing felt flat to me.

(Thank you to NetGalley for the arc)

A solid 3.5 stars from me. Nettle is like The Folk of the Air by Holly Black's much younger sibling. It's got the same thrilling and mischievous fae that are more akin to those in traditional folklore than they are to the magical elf-people from a lot of popular romantic fantasy books. This charming book is very short and easy to follow with its predictable plot twists but that didn't make it any less fun to read.

Books like Don't Let The Forest In or Your Blood, My Bones really stand out to me in the Young-Adult/Teen genre because they're very mature; in contrast Nettle by Bex Hogan doesn't really delve past surface level plot, world, or character-wise. I think that it would be greatly enjoyed by a much, much younger group of people and could have probably been written without the romance sub-plot since it was sudden, though expected, and didn't seem to develop before or after Nettle herself suddenly stumbles across it. Considering the fun that I did have while reading this book I wish that there were about 200 more pages so that time could be given for things in the world to settle, for emotions to be felt and dealt with, for the details of the world itself to come into better focus, and for an attachment to really solidify for any of the characters. I want more depth. I love these real fairy-tale worlds and the trickster fae that inhabit them.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book!!

Nettle is a gorgeous, story rich fairytale that has made me nostalgic for the bedtime stories of my youth. Our protagonist, Nettle, gives off major "weird girl" energy, but in the most endearing way possible. She cares for her grandmother and the palace in the meadow they live. The first two chapters focus on Nettle and her desire for her grandmother to get better and not die. It is because of this desire and the fear that her grandmother will die that the plot truly kicks off. Nettle abandons all of the warnings she has heard about faeries and pledges she will "do anything" if they help her grandmother.

Her first mistake was seeking out a faerie bargain. Her second mistake was thinking that they would keep their promise. Once Nettle arrives in the faerie realm, she is asked to complete three tasks. Upon their completion, the faerie king will send her home and heal her grandmother. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Faerie tricks are everywhere in the novel to keep Nettle from completing her task. As Nettle tries to complete the first task, cutting nettles (the plant) in the moonlight, the author spins a gorgeous web of drama in the faerie realm. The king and queen have been estranged from each other for sometime. As the novel goes on, Nettle believes that she may have some part to play and her tasks aren't wholly unconnected

Nettle does use first person pov. I'm very picky with those types of narratives, but somehow it just works. Between the gorgeous descriptions and the mysterious characters, I could not put the novel down. Now, Nettle isn't entirely without help in her tasks. She meets Connor, a human boy who has been in the realm for centuries, and Ellion, a shadow faerie who is devilishly handsome and works for the king. Nettle grows an attraction to both characters for different reasons. Personally, Ellion is my favorite.

I won't spoil the ending, but I highly recommend reading Nettle. The book's conclusion is predictable if you follow the hints left by the nettles. But it's predictable in the way that we all know Snow White wakes up, Cinderella's foot fits, and the beast becomes human once more. It's predictable in the way that fairytales are ingrained in our bones and our hearts. We turn the page with each pitfall with the understanding that good will triumph over evil and love will save the day.

As for Nettle's ending, you just have to follow the twinkling bells into a patch of nettles to find out for yourself.