Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

Thank you to Nina Douglas and MacMillan Kids UK for sending me a copy of the gorgeous 𝙐𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 by Frances Hardinge 🖤💫🕷 it's one of my new favourite books, and I will definitely be rereading it!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙𝙮, 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚.

I adored Unraveller so much that's it hard to even know where to start with my review, so strap in because this is a long one! I tried to read it slowly, and savour every morsel of the story, but here I am at the end, and I'm sad that it's over.

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙝, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 ... 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙝-𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨. (𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙.)

Unraveller is a book brimming with magic, mystery, beauty, and hidden dangers. You cannot trust your senses, and things are not as they initially seem.

The setting of Raddith and the Wilds, which are far vaster than we initially think, perfectly parallels the depth of the characters, who on the surface may seem quiet and unassuming. In this way the macrocosm and microcosm of the story are perfectly balanced.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚.

The main protagonists of the story are Kellen - a fifteen year old boy with a short temper and a big mouth - and Nettle - a quiet, patient and thoughtful girl.

Kellen has the ability to unravel curses that have been laid on people, and he sees this as his life's calling - it's how he met his sidekick and best friend Nettle after all, by unravelling her curse.

At first, the pair seem like opposites and they seem somewhat at odds with one another, but they are bound to each other with love and empathy, and as the story goes on they come to realise they are more alike inside than they might think.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤, 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩? 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚; 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙞𝙩. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚.

Hardinge is a master of characterisation. She depicts her characters with such wonderful detail of 𝘸𝘩𝘰 they are, so you get a feel for them as a person, as well as what they look like.

Even with smaller characters, who we might only see for a fraction of the story, it feels as though they are continuing to live off the page and outside of the part of their story that we see. Tonat's short-sightedness and unflinching stubbornness being portrayed as '𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵, 𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘺' (for example) is fantastic, and this is just one example of so many within the book.

Nettle and Kellen both have their own hidden depths too, and while Kellen can 'see' curses and is able to pick them apart and unravel them, Nettle can see to the heart of who people really are, and hear things that are left unsaid.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨.

I always love a book that portrays other stories within the main story arc, and the tales of each cursed character, and how they came to be cursed, are at once beautiful and heartbreaking.

The Little Brothers are spider-like creatures who weave webs (among other things) and who give humans the ability to curse. Their intentions are not cruel, however, but they believe they are in some way helping people to right wrongs that have been done to them. As Nettle herself says, there are two sides to every story, and the perception of wrongdoing is subjective.

Without giving away any spoilers, we meet characters who are cursed out of a sense of misplaced revenge and anger, out of bitterness and meanness, out of someone else's desire to control them, and through jeolousy and spite.

𝙉𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙧. 𝘼 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙧. 𝙄𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙞𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙞𝙩.

The world-building in Unraveller is exceptional. Both the Wilds and the human world have rules and etiquettes that must be recognised and abided by, or the consequences may be dire.

The human world of Mizzleport is governed by Chancery, who are a gilded trade association, and who have noble intentions to ensure trades are lawful and fair. The Wilds doesn't have a governing body; it is (as the name suggests) too wild for that. But with a nod to well-known tales of folklore and fae, it does abide by laws of respect, dignity, and it pays to know the right words to say, and what not to say, in a sticky situation.

A treaty exists between the human world and the Wilds, that allows for coexistence and tolerance, though not always harmony.

Hardinge transports you to the marshlands of the Wilds, and the elaborate world of the Chancery, leaving the reader feeling fully immersed in the settings and environments that she depicts.

The moonlit market was a particular favourite setting of mine - morbid curiosity perhaps, as I would no doubt find myself transformed into a beast or sold for parts if I were to frequent such a place myself!

'𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨, 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙀𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨.'

The LGBTQ+ representation within Unraveller is beautiful in its portrayal, and while these things shouldn't need to be noteworthy, they absolutely are wonderful to see. I read some popular fantasy books recently that I ended up DNFing (for multiple reasons) but where the representation was simply non-existent.

Hardinge's depictions of the LGBTQ+ relationships do aid in challenging stereotypes, and readers' own biases in who would fit into such a 'category'.

I loved one relationship in particular, which I'm not going to spoil by stating here, but which I think everyone who reads the book will recognise as 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 true love, not the false happy ending true love that we normally find in fairytales.

'𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛--'

'𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙙 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙮, 𝙨𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙤. 𝙄𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮'𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣'𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙨 - 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨.'

Hardinge has such an incredible ability to create beautiful descriptions, scenes, and turns of phrase in unique and impressive ways. Several times I paused and reread a paragraph or opening sentence, just to savour the beauty of the writing, and pestered my partner by reading portions aloud so they could experience it too.

Hardinge is a master of her craft, and has definitely taken a firm place among my favourite authors.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮. 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝-𝙞𝙣-𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜.

There are plenty of easter egg references for those readers who, like me, love folklore, mythology, fairytales and legends: from wearing iron for protection, not eating or drinking anything at the moonlit market, and always carrying a gift just incase you're asked for one; to references to honey wine, characters who have traded an eye for something in return, and creatures clearly inspired by known mythological cryptids (like the marsh horse and it's likeness to a Kelpie).

I'm sure there are so many more subtle references that I also didn't catch, but hopefully might spot when I reread the book.

𝘼𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨, 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣-𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙝𝙖𝙜𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝, 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙.

At the heart of the story, all of the characters must essentially learn to live without the need for curses, and to healthily recognise and express their emotions; allowing themselves to feel the hurt, and to encourage it to heal.

For a YA/childrens book, this is such a great message to leave the reader with. Anger, sadness and grief get an unfair deal as they are viewed as negative emotions, but they are in fact very necessary emotions.

'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?'

There is SO much more I could say about Unraveller - I haven't even gone into my favourite characters (Harland and Nettle), or my favourite story within the story (Belthea and Clover), or whether Kellen's ability to unravel curses is a gift or a curse in itself and why that might be, but as this review is already so long, I would just encourage you to read it.

I hope if you do, that it takes root in your heart too, and that you love it as much as I did.

'𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣,' 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣. '𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩. 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙞𝙩?'