Amazon summary - Unraveller is a spell-binding fantasy from the Costa-award winning author of The Lie Tree, Frances Hardinge.

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

Kellen does not fully understand his unique gift, but helps those who are cursed, like his friend Nettle who was trapped in the body of a bird for years. She is now Kellen's constant companion and his closest ally.

But the Unraveller carries a curse himself and, unless he and Nettle can remove it, Kellen is a danger to everything – and everyone – around him . . .

My Review - The story has a really interesting premise and is a prefect story for fantasy lovers and has a fairytale feel to it. I loved the world building and characters especially Nettles. I would recommend this for adults and kids alike.

In this gothic, alternate world where people with a brooding hatred can cast vengeful curses and destroy lives, only Kellen has the ability to unravel the threads to unpick the curse. He offers hope of a second chance to those suffering a cursed life, transformed into creatures and objects to struggle in misery. A dark, twisty and imaginative tale with flawed characters, who doubt and mistrust even their closest friends. A realistic view of trust and companionship in a fantastical world, where anyone can have their fate upended due to the hateful or envious whims of the cursers.

The world building, premise and language choices in The Unraveller are unusual, evocative and arresting. Frances Hardinge is a bold and delightful writer. I loved this book, mostly for the characters and her similes, both surprised with their blunt honesty. The friction and devotion between Kellen and Nettle are brilliantly human in a magical realm. I really recommend this for readers 12 plus. It has some dark themes and is very immersive. One the best books I have read in a long time.

A beautifully poetically written read, that absolutely gripped me from the start. The characters where fantastic and so well thought of, which worked well with the brilliantly structured storyline. So good.

Thank you for allowing me to read this novel.

I found Unraveller to be a fantatsic spooky read which is perfect for this season. Especially with the creepy like spiders!
I enjoyed the story and writing so much it kept me gripped from page one. I liked the story so much I bought the pretty Waterstones exclusive edition.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Reading a Hardinge novel is like looking into the psyche of a child - she's never reluctant to embrace the darkness of children's storytelling and address problems children indelibly grapple with in day-to-day life through the lens of fantasy. Mental health and grief are two of the biggest themes in this book, where refusing to acknowledge or deal with your feelings can have dire consequences, and talking helps to stave off catastrophe. Hardinge's books are never an easy read and this one is no different, but they are magical nonetheless.

A fantastical, absorbing tale with intricate sub plots and much to say about the bonds of love, familial and romantic, Unraveller continues Hardinge’s run of excellent YA books. A disquieting read for the arachnaphobes amongst us, full of fascinating monsters and interesting but undoubtedly flawed characters.

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

My thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Unraveller’ by Frances Hardinge.

The exquisite cover of Hardinge’s latest fantasy hints at the wonders within. Although Frances Hardinge books are written for younger readers, aged twelve and older, the quality of her prose and story-telling skills ensure that they appeal to lovers of fantasy and fairy tales of all ages.

‘The Unraveller’ is set in the country of Raddith, where in the cobwebbed treetops of the Wilds dwell the Little Brothers, many-legged creatures that resemble spiders, with the ability to gift those consumed by rage or hatred with a curse. The curse then nestles in the host’s soul and over time grows in power like a unhatched egg, until unleashed by the curser.

The Unraveller of the title is fifteen-year-old Kellen. He doesn’t fully understand his unique gift though uses it to help those who have been maliciously cursed. His constant companion is Nettle.

For three years she had been transformed into a heron. Her sister and two brothers were also cursed by their stepmother, each becoming a different bird. When Kellen lifted the curse, Nettle’s brother Yannick flew away choosing to remain a black-headed gull. However, he remains close to her and she retains the ability to understand him.

As Kellen and Nettle seek to help the cursed, they discover that the Unraveller carries a curse himself. He and Nettle must find a way to remove it, as until then Kellen is a danger to everything and everyone around him . . .

As always Frances Hardinge’s world building was flawless, her characters well realised and relatable. ‘Unraveller’ was such an original and immersive tale. I adored it.

Highly recommended.

Francis Hardinge has to be one of our greatest fantasy authors in the UK. With Unraveller, her latest novel, she takes us back into her imagination, a fairy tale, dangerous, magical and exciting place to be, where to be a child or teenager in an adult world is to be unsafe and unloved by those who should care for you. In Unraveller, this manifests in the story of Nettle and Kellen, who live in world where, if you are angry enough, the Little Brothers. who are magical spiders, gift you with the power to curse the person you are angry with with devastating magical consequences for them. Anyone who is found to be a curser is exiled or put in prison. Nettle, the victim of a curse and herself a hidden curser, and Kellen cursed with the power to unravel any curse are hunted by those who want to destroy them and those who want to control them. Both of them are desperate for acceptance in their society and have lost their families, This is a fantastic story, as compelling as all of the author's other novels, and as always brilliantly original. I can't wait for her next one.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Unraveller is that it was different. I feel like when you read a lot of books, you don’t encounter a lot of new stories, and that’s what Unraveller felt like to me. It wasn’t a retelling of something else I’d read before (which I love!), it was entirely it’s own thing and I adored it for it.

Kellen is unique. In a world where people’s fear and hate coalesces into literal curses, he is the only one who can unravel them. It’s not easy, it’s not simple, and for a young boy who’s not particularly good with other people’s emotions, it’s not convenient. With his faithful companion Nettle he travels the land seeking out people who have been cursed and helping to undo their various fates - however, this makes him a target, and that’s the last thing he wants.

I loved Kellen and Nettle, because they felt real. They were irritable, irritating, and flawed, but they acted in ways that made sense for them, and they were ultimately so very young to be shouldering their burdens. The characters went through great growth arcs to realise their own issues and what they needed to do to help themselves.
The concept of curse eggs gifted by the spider-like little brothers was new to me and refreshing, as was Kellen’s unique ability to unravel those curses.
The story was intriguing - in a YA mystery kind of way - and I liked trying to figure it out along with them.
The various side characters and companions created a full and interesting world.

Overall, I really enjoyed Unraveller, and found it refreshingly different from any YA fantasy I’ve read recently.

I can’t resist a Frances Hardinge book, she creates stories that are a bit different and a bit creepy, very atmospheric, her plots are complex and multilayered, full of great characters and I loved how she looked at resentment and revenge and how that affects and defines us. This is simply put a beautifully crafted story about life, love and consequences, which should be read by adults and YA alike.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

UNRAVELLER by @FrancesHardinge has a stunning cover that is matched by the beautiful story within. This is another mesmerising and haunting tale from the author. There are so many layers waiting to be unravelled by the reader and this will be one of those books that gets better with each reading.

What I love most about Frances Hardinge, is how creative she is. She creates stories that no one else would think of. She creates fantasies that are unique and beautiful and just so fun to read. I'm sure there are other authors out there who are just as good, but I haven't found any who intrigue and compel me as much as her.

I think I did my disservice reading this book though, because I went into it wanting it to be as good as Cuckoo Song, but can anything really be as good as Cuckoo Song? I tried to focus on the good stuff though and there was certainly a lot there.

I loved the relationships between the characters, especially later in the book with certain reveals and with the cursers having more of a role. Nothing is as it seems in this book and the relationships were strained and tested during the process and it really showed the beauty of those relationships.

There are so many different ways of being in this book. Whether it was cursed or curser or the unique case of Kellen being an Unraveller. Then there were the people in the shallow wilds and the deep wilds who were touched by the wilds in different ways. In many ways, this book was a celebration of what it means to read this book.

This is a really long review but I want to just touch on one more subject. If anyone is worried about agoraphobia, I have it pretty bad and this book didn't really bother me. I think the descriptions of the little brothers was well managed and written in a sensitive way. I don't want to say you'll be fine picking up this book with a fear of spiders, but don't let it put you off. Though the little brothers and their curse eggs are at the heart of this story, they only feature in a few scenes.

Frances Hardinge’s imagination knows no bounds: the worlds she creates in her fiction are intriguingly complex, vividly drawn and deeply compelling. Unraveller builds upon the features that made her earlier novels so successful. In this dark fantasy, some people are able to curse others if their hatred is strong enough – and these curses transform or end lives. Characters are changed into musical instruments, clouds, birds and more, or else suffer from more gradual transformations. The protagonists are closely associated with cursing as victims or saviours, and like every creature, are petrified by ‘the Wilds’ with its fantastical creatures and ever-present danger. There are lots of twists and turns: young and older readers alike will be gripped by Unraveller

frances hardinge, i am in love with you. to be honest, this should just be a dedicated post to @raine.reads because i owe them a lot for introducing me to hardinge’s INCREDIBLE writing. i’ve so far read cuckoo song, a face like glass and unraveller and all three have been five stars. what gorgeous stories with just unbelievable plots and concepts, how Frances comes up with these books actually blows my mind, could only wish to be as creative as her. ⠀
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this book was just all around crazy. i binged this over a few days whilst @mollysmustreads was staying at mine and she (as always) had to deal with my gasps, ‘i KNEW it’s’ and the way i made this actual face 🥺 when i finished the book & closed it dramatically. if you like fantasy or need a world you can get lost in you NEED to read this. i’m not even going to describe anything about this world because i want you all to experience it for the first time when opening the book, but this is 100% your sign to get your hands on it 😻😻😻😻⠀

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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!

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I am an avid Frances Hardinge fan and will read everything she has written - if she published a shopping list I would be sobbing by the end I'm sure! I went into Unraveller expecting a good time but not sure what I would feel by the end - I am thrilled to say that Frances Hardinge has once again knocked it so far out of the park that it circumnavigated the globe and bonked me on the back of the head.
Unraveller has the trademark Hardinge imagination running all the way through, I loved getting to explore this spooky world filled with amazing creatures and fascinating characters. I liked this return to the somewhat creepy and macabre and I think this will make a wonderful Halloween/Autumn read for many (though if you're not a fan at all of arachnids I would maybe go in knowing you might be a bit creeped out!
While spooky this book has a whole lot of heart. I loved the theme of fairness and the idea that sometimes being angry is a good thing and expressing that we should be allowed to feel hurt by things and the flipside of that being that sometimes we shouldn't express our anger in one particular way.
I cannot wait for more people to read this and to experience this fantastic book which feels one part adventure, one part fairytale and one part spooky story - I'll be recommending it to everyone I know until they do read it!
My rating: 5/5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I didn't especially love this book as I found the style and font very difficult to read. There are also a lot of characters as Kellen, a young boy, visits a new person each time to unravel their curses. Follows the adventures of Nettle, a human who was formerly cursed to live as a Heron and then unravelled again and Kellen the unraveller. I liked the idea of the Little Brothers and the fantasy element of the Wilds but, I found the constant moving from place to place difficult to follow with so many cursed people. Kellen tries to overthrow a group called Salvation who lead people to believe they want a peaceful world. Kellen believes otherwise as he too is cursed to literally unravel people, curses and objects around him. Nettle and her brother are cursed while they try to help Kellen uncover the truth. I enjoyed the fantasy and magic but, felt like more could have been explained.

4.5 stars

The marketing material that comes with the eARC describes Hardinge’s writing as ‘unique gothic imagination carried by luminous prose’, which is really a much more succinctly accurate description than anything I could come up with! And this book absolutely lives up to everything you expect from her work: an extremely creepy setting that feels like a character in its own right; a bizarre world where nothing is as it seems; a twisty plot full of mysteries, betrayals, and turns you never could have seen coming, but make total sense when they do; loveable characters who deserve the absolute world; and discussions of themes that are impressively wide-ranging and nuanced!

So let’s break those down one by one:

The Wilds is a classic Hardinge setting, and it is CREEPY. It has a personality right from the first sentence, and the feeling of darkness and danger permeates the whole book.

Beyond the basic setting, the wider world is also so fully-realised and layered. Not just the physical geography, but also the terrifying array of supernatural creatures, and of course the curses, which was such a unique and creative conceit that opens so many doors for exploration.

The plot is gloriously complex. Even for Hardinge, it’s complicated and twisty, with an unusually and sometimes bewilderingly large cast of side characters we only encounter briefly, but her writing is masterful enough that every thread is pulled together by the end, and every character and encounter contributes something to our understanding of the world and themes.

The characters are simply everything. Nettle in particular has my whole heart, with her quiet strength and compassion, and a depth of trauma that she struggles to let anyone see. Kellen took me longer to warm to - he is arguably more flawed, and that particular brand of impulsive stubbornness that I can often find irritating - but he grew on me too, and I loved the way they balanced each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Some of the themes here are things Hardinge has explored before - it touches on power and injustice, family, and what it means to be human and live in a society. But this book is in large part concerned with trauma: the things that anger and hurt can push people to, and how different people can react differently to the same emotions; and what it means to heal and forgive. It’s dark and it’s heartbreaking, but it’s also beautiful.

Nothing I can say will do justice to the beauty and creativity of this book (see aforementioned incoherence). For those who are familiar with Frances Hardinge, I’d probably compare this most closely with Verdigris Deep and Gullstruck Island, and tell you to absolutely go and read this as soon as possible! If you’re new to her work, all I can do is to recommend her as strongly as possible (though with that said, I wouldn’t necessarily suggest this book as the place to start - Verdigris Deep is my usual recommendation for Hardinge beginners, then come back!)

CW: death; accidental sororicide; trauma; institutionalisation; references to emotional abuse by a parent; people being transformed into animals and inanimate objects; reference to beheading; references to spousal abuse

A multilayered, well plotted, and riveting story that kept me hooked. Great storytelling and characters, excellent world building.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Frances Hardinge explores the nasty sticky world of hate, resentment, repentance and forgiveness in a creative and exciting read. Using close observation of human nature and frailty and fantastic language she delights the reader. In an original world of wonder and horror, Nettle and Kellen work through whacky, unpredictable plans to become who they really are.

I was sad when this book ended. Totally enjoyable but full of great discussion. points about emotions and how to deal with them. Equally, in a classroom, Hardinge demonstrates the beauty of language and how imagination can be released if you ask, 'What if?'.