Kellen and Nettle are only fifteen years old – practically only children, living in a country called Raddith. It is a dangerous world of anger and hate. This is a world where people can lay curses on others, turning them into anything they can imagine, in acts of terrible revenge. The people who curse another are captured and incarcerated in a special prison, in case they do it again, but most of the time, the cursed person remains that way.

Kellen however, is an Unraveller. He must go through a process of finding the curser, speaking to them and learning the reason behind the curse, but after this research he can often reverse curses and free the victim. He keeps this skill to himself as he would be worth a lot to some.

Nettle was one of these afflicted. She and her siblings were cursed by a family member and Kellen saved as many as he could. Now back in human form, Nettle hasn’t left his side since. His constant shadow, she is also a voice of reason for Kellen as he is hot-headed and impetuous.

When they learn that cursers are vanishing with no trace, including one from inside the prison, he sets off with Nettle, a Marsh man and his strange horse into the Wilds.

Raddith is a rough place to live, but the Wilds are a whole different story. They can be deadly. This is where all sorts of creatures live, including a great deal of spiders. At least they look like spiders, sort of, and weave thick webs that will catch you if you’re not careful. The further you travel into this thick forest the stranger things get. Don’t get caught there at night and don’t venture into the Dark Wilds further in, if you fully intend to come out again.

Kellen’s travel companion (named Gall) and his horse are from the Wilds themselves. Nettle doesn’t trust him, and is even more wary than usual, putting everything on edge from the very beginning. But they have a job to do and Gall can keep them safer than most as they venture into the marsh, encounter ghosts, ghouls and the cursed.

Kellen’s first Unravelling job comes soon after, but trouble escalates quickly and not only are they searching for people who don’t want to be found, Nettie believes that somehow Kellen himself has been cursed along the way.

Frances Hardinge is a marvel at fantasy world-building and the world of Raddith and its eerie Wilds is superb. The characters are all unique with enough back story to make them real and relatable, even though they live in a world so foreign to our own.

Humans must negotiate with creatures of our worst nightmares, spiders who demand respect and magic that tips everything upside down in a moment. This has been labelled high middle-grade, or teen, but there is a lot going on within the plot, many characters to juggle within the story and a whole different society structure to get our head around.

I recommend this book for excellent readers 13+ to adults who will also enjoy this fantasy, quest, adventure, revenge plot. Phew!  

Author – Frances Hardinge

Age – 13+

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(2022, Macmillan, Fantasy, Monsters, Curses, Revenge, Spiders, Quest, Adventure, Prison, Control, Family, Gull, Heron, Memories, Power, Unravelling, Allies, Friendship, Courage, Betrayal, Historical, Action, Grief, Guilt, Blame, Asylum, Prison, Escaped, Hiding, Horror, Magic)