Who Is The Author Of 'Nettle Bone' And What Inspired It?

I’ve been obsessed with 'Nettle Bone' since I first stumbled upon it—it’s one of those hauntingly beautiful stories that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. The author behind this gem is Tori Bovalino, a writer who’s got this uncanny knack for blending folklore with raw, emotional storytelling. What’s fascinating about her is how she weaves her academic background in library science into her work, giving 'Nettle Bone' this rich texture of researched myths and personal passion. The book feels like it’s been pulled straight from some forgotten archive of dark fairy tales, yet it’s utterly fresh.

Bovalino has mentioned in interviews that 'Nettle Bone' was inspired by her love for gothic literature and the eerie, unsettled feeling of old forests. She’s talked about how childhood visits to her grandmother’s house in rural Pennsylvania sparked the setting—the creaking trees, the whispers of local legends about bones buried under nettles. But what really drives the story is her fascination with the idea of inheritance—not just land or wealth, but the weight of family secrets and the curses we carry without knowing. The protagonist’s journey mirrors Bovalino’s own curiosity about how history shapes us, especially when it’s tangled up in magic and tragedy. You can tell she’s poured her heart into every page, from the way she describes the nettle stings to the visceral fear of something lurking in the dark. It’s not just a book; it’s a love letter to every ghost story that ever gave her chills.

Another layer of inspiration comes from her critique of traditional fairy tales. Bovalino wanted to flip the script on passive heroines waiting for rescue. 'Nettle Bone' is about a girl who digs up her own destiny—literally—and fights back against the forces trying to silence her. The author’s admiration for rebellious women in history, like the witch trial accusers who later recanted, seeps into the protagonist’s defiance. There’s also a hint of her Jewish heritage in the way the story grapples with generational trauma and the act of reclaiming power. It’s rare to find a YA novel that’s this layered, but Bovalino makes it look effortless. Every time I reread it, I spot another detail—a nod to 'The Juniper Tree,' a shadow of Appalachian folklore—that makes me appreciate her craft even more.