“Nettle & Bone”, T Kingfisher
Published April 26, 2022
This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.
Marra never wanted to be a hero.
As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.
Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered the tools she needs, but only if she can complete three seemingly impossible tasks:
—build a dog of bones
—sew a cloak of nettles
—capture moonlight in a jar
But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.
Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.
“She made dramatic plans in the darkness and discarded them in daylight.”
This is my favorite T Kingfisher book. What a delightful surprise—kinda creepy, darkly whimsical, full of dark humor. This book has the bones of a classic fairy tale with sharp edges and characters that are oddly flawed. Marra’s journey from timid princess to quiet determined hero was satisfying to follow as she gathers her found family—my favorites are the demon-possessed chicken and the scene-stealing dust-wife. Never met characters quite like them.
T Kingfisher effortlessly balanced charm and darkness throughout the book, sprinkling in danger and trauma and spooy moments—but only enough so it doesn’t outright feel like a horror novel.
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
domestic abuse • pregnancy • miscarriage
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Owned: thrifted paperback