Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

Nettle & Bone

by T. Kingfisher

With her signature mix of the grim and the delightful, award-winning author T. Kingfisher takes the old bones of fantasy and fairytale and makes them into something entirely new in this enchanting adventure.

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince, Marra―the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter―has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue. No one, except for Marra herself.

Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch, Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince―if she can complete three impossible tasks. But, as is the way in tales of princes, witches, and daughters, the impossible is only the beginning.

On her quest, Marra is joined by the gravewitch, a reluctant fairy godmother, a strapping former knight, and a chicken possessed by a demon. Together, the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last.

“Nettle & Bone is the kind of book that immediately feels like an old friend. Fairytale mythic resonance meets homey pragmatism in this utterly delightful story. It's creepy, funny, heartfelt, and full of fantastic characters I absolutely loved!” ―Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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Nettle & Bone is the first novel I've read by T. Kingfisher – but I can tell you right now that I'm adding every other book of hers to my TBR list. I loved this one so much. Please make the time to read Nettle & Bone; you won't regret it!

Marra is the third daughter – the third princess. That offered her some level of protection, though it forced her to watch her two eldest sisters handed off to the same abusive prince. Now Marra is done sitting back by the sidelines. She's going to find a way to stop him. No matter the cost.

Her only hope is the help of a grave witch. Tasked with three impossible things, Marra keeps moving forward with her quest, determined to find a way to shatter the protection surrounding the prince and his kingdom. It's the only way to save her sister.

Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That's the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven't managed.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Nothing could have prepared me for Nettle & Bone; that much is certain. This book blew me out of the water – and I want more. I am ranking Nettle & Bone on my top ten list for 2022 (so far); it is THAT good.

First, let's talk about the world. It is complex, magical, dark, and fascinating. There were times when it felt like we were hopping from one world to the next, as each location is vastly different. Honestly, I would give anything to go back and explore some of those areas (and their citizens) in more detail.

The characters are a delight. Marra is a bold lead that brought readers many unexpected twists in her journey. Naturally, I also adored Bone Dog and the other characters that come into play (I'm trying to avoid naming them to avoid spoilers).

There were so many parts of Nettle & Bone that made me happy. Or upset and concerned. In other words, this book got me fully emotionally invested in the story. Frankly, I'm amazed at how much T. Kingfisher was able to fit in a mere 256 pages.

Long story short, Nettle & Bone is incredible. Go read it.

Thanks to Tor Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 4 May, 2022: Finished reading
  • 4 May, 2022: Reviewed