Ancient fairy tales mix with feminism and humor in T. Kingfisher's latest, Nettle & Bone.

Our unlikely hero, Marra, is the youngest of the Harbor Kingdom. Though their mother has kept larger kingdoms at bay with superb politicking, the older, more beloved sister is married off to the Northern Kingdom as means to secure protection. But tragedy strikes when months later, Damia returns home dead. Not long after, Kania is betrothed to the Northern Kingdom as a requisite bride to Prince Vorling. Secured in marriage, she need only provide an heir. Being a threat to that heir inheriting the Harbor Kingdom, Marra moves into a convent.

She finds pleasure in the life of a nun, always having been better at knitting and weaving than politicking. After the birth and death of a daughter, Marra comes to see the abuse Kania endures at the hand of Prince Vorling. Kania's rapid succession of pregnancies, miscarriages, and stillborns also terrifies Marra, and she knows she must do something or lose her other sister to the monster who killed their first.

She goes to the one person she knows who holds the magic and knowledge of the dead, a dust-wife. The dust-wife instructs her to complete three impossible tasks, two of which she completes before the dust-witch acquiesces to her request, the power to kill a prince. Marra proceeds to gather a rag-tag group of friends to overthrow Prince Vorling, including-- a resurrected dog made of bone and wire, a dust-wife with a (literally) demonic chicken, a suicidal but honorable knight, and a fairy godmother who can only grant the gift of health.

The plot snaps along quickly, and beneath the whimsy and humor is a profoundly unsettling, terrifying dark throwback of a fairy tale where step-mothers used to dance to death in iron shoes, and princes raped sleeping beauties. Kingfisher handles the tricky issues of domestic violence, child loss, and the overbearing, overly long endurance of patriarchal societies with sympathy.

Marra's own simplicity makes her an excellent narrator for these topics. Meanwhile, the dust-wife is a spritely older woman who fears nothing, and the fairy godmother is a woman who has sent her life swimming against her nature as the daughter of a dangerous and evil Fae.

But looking outside of all the metaphors, morals, and commentary, Kingfisher delivers an old-school fairytale that filled me with nostalgia and inspiration. I had the pleasure of reading T. Kingfisher's horror fantasy, The Hollow Places, in the fall of 2020 and fell in love with the storytelling as well as the aesthetic she so quickly delivers with her words. Nettle & Bone is even more astounding, wonderful, and magical than I could have hoped.

The sisterly love and the slow-burning romance between Marra and the knight rescued from the goblin market, Fenris, are expertly balanced in the text. The focus, though, remains with Marra overcoming the daunting reality of her spot in society and battling against frightening creatures and magic that would like to keep her in her place.

T. Kingfisher delivers another haunting novel, this one set in the classic fairy tale structure and littered with the parables of lightness and dark.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the fantasy book, Nettle & Bone, but it had been on my radar for a little while. I am so glad I decided to read it!

Marra is the 30-year-old protagonist, joined on a journey to save her sister by two old women, a dog made of bones, and a gruff man in his 40s. She has lived an interesting life, and sees herself through a slightly anxious lens, but also sees the truth of others quite clearly.

While the beginning of this book seemed like a flashback, I soon realized it had just plopped us into the middle of the story, did some backtracking, and then got us up to speed. The adventure trots along at a good pace, and I couldn't stop reading.

I think my favorite part is that all of the adventurers are older than the standard "teenage chosen one" trope. It's nice to read about characters closer to my own age rather than trying to connect with a mature 16-year-old. Not that there's anything wrong with doing that, it's just a nice change of pace. Adults can go on adventures too!

I will definitely be recommending this to others and purchasing a copy myself.

Remember when you were a kid and had a beloved fairy tale? This story will surely bring you back...
As stated on the blurb, "this isn't a fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's the one where she kills him."

Marra is born to royalty but as the third born she watches both older sisters married to the same Prince but to never be heard from again. Unlike your "normal' princess, Marra is motivated to act! Marra is given the opportunity to earn assistance in her goal to take on the Prince as long as she completes three tasks: build a dog of bones, sew a cloak of nettles and capture moonlight in a jar. Although it seems impossible, she begins to complete the tasks.

Like all good fairy tales, she has a crew such as an ex-knight, a fairy godmother and a gravewitch. This lovely fairy tale is not for the faint of heart but if you miss your fairy tales, hope for a real heroine, just interested in what a gravewitch or a fan of T. Kingfisher then #Nettle&Bone is for you! #NetGalley #Netgalleyreads. #Macmillan #tor #Forge

Nettle & Bone is a clever fantasy with a unique cast of characters. I especially enjoyed Marra’s journey and the unlikely group who joins her on her quest. A charming dark fairytale with compelling characters, the right amount of humor, horror and magic.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and T. Kingfisher for the electronic ARC.
Expected publish date: April 26th 2022
#NetGalley #NettleBone

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

The first half of this "adult fairy tale" is pretty dark, but the humor and relationships that we've come to expect and love in Kingfisher's books come alive in the second half. The whole thing is beautifully written and well worth the read. Kingfisher is one of a handful of authors whose books I always end up reading in no more than two days, and this one was no exception. Lots of adventure here and plenty of little laughs along the way.

Though a princess of the Harbor Kingdom, Marra is thought by many – her family included – as foolish, naïve, and inept. Unlike her sister Kania, wedded to Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom, Marra offers no political advantages to her household and is relegated to her fate as an “almost” nun in the service of the house of Our Lady of Grackles. Marra finds herself content to live in the margins of royal life, only having to partake when summoned, until she learns on one such occasion that her sister is terribly abused by her husband, her future in question once she breeds a male heir. Despite her shortcomings, Marra knows that she’s the only one who can save her sister and resolves to do whatever she must to rescue her from her dubious fate.

After reading What Moves the Dead and The Hollow Places earlier this year, I thought I knew exactly what to anticipate from a Kingfisher novel (see: horror, with a heavy dose of humour) and dove in head-first with my expectations set. Only a few pages in, I realized this wouldn’t be the case.

Nettle & Bone, unlike her aforementioned works, is a fantasy novel through and through. It’s also, in my opinion, not as overtly funny, although still hits the right note of humour more than many novels I’ve read.

Marra is an unlikely hero who’s a little in over her head until she meets the right people – a proud and skilled dust-wife, a noble, spurned warrior, and a humble godmother – to take up her quest. I always enjoy the mismatched fellowship narrative and felt that each character had their own charm and contribution to the whole.

Despite the stark departures from the type of writing I found in her other novels, Kingfisher continues to churn out dependably exciting and fresh stories that keep you on your toes. While none of her works are quite like another, her proficiency in her craft will always make for a gripping reading experience. I can’t wait to delve back into her catalog and look forward to whatever else she has in store!

Much thanks goes to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for this magical read!

Ahh so good! It was like Good Omens and The Princess Bride had a book baby. I legit laughed out loud in several parts. I had NO idea what I was getting into when I read the first chapter; it was...unsettling. But! Then! A quest! A demon chicken, a Bonedog, a Goblin market, a cursed puppet, fairy godmothers, sisters and Sisters and a wonderfully dark and twisted fairy tale.

Start with a princess and a dog made of bone. Add a dust-witch and a possessed chicken, a former knight, and a well-meaning godmother. Set them on a quest for justice, then sit back and watch the adventures unfold. Inspired by Kingfisher's questions about "The Princess and the Pea" (which I'm also suddenly seeing through a very different lens — hello, ruined childhood), Nettle & Bone is a beautiful fractured fairytale, filled with desperation and righteous anger and balanced with hope and redemption, as only Kingfisher can do it. I know I'll be returning to this one again and again, not only to mine its wisdom but also simply to revisit these characters, who made me laugh and cry and who became a truer family than some born by blood.

My thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your average fairytale, in this story the princess kills the prince. Mara is one of three princesses, she has grown up as the shy third princess, the one that could escape the fate of being married off but unfortunately when her eldest sister is married off and killed... soon her second sister awaits the same fate and before she leaves she tells Mara to run away, to escape before it happens to her. Mara runs off to become a nun but when she gets news of her sister’s pregnancy she discovers the abuses that her sister is enduring and enough is enough. Mara will start her rescue mission to not only save her sister but to kill the abusive prince. She must complete three unlikely task: first, build a dog of bones, second, sew a cloak of nettles, and third, capture moonlight in a jar. But even more unlikely is the group of people she takes along with her journey and the power she discovers. She takes with her a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, a mysterious gravewitch and her familiar, and now Mara must find the strength in herself to topple the throne and save her sister. Filled with adventure, friendship, survival, strength, and even a little bit of romance, this was a beautiful fairytale to read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Nettle and Bone follows the tale of Marra, the youngest princess of a small kingdom who has watched her two elder sisters married off to a cruel prince - the first ended up dead and the second trapped in an abusive marriage. Marra decides to take matters into her own hands and searches out an ancient and powerful gravewitch for help in murdering the prince. Along the way she teams up with a undead dog made from bones, a handsome exiled knight, a kooky fairy godmother and a demon possessed chicken and together they will try and take down the prince.

I really enjoyed this - it is the perfect blend of an atmospheric folktale and chaotic fun adventure. The atmosphere and imagery are excellent; very witchy and slightly haunting. I loved all the settings we visit - from graveyards to goblin markets and royal courts to convents there is a huge variety but it all has a very fairytale feeling to it and is perfect to completely immerse yourself in.

Additionally I really like T Kingfishers overall style/prose - I have read a couple of their other books (a wizards guide to defensive baking and the raven and the reindeer) and really enjoyed that as well and can't wait to read more! I think they are best described as cosy fantasy and will just leave you with overall good vibes. The prose is also very confident and pleasant to read - it is not particulary flowery but it is subtle in its beauty and it's definitely appreciable as quality writing.

I really enjoyed the characters - Marra is a very compelling and likeable main character and I lovd her dynamic with all the other characters in the group as well as her relationship with her sisters. The group dynamic is really fun and I think stands out from other books in it isnt your typical fantasy set up of a bunch of young hot 20 soemthings haha - we have 2 old ladies, Marra (who is a 30 year old nun/princess) and a 40 year old himbo warrior.

The book is quite generally fun in tone but I think touches on some deeper themes. In particular this book discusses very sensitively on how to help relatives/friends/random strangers that you suspect are in abusive relationships without making the situation worse and Marra's struggles with seeing family members go through that.

Overall I would highly reccomend this if you are looking for a fun, witchy, slightly spooky magical adventure with loveable characters, cute *undead* animal companions, a hint of romance and crazy old ladies.

It's official! T. Kingfisher is an all caps FAVORITE AUTHOR! Last year, I discovered the author through The Twisted Ones and The Hollow Places. Both were such fun reads that I was looking forward to new Kingfisher books this year. Last month, I had just set aside two reads that weren't catching me when I browsed through my eARCs and figured What Moves the Dead sounded like a safe bet for a fun read. Well, friends, I absolutely LOVED it. In a total kismet situation, shortly after I finished WMTD, I was approved for Nettle & Bone. And, having zero self control, I dived in pretty much immediately.

Friends, THIS BOOK. It's so so good. I was curious at how the author's adult fantasy would differ from her adult horror (since the three books I'd read before were all adult horror). And, well, it works beautifully! There are horror elements in the story, but it's definitely fantasy. It's fairytale-esque, but with Kingfisher's unique brand of fairytale characters. It's hard to come by fantasy characters that feel fresh, but somehow Kingfisher knocks it out of the park every time. I loved the entire group in Nettle & Bone. I loved the humor in the story. I loved the tropes approached and subverted. I loved the quest-line that was familiar on paper, yet felt so very different from the usual. I love Kingfisher's imagination and descriptions.

If it wasn't already quite obvious, I highly recommend Nettle & Bone! It has that beautiful balance of not-too-scary-for-those-who-aren't-into-horror while simultaneously being just-horrific-enough-for-horror-fans. I already preordered a copy as a gift for a friend and I'm planning to place my own preorder soon! Per the publisher's description and the reveal on Tor's Instagram, the hardcover will have some really cool features.

Thank you Tor Books for providing an advanced galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much. It’s a love story, a fantasy adventure story, and a fairytale full of feminist rage all rolled into one. The story starts out very dark and lands like a punch, but the plot lightens and is infused with more and more humor as each of our unlikely heroes is introduced. Plus, I feel like anyone who has a sister can relate to figuratively hearing the Kill Bill sirens upon finding out that a man has put his hands on her. (even if said man is a prince) (and even if you and your sister don’t get along) (you have to kill him now and that’s that)

If you want to know the general vibe of this story, think Six of Crows, but the main characters are all 30+ (and some of them are animals)

When I read The Hollow Places last year that's when I fell in love with T. Kingfisher.
Her writing is special and the pacing is terrific.
NETTLE & BONE is a cleverly written story. This is moments when I get so hooked while reading I wished it was 500+ pages.
The characters are engaging and Marra is a great narrator.
fantasy adventure.
With great characterization Kingfisher takes us on a jaw-dropping journey to places we never wanted to go.
I did not know what to expect but this story swept me off my feet.
Highly recommend for fantasy lovers out there.

Tor Books,
You seriously rock!
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

A darker, more sinister fairytale than what we’re used to, Nettle & Bone offers some familiar ideas but twisted and gnarled into something else entirely.

We first meet Marra digging in a pile of bones left by local cannibals so she can find enough pieces to build a bone dog. It’s the second of three impossible tasks she’s been given by the dust-wife, a kind of sorceress that inhabits cemeteries and communicates with the dead. But Marra will complete them all, because it’s the only way she will get the dust-wife to help her complete an even more impossible task: killing a prince.

Because before Marra was a woman seeking vengeance, before she was a novice currently AWOL from her convent—she was a the youngest of three princesses of a small kingdom. Now with one sister gone and another at the mercy of an evil prince, Marra will do whatever she must to seize the chance to kill him. Luckily, along the way Marra is joined by the dust-wife, a banished knight, a sketchy fairy godmother, the bone dog and a chicken possessed by a demon 🐓, all willing and happy to help her commit regicide.

At the very start of Nettle & Bone, when we’re first discovering who Marra is and what she wants, the story is filled with this fantastical feminist fury. She questions and then eventually challenges the inevitability of men, especially when it comes to a sense of entitlement to women’s bodies. The expectation that women will simply churn out kids without complaint is skewered by Kingfisher, in a refreshingly honest portrayal for a character like Marra, who doesn’t appear to have any interest in bearing children. That said, I could see some who are sensitive to discussions of pregnancy to not appreciate this part as much, though I don’t think it’s something that should cause offense.

And despite beginning by bearing its teeth, the tale softens as it goes on. Once we start meeting each supporting character, the book becomes almost a road trip comedy, where a gaggle of sort-of friends get to know each other along the way. The writing is sharp, with smart and funny dialogue. There isn’t a weak link in the bunch; each character contributes something both entertaining and endearing to the dynamic. I also appreciate that the youngest character is a 30 year-old woman, with the majority of the other female characters being 50+. Not an angsty teenager in sight!!

While the story takes plenty of detours on its way to the epic climax, it never feels like a waste of time. Plus, at 256 pages it’s not going to be a huge time commitment either way. All I can say is I had a great time reading this one, cackling throughout, and hope that people will try this bizarre little book for themselves.

I received a temporary ebook ARC of Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. As a fan of subversive and dark fairy tales and horror, I was excited to read this novel but what totally unprepared for how much it would effect me.
I LOVED this book. I adore it. I fully intend to purchase it probably via pre-order this weekend and put it in a place of honor on my book shelves. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’m calling it now that its likely the best book I’m going to read this year.

First of all, there’s the main character. Marra is a princess turned kind-of-a-nun turned reluctant heroine. In the main activity in the book he is a 30 year old woman who is short and stout and loves fiber art (specifically embroidery and knitting but with a fondness of other forms as well) and this love does indeed help her multiple times on her adventure. Yall…as a short, stout, 33yo woman who spends half my time reading and crocheting or stitching or weaving…I never NEVER would have expected to see myself in a fairy tale princess at this point in my life. EVER. And yet…here we are. Oh and she has a protective pet dog…like me…but not…we’ll get to that.

Marra isn’t the only one in the story that doesn’t fall in line with the usual fairy tale character tropes. The dark witch at the end of the wasteland isn’t evil. The wicked godmothers aren’t at all what you expect them to be…and yea, there’s more than one. The hero? Well I think he gets saved more than he does the saving and that’s really ok. The sweet animal companion? Something straight out of Tim Burton. Oh and the prince? Fuck him.

Then we get to the setting and scenes themselves. When I opened this book, I had no idea what I was getting into. After a page, I fully expected this to be dark and terrible and zero happy ending. I’m ok with that, btw. I read A LOT of horror. Marra is in a bone pit in a land that is cursed by spirits because starving people did what they had to do. Spirits, as we learn, don’t much care one way or another about doing what you have to do to survive. Some of the descriptions are gruesome in this book but…there’s a poetry to them that makes bones, blood, infection, bruises, and childbirth all beautiful in a strange way. These descriptions grabbed my heard in the first chapter and held on so hard I couldn’t put the book down and engulfed it almost in one sitting (yes my back was sore in the end).

This next section contains a couple spoilers but I think its pertinent to my readers. As a witch, animist, and Polytheist- this story made me so happy.
Dust-wife and Agnes, the world that was built here about how magic works, and the interaction with fae and the spirits of the dead – so spot on regarding folklore and magic.
Theres a scene where the nonmagical humans are watching a chicken peck at a mask…thats all they see. Something very mundane sounding and yet…that chicken is a demon and its doing battle with a malevolent spirit and in the end the spirit worker herself that is holding this all together collapses even as she’s victorious.
Other mundane looking spells also completely drain the spirit workers.
Nothing is how it seems…to the non magical persons in this book and yet to the magical…if you turn your gaze just so you can see the magic clear as day. The magic has a signature that the trained or gifted can read clearly.
Then there are the liminal spaces where magic resides and the impossible can be accomplished…though its painful and hopeless and hard as fuck.
This…was so real that I had to step back and go “Damn…is this author a spirit worker?” I don’t know the answer to that question but they at least know their folklore and I have mad respect for them on that part.

I have 2 more T. Kingfisher books on my TBR and have moved them to the top with hopes that Nettle & Bone isn’t a one-off masterpiece.
I have also pestered all of my friends to BUY THE BOOK because it really is that good. I cannot wait to discuss it with fellow readers (especially the grumpy/sunshine couple and their future chicken filled homestead).

Recommendations
If you are a fan of Orphan’s Tales by Catherynne M. Valente and Spindles End by Robin McKinley, you are going to LOVE this subversive fairy tale by T. Kingfisher.

"There is a girl with a bone dog at her side and a cloak of nettles and owl-cloth."

What a totally stunning book. This is a fairy-tale retelling that spins you something entirely new. You don't feel like you're reading something that has been done before, but there's a magic to this book reminiscent of bedtime stories- but the kind that made you believe in things that went bump in the night. There are fairy godmothers, friendship, goblin markets, demon chickens and a gutsy heroine determined to overcome seemingly impossible odds- even when her nerves fail her. Nettle & Bone was everything I needed when I read it and more.

As a last note, I am in love with T. Kingfisher's prose! I cannot wait to read more of her work and share the love for it.. The Saint of Steel trilogy specifically is next on my list.

Many thanks to Netgalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the fantastic ARC! I will be picking up the hard copy in April as well.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

This unforgettable story of strength and protectiveness in a dreary dangerous world is not to be missed. Marra, the third daughter of the rulers of a tiny country precariously balanced between two countries that want to gobble it up to secure its port, is sent to a convent after her beloved older sister, married to the prince of one of the neighboring kingdoms dies, and her other sister married the widowed prince. Years later, in a barren land of cannibals, she assembles a dog from bones of the dead. Her quest is dark but protective, the landscape dreary and dangerous, and, in true Kingfisher style, the characters come vividly to life as Marra becomes a beloved friend of the reader. This is an outstanding tale that is at the top of my list for best of 2022. It should definitely be in the running for Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, and Locus awards.

I have to admit: I’m a devoted fan of the author! She never disappoints me with her extraordinary creative mind, taking me trips to meticulously built fantasy worlds with adorable characters. I like her sarcastic, sharp, direct tone!

This book has two different parts:
At the first part: we’re introduced to Marra, shy, resilient, youngest of three princesses from little kingdom, sent to convent as one of her sisters is dead and other one is getting abused by the same vicious prince she’s married. She decides to take the matters on her own hands to get revenge. Only way to save her middle sister to kill the prince. She seeks help to accomplish this suicide mission by demanding the help of dust-wife.

Smart dust-wife offers 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
And surprisingly Marra completes those tasks. At the opening of the book we witness how she digs the ground to find the proper bones left from cannibals to build a bone dog. She finds a creative way to sew a cloak of nettles in expanse damaging her left hand.

Dust-wife cannot believe in her eyes but deal is a deal! They have an impossible mission to accomplish and a cruel prince to destroy.
But two of them are not powerful enough to achieve their task. They need more accomplices.

At the second part: new team members join their road trip: including a chicken: possessed by demon, a reluctant fairy god mother, a disgraced knight named Fenris ( sweet romance alert) Let’s not forget the dust-wife is very powerful graveyard witch who can make meaningful chats with ghosts.

That road trip part of the book was more entertaining, sarcastic with witty dialogues help us take a break after the dark, eccentric, mysterious opening of the story.

The conclusion is also satisfying and promising enough as the other impressive works of the author!

Overall: I cannot give less than five stars to any work of this brilliant author! This was original, mind blowing, intelligent, creative and surprisingly entertaining!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/ Forge for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.