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.