I was really intrigued by Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher when I first heard of it. The first two lines of the blurb - "This isn't a fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's one where she kills him." - hooked me right from the start. And it was so bloody good!

Marra is a princess of the Harbour Kingdom, a small and shabby kingdom, but one that has something the Northen and Southern Kingdoms want - the harbour. The Queen of the Harbour Kingdom has married off her daughter to Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom, to keep either Northern or Southern Kingdom attacking for the harbour. Marra has lived in a convent since she was 15, at the insistence of Vorling. He's obsessed with making sure that it's his child, his bloodline, that ends up on the Harbour Kingdom's throne, so his family has control of both kingdoms. So Marra is sent away to be kept chaste. But when the truth comes out that her eldest sister Damia, who married Vorling first, was actually killed by him, and that Vorling now hurts the middle sister he's now married, Kania, she is determined to do something about it. She has to kill the prince. There is no other way to save her sister. But she's not a very good princess, and she's barely a nun, and has no idea of what she can do. She seeks out the help of a dust wife, and it's not too long before a ragtag motley crew are making their way North to save Kania.

Nettle and Bone has a lot of fairy tale imagery and symbols; royalty, fairy godmothers, animals with more to them than meets the eye. But while there are glimpses of fairy tales, nods towards them, I really like how Kingfisher took any of our preconceived ideas and turned them on their head. This is not the fairy tales we have come to expect. In fact, it's something a lot closer to original fairy tales. It has a very dark underbelly. Because at it's heart is domestic violence. A prince who wants to control over everything, to whom women are property. His wife wanting to sit vigil over the death of her daughter brings about a terrible fury. Vorling is terrifying. He killed Damia, and he beats Kania to death. Marra can't sit with this knowledge and do nothing. But there's nothing she can really do. Until she hears of a powerful dust-wife, one who might be able to help.

But Nettle and Bone is also surprisingly light. It definitely has a number of very dark and horrifying moments, but it's also really very funny. It's not a simple case of Marra getting the help of the dust-wife and off they go. There ends up being a group of them; Marra, an awful princess and not-quite nun, a powerful dust-wife who only has power over the dead, a warrior from another kingdom, Fenris, whose honour has him seeking death for wrongdoing, Agnes, a fairy godmother with very little power - or so she'll have you believe, a bone dog brought to life by Marra during one of her three impossible tasks for the dust-wife, and a chicken with a demon in her. I absolutely adored the dust-wife - who never gives her name, but who Fenris calls Lady Fox - and Agnes. The dust-wife is grumpy, stern and forthright, and has some brilliant one-liners. Agnes is slightly doddering and sweet, wants to see the good in everyone, and can't stop talking. She's also incredibly funny and very endearing. Seeing both the dust-wife and Agnes bounce off each other is just comedy genius, and I adored them. Plus the chicken with the demon in her and Bonedog both have their own personalities, and bring their own laughs. Honestly, this group is wonderful!

But on paper, Nettle and Bone shouldn't be a book I enjoyed. I have never read a standalone fantasy I have loved until now. I do not get on at all with comedic fantasy, I tend to find the humour really grating, and would rather the author stopped making jokes. And I really do not like high fantasy stories that are stop-start, stop-start, because there's no real flow to them. Nettle and Bone is a wonderfully short (for a high fantasy, at 324 pages), but completely satisfying standalone high fantasy. It's bloody hilarious. And it managed to have flow despite the numerous times they had to stop on their journey, with the incredible friendship in this found family. Honestly, I absolutely adored it!

I really, really loved Nettle and Bone, and will soon be adding T. Kingfisher's other novels to my bookshelves. I'm really so excited to read more of her work. If you want a quick high fantasy that doesn't get bogged down in complex world building, and balances the dark with so much light, Nettle and Bones could be for you.

The highest of four stars!

This was such a delightful quest fantasy. It has cozy fantasy vibes but like in a horror way. It feels like a fairytale.

The characters are absolutely what stand out here. The plot is fine, I'm all for killing an evil prince, but Marra, Fenris, Dust-wife, fairy godmother, and bonedog are what kept me reading. There's a slow burn romance that was so tenderly unveiled. I would happily read several more books of these characters in this world. Origin stories of the dust-wife and the fairy godmother would be outstanding.

I really enjoyed this overall. It was a little slow to start but once I was pulled in it was good. We start with a little time skipping to understand everything. Marra is in a pit building a Bone Dog as an impossible task to help her sister. Then we revert back to the beginning of what happened when Marra was a child.

For a shorter story we get a full range of Marra growing up without it feeling like it dragged. She spends a lot of her adolescence at a convent for Her Lady of Grackles but not a full Nun. She's just there essentially. But she realizes that she's given the "light work" since she's of royal birth and she takes it upon herself to do the heavy and menial work anyway. She's still unsure of herself a lot of the time and stays true to herself while doing what she can to help.

She collects a small group of friends a la Wizard of Oz to help her and it's a good dynamic. The Goblin market was an interesting setting where I wish we'd spent more time, but with how short the book is I know why it didn't. I loved the chicken. The dust-wife is an interesting character concept as well. Agnes was the light balance they needed.

As everything wound down I kind of felt like they spent too much time in the tombs, but it made sense. Kania grabbing everything lie the strong Queen she was at the end was great to see!

I loved this!
I have recently discovered T. Kingfisher and they’ve quickly become a new favorite author of mine!
Although the premise for Nettle & Bone might seem pretty common, it is not the typical ‘save the princess’ story. We have so many unique elements weaved in this novel such as a creepy dummy, the goblin market, a demonic chicken, magic, ghosts, godmothers, etc.
We also get to follow a fun, ragtag group of characters, all of which I adored and rooted for!

I would honestly recommend this and any novel by Kingfisher to anyone. Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC!

The story tells of a princess who has a mission to kill the prince. I really love this story! There were many fairytale references sprinkled throughout this novel! Marta is a likable and strong protagonist. She is a woman who is willing to protect her family and country. The story has magic, romance, and humor! I recommend this fans of Mercedes Lackey’s The Fairy Godmother, Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, and Orson Scott Card’s Enchantment!

A absolutely fell in love with this author's writing style. The whole time I was reading, I kept thinking that it couldn't possibly keep up the same level of grit and wit throughout the whole book, but it did. When my husband asked me if I liked the book, I said it's like a nun, a witch, and an assassin walk into a bar...and you wait for the punchline. Nettle and Bone sets the reader out on an adventure that shows how far one woman is willing to go to help her sister. The writing style brings the story to life and shows the author's grip on telling a story that is emotional and at times dark but also having humor. I loved the interactions between the characters and how Marra pushed the boundaries out of need and love. I can't express enough how deeply I enjoyed this book. I can honestly say I've never read anything like it.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

3.75 - I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this, but it dragged in the middle. A lot of the fantasy horror elements are totally missing in the middle chunk, but the book shines when it leans into those elements. The end was great, and I wish that level of tension had been present the whole time.

T. Kingfisher has done it YET AGAIN!!! I absolutely LOVE this author! The Fantasy novels, The horror novels, I love it all! With T. Kingfisher, You can guarantee to find a fast paced Unique story that will blow your mind!

This story takes place in a fantasy world where one family is destined to marry into a royal family in order to keep the peace among kingdoms. But, when the Prince kills one sister and marries the next, the youngest sister will go to the extreme lengths to save her only living sister, from the sins of the prince. Follow this fearful yet exhilarating journey in order for the love of two sisters to live on.
I would have to say, My favorite thing about this book is "Bonedog" <3

I HIGHLY recommended listening to the audiobook of Nettle and bone as it puts real characteristics in the characters, and the world!

“Nettle & Bone” by T. Kingfisher is a fantasy novel about young woman called Marra who happens to be the youngest of three princesses in a small yet politically advantageous kingdom. When her older sister is married to a neighbouring prince in a strategic alliance, Marra is sent away to finish growing up in a convent. The only times she sees her family is after tragedy strikes, and in the rigidly controlled palace there is no time to talk. However, one thing becomes abundantly clear: her second sister is in danger. Determined to save her, Marra must find a gravewitch and complete three impossible tasks. Only then, with the help of a newfound group of friends, does Marra have a chance to save her sister and her kingdom.

True to Kingfisher’s style, this is a warm, understated story with a very smooth flow. There is a strong focus on friendship and an enjoyable sense of reluctant kindness that underpins the book. All the characters were eminently likeable, but I particularly liked the gravewitch and her demon-possessed chicken. Marra is a surprisingly normal for a princess. Dressed as a nun, she blends into the background in many of the different places she visits. She isn’t especially beautiful, or smart, or talented but as a reader, it is easy to admire her courage and relate to her determination and patience. Kingfisher draws on classic fairytale themes like fairy godmothers, magical blessings and markets in another realm.

I also really liked how Kingfisher dealt with the themes of family violence. Without judgment, she explores how abuse can happen even in wealthy, powerful families and how sometimes the families themselves can be complicit. I also really liked how she explored sisterly relationships and how although it can be hard to forget the dynamics of being children, siblings can redefine relationships as adults. The romance unfolded gently, and there was even a delightfully surprising relationship.

A really easy read and a refreshing take on princesses and fairy godmothers.

I wanted to like this more than I did and I'm struggling to articulate what didn't work. All the right elements for a quippy, girl power, fantasy adventure are there but something kept my reaction from igniting from a spark of enjoyment to full blown fangirling.

I've been a really big fan of T. Kingfisher dark urban fantasies and perhaps thats the crux of my problem. This is a very traditional tale in many ways. The youngest princess in a small, easily overlooked kingdom sets out on a mission to save her sister from the clutches of an evil king. Along the way she learns magic, visits cursed lands, falls into a sweet, gentle romance and learns about herself.

All the dialogue is fun and sarcastic and the world building is great but its a bit like waiting for a non-alcoholic beer to hit. The high never arrives. The roller coaster kind of just sits at the top of the drop and never falls.

This is a short read and Kingfisher is a lovely writer. But the passions missing in this one.

I enjoyed the story to a certain degree, but I felt the middle dragged quite a bit and the pacing felt off following the lull in the middle portion.

This felt like an old style fairytale to me. It was dark and it had all the right elements. I loved the inclusion of the three impossible tasks for the princess Marra, such a beautiful classic fairytale staple. Everything about the way this story was written put me in mind of the old fantasy books I read years ago that helped build my love of reading. This is a definite new favorite.

I love T. Kingfisher’s writing. She’s a buy on sight author for me, even her horror books (and generally I don’t read horror). This is not horror, it’s a fantasy with fairy tale elements: a princess (youngest of three); a dog made of bones; a dust wife who speaks with the dead; a steadfast knight rescued from a goblin market; a chicken inhabited by a demon; two godmothers (fairy variety); and a cruel prince. Marra’s two older sisters have been married off (sequentially) to the cruel prince of a powerful northern kingdom. The first mysteriously died, and the second is wearing herself out, staying pregnant to avoid his beatings. Marra, hidden away in a convent in case the prince kills the second sister and needs a third wife, decides to do something about the situation, and sets off to murder the prince. She knows she can’t do it alone so she enlists the help of the dust wife who sets her three impossible tasks. These are a nice bit of misdirection. This is not the story you think it’s going to be. Marra and the dust wife set off to do the dirty deed (with the demon chicken and the bone dog) and pick up the steadfast knight and one fairy godmother along the way.

maybe i’m giving up too soon, but i just got out of a reading slump and this book is threatening to send me right back into one. it isn’t engaging me at all and life is too short to read books just because other people loved them.

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

The thing about this book is that there’s so much to like about it, but the execution leaves just a little bit left to desire and it left me frustrated because I wish such great material had been treated just a bit better.

I open this book (figuratively, since I was on an ereader), and it enchants me as I read about this woman who is in a cursed land trying to complete the second of three impossible tasks set to her by a witch (which is how every Cinderella-type story before the Grimm brothers got ahold of it went, by the way). I’m drawn in, but it quickly starts to alternate with flashbacks to another time, before the witch and the impossible tasks, telling us how our protagonist got on this road. And… I’m ripped out of the narrative I just got invested in.

Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t last too very long, but it lasts long enough that the first 20-30% of the book seems to drag. Then, I don’t know how it happens, but this book–despite its immense cleverness and wit–just couldn’t hold my attention for anything in the world. Even at less than 250 pages, it took me longer to read this book than most books that are almost 400 pages. I’d read a chapter or two and then I’d just get easily distracted. This normally doesn’t happen unless the book has uneven pacing (which this book does tend to struggle with) or is completely boring (which this book is not). The only conclusion I can come to is that between the uneven pacing and slightly poor execution of what could’ve been a story that’s both whimsical and terrifying (think Miyazaki, in a way), this book just simply isn’t well-developed enough to hold my attention as thoroughly as most novels do.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Tor Books for access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. This title is being reviewed as part of my backlog of advanced reader copies, but since it has been more than a month past publication date I acknowledge this title has had widespread coverage since release.

I loved this book! It takes all of those wonderful secondary characters in a fairytale and makes them the focus. We have the third daughter (and a princess) trying to save her older sister who she never got along with. We have the old woman who most might consider a witch. Then there is the honorable murder from the goblin market. The fairy godmother has terrible talents and the sweetest of hearts. And finally, the dog is made entirely of bones!
From start to finish, I found the entire story utterly fascinating. It kept taking twists and turns I did not expect. I worried whether any of these characters could truly get a happy ending while it gave homage to traditional fairy tales. Plus, it is a quick easy read. Honestly, it is a must! Do yourself a favor and take the time to read it.

This was such a fun fairy tale-esque story with wonderful characters and a very interesting world. The book starts on quite a dark note and I expected the tone to stay dark throughout. This isn't the case, which did take me a minute to get to grips with, but once I realised it was going to be a humourous and whimsical offering, I was on board. I loved the quest aspect of this story, with its impossible tasks and goblin market and thought that the plot and writing were engaging throughout. Most of all, I loved the characters. The Dust-Witch and Agnes were both delightful and I would DIE for Bonedog! Overall, this was a really entertaining read and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes their fantasy with a touch of humour.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While I love Kingfisher’s take on horror, the fantasy ends up being too dry for my tastes, and it was told in such a way that the first 20% or so was very difficult to follow - and not for the usual reasons (ie infodumping worldbuilding) but because we skipped the worldbuilding for the sake of coming back to it later. Mara is a fairly limp lettuce main character, even as she does all of these very complex and interesting things out of a very strong sense of moral obligation. But she was the least interesting character in the party by far. Fenris was also… not very interesting (again, a strong moral code does not a three dimensional character make).

The best parts were the horror elements. Incongruous bits of spook woven through and the way Kingfisher lingers on detailed descriptions of unsettling things… the Goblin market was a nice touch and a great way to marry the fantasy elements with horror.

But other than that it was just… fine? I guess? Hopefully I’ll have better luck with What Moves the Dead.

This book wasn’t for me. The writing style is not my thing. There were a lot of things that confused me about what was happening from the start of the book. I just couldn’t get into it. Thank you for the publisher for giving me the chance to read it. Maybe I’ll pick it up again later but right now it’s just not for me.

Wow, 5 stars. Loved this so much.

Fans of the author's A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking will find a lot to love here, too. Although this story is darker, there are bits of the exceptional dry humor (and for all it was kindof a YA book, A Wizard's guide had it's dark moments). Nothing I could put my finger on exactly, but a few places in the book also made me think of Dealing with Dragons-- probably the main character's outlook.

The author's earlier work seems to be an odd variety of fantasy experimentation; none of them really called to me, but I will be very excited to see what else they write in the future!