I seem to be an outlier rating-wise for this dark fairytale by T. Kingfisher, and I'll admit that part of it may be that I wasn't in the right mood to read a fantasy title when I thought I was.

Having read Kingfisher's incredibly creative novella "What Moves the Dead" last month and absolutely loving it, I really couldn't wait to get my hands on "Nettle and Bone." The first few chapters were intriguing, dark, and laid the groundwork for a promising fantasy tale. Not soon after though, I felt my interest waning and unfortunately it was never fully captured again.

The story's setting, characters, and overall plot were too familiar and simply not unique enough for me to call this a fairytale that T. Kingfisher has made all her own; I felt like I had read multiple versions of this story before and found I couldn't connect to the main character, Marra, or her vengeance-fueled mission to kill the prince. Ultimately, this fell rather flat for me and is a story I'll soon forget, I wasn't nearly as emotionally-invested in it as I wanted to be.

If you're someone who lives and breathes the fantasy genre, this very well could be the book for you. Kingfisher's writing is undeniable descriptive and she is a very talented storyteller; this story in particular just wasn't for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this title*

A fairy-tale where the princess is on a quest to kill the prince. Magic and curses abound in this whip-smart fantasy thriller where the main characters include the above-mentioned princess (who is almost a nun), a dust-wife that speaks to the dead and a not-so-very wicked godmother. There is also an errant knight that must be saved (quite a few times), and a dog made of bones. And who can forget the demon chicken? If that doesn't entice a reader, you haven't been paying attention. QUEST TO KILL THE PRINCE. Not marry him. So witty.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for a copy of this e-arc.*

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC of this book!

I knew I had to read this book the moment I heard that it featured a chicken possessed by a demon. I'm happy to say that the book did not disappoint! I would describe this as a fantasy fairytale story. It features many elements that are common in fairytales (i.e. fairy godmothers are very important in this book), but everything in here feels like a fresh take on fairytales. The setup with nettle weaving and bone dog are my favorite parts at the beginning that had me intrigued.

The book is also about the love and feeling between sisters and families, and shows wonderfully how complicated the relationship can be. There’s also a little bit of romance in there which I loved. It didn’t feel forced and gave me warm and fuzzy feelings. I also found it refreshing that the MC is older (30 during the main story line). It made her a little more relatable and allowed her to be a little less predictable because of her life experiences that teen MCs in stories often don’t have.

This book is a standalone, which seems like a rare find sometimes for fantasy book. If you are looking for a fantasy standalone book that doesn’t have super intense world building, I would highly recommend this book.

First things first: if you didn’t automatically add this book to your TBR based on the phrase “chicken possessed by a demon“ then I don’t know what’s wrong with you 😊

This book is a bit creepy (there are quite a few skeletons and dead souls to commune with), humorous, suspenseful, and all around quirky fun. I loved all of the characters, especially the gravewitch, although the godmother was sweetly adorable (except when she’s not). If you’ve followed my reviews for a while then you’ll know that a ragtag bunch of characters going on a quest is one of my all-time favorite tropes, and this book delivers!! Loved it and I highly recommend! Now I’m off to devour the author’s backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I like what they did with the dog, quite a bit, in truth. There were good components throughout, but the pup was a standout for me.

After falling in love with T. Kingfisher's "What Moves The Dead", I was incredibly excited to read "Nettle and Bone". This fantasy novel was so beautifully written, and quite eerie at times. The theme of domestic abuse and violent misogyny is present, but unlike many other books in this genre, the storyline doesn't romanticize it. The plot is subversive and satisfying, and the protagonist is someone you really root for.

Marra might not make a very good Princess, or a good Nun, but she is a sister, and a vengeful one at that. Marra's first sister died months after entering the Northern Kingdom and marrying their prince, now, Kania, her second sister is his bride and, although they don't always her along, Marra will not tolerate her sister being hurt or worse, killed. She knows no one is coming to Kania's rescue, so Marra will just have to save her herself, but she will need help. A powerful gravewitch, a strapping former night, a fairy godmother, a bone dog and a chicken possessed by a demon don't make for the most convincing of groups, but they all know pain, and are more than willing to help Marra on her journey, even if it ends with them all dead in the process.

I read my first T. Kingfisher book last year and absolutely fell in love with her writing style & characters, so it was a no brainer for me to request this when it popped up on Netgalley. Marra is a fantastic POV to follow this story from, not only because she's in her 30's and it's rare to see an MC that old (I'm crying as I'm saying this because I'm 32 and am not at all old), but because she is in no way prepared for this mission, and despite that she will do anything to protect her sister. She can be a little dim sometimes, but she is loyal to a fault and honestly, if I needed rescuing I would definitely want her to be the one doing it.

Alongside Marra are the gravewitch, an ancient and powerful witch who can commune with the dead & who travels with a chicken possessed by a demon. She initially sets Marra three impossible tasks as the price for her help, but when Marra completes the first two she knows that she will help her. Fenris, the knight she rescuse from the Goblin Market after being told he would be needed to complete their quest. He is more than happy to die for the cause thinking it a respectful way to go out, but Marra doesn't want anyone to give their life, least of all Fenris. Finally there is Agnes, Marra's Fairy Godmother who is more adept at curses than blessings. They make for a bit of a crazy bunch, but their interactions are what really make the story. Every character has a part to play and their own strength and I loved that Marra was the youngest character in the book, the rest of our side characters range from their 40's up.

Kingfisher takes the usual style fairy tale and flips it on it's head. Our Princess isn't trying to catch a Prince, but kill one, and let me tell you, these are the kinds of fairy tales I want more of. We start the story with Marra attempting to build a bone dog in a land filled with cannibals, but Kingfisher deftly takes us back in time to understand what is going on, why Marra is on this path and, although she's on her way to kill a Prince, the story kind of lightens up from there. I adored the world building as well as the magic system. It's all very fairy tale esque with fairy godmothers, goblin markets etc, but just quirkier and with a significant amount of wit.

At under 300 pages this is an easy book to fly though, made easier by Kingfishers stereotypical witty, sharp and flowy writing style. How she uses the introductions of new characters, as well as a smattering of plot twists to further the plot is brilliantly done and makes what could have been a dull journey into something more magical and humorous. Once again Kingfisher has made me fall in love with a bizarre bunch of characters who mostly succeed by accident, and if you're looking for something a little different than your usual fairy tales, with characters that jump off the page and a magical world you want to jump into, well look no further.

I’m not really sure how to describe this book other than creepy but beautiful at the same time. I look forward to reading more from T. Kingfisher in the near future.

*Full review to be posted to NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, & my blog closer to publication!*

Nettle & Bone is another incredible release from T. Kingfisher and I absolutely loved it! It's a perfect mixture of fantasy, fairytale, quirkiness, humor, darkness, and insightful writing, all things I have come to expect from Kingfisher's writing. I loved all of the main characters we follow–Marra, the dust-wife, Fenris, Agnes, the demon chicken, and Finder–so so so much and I loved every minute I got to spend with them in this book. I truly can't wait to see what's next from Kingfisher as I have not been disappointed yet. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good fantasy/dark folktale/fairtyale-esque story with amazing characters and a writing style that is incredibly entertaining and hard to put down.

This felt like something I would like, but it didn't grab me. I ended up not finishing this title. I really think that others will enjoy it though.

Nettle & Bone is a classic T. Kingfisher story (as well as the name of a hypothetical restaurant I would definitely eat at) peopled by flawed but honorable characters trying their best in an unfair world. Fans of the author should enjoy this outing, although it is a little darker than many of her fantasy settings. I sped through the book, making extra time in my day to finish it, and Kingfisher absolutely sticks the ending with an emotional wallop.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: This was an incredibly entertaining read and I am officially a huge fan of Kingfisher at this point! Previous to reading this I had read Kingfisher’s “Clocktar War” series (loved it), and “The Raven and the Reindeer” (adored it). This book is just as wonderful as those. It has a wonderful dark fairy tale feel to it with a lot of humor (despite the somewhat serious subject matter).

The story follows Marra. We first get to see Marra as she tries to perform some impossible tasks and then we quickly go back in time to learn about Marra and her family. Her sisters have been married off to an abusive prince and Marra desperately wants to stop the prince from killing yet another sister. So she seeks a powerful gravewitch for help…and the gravewitch gives her three impossible tasks.

The second part of the story follows Marra and a completely entertaining cast of characters on a quest to break a curse, defeat a prince, and save her remaining sister! On this quest she is joined by the grumpy gravewitch, a disgraced knight, a reluctant godmother, a chicken possessed by a demon, and the bone dog she created.

The whole story was beautifully crafted, incredibly creative, and absolutely engrossing. I love how much humor is woven in here and how Marra makes such an unlikely hero. The romance that develops between Marra and the knight is sweet and heartwarming. The cast of characters is delightful and the book is impossible to put down. I loved every second of it.

My Summary (5/5): Overall this was another amazing adventure fantasy by Kingfisher with heavy dark fairy tale tones to it. It is filled with fun characters, light humor, a determined and unlikely heroine, and just a load of fun! Kingfisher is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I plan on gobbling up all her novels as soon as I can! I was lucky enough to get “What Moves the Dead” for review and will be reading that in the next month or so and I am soooo excited. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy fairy tale retellings, adventure fantasy, or just a good fantasy read in general!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you want to take advantage of this opportunity to read a book with a demon possessed chicken then please proceed. I mean, if you want to read this for any reason than proceed, you don't need my permission for that.

Chicken aside, this read like a few other Kingfisher works I've read - entertaining and quick but not something I think will stick with me for long.

Oh also, the darkness at the beginning of the book is super random, it stops feeling like that once the squad appears.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received an eArc of this fantasy novel through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .

I love T. Kingfisher's writing and this was no exception.  This is the story of princess Marra whose life is no fairytale.  The third of three sisters, her kingdom lies between two other more powerful nations that are always looking to gobble it up.  Marra is not considered a great princess.  She be shy and awkward.  She wants to be unnoticed and live a simple life devoid of politics. She believes she has succeeded.  But when a Northern prince brings suffering to her sisters, Marra wants revenge.

Much like others of Kingfisher's work, there is a lovely, twisted blend of horror and humor.  The situation of Marra's sisters is reprehensible and individuals live awful lives for the greater good.  And yet there are lovely elements like a bone dog, a demon inhabiting a chicken, and a reluctant fairy godmother.  The writing is wonderful.

The book can distinctly be broken into two parts.  The first is a description of Marra's life and how she eventually landed on the path to revenge.  The second half deals with how Marra gets that revenge and how she changes in the process.  I happened to love both aspects equally and enjoyed how they were woven together.  I also enjoyed that all of the main characters in the revenge portion were over 30 and some very much so.  I also loved how all of the characters had to work together to accomplish the goals.  Without one, they all would have failed.

There is a light romance and some excellent friendships.  I will certainly reread this treasure.  Arrrr!

A twisted fairytale that started out slow for me and the second part of the book was definitely my favorite. That's where the adventure gains traction and the side characters bring the story to life. I enjoyed the grumpy dust-wife, Fernis, the fairy godmother, and Bonedog, but the main character, Marra, was kind of blah to me. She's thirty years old but doesn't give me that impression. Overall, this book was just okay for me, not overly memorable, but the second half definitely improved the overall experience.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

A magnificent subversion of fairy-tale ever-afters, this latest book from the seemingly-infinite imagination of T. Kingfisher asks hard questions about the uses and limits of power. Does Marra, a third daughter of a minor ruler, really have any power? And does she dare to use it when the consequences for failure might be the slaughter of her people? Nettle and Bone asks whether we can balance one life against many and still make the equation look something like justice. It's a heavy book, but enlivened with humor and an incredible variety of place and people. Kingfisher is an absolute master.

Full review on Strange Horizons.

I loved many things about this book but one aspect of it that I particularly enjoyed was that all of the characters were over the age of 30. I’ll be 30 this summer and while I don’t mind reading books with younger characters, it’s always fun to have that representation in fantasy. However, while all of these characters are adults, this book reads more like a Young Adult novel. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on what you look for in a story.

For me personally, while I like YA, I prefer the New Adult genre. When I’m reading a book with characters over 30, I expect some grit, drama, tension, etc. and this book is lacking that. This is a very “clean” read. Don’t misunderstand me, there’s nothing wrong with that and it is still a great book but there were times that I wanted more. I wanted it to be a little darker, sexier and more intense.

The storyline leaned more toward fairytale than dark fantasy. That made it a fun and light read but perhaps not the most memorable. There are moments of absurdity that are really funny; like a chicken with a demon inside of it, a silly fairy godmother and a “living” dog made of bones.

This book overall was just fun to read. While I would have liked it to be a bit more adult, I definitely don’t regret spending my time on it. If you like fairytales and fantasy that are semi- dark, I recommend Nettle & Bone.

What a book! This fantasy novel is like an eerie fairy tale told over a campfire that still manages to be heartwarming. Tone-wise, it's like if Princess Buttercup morphed into an active character and went into the business of rescue and revenge. It's about Marra, third princess in a line of princesses, who discovers that the husband of one of her sisters is abusive and murderous. Marra goes on a quest to kill him and save her sister, and along the way, she encounters the fae, an exiled soldier, a dust-wife, a fairy godmother, and a possessed chicken. This book is hilarious without being silly, action-packed while still having a wonderful cast of characters, and notable because nearly everyone in this book is well into their 30s. Lovely, magical, and captivating!

This was beautifully written and creepy and it's written in a way that really sticks with you after you're done reading it.

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher
Standalone
Fantasy (Fairy Tales - Gothic - Quests - Ghosts)
Publication Date: April 26, 2022
TW: Domestic Abuse, Death

Marra, the youngest of three sisters, is sent away to a convent after the second sister marries her brother-in-law the Prince, following the death of the first sister. Marra discovers nefarious actions on the part of the Prince and sets out to gain the help of a Dust-Witch who can help her kill the Prince and free her sister and their kingdom.

This book has all the fantastic elements of a fairy tale with dark, gothic vibes. It contains a romance but one that is very mild and takes up no more than a few paragraphs. It is secondary to the main plot.

It’s a story of a Princess turned almost nun, a clan warrior freed from slavery, a dust-witch, a godmother, a demon chicken and a bone dog, who when listed like that don’t really make sense together but, their dynamic works. Each plays a part in the journey and has something to gain.

This was a fantastic and easy read. I think the author’s note wherein she talks about how she came up with the concept was almost as fascinating as the story itself.

Why is this my first T. Kingfisher novel?! This has me itching to read a Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, which has been on my TBR for far too long.

Thank you to NetGalley and TorBooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.