A brilliantly bold and dark, feminist fairy tale, that sparkles with humor, magic, and hope. I loved everything about this book. The audio was absolutely fantastic. All the stars and biscuits for bone dog.

I loved everything about this book. The writing was excellent, the plot was on point, and the characters were amazing. I don't think this author can be beat. The narrator fit the book perfectly!

Honestly, I cannot remember whether I've actually read any Terry Pratchett (I know! Please put down the tomatoes!) and yet I'm still going to ignorantly raise my hand to proclaim that Nettle & Bone feels, to me, like a descendant of Pratchett's legacy.

I want to say it's an adult fairy tale, not as in adult content, but in that the protagonist is thirty years old and the subjects/themes/events have a certain level of gravity. But anyone who reads in this genre knows that traditional fairy tales weren't exclusive to children, so let's just say that I loved this fairy tale.

Honestly, it does still border on the edge of what feels like YA to me, which is fine, but is an indicator that it's not as dark as I prefer. That's me, though - always looking for the dark, dark path through the woods... but not (necessarily) creeping into what-should-be-the-distinctly-separate-genre of horror.

My inclination to believe this to be influenced or inspired by Pratchett is the light magic, the cohort of ragtag helpers attracted to the protagonist, all perfectly happy to sacrifice themselves - literally, if need be, no big deal! - to the cause. This lightness of easy self sacrifice for all the players aiding the protagonist did make them feel a bit less dimensional to me, but that doesn't mean that any said sacrifice wouldn't have been/wasn't (no spoilers!) felt.

For some reason lately, "historical" fiction - which this isn't, really, hence the quotation marks, as it's actually a fantasy removed from actual historical context, but it does, of course, feel historical in that European-ish history/countries-fantasy-setting sense - has not been working for me, even when clearly magical/fantasy/supernatural, but this was absolutely not the case with Nettle & Bone. I was instantly engaged; the motivations were... motivating, the journey was fun, and the characters were a great ensemble.

I really like T. Kingfisher. Hmmm, I would've made a decent wager that I've read more of her books, but apparently this is only my second one (the first being The Twisted Ones), and won't be my last. The publisher, MacMillan/Tor-Forge, and Netgalley provided the audiobook ARC of this one for me, and also the ebook of her next one, What Moves the Dead, which I've already eagerly started.

The narrator of the audiobook, by the way, was great. There were a couple of accents I wasn't so sure about, but they were only from bit parts and/or brief dialogue from the protagonist, and easily forgiven. I sped through the audiobook in about a day and a half, thoroughly enjoying the ride.

I just became T. Kingfisher's newest fan. I loved Nettle & Bone so much it's almost hard to put my review into words.

Nettle & Bone was dark and sinister - with lovable characters and witty humor. While this is traditional in the sense that we have a princess, the youngest of three, who must complete three impossible tasks in order to get her heart's desire ... we are immediately immersed into the dark world in which Marra lives.

The book starts off with cannibals, a cloak made of nettle, and a bone dog (which quickly becomes one of my favorites - along with the demon chicken!). I found the story refreshing and original - the perfect combination of the ordinary and the magical. To be honest? I didn't want it to end.

Read this book - listen to the audiobook (the narrator does a fantastic job) - I promise you wont regret it.

This was such a fun adventure in this dark fairytale-esk world Kingfisher has crafted. In addition to a great story that kept a great pace, there are fantastically well-developed characters. All and all, I would definitely recommend this entertaining dark fantasy read.

I’m not sure there’s anyone out there who is as consistently good at dreaming up dark fairy tales with not-so-dark endings as T. Kingfisher, and Nettle and Bone is another success of the same sort.

I always need a side of humor with my Fantasy novels, and Kingfisher gives us hints of that here, leaning on the buddy comedy trope that always feels like a must for the genre in my opinion.

I enjoyed following the adventures of this merry band of misfits as they embarked on a seemingly impossible journey to save Marra’s sister, her family’s legacy, and the kingdom itself.

Marta is a delight, a courageous but reluctant heroine who never sought to change the world but couldn’t stand to sit by and watch it burn.

I usually end up preferring written form to audiobooks, but this one really, really shone in audio format. The narrator was lovely, evocative and lyrical without ever being hammy or stagey. I absolutely loved reading this one with my ears.

As with any book by Kingfisher, I was immediately drawn into this story. I love the way the author weaves tales with darkness and light, the way the characters are never quite good or evil and just the all around uniqueness the stories

The characters are so fun, morally grey, but with just a bit more light in them. There is something so hopeful in their hearts as they quest.

This one was a little different than the authors other works as far as being more fantasy/fairytale than the normal horror. It's perfect for a more YA audience, yet still fun for those of us that are older. It puts a spin on what a fairytale should look like and I loved it.

Kingfisher continues to be an auto buy author for me.

Brilliantly creative and wholly delightful! This is just the dark and refreshing fairytale I didn’t know I needed.

A quest to kill an abusive, evil prince. A (3rd string) princess that never expected to be a heroine.

This is a spellbinding journey to a macabre and fantastical kingdom with a motley band of unlikely warriors:

Marra: The demure princess, who up until now has been hidden away at a nunnery
BoneDog: Marra’s fiercely loyal companion made of resurrected bone and dust
Dust Wife: Sharp witted and full of vigor! Her lines are some of the best in the book!
Demon Chicken: *no description needed*
Disgraced Knight: Kind and endearing… with no shining armor or savior complex!
Fairy Godmother: Quirky and sweet… but is she all good???

These characters! Complex and fully fleshed out. They are some of my favorite that I’ve read all year. Don’t let their names or descriptors give you pause. I adored each one individually, but they really shine in community.

From the very first scenes in the bone graveyard, I was fully immersed in this gothic tale. And while certain aspects (that puppet!) are the haunts of nightmares, it’s not all darkness. Kingfisher weaves in humor and heart, creating hope in the midst of mayhem.

This was an easy book to devour! I don’t know how I haven’t read any of Kingfisher’s works before, but I will be rectifying that misstep very soon.

One of my booksta besties, @bookmarked.by.becky, claimed this audiobook to be her favorite narrations of 2022. And it’s easy to see why. Amara Jasper’s narration is excellently executed, giving a distinct voice to each character and creating the perfect fairytale vibe.

*I listened to this on audio, but I loved it so much I quickly grabbed a hardcover copy for my shelves!

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio for a #gifted copy of this audiobook.

Nettle and Bone was my first book from T. Kingfisher and it definitely won't be my last. I thought the author did a wonderful job of finding the balance between light and dark in this story. This is not your typical quest novel! I loved all of the side characters. I mean, there is a possessed chicken! That said, I do wish it leaned into the horror a little bit more.

It's important to know going into this one that domestic violence is a major theme.

There is something so immersive about the way that T. Kingfisher writes. I flew through this book! It manages to be both charming and delightful while also tackling some serious themes.

So this book was incredible. A serious, dark, inversion of the fairy tale trope, we instead follow the lead Marra through a daunting series of impossible tasks, seeking a path forward through power and politics for the sake of her family in a world where even royalty can't protect you. The world this book builds is complicated, with kingdoms and long-standing feuds that you're immediately immersed in. Your orientation to the world is an in media res capture of Marra facing her second impossible task, and the world is build both backwards and forwards from there. The characters were absolutely engrossing and I have never been so thoroughly charmed by a dog character as I was by Bone Dog.

I think this is a book that bears slow reading, and I was listening to it, so I think there are many things that were lost for me on this first go through. The in media res start is a favorite of mine, but jumping in and then, without the visual aid of chapter and section breaks, jumping back I was left a bit disoriented. Again though, while some of this is structure I think it is also medium. As an avid audiobook lover, one thing I have learned is that some books are better seen than heard. I also feel like the books incredible world building is both it's asset and it's weakness, since there were multiple realms and complex histories introduced which did mostly come together in the end, but some were just left to be. You had to suspend disbelief and jump into this world, answers or no. There are some answers I would have appreciated to have come the end of the book, but I feel that lack only in the looking back - I was so enthralled by the world that I want more, but the lack of context in places for the most part didn't actually take away from the telling of the story.

This book was complicated but still easy to follow, with an immersion that made suspending disbelief easy and a consistently enthralling prose that made living fully in this world as I read it an absolute pleasure. And I'm sure I'll find myself picking it up again soon to revisit and seek all the small clues and connections I may have missed. Many thanks to Net Galley, Tom Doherty, and Macmillan audio for access to this production.

T. Kingfisher is such a talented storyteller that you will find yourself so wrapped up in this dark fairytale that you will not want to stop reading once you start.

As the story unfolds and the darkness of world reveals itself, Kingfisher delivers light through the terrifically complex female characters who drive this story.

This book is such a fun adventure to read that you will not want to miss out.

A dark fantasy masterpiece!

There is a reason why T. Kingfisher is a favorite author for me. Her smooth ability to take the darkly twisted and atmosphetic and weave it together with unique narratives is just perfection for a reader like me.

Nettle & Bone was an audio journey I did not realize how much I needed. Marra has sisters that have been given to the king. One has mysteriously died and her second is covering the signs of abuse. Unlike fairy tales where the dashing prince comes to the rescue, Marra realizes it is up to her to kill a prince to save her sister.

This... THIS! Absofreakinglutely this! I loved the humor and sarcasm, the depths of each character's persona and the easy ability to connect with each one. The world building strengthens each aspect of the plot through vivid and captivating detail. From the shackles of a goblin market to the cryptic depths of the royal's burial tunnels. Did I mention the possessed chicken yet? They make excellent traveling companions.

The magic sticks true to fairy tale bones with Fae, godmothers, witches and more. The sinister and twisted I've come to love of Kingfisher's writing style is ever prevalent as this hodgepodge found family of sorts bonds over strength and support.

I had the pleasure of experiencing this novel over audio. Amara Jasper narrates with different tones and personas for each character. She holds true to each one throughout the entire novel all while channeling the emotion and different elements of each environment the reader is taken too. Now I just need to get this beauty added to my shelves!

I highly recommend this novel. Hell, I recommend this author. If you haven't experienced the mind of T. Kingfisher, now is definitely the time to get started. Thank you MacMillan Audio for the gifted audio in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I adore the Grimm brothers fairy tales and dark fantasy reads, so Nettle & Bone is a clear five star for me. I enjoyed the dark atmosphere T. Kingfisher provided, and while I didn’t quite view it as horror, there was a darkness to the story line. This plot was fast-paced with a heroic journey following Princess Marra as she leaves on a quest to find a way to help defend her sister with the help of magic, a witch, fairy godmother, a soldier/love interest, evil prince, and skeletal sidekick. Princess Marra is a well-flushed out character whose selfishness and devotion to family, even if they don’t feel the same way about her, was inspirational. Her travel companions provided a variety of personalities, abilities, and insights to work together on the quest and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do and how they would interact with each other.

It is hard to provide a unique fairy tale after so many retellings and well-known stories, but I was drawn into the story with terrors, humor, hope, and a demon-possessed chicken. There was something so familiar when reading this story and it was comforting with surprise twists that stopped it from being a predictable fairy tale. T. Kingfisher has a great, flowing writing style that gives just enough description to help me imagine while propelling the plot so it didn’t get dull. This was a great audiobook that I highly recommend to anyone who likes an entertaining quest and darker tales!

I never knew that I needed a story with a demon chicken and bone dog in my life, but I now feel like my life would be incomplete without it. This story was great, and I loved how elements of classic fairytales were weaved throughout. I will for sure be checking out other books by this author.

Nettle & Bone's heroine, Marra, is not the expected hero for a fairytale. She is not particularly brave, nor is she particularly particular in any way be it by skill or beauty. A princess who spent over half her life in a convent, Marra is sheltered and shy. Yet this does not stop her from knowing what is right and what is wrong and acting according on those beliefs. Like many original fairytales, Nettle & Bone is dark but beautiful, the only comedy coming from the two old women (and subsequent chickens) that Marra travels with on her quest to kill a king and save her sister. Born into a world that means to use her, Marra refuses to accept that fate idly, nor let it take another one of her sisters to the grave. With magic, powerful women, a little romance, and most especially a demonic chicken, Nettle & Bone is a captivating fairytale that shows us that we can all do brave things even if we don't feel very brave doing them.

I can say for certain that T.Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors, I will be getting everything they buy. This book was wonderful, I couldn't put it down but I did have to get some sleep. I think my favorite character has to be the gravewitch and the fairy godmother, they made me laugh out loud at points. Then there is Bonedog which he had my heart and now I really want a bonedog. I also had the audio of this book, and I highly recommend to get it as you follow along with the physical book. I can't wait to read more from T.Kingfisher.

Thank you Netgalley, Tor Books and Macmillan Audio for letting me read and review Nettle & Bone.

Another excellent book by T. Kingfisher. Love the strong, but unsure protagonists. I wish more authors had snarky chickens as secondary characters.

I don’t even know how to talk about how much I liked this. I’m going to go out and read this author’s back catalog. I thought about buying the hardcover of this in the store despite already having read it. I loved this. An absolutely wonderfully whimsical fairy tale story with everything I could ever want. Because what I wanted was apparently a demon chicken and a bone dog.

Nettle and Bone follows our heroine (though don’t let her hear you call her that it will just make her nervous) Marra who goes on a journey to kill the Prince married to her sister who turns out to be evil. Marra on her way picks up a cranky witch with a demonic chicken, a dog made of bones, a hot guy from a goblin market, and a fairy godmother with evil powers who is too nice to do anything with them.

This is a very short tale but absolutely beautifully told. I could have read this for DAYS instead of hours. I found myself laughing out loud while hosing up bird poop and that’s impressive. The characters felt so rounded and wonderful. I love a good found family and this one was absolutely great.

The world isn’t intricately built since the story is so short but we get a clear idea of any places we are in and how the magics that are important work. Every new set up in the journey was somehow the perfect mixture of outlandish, funny, magical and emotional. The romance had me invested almost immediately.

If Kingfisher’s other books charm me half as much, they will still be worthwhile.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook. This was narrated by Amara Jasper who did a great job and probably helped me fall in love.

This was my first Kingfisher and while I didn't love it as much as I hoped I would, it won't be my last.

Nettle & Bone has all the familiar fairytale tropes but with a sinister feel to it. Marra is the youngest princess of a small independent kingdom locked between two larger kingdoms. When she realizes her older sister is married to an abusive prince she takes matters into her own hands to save her.

I thought the world was inventive and fun and I loved the engrossing writing style; however, for me something about the story as a whole fell flat. I think I was expecting more horror and less humor and some of the humor didn't hit very well with me.

Thematically, this book was very on the nose, but I liked what it had to say about agency and womanhood and liked the project of using a dark fairytale to highlight issues related to domestic violence.

I think this is the first time I have read a horror fairytale book and it was so good! This isn't a true scary horror book, but there are pieces that make this book fall into that realm.

I love the witty humor along with the amusing characters. These elements really make this book fun to read.

This is the second book I have read by T. Kingfisher and I cannot wait to read her next book. They are very entertaining and they are a quick read.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!