A delightfully dark fairy tale adventure that is a perfect blend of horror woven seamlessly with cheeky humor. You can’t help but absolutely adore all of the MC’s and how natural and sweet they are together…I want to pull Agnes and the dust wife right out of the book and keep them forever as my quirky grannies, they were so funny and made me literally laugh out loud several times. The gentle, slow burn romance between Marra and Fenris was so pure. This was my first time reading T. Kingfisher and their ability to weave the sweet and funny with dark and horror is so impressive and wildly enjoyable to read! This was easily one of my favorite reads so far this year and I already know I’ll want to reread it. I also really enjoyed the audiobook narration, it was well done and really enjoyable to listen to!

This is my second T. Kingfisher book after finishing The Hollow Places just a few days ago. This one is more of a dark fairytale with a cast of truly unique characters. The plot was okay but the characters stole the show in this one for me. I mean, who doesn't want to read about an undead dog made of bones and a demon-possessed chicken?! So cool.

I did this as an audiobook and I thought the narrator was great. The voices for Fenris and the Dust Witch were really similar to me though and there was one back and forth conversation between the two of them where that stood out the most to me. Their personalities were different enough that it was generally easy to tell them apart that way anyway.

I wish there was more horror in it, but as a fantasy read it was really entertaining. There were a few smaller details in the first chapter I really wanted to be delved into deeper that didn't happen, but overall this was a solid read and I'll be exploring more of this author's back list for sure!

Thank you to #netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such an amazing, weird, funny, and twisty story from start to finish. Kingfisher has a way of making the most unconventional but likeable characters, especially the heroines.

I loved Mara and her determination and kindness. I loved how she wasn’t deemed smart yet the decisions she made were rational and completely normal. I especially loved the cast of oddball characters—the grumpy dustwife with a chicken possessed by a demon, agnes the not so very good godmother, fenris the ex knight with a heart of gold, and of course bone dog.

There were so many creative aspects! I loved the weird and cool magic that Kingfisher weaved into the story. I adored the little innkeeper who was held on a tight leash around the neck by her puppet (don’t ask), the tomb of dead kings with the thief wheel, and the night market. It was fun to try and see what the crew would be up against next because there just so many cool and bizarre things.

At heart, this is a story about a woman trying to save her sister from cruelty and abuse from a powerful, bad man. Mara’s relationship with her sister wasn’t shown to be perfect, which I liked, but her loyalty and love always remained. I felt so bad for her sister. The world of nettle and bone explores just how disgusting and evil men can be just because they think they wield more power.

I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.

*Trigger Warning!: Domestic Abuse, Murder, some slight body trauma**

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do to save your sister from the clutches of a sadistic prince? And how much more keen would you be if you would be next in line to marry said prince if anything happened to your sister? Would you be willing to build a dog of bones and wire? Would you be willing to fashion a cloak out of stinging nettles? Dive into this novel to read Princess Marra's struggles to do just that.

The inclusion of Fairies and Fairy Godmothers was quite refreshing, as often we read about Fae deals rather than Fae gifts. Also the inclusion of a tomb labrynth was an original idea that played well into the mood of the story. While Marra is an interesting heroin, it's hard to come to terms with her being 30 years of age. While having grown up with the nuns, her naivety makes it hard at times to remember her proper age. She felt overall more like a 24/25 year old to me. The Grave witch(I believe she was called Dust Mother) truly made the story worth reading. Her possessed chicken was underutilized however, I wish the chicken would have had more page time.

There were good things and bad things about this novel(as there is with most), and while I'm glad I got to listen to this one it's not one I will be seeking out again. Hence, my three star rating. I didn't love it, didn't hate it, and at times felt a little bored with it when the pacing slowed to a crawl at times. Recommended for fantasy readers 16+ and trigger warnings at the beginning of the review.

Princess Marra is the youngest of three sisters and because of this she is not up first to marry a prince to help her kingdom like her oldest sister. She is instead sent to a convent and seems to watch from afar as her older sister dies and her middle sister marries the same prince and starts to show signs of abuse. Marra wants to help her sister escape somehow because she knows no one else is going to help her family. She sets out on an adventure to find a way to stop the prince and along way she picks up a bunch of strange characters. There's the witch who can talk to the dead, a chicken who is possessed by a demon, a bone dog Marra resurrected, a former knight, and an odd fairy godmother.

This was such an original story that had such a fairytale quality to it as we were introduced to knights, curses, fairy godmothers and impossible tasks to be completed by the heroine. I love the found family feel whenever the main characters were together in the second half of the book. I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend doing the same since the narrator was so perfect. Whenever she changed into a different character's voice I knew exactly who she was before she explained who was talking. Throughout the story I was sucked into the descriptive and atmospheric settings like the goblin market or the catacombs underneath the palace. I loved every single lovingly crafted main character that the author brought to life and I absolutely adored the oh so satisfying ending to the exciting adventure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the digital audio copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

Fun little fantasy in a fun little world. I enjoyed it. Reminded me of Sabriel pacing wise. I enjoy a found family taking on bad folks. Always a good time

This book was a bit slow to start, but then became absolutely amazing, like all T. Kingfisher books I've read. Marais a wonderful everywoman, her ragtag group she picks up along the way are endearing, hilarious, and determined. May they have more adventures in future books.

Dead men are so much less trouble.

YES!

This felt like a great mashup of fairy tales while poking fun at them. Marra must save her sister from an evil prince/king. She's aided by a dust witch, fairy godmother, and a fallen white knight. It has a quest, valiant animal companion, and magic. It was engaging, creative, and very well done.

I listened to the audio book which was well narrated.

There were a few points early in the book that I was a bit confused or lost as to exactly what was going on but once I got the rhythm of the story I was all in! This has inspired me to look into T. Kingfisher's backlist!

A hearty hello to one of my new favorite books. Seriously, Nettle & Bone was the EASIEST FIVE STAR RATING I'VE GIVEN ALL YEAR!!! I absolutely adored this story from the very first moments. T. Kingfisher positively swept me up into the humorous, enchanting fantasy quest of my dreams.

Nettle & Bone follows Princess Marra of the Harbor Kingdom on a quest to save her sister. Marra is the third-born daughter in her family. The first born was married to a particular Prince. It didn't end well. Now the second-born daughter, Kania, is married to that very same Prince and Marra suspects that he is hurting her. Vorling, the Prince in question, has his sights set on a male heir. If this second sister can't produce one for him, guess who is next in line?

Marra! This isn't her main concern though. I mean, yes, that would be absolutely terrible. This guy is basically Joffrey Baratheon reborn. Regardless, Marra's only concern is getting Kania out of danger. She is literally willing to do anything in order to free her, including commit murder.

Unsure how to even begin, Marra enlists the help of a Dust Wife. I won't go into what exactly a Dust Wife is, just trust, this one is one of the coolest characters ever written! The Dust Wife asks Marra to complete three impossible tasks and then she will help her. Before long, the two set off on the road to the Northern Kingdom, along with the Dust Wife's hen, who happens to be possessed by a demon.

Thus it begins, the most perfect quest. They gather traveling companions along the way, such as a former, and arguably sexy, knight, as well as a Fairy Godmother. It's safe to say that I love this story with the same passion, and frankly, for the same reasons, that I love The Princess Bride. Kingfisher is delivering all the classic Fantasy Quest tropes I adore, while glazing the entire tale with a healthy layer of humor.

Additionally, I enjoyed how she was able to mix real-life themes into this story. For example, partner abuse, which we all know is very real, the way that was explored in this fantastical setting was quite interesting. As I mentioned earlier, from the very start I was hooked on this story. Previously, I have only picked up Horror stories from Kingfisher, but this proves her talents know no bounds. She crushes any genre she writes in.

I am so happy to have found a new book to add to my all-time Favorites list. I will definitely be picking up a hard copy of this and rereading it at some point in the near future. As an aside, I did listen to the audiobook and highly recommend that format. The narration was fantastic and kept me dialed in the entire way through.

Thank you so very much to the publisher, Tor and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review. It was such an enjoyable reading experience and the good news is, this isn't it from Kingfisher in 2022. I'm so excited to check out What Moves the Dead very soon!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The first half of the book we learn about Marra and her family, the sacrifices made and the wrongs committed. There’s a terrible curse on the northern kingdom, paired with a vindictive abusive prince. Marra’s sister isn’t safe, and she’s already lost one sister to the prince, but the marriage was born out of necessity for her small kingdom’s safety.

Ten second half of the book is when it really picks up. Marra assembles a team of people to help her save her sister and the future of the northern kingdom.

There’s interesting magic and a very minor romantic subplot. I think my favorite part was that this was a story about an ordinary princess ready to do extraordinary things to save her sister and herself from a fate worse than death. It gave me Frozen vibes, but from a darker perspective.

There are minor mentions of domestic abuse and miscarriage, nothing extremely specific, but be aware if these things tend to trigger you.

This book is NOT your average fairytale. It’s dark, creepy, funny, and, best of all, no knight in shining armor to save the day. Quite the opposite!

Princess Marra painfully watches both her sisters suffer as brides to the abusive prince. With one sister dead and the other being abused, Marra realizes no one is coming to their rescue. She sets off on a quest to save her sister by killing the evil prince, and along the way, she meets some unlikely allies - a dust-wife (grave witch), a disgraced knight, and a loony fairy godmother.

The journey with the band of misfits is where the book shines. I loved every step, from the goblin market to the burial chambers. Even their unusual pets ( Bonedog and Demon chicken) help save the day. Tension rises when they encounter monsters and obstacles, but these stressful scenes are offset by the sarcastic humor of the dust-wife (my favorite character). Who doesn’t want a princess to save the day? Cue - Beyonce's “Who Run The World”

I highly recommend the audiobook. Amara Jasper does an excellent job with all the voices. Exactly what you expect when listing to a fairytale. Nettle & Bone is one of my favorite narrations of the year!

This book is an absolute DELIGHT. Truly.

This fairytale-esque journey weaves and winds its way through many trials, challenges and dangers until it jumps off the cart that it’s riding, bumps and rolls in the dust, and comes to an abrupt halt at the end. Meanwhile, the bumbling, awkward, introverted princess finds just barely enough courage along the way to keep going one daunting step at a time. It's a really good thing that she has such great taste in travel companions.

My only complaint is that, after a wonderfully fantastical start, the story stalls for (in my opinion) far too long in Marra's back-story. As much as I wanted to know more about her, I had the time to get bored in the first 1/4 of the book. Once she made the decision to hit the road on her big adventure, I enjoyed this story much better.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but certainly won't be the last. I actually hope that there will be a follow-up book that continues Marra & Fenric's story! The audiobook is wonderfully read by the narrator.

Many thanks to T. Kingfisher, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the advance preview copy of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

This was a highly creative, original, and well thought out book. I am not the biggest fan of fantasy, and it took me some time to get into this book. I did enjoy the imagery with a princess, a bone dog, a dust wife, demon possessed chicken and more.

Mara is the youngest and is aghast when she sees the treatment her sister receives from her husband. Naturally, she decides to take matters into her own hands with the help of the dust wife, who just happens to have a chicken possessed by a demon. Along the way they meet some interesting characters including Fenis,

I went back and forth on how I felt about this book. I thought the beginning was 3 star read and the later part of the book was 5 star read. So, I am going with 3.5 stars. Many are enjoyed this book than I did, so please read their reviews as well.

I enjoyed the creativity and originality of this book. It is highly imaginative and well thought out. This is one that I enjoyed but can't say that I loved all the way through.

I had a copy of the book and the audiobook, and I went back and forth between the two.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books and Macmillan audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful hero’s epic journey with a female lead who knows exactly her place in the world. Finding out that her sister is in danger from the same prince who killed her other sister she decides she cannot just let it be. Everyone tells her to let it go. Keep the peace. Sacrifice the woman. She is tired of being the breeders for men and having no power. So she goes and gets it. Loved everything about this strange and wonderful world.

My take, this is a charming and fun fantasy novel for low stakes enjoyment and dark humor. The main character, Marra, is a wonderfully relatable princess on a quest to save her sister and family. I won’t give away the details but this book was worth the read just for the secondary characters, a lovely bunch of misfits. Kingfisher mixes worldbuilding similar to Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and characters similar to those in the House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, yet still creates something that feels special. Would absolutely recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC.

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy

Content Warnings: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Death of a Child, Cannibalism

This was one of the most unique books I have ever read. Following Marra and her eclectic rag-tag group of friends, they trek across the kingdom on a mission to slay an evil prince.
Set mostly during the journey, I became so very attached to all of the strange characters Marra finds. There is a dog made of bones, a chicken possessed by a demon, a witch who speaks to the dead, and a fairy godmother- not to mention a handsome protector.
Overall, this book was utterly charming while being delightfully weird.

What a fun story this was! It's a beautiful, creepy, and fun story that creates a book that cannot be put down! I loved the characters, the magic, and the special moments that had me thinking what a fantastic writer Kingfisher is! I highly recommend this one for readers that enjoy magical fantasy and a dark storyline!

This was my first T. Kingfisher books so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I will express a TW for those sensitive to topics of abuse as the general concept of the entire plot does pretty much revolve around it but no direct description or details are presented.

This is a story about a princess. A princess who doesn’t get her prince. A story about how this princess becomes a nun, meets a witch with a demon chicken, a fairy godmother, a bone dog & a murderer and how they try to save the princess’ sister.

The story overall is well done. It was a little slow to start and was a little confusing starting in the middle and then going back and forth between the present timeline and the past timeline. I’m not sure if the confusion came from the narration process or the actual story itself but there were parts where I was definitely confused whether or not I was back in the current time or still in the past. The characters were well balanced and played well off of each other and I really enjoyed how they interacted with each other. I especially liked seeing how the sisters grew together after all they went through.

As for the narration, the first portion of the narration felt really drawn out and the narrator focused excessively on enunciating the word “AND” so much that I couldn’t focus on the story. This did not carry out through the rest of the book so hopefully they correct the first couple chapters before final publication because it was extremely distracting and really detracted from the initial character introduction. Beyond that the narrator really captured each and every character's voice so very well and made this an enjoyable read.

Thanks to #NetGalley & #MacmillanAudio for the DRC audiobook.

Once upon a time T.Kingfisher wrote the fairy tale of my dreams. Nettle & Bone is whimsical, weird, and full of heart! The story is both familiar and unlike anything I have every read.

You'll follow Mara as she fiercely fights to protect her sister from the ugliness of royal life. You'll visit Goblin markets, find comfort from an undead companion, and strike bargains with human teeth. You will meet unlikely fair godmothers, darling demons, and dashing companions. This is a journey that's not to be missed!

Nettle & Bone stands on it's own as a unique and tantalizing tale. If I had to make comparisons, I would say this has the humor of Terry Pratchett, The atmosphere of Erin Morgenstern, and the Whimsy of Lewis Carrol. This will speak to the hearts of anyone who enjoys a macabre style fairy tale but this story offers depth and humor in equal measure, balancing darkness and light masterfully.

This was my first T. Kingfisher novel but it certainly wont be my last!!

Endless thanks to Netgalley and Macmillion audio for the advanced review copy.

2.5 stars rounded up

Nettle & Bone feels like a dark fairytale, blending elements from different stories and creating something new. It follows the youngest princess in a royal family of a small nation. After her older sister goes through a political marriage and dies without bearing an heir, the next sister in line must take her place as wife to a dangerous prince and our heroine is sent off to a nunnery. When she discovers her sister is being abused, she is determined to stop this prince using whatever magic she can scrounge up.

Take my review with a grain of salt because most reviewers seem to be loving this while I had more mixed feelings. I like how it's trying to tackle the issue of domestic violence through a fairytale, but while it started very strong, for me it dragged through the middle and I didn't really care about the romantic subplot. At times the writing is evocative and the world is dark and interesting. But to me it felt like it was trying to be macabre and violent while ALSO being sweet and lighthearted some of the time. And that didn't work for me, especially given the subject matter. I really wanted it to lean into more of the horror elements (which I know this author can do) and not try to shoehorn a romance into a story about DV and agency.

That said, I could see this being a hit for readers who don't like horror and want this kind of a lighter blend. For me it was not enough of either thing, and had a lot of questing and journeying through the middle which I found less compelling. The audio narration is excellent though. I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.