Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher

“She is riding a dragon, and all of us in the kingdom are riding along with her.”

Marra is the baby of her family. For the kingdom’s good, Marra’s middle sister Kania is married to prince Vorling. To spare Marra if the heir does not come along, she is sent to the convent. Resilient Marra is a dutiful daughter, but she knows she needs to act when she learns some secrets about the prince.

“Some things come into being once it’s inevitable that they will exist.”

The invention of the dust-wife, the tasks she gives Marra, and the quest they go on are all so incredibly inventive. I loved everyone they picked up along their journey. This book is amusing because there is mystery and magic, whimsy, and tension, and it’s very creative. Marra is a strong woman. She’s dedicated to doing what is right, and you cheer for her every step of the way. I loved the fairy tale elements that were the cherry on top of an already superbly fun read. Nettle & Bone is a creative story that draws you in from page one. Thank you, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for sending this along.

Nettle & Bone is available for preorder on Amazon, Bookshop, and B&N, it releases April 26th.

About the Book:

This isn’t the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince.
It’s the one where she kills him.

Marra never wanted to be a hero.

As the shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter, she escaped the traditional fate of princesses, to be married away for the sake of an uncaring throne. But her sister wasn’t so fortunate—and after years of silence, Marra is done watching her suffer at the hands of a powerful and abusive prince.

Seeking help for her rescue mission, Marra is offered 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

But, as is the way in tales of princes and witches, doing the impossible is only the beginning.

Hero or not—now joined by a disgraced ex-knight, a reluctant fairy godmother, an enigmatic gravewitch and her fowl familiar—Marra might finally have the courage to save her sister, and topple a throne.

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Read this review on Goodreads and Bookbub.