Nettle  Bone, T. Kingfisher
Nettle  Bone, T. Kingfisher
4 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Nettle & Bone

Author: T. Kingfisher

Narrator: Amara Jasper

Unabridged: 9 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/26/2022


Synopsis

From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.

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.

"Nettle & Bone is the kind of book that immediately feels like an old friend. Fairytale mythic resonance meets homey pragmatism in this utterly delightful story. It's creepy, funny, heartfelt, and full of fantastic characters I absolutely loved!” —Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage

About T. Kingfisher

T. KINGFISHER (she/her) writes fantasy, horror, and occasional oddities, including Nettle & Bone, What Moves the Dead, Thornhedge, A House with Good Bones, and A Sorceress Comes to Call. Under a pen name, she also writes bestselling children's books. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, dogs, and chickens who may or may not be possessed.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer on November 15, 2023

I have to admit: I’m a devoted fan of the author! She never disappoints me with her extraordinary creative mind, taking me trips to meticulously built fantasy worlds with adorable characters. I like her sarcastic, sharp, direct tone! This book has two different parts: At the first part: we’re introdu......more

Goodreads review by jessica on July 25, 2022

mixed feelings with this one. there are definitely some interesting concepts - the goblin market, the role of fairy godmothers, and bone dogs all intrigued me - but they are brief, fleeting moments in a story that gets straight to the point. in a way, i feel like this is true to the nature of fairyta......more

Goodreads review by karen on May 05, 2022

Nothing is fair, except that we try to make it so. That's the point of humans, maybe, to fix things the gods haven't managed. t kingfisher delivers another absolute stunner, smashing up a bunch of fairytales and reassembling them into a glittering mosaic made up of fragments of familiar images, filli......more

Goodreads review by Anne on October 28, 2024

Very enjoyable fantasy story about a princess on a quest to save her sister. The beginning of the story should have really sucked me in, but it just didn't. I don't know why it took a bit longer for me to connect with Marra. But she slowly grew on me, and eventually, I was completely into her quest.......more

Goodreads review by Riley on May 30, 2022

THIS WAS SO FUN!! if you like quest fanatsy books then do yourself a favor and pick this up now!!! it really reminded me of my favorite childhood movie Quest for Camelot, but darker. we are following the youngest princess to a small kingdom who is set out on a quest to free her sister from her abusi......more


Quotes

“Deeply satisfying and darkly funny feminist fairytale.... At its heart a story of good people doing their best to make the unjust world a fairer place, this marvelous romp will delight Kingfisher’s fans and fairytale lovers alike.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Blending fairy-tale familiarity and common-sense characters, Kingfisher’s prose balances grim circumstances with humor and heart. Readers of Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered and Melissa Albert’s ‘The Hazel Wood’ series should pick this up immediately.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Nettle & Bone is full of delights and surprises—and proves that [Kingfisher] has more than a few tricks left up her sleeve.”—Locus

“With NETTLE & BONE, T. Kingfisher solidifies her place as natural and inevitable heir to the greats of her genre, while remaining clearly and unquestionably a unique voice in fantasy. This book is a modern classic and belongs alongside The Last Unicorn and Spinning Silver on your shelf.”—Seanan McGuire

“This book is so exciting, deeply wise, sad, brutal and compassionate all at once. And beautifully written, with a plot as cunning as fine embroidery. . . . When I finished I could hardly bear to tear myself away from this eerie, vivid world, with its struggling, flawed, wonderful characters.”—Catriona Ward, author of Last House on Needless Street

“Nettle & Bone
brings Kingfisher's signature honesty and authenticity to a fairy tale setting—the result is refreshing, earnest but not naive, and deeply satisfying. I devoured it. This is one that's going to stay with me for a long time.”—Sarah Gailey, author of Magic for Liars

"Nettle & Bone leans into the macabre and evokes the Grimm-est of stories... Highly recommended for fans of fractured fables like Naomi Novik’s Uprooted (2015) and Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread (2019)." —Booklist, starred review

"Kingfisher’s combination of comedy with feminist rage in a complex fairytale setting makes for a wholly entertaining read." -- Buzzfeed

“Witty, sparkling tale of a heroine’s quest, full of matter-of-fact magic, impossible tasks, and a group of fantastic and charming companions. A delight throughout.”—Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches

Nettle & Bone is pure delight. T. Kingfisher uses the bones of fairy tale to create something entirely her own, written in gloriously clear and transparent prose. I devoured this story of a princess-nun rescuing her sister from an abusive marriage, and every fresh turn delighted me.”—Emily Tesh, Hugo finalist, Silver in the Wood

Nettle & Bone is what happens when all the overlooked bit players of classic fantasy somehow wind up on the main quest. It's funny, frightening, and full of heart; I loved it.”—Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January

“Charming and macabre—often both at the same time—Nettle & Bone has bite, proper jokes, effortlessly good storytelling and a really wonderful tomb labyrinth.”—A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name

“Somehow, Kingfisher writes stories that put you at your ease and make you want to crawl out of your skin at the same time. I loved the way this horrified me—and, in the end, gave me hope.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles


Awards

  • Hugo Award - Winner
  • Nebula Awards - Nominee
  • NYPL Best Books of the Year
  • NPR Best Book of the Year
  • BookPage Best Books of the Year
  • Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year