Nettle & Bone
Apr 2022 · Tor Books
4.6star
45 reviewsreport
eBook
320
Pages
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About this eBook
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel
An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller
An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022
A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022
An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022
A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee
From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.
This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.
Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself.
If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.
“Wholly entertaining."—Buzzfeed
“A modern classic.”—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway
“Pure delight. T. Kingfisher uses the bones of fairy tale to create something entirely her own.”—Emily Tesh, award-winning author of Silver in the Wood
Also by T. Kingfisher
Thornhedge
A Sorceress Comes to Call
What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller
An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022
A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022
An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022
A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee
From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.
This isn't the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince.
It's the one where she kills him.
Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself.
If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.
“Wholly entertaining."—Buzzfeed
“A modern classic.”—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway
“Pure delight. T. Kingfisher uses the bones of fairy tale to create something entirely her own.”—Emily Tesh, award-winning author of Silver in the Wood
Also by T. Kingfisher
Thornhedge
A Sorceress Comes to Call
What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Ratings and reviews
4.6
45 reviews
Geneva Zobrist
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12 July 2025
Absolutely beautiful- tbe world is vibrant and macabre all at the same time, and filled to the brim with fascinating, interesting characters. Every one of them feels both realistic and genre savvy. I love the dark fairytale vibes of it all; the writing is incredible, reminiscent of Howl's Moving Castle or The Last Unicorn and other such generation-defining works. 10/10, Dustwife/Agnes and Fenris/Marra I am rotating you in my head like a completely normal bird on a spit. Love love love.
Bobby McCanne
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16 November 2023
What a fascinating, introspective look at a modern fairy tale. Following a beleaguered princess only trying to do what's right, we get a meta commentary on all sorts of fairy tale topics in the process. The pace is excellent, as is the prose, and the book as a whole is both satisfying and rewarding. Ultimately this is a very fast read that is completely worth it. Highly recommended.
Sarah Lemler
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2 September 2025
I love the way Kingfisher writes, her use of language really evokes vivid images of the story. But this story left me with questions. I actually feel like this story was too short. Its biggest problem was that I wanted MORE story. I feel like this book easily could have been 200 pages longer. I wanted to go on Marra's journey to complete the second impossible task. I wanted to know more about the dust wife. The only major fault with this book was that I wanted more of it.
About the author
T. KINGFISHER writes fantasy, horror, and occasional oddities, including "The Twisted Ones" and "Swordheart." Under a pen name, she also writes children's books. She lives in North Carolina.
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