Nettle & Bone
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.
*The very special hardcover edition features a gold foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*
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
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading Nettle & Bone!
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Nettle & Bone* is a witty, fairy-tale-inspired fantasy with a cozy yet dark vibe, praised for its quirky characters and heartfelt humor. ...
I picked this book up for bookclub. I have read a few of the author's other books and have enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but I found that I enjoyed it as well.
Each of the author's books have been very different, and this one leaned more heavily into magic than I was expecting. There were tinges of fairy tales along the way, but not very heavily.
I didn't give it five stars because of the way that the story ended. After the tension in the story, it was a very predictable ending. Otherwise, the story was great. Highly recommended!
Each of the author's books have been very different, and this one leaned more heavily into magic than I was expecting. There were tinges of fairy tales along the way, but not very heavily.
I didn't give it five stars because of the way that the story ended. After the tension in the story, it was a very predictable ending. Otherwise, the story was great. Highly recommended!
The novel was a lightweight feminist take on The Magnificent 7, The Wizard of Oz, and Jack and the Beanstalk, but without the messy bits. The feminist plot was what kept the story elevated.
The story lacked description & setting information in many places. For example, it didn’t explain why medieval strangers were so willing to join the protagonist on a mission to kill a royal. I found the character arcs thin but some of the group disagreed with me.
Quips like, “I’d rather fight the dead than watch Marra wear holes in the floor” and “would trade victory for her bone dog” came across as alien to what characters had experienced and within the context of Medieval times.
Audience: YA girls (grade 10 level perhaps)
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.