Fantasy

Nettle & Bone

Nettle & Bone

  • Downloads：1249
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-29 09:18:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：T. Kingfisher
  • ISBN：B09B1MBLSX
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A dark and compelling fantasy about sisterhood， impossible tasks and the price of power， from award-winning author T。 Kingfisher

After years of seeing her sisters suffer at the hands of an abusive prince， Marra—the shy， convent-raised， third-born daughter—has finally realized that no one is coming to their rescue。 No one， except for Marra herself。

Seeking help from a powerful gravewitch， Marra is offered the tools to kill a prince—if she can complete three impossible tasks。 But， as is the way in tales of princes， witches， and daughters， the impossible is only the beginning。

On her quest， Marra is joined by the gravewitch， a reluctant fairy godmother， a strapping former knight， and a chicken possessed by a demon。 Together， the five of them intend to be the hand that closes around the throat of the prince and frees Marra's family and their kingdom from its tyrannous ruler at last。

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Reviews

Delaney Watson ，

This book is filled with really bizarre magic and classic fairytale aspects， but at its core it is about a woman trying to save her sister。

Jordyn ，

**I received this from Netgalley in exchange for a review**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。 M **I received this from Netgalley in exchange for a review**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。 。。。more

Monika ，

This one is an interesting piece to read。 Fairy tale， fantasy。。。 I did enjoyed it。

Rebecca ，

Amazing

Leen ，

The banter！ The bone dog！ The demon-possessed chicken！！

Gillian ，

I love all things KingfisherAnd this was so so so so good。 A lovely twist on so many fairytales。 I couldn’t put it down。

Caitlin ，

I’ve never once written a review on here， I just have this app to keep track of books。 This book made me break my long silence。 What a great book。 A truly great piece of work。 I am glad to have read it and sad it’s over。 Def give it a read， especially if you love demon possessed chickens and good boy bone dogs。

Sara ，

Sigh。 I waited so long for this one and felt disappointed。 Marra， the third princess of a family， was sent to a convent as a teen。 Her eldest sister married a powerful prince in a neighboring kingdom， and when she died without providing an heir， her second sister was married to him。 Marra realizes after being summoned back to the court that her sister is being abused and believes her mother would intervene if she just knew。 But the queen did know and there wasn't really anything she could do aga Sigh。 I waited so long for this one and felt disappointed。 Marra， the third princess of a family， was sent to a convent as a teen。 Her eldest sister married a powerful prince in a neighboring kingdom， and when she died without providing an heir， her second sister was married to him。 Marra realizes after being summoned back to the court that her sister is being abused and believes her mother would intervene if she just knew。 But the queen did know and there wasn't really anything she could do against the much larger kingdom that they relied on for defense。 This is a story you could find in many historical text。 However， this is fantasy and Marra is going to hunt down a witch to help her kill the prince。 Now， all that sounds amazing and like the making of a great story， but where I was lost is when Marra was sent to the convent in her teens and stayed there until her thirties。 Girl has been sheltered and protected from the world and it seemed to have emotionally stunted her when suddenly being thrown against witchy challenges， sudden love interest， and a very real world of hierarchy， abuse， and medieval societal norms。 There's a lot of weeping， gasping， and pearl-clutching which made for a very anxiety-ridden narrator， which I did not enjoy。 As another review mentioned， this was a case of trying to be light-hearted in a dark setting and I did not find the balance worked。 。。。more

H。J。 Swinford ，

4。5/5 stars， rounding up。 （Rounding up 100% because of Bonedog， the best skeletal doggo）。 I don't have a ton to say about it except that this was a wonderfully creepy， twisted fairy tale-inspired story that made me grin with delight while also occasionally shudder in horror。 4。5/5 stars， rounding up。 （Rounding up 100% because of Bonedog， the best skeletal doggo）。 I don't have a ton to say about it except that this was a wonderfully creepy， twisted fairy tale-inspired story that made me grin with delight while also occasionally shudder in horror。 。。。more

Rain ，

Exceptional book， but tbh everything this author ever puts out is。 I *LOVED* it。

Kris ，

A wonderful bizarre fairy tale cobbled together with wire and thread。 I love this zany story。

Katrine Hoyt ，

Excellent readI am a fan of this author's work and this latest book is no exception。 Interesting plot that plays with fairy tale troupes， unusual main characters， good world building （although I would have liked more explanation on certain aspects like the deserted lands）。 Altogether， worth reading！ Excellent readI am a fan of this author's work and this latest book is no exception。 Interesting plot that plays with fairy tale troupes， unusual main characters， good world building （although I would have liked more explanation on certain aspects like the deserted lands）。 Altogether， worth reading！ 。。。more

Amanda ，

Textbook Kingfisher fantasy。 Creepy， imaginative， dark， and also full of humor。 Most terrifying doll concept in the world ohmygod。 I want her to come out with another horror novel asap but in the meantime this was a great story。

Bhavya ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I would die for BoneDog

Seantheaussie ，

DNF due to boredom in sample。 Writing style not as engaging as Clocktaur and Paladins series。

Scrapper ，

Received on Wednesday and finished on Wednesday。 Excellent read。 Will be keeping to reread。 Who thought of Godmothers and Dust Wives？ Just overall a different view of many things。

Liam Bruso ，

As Always， Unputdownable I stumbled across Ursula Vernon/T。 Kingfisher – not literally， that would be awkward， but metaphorically， as all the best meetings really are – about six months ago。 In that time frame， I have read almost everything she has ever published under either name， in most cases twice， and never been disappointed by any of it。 She is quite probably my favorite living author， and the only other people I can think to put up to the same level would be the greatly missed Diana Wynne As Always， Unputdownable I stumbled across Ursula Vernon/T。 Kingfisher – not literally， that would be awkward， but metaphorically， as all the best meetings really are – about six months ago。 In that time frame， I have read almost everything she has ever published under either name， in most cases twice， and never been disappointed by any of it。 She is quite probably my favorite living author， and the only other people I can think to put up to the same level would be the greatly missed Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett。 She writes cleverly involved plots and creates memorable， distinct characters all of whom are immensely enjoyable （I do so especially love her gnolls）。 But I think in many ways， the moments that really capture my heart are spent on those quiet， little absurdities that typically go neglected in every other book I read。 Maybe it’s just that I can deeply relate to a woman， on a life-or-death mission to save her sister， spending dear cognitive power on the complexities of sharing a bed and the associated physical functions such entails – Can I move my arm？ Are they asleep enough for me to move my arm？ Surely they cannot be comfortable with my arm there， but then， if I do move my arm and wake them up， I will feel guilty。 You agonize over this， and whether or not you are breathing too loudly， wondering if the other person is anywhere near as concerned about you as you are about them， for many needless minutes and then the offending appendage falls asleep and it all just gets so much worse…This book is in line with her previous works in that there are touches of the absurd and biting wit and， of course， nuns （she has a bit of an obsession with them by and large）。 For close readers， you will see echoes of her other novels sprinkled throughout the pages – white rats， clockwork creations， mobile skeletons， antelope women， and Pygmalion revisited – which made my lips quirk at the edges every time one cropped up。There are also the other moments that I don’t know if other people catch out quite as readily as I do。 The new archimandrite being referred to with the pronoun “they” – they aren’t even in the book; it’s just a reference made in passing by one of the sisters， but I think I will examine it more closely in the reread nonetheless。 This nonchalant inclusivity that has absolutely nothing to do with the plot is significantly more meaningful than many books I have read that have such things the poorly focused centers to their stories。 In this vein， Steven Erikson comes to mind – his books are almost breathtakingly cosmopolitan if long-winded and a bit overly pedantic – but hers are always significantly more true-to-life （despite the werebears and talking swords）。TLDR: She’s fantastic。 If you’ve read her before， you won’t be disappointed。 If you haven’t， this is a hell of an introduction。Looking forward to her next novel！ I already have it pre-ordered （she’s the only person I do that for）。   。。。more

Joel Allan ，

Please give us moreI want so much more but I know that's just me being greedy because of how great this story was。 I can't say enough about how enjoyable it was from start to finish and I wanted to rush through to the end to know how it all came together but I also wanted it to go on forever。 Hopefully the author is willing to step back into this world and give us more stories even if it isn't with this dame cast of characters。I felt like every piece of world building and characterisation came t Please give us moreI want so much more but I know that's just me being greedy because of how great this story was。 I can't say enough about how enjoyable it was from start to finish and I wanted to rush through to the end to know how it all came together but I also wanted it to go on forever。 Hopefully the author is willing to step back into this world and give us more stories even if it isn't with this dame cast of characters。I felt like every piece of world building and characterisation came together so effortlessly and no info dump or details stood in the way of progress at any stage。 I found it funny how basically the regions were named but it just ensured that they were easily remembered and distinguished。Hats off to T Kingfisher， I will be rushing straight on to your previous works to live inside your mind for just a while longer。 。。。more

Amanda Hupe ，

“She smiled gently， that tiny， frazzled woman。 “There’s only one story about godmothers that’s always true。 Bad things happen if you don’t invite us to the christening。”NETTLE & BONEThank you， T。 Kingfisher， NetGalley， and Tor Books for the opportunity to read this book！Nettle & Bone is written by T。 Kingfisher。 This is the first book that I have read by this author and it won’t be the last。 Marra is a princess。 She watched her eldest sister get married off to a prince in another kingdom only to “She smiled gently， that tiny， frazzled woman。 “There’s only one story about godmothers that’s always true。 Bad things happen if you don’t invite us to the christening。”NETTLE & BONEThank you， T。 Kingfisher， NetGalley， and Tor Books for the opportunity to read this book！Nettle & Bone is written by T。 Kingfisher。 This is the first book that I have read by this author and it won’t be the last。 Marra is a princess。 She watched her eldest sister get married off to a prince in another kingdom only to end up dead。 It was an accident they say。 Now， her second oldest sister， Kania has been married to him to keep the alliance。 She is in danger and even though Marra has been living in a convent， she still wishes to save her sister。 She seeks out a dust-wife。 Once she completes three impossible tasks， Marra， the dust-wife， a knight， a dog made of bones， and a demon-possessed chicken go on a journey to break a curse that holds her sister hostage。Trigger Warnings: abuse， death， pregnancy loss， child deathWell， color me surprised。 The synopsis intrigued me， the cover gorgeous， but I was still nervous。 But I was pleasantly surprised！ This book is just so clever and unique。 First， there is the random mesh of characters…but it works！ Marra doesn’t fit in the world that she was born into but cares deeply。 I loved watching her find her path。 The star of this book is really the dust-wife。 I pictured her as a spunky old witch， and I want to be her when I grow up。There are references to well-known fairie tales but this book takes those tales and reworks them into something dark and so unique。 I could not put this down and I hope this is not the last we see of this world and these characters。 The book ends perfectly but you will not see me complaining if there is a book two。One of my favorite aspects of this book is the dialogue。 It is so witty and I found myself laughing out loud throughout this book！“So you noticed， ” said Agnes， pleased。 “And he’s quite the gentleman， too”“He’s wanted for murder in his home country。”NETTLE & BONEOverall， I was completely captivated！ I can’t wait for more！ Also， just because the dog is made of bone doesn’t make him less real。 You have been warned。 5 out of 5 stars！ 。。。more

Rebecca ，

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 k 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！ 。。。more

Rachel ，

Wow， amazingThis started off pretty bleak， but turned into a Vernon book pretty quickly。 It was clever， moving， and frequently hilarious。 So great！

Jill Carroll ，

C’mon， Marra。 Gotta jimkirk the heck out of this kobiyashi maru。

Mark Alpheus ，

A demon chicken， a dust-wife （which is basically a witch who can commune with the dead + other magic stuff）， a godmother who can gift or curse children， a murderer， a dog made of bones， and a nun。 Imagine this cast on a journey for revenge， intriguing， isn't it？Nettle and Bone by T。 Kingfisher is a standalone fantasy which contains these elements， while also discussing domestic abuse and what it means to be a woman in a misogynistic world。 It started really great， piqued the right spots out of i A demon chicken， a dust-wife （which is basically a witch who can commune with the dead + other magic stuff）， a godmother who can gift or curse children， a murderer， a dog made of bones， and a nun。 Imagine this cast on a journey for revenge， intriguing， isn't it？Nettle and Bone by T。 Kingfisher is a standalone fantasy which contains these elements， while also discussing domestic abuse and what it means to be a woman in a misogynistic world。 It started really great， piqued the right spots out of its natural mystery aspect。 However， it kind of fell flat for me in the middle when it focused more on the flashbacks。 Still， I gotta applaud this book because it delivered in the end， and the author's writing style is so easy to get through。Giving this book a 3。5 stars out of 5。 Thanks to Titan Books for an E-ARC through Netgalley！ 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I neglected my kid， ignored the dinner in the oven， and let the laundry pile up so I could read this all in one big gulp。 10/10 would do it again

Kelly ，

3。75 — An enjoyable story about the relatively useless third princess and how she saves the kingdom…in a very strange and interesting way， with the help of a number of friends she makes along the way。 Happy reading！

Wendy ，

Extremely sensible princess and demon chicken。

soapturtle ，

Very good！ I enjoyed the story very much。 I liked that Marra wasn't an amazing hero， just determined to help。Also， in the acknowledgements， beta reader Shepherd was praised for all the spinning and weaving knowledge used in the story。 I cannot agree with this enough。 The terms and usages were correct and it was lovely。 Very good！ I enjoyed the story very much。 I liked that Marra wasn't an amazing hero， just determined to help。Also， in the acknowledgements， beta reader Shepherd was praised for all the spinning and weaving knowledge used in the story。 I cannot agree with this enough。 The terms and usages were correct and it was lovely。 。。。more

AJ ，

Here we go， another Kingfisher book for happy readings！ This has the classic Kingfisher elements: a tired and stout， 30+ year old heroine， a thick and dependable love interest， political intrigue， powerful old women， women who are more than what they seem， magic both extravagant and mundane， creepy things， gory things， lovely things， loving things。 Kingfisher has mastered the art of world building that's modest in size。 Not a globetrotting adventure， but enough that our characters don't live in Here we go， another Kingfisher book for happy readings！ This has the classic Kingfisher elements: a tired and stout， 30+ year old heroine， a thick and dependable love interest， political intrigue， powerful old women， women who are more than what they seem， magic both extravagant and mundane， creepy things， gory things， lovely things， loving things。 Kingfisher has mastered the art of world building that's modest in size。 Not a globetrotting adventure， but enough that our characters don't live in a cardboard diorama。 I am curious to see if she'll do more in this particular world。 There's much to explore。 I've read so many fantasies that I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore， but lo！ She accomplishes it。 I love the concept of: （view spoiler）[dust witches， fairy godmothers willing and not， bone dog！！！， a goblin market that's not about penises， CURSE CHILD， puppet as puppeteer？？， using a nun as a cover （hide spoiler）]。 Moreover， Kingfisher continues to write men that make me question my goal of becoming a wizened old maid。 If I ever encountered such a man， I'd be in great trouble。 Took a bit off because （view spoiler）[there was no sex and I feel a bit cheated lol （hide spoiler）]。 4。5/5 。。。more

Sarah Kartak ，

3。75 stars

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Nettle & Bone

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Nettle & Bone&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Nettle & Bone&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0