Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (Tor Books), picked by Bookseller Camila
“The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires.”
first line, Nettle & Bone
I was browsing for a summer read amongst our new releases when I came upon this brief description on the back jacket of one of our bestsellers.
“This isn’t the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince. It’s the one where she kills him.”
Well, that grabbed my attention and I started Nettle & Bone that very evening. Marra is our princess and the hero of this story, or rather dark & twisty fairy tale. She is the youngest of three sisters in a kingdom struggling to maintain its power. Marrying off the sisters seems to be the only way to keep it safe from invasion, even if the marriage is to a powerful yet abusive prince. We follow our hero Marra while she plans a rescue mission to save her sister, murder a wicked prince, and topple his throne. In order to receive the help she needs to fight such an evil adversary, Marra needs to succeed in this insurmountable quest:
- Build a dog of bones
- Sew cloak of nettles
- Capture moonlight in a jar.
Along the way she meets new friends and gathers a fierce team of the quintessential fairy tale variety which includes a courageous yet disgraced ex-knight, a fairy godmother with unreliable magic, a dog of bones, an ornery grave witch, and a demonic chicken. Can they save her sister and survive this mission? Will they have their happy ending?
I loved reading this dark fantasy and devoured it within one sitting. Nettle & Bone is a perfect summer read… especially if you like a blend of fantasy, horror, unforgettable characters, humor, and a brave feminist protagonist. Enjoy the journey, I sure did.
~ Camila