Title: Nettle & Bone

Author: T. Kingfisher

Publisher: Tor Books 2022

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 245

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

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.

Following yesterday’s fairy tale retelling, I had picked up this other fairy tale inspired book by T. Kingfisher. After a very straight forward tale, I loved how this one completely changed the script. Marra isn’t the damsel who is searching for a love but to save her sister. I loved seeing Marra reach out to a motley crew of characters to help her on her quest. The story unfolds as a great quest with glimpses into other worlds and the magical. I really enjoyed this slim novel.

Next up on the TBR pile: