REVIEW; Nettle & Bone

Title: Nettle & Bone
Author: T. Kingfisher
Genre: Adult, fantasy
Type: E-book
Publisher: Tor Books

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.

I’m so glad this was my introduction to T. Kingfisher. I’ve heard nothing but pretty good things about these books, but still, I didn’t expect it to hold up as well as it did. But boy, was I wrong, and am I glad for it!

Nettle & Bone was definitely more intense than I expected. I think I’d heard so much about some of the other books that I was expecting something a little less – not quite heavy, per se, but maybe weighted? I did love it, though. The stakes were high from the get go, and our protagonist is not a Chosen one but someone who chooses to fight for what she believes in. She thinks so much less of herself than she is, but she’s constantly choosing to help where she can and make the best of things – and faith being such a central part of her life and her character was something I appreciated so much.

Marra being “almost a nun”? Absolutely love it! Faith being central to her in an abstract sort of way – she respects religion for the path she would have chosen, and faith isn’t villainised is something I do appreciate so much. Religion is important to me, so having it feel so central to the main character is something I really, really loved. She’s a little messy, she’s a lot unsure, she’s not put together, and she holds on to her faith to keep going forward – she felt very real in many ways. I love how at the core of her is a protectiveness and a sense of determination that she might not be able to help her sister but she will try. Her love for her sister being the driving force of her story is just so wonderful.

I have zero notes for Fenris, best man, the man that you are. I absolutely adored him, and the relationship between him and Marra, and just him interacting with the world in general.

Magic being something not so rule-bound was a revelation. I love the godmother system, the dust-wives, magic being a little undefined. It was world-building that felt tight because it wasn’t so constrained, in my opinion. It made sense, because people can believe different things and work different ways to achieve the same aims. Just, this world-building in general felt not bogged down by details and made the story rich without overpowering the characters.

I really, really enjoyed this story so much, and I’m so excited to read more by this author.