Fantasy novelist and cult favorite T. Kingfisher (The Hollow Places; The Twisted Ones) pits an underdog princess and a quirky party of adventurers against an evil prince and powerful enchantments in the clever and bold-hearted fairy tale Nettle & Bone.
For Princess Marra's eldest sister, Damia, marriage to a prince ends in her death. Marra's middle sister, Kania, marries the prince next so as to appease the larger kingdom, while Marra leads a contented life of service in a convent. She then learns that the prince had murdered Damia and now abuses Kania, who cannot escape the situation without placing their smaller kingdom in danger of reprisal. "She is riding a dragon," says their mother, "and all of us... are riding along with her." Against all odds, Marra sets out on a quest to kill the prince before he destroys Kania and makes Marra his next victim. Her party consists of a witch who speaks with the dead, an exiled knight, her estranged fairy godmother, an adorable dog made of bones, and a chicken who may be inhabited by a demon. Braving impossible tasks, goblin markets and cursed puppets, the group battles for the fate of a sister, a nation and their own futures.
Marra's hard-fought journey from third-string princess to hero will delight fantasy readers. Kingfisher's signature offbeat humor remains as entertaining as ever, and her treatment of domestic abuse is filled with compassion and dignity. This rollicking feminist fairy tale is filled with redemption, community and courage, its dark passages the road to a satisfyingly uplifting endgame. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads