The reason we decide to read any book can vary from school assignments to personal interests to recommendations. Then, there are the books that do not receive as much attention compared to other titles, yet everyone who has read the book can’t help but say continuously how “excellent the book is,” “everyone needs to read it,” etc. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher is that book and there is a reason why everyone who has read it can’t stop talking about it. It’s that good.
The protagonist in this narrative is Princess Marra of the Harbor Kingdom. She is the youngest princess of her small kingdom, which the two neighboring—yet larger—kingdoms “haggle” over for access to the ports within the Harbor Kingdom. This conflict forces Marra’s mother, the Queen, to forge an alliance through marriage. Because Marra is the youngest princess, she is sent to live at a convent while her older sisters—Princess Damia and Princess Kania—are left to deal with the politics of the kingdom.
Marra does not comprehend how dire the need for an alliance is during her isolation away from court, even when Princess Damia marries Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom, then dies five months later under mysterious circumstances. It is not until Princess Kania’s marriage to Vorling that both Marra and the rest of the Royal Family understand how precarious the alliance is for their kingdom, and they all come to the same conclusion about the circumstances of Damia’s untimely death.
Now Marra finds herself in a perilous situation. First, Damia’s death was no accident. Second, Kania is suffering under her husband’s cruelty and neither Marra nor her parents can intervene without risking war. Last, Vorling knows about Marra. And Marra and her family know when Vorling tires of Kania, he’ll go on to marry her. Marra decides the only way to protect her family and her kingdom is to kill the prince. The question is, how can she do it without it leading to war?
Marra needs to do the impossible, so she leaves the convent to gain assistance from someone who can perform magic. She searches for a dust-wife—a combination of a witch and gravedigger who is rumored to speak to the dead and have knowledge of the world. The dust-wife, Elspeth, says she will help Marra, for a price. Next, Marra needs a strong fighter to aid (and protect) her on her quest. Both Marra and Elspeth “recruit” Fenris, a knight of prowess with a dark past, from the Goblin Market. Last, Marra asks her fairy godmother—that’s right—for her guidance, too. Marra’s fellowship is set, but can they pull off the task of killing a prince without getting caught?
Nettle & Bone is a balance of dark fantasy and fairy tales. It stands out because there are moments when the reader believes they are reading an original variant of what the posterity of all the characters will tell as a “simple fairy tale.” Readers will be able to identify the fairy tale tropes and they will be able to distinguish them from the (dark) fantasy tropes.
Kingfisher presents her readers with a new fairy tale filled with numerous tropes within a (dark) fantasy setting. Tropes such as “completing three ‘impossible’ tasks” and “getting help from a fairy godmother” will be recognized by all of the readers. However, the quest and the reason for it works well in this story because all of the dark and the gruesome details cannot escape the narrative that’s being presented here.
The story is part fantasy quest and part cautionary tale. Marra keeps referring to the fairy tales she heard growing up as the reason why she will fulfill her quest. Both the dust-wife and her fairy godmother remind her over and over not to view those tales as valid. And unfortunately, the reason Marra goes on her quest goes against everything she learned about princes from those same fairy tales. Vorling is a cruel man who uses his status and his power to abuse those around him, including his current wife [Trigger Warning: domestic abuse and violence]. Instead of the “heroic” prince, Vorling is the villain. The lives of Marra’s family and those from her kingdom are in danger, and Marra does not see any other way out except to get rid of the obstacle permanently. As upsetting and as disturbing as that is, there are others who find themselves in similar predicaments (without a fairy godmother to aid them).
Fans and readers of stories from C.S.E. Cooney, Kelly Barnhill, Marjorie Liu, and A. G. Slatter should read this book. Nettle & Bone is NOT a fairy tale retelling. It is a story with familiar tropes within a familiar setting with a different conflict and an unexpected resolution presented as a new fairy tale everyone can enjoy. There is a reason why so many previous readers have enjoyed this book so much. Read it and see for yourself.
Nettle & Bone is a buzzworthy book that lives up to all the hype. Kingfisher presents us with a fairy tale with a compelling narrative that reminds the audience this story is more (dark) fantasy than fairy tale. Make sure you read the book that has everyone talking about it now, and eventually will be discussed more in the years to come.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Jennie Ivins