Three impossible tasks. One princess who never wanted to be a hero. A dog made of bones. A possessed chicken. If that sounds like a fairy tale that took a wrong turn somewhere, you’re getting the general idea of Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.
I picked up the audiobook because I’d heard about the author on Instagram and wanted something entertaining to listen to while doing chores. I wasn’t looking for a complicated fantasy world or a story that required my undivided attention. I wanted witches, folklore vibes, and a little distraction from the daily grind. This book delivered all three, along with a cast of misfits I genuinely enjoyed spending time with.
The plot is fairly predictable in places, and I still have questions about one particularly strange detour. But the accessible writing, gentle humor, and satisfying adventure made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. It also reminded me that a book doesn’t have to be perfect to be exactly the right choice for the moment.
*Spoilers will be hidden and labelled so you can choose to read or skip.
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Before Reading:
Where did I hear about this book: Instagram
Curiosity or Awareness: Awareness
Would I read it if no one was talking about it? Maybe
What I want from this book: I want something to entertain me while I do chores. Fairtale/folklore vibes, general witchiness.
Hype Meter
Goodreads: 4.06 | StoryGraph: 4.13 | Fable: 4.0
My Take: Correctly hyped.
Judge Nettle & Bone By Its Cover
My eye caught on Nettle & Bone while browsing my library app for an audiobook to listen to while doing chores. Unfortunately, it was due to name recognition from the cover. I recalled having heard about T. Kingfisher books on Instagram, Nettle & Bone specifically.
The cover of Nettle & Bone seems to be on the right track, but just feels poorly executed to me. The imagery clearly intends to call to mind the nettle cloak, but looks like a nicely shot picture of a girl in a cheap Halloween costume. The greenery looks plastic and is too loosely “woven” to be considered a cloak of any kind. The bones are prominent, but I think they are supposed to be treated separately from the nettle, if my understanding of the storyline is correct.
I hope that the “good idea, poor execution” does not extend to the book itself. I am willing to take the chance based on my needs for this read–distraction and entertainment that isn’t too heavy.
Color Story
Color, on the other hand, does serve the design. The earthy tones of green and brown against the darker greys of the background gradient supply the necessary witchy vibes and set the tone for a semi-dark fairy tale/fantasy.
Typography Notes
Nettle & Bone are spelled out in all capitals with wide letter and line spacing. The font is rough and appears hand-carved, enhancing the tone for the setting of the story.
Genre Signals
Imagery, palette, and type work together to signal a dark fairy tale or folklore-adjacent fantasy.
Hidden Details
Nothing to declare.
Mood Check
Light in the darkness is what I am feeling based on the cover art for Nettle & Bone.
Beyond the Dust Jacket
The audiobook is narrated by Amara Jasper, who does a lovely job with the different voices and has fantastic pacing for someone who listens to books at 1.0x.
Did the design affect whether I bought the book?
It did not. I am glad that I ignored my superficial urge to pass over a subpar cover and take a chance on Nettle & Bone. Let me tell you why…
Story Snapshot
In Short
A Hugo Award winner about a convent-raised third-born daughter who must complete three impossible tasks from a witch to save her abused sister and overthrow a tyrannical prince.
From the Publisher
From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.
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.
Lines I Highlighted
Then again, few humans were truly worth the love of a living dog. Some gifts you could never deserve.
Characters I Followed Into Battle
Nettle & Bone has a fun cast, a rag-tag crew of misfits who bluster through getting the job done.
Marra is naive but determined. Smart, but happily oblivious until she can’t be any longer. Puts others’ needs before her own. Altruistic and kind. She creates a dog out of bones, Bone Dog, who serves as the main animal companion and the source of some antics.
Fenris is honorable and brave. He has a little backstory, but is otherwise treated more as a plot device/tool to move the otherwise female-led cast toward their ultimate goal. It is very much a turning upside down of the normal male-led fantasy stories that carry along a token woman who does all the drudgery.
The Dust Wife is a cranky old magical lady who talks to the dead. She is a card. Had me chuckling the whole way through, along with her possessed chicken.
Agnes, a bumbling but lovable fairy godmother, acts as the sunshine in the grumpy-sunshine old lady duo.
Lines I Highlighted
She had not realized that a nun had more power than a princess, that she could close a door.
Writing Style Notes
The writing is easily accessible. Kingfisher does not overcomplicate the world-building. It is there and paints a complete picture, skipping the standard fantasy overwhelm.
Nettle & Bone has a slow-burn, age-gap, no-spice romantic subplot.
The dialogue is jaunty but believable; it adds to the charm of the characters.
Lines I Highlighted
She had been born a princess, which should have been lucky, but the price for never going hungry was to be caught in a struggle between people too powerful to call to justice.
Themes Living Rent-Free In My Head
The greater good vs personal good.
Making choices about who you are and what you stand for, even if that means standing against people you love and care about.
The cursed child is a metaphor for how what we give our attention to holds power over us, sometimes to the expense of our own voice or freedom.
Lines I Highlighted
The history of the world was written in women’s wombs and women’s blood, and there was nothing she could do to change it.
What Landed For Me
What Worked:
- Lovable characters with gentle humor
- Seeing the long-term growth of the FMC
- Accessible world-building without too much setup
What Didn’t Fully Click:
Still not sure what the wasted land of cannibals had to do with the plot, but the writing was colorful
Overall:
Fun, quick read that leaves you satisfied
Lines I Highlighted
Everyone makes up a story about their sins
Intentional Reading Reflection
As I mentioned before, choosing to listen to Nettle & Bone was based largely on having heard about it on socials and needing a short-ish (and currently available) book to listen to while doing a long day of chores. I am not great at paying attention to audiobooks. It bothers me that I have a hard time highlighting or annotating bits for review. So I tend to only choose them when I have a lot of mindless stuff to do. That said…
I am really glad I chose to listen to Nettle & Bone. Amara Jasper was fantastic. Very easy to listen to and differentiate the characters. The book is short-ish for an audiobook, just over 9 hours. So I read it in two days, listening at recorded speed.
The drudgery that Marra went through in many of the beginning chapters made my less intense chore list feel easy. As she shoveled stables, I dusted my bookcase…
I also connected with Marra’s love of needlecraft. I’m also a knitter (though somewhat lapsed and not very good). I also like to sew and fake my way through some silly embroidery. In fact, listening to Nettle & Bone, I was inspired to pick up a “mending and enhancing” project that I had been noodling about for a while.
I had a good time, and think the story and the format are worth recommending!
Cover Promise Rating
Did the cover make promises the story actually kept?
The cover fell flat, but the story delivered! Don’t skip Nettle & Bone because of the cover.
Lines I Highlighted
Our own flaws infuriate us in other people
Final Verdict
Read if you like:
- Fairytale retellings (it’s adjacent)
- Cast of unlikely heroes
- Older fmc & mmc (30s/40s)
- Spice-free romance
- Animal sidekicks
Skip if you dislike:
- Semi-predictable plots
Lines I Highlighted
Freed from all our duties, we charge headlong to take on another responsibility
Reading Debris
This would be a good entry point for a person who wants to give fairy tale/fantasy stories a try.
Oddly related book rec: Confessions of a Pagan Nun
Your Turn
Sometimes chores feel like a fairy tale character’s “three impossible tasks.” Which chores are the most “impossible” for you? Would you feel like a hero if you conquered them?
May your life be as full as your bookshelf and as long as your TBR list.
Happy Reading!
Go On, Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch
“Chicken Scratch” lined, 120-page, paperback journal.
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