From the Bookshelf of The Sword and Laser…

Nettle & Bone

T. Kingfisher

Start date: February 1, 2023

Finish date: February 28, 2023

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Nettle & Bone

N&B: Origin story
By David · 6 posts · 71 views

last updated Feb 28, 2023 06:20AM

N&B - GrimCosy?
By Ruth · 84 posts · 167 views

last updated Feb 26, 2023 11:40AM

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What Members Thought

Jul 11, 2023 John Wiswell rated it it was amazing

The first fifty pages are a master class in how to make me care about a protagonist. It sucked me right in, and I still wasn't expecting the journey the rest of the book had in store. Fenris and the Dust Wife are so lovable. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2023 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I liked this a lot, especially Marra's character. I especially like that she's over thirty when all the action takes place. Also the godmothers are super cool. And so are the chickens.

(view spoiler) ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2022 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, ghosts, quest, epic-women, fantasy, romance, gothic, heroine-delivers-a-baby, religion, over-30

T. Kingfisher is an author that constantly delights, and this book was grim and dirty yet magically hopeful. I loved it.

Nettle and Bone is the tale of a princess who wants to kill a prince, but she has no idea how.

Lots of people deserve to die...Not everybody deserves to be a killer.

The story starts with Marra attempting to complete three impossible tasks but destroying her hands and herself in the process. Along the way, Marra contemplates her weaknesses and meets some interesting strangers. ...more

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Mar 22, 2022 Lydia Presley rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, fairy-tales, 2022

Well, that was one of the most backward fairy-tales I've ever read. T. Kingfisher comes in and says, happily ever after doesn't also involve the princess and the prince!

Godmothers? Check. Royalty? Check. Blessing and curses, check and check. But those things we've always viewed as evil or bad in fairy tales are spun around and placed front and center--and not a Disney Villainess way either.

I loved this book quite a bit. Although, the epithet used throughout the book got a bit on my nerves. But ...more

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Aug 31, 2023 Amy Ravenel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

I don't know why it took me so long to read this book, but I'm glad I did. Parts of it are dark but it has a lot of light and hope in it. It totally lived up to the hype. I adored it! ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2022 kvon rated it really liked it

A fairy tale, with a lot of the traditional tropes (three princeses, fairy godmothers, impossible tasks) with more modern sensibilities regarding politics, domestic violence, and women's options. Marra is the youngest princess; she is on a quest to save her sister from an abusive prince. She is not terribly clever or ambitious, and realizes this, and would rather spend her time in the convent learning about weaving and embroidery (although she also learns how to shovel manure, and some other pra ...more

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Mar 05, 2024 Steve Coughlan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Wow. This is the fairy godmother fairy tale for modern adults. It starts weird, so for the first chapter or two I had no idea what was going on, and I briefly worried I was in another Gideon the Ninth situation (which I never understood). But Kingfisher wove a beautiful plot from that initial tangle of impressions with lovable (mostly) characters, some of whom are even human. It's a fast read in the modern world of doorstop best sellers, and so worth it. ...more

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