Ésta no es la clase de cuento de hadas en la que la princesa se casa con un príncipe;
sino en la que ella lo mata.
Después de ver a sus hermanas sufrir durante años a manos de un príncipe maltratador;
Marra Âżla tĂ­mida hermana menor criada en un conventoÂż se da cuenta por fin de que nadie
vendrá a rescatarlas. Nadie; excepto ella misma. Entonces; una poderosa bruja le ofrece a Marra los
medios para matar al prĂ­ncipe; si primero es capaz de completar tres tareas imposibles. Pero; como
es habitual en los cuentos de prĂ­ncipes; brujas e hijas marginadas; lo imposible es sĂłlo el principio.
A la misiĂłn de Marra se unen la bruja; una renuente hada madrina; un excaballero caĂ­do en
desgracia y una gallina poseída por un demonio. Juntos; intentarán liberar a la familia de Marra
y a su reino de su tirano gobernante. Novela galardonada con el prestigioso Premio Hugo a la mejor obra de fantasĂ­a o ciencia ficciĂłn del 2023. ( )

My first T. Kingfisher but I certainly enjoyed it enough to read some more novels by her. ( )

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Love me a book with a demon chicken, a goodhearted fairy godmother who's better at cursing than blessing, and a lot of fairy tale tropes that were delightfully turned on their heads. ( )

There was a period in my life when I read every fairy tale I could get my hands on. Way back when, there was this strange age when I read above the junior reader books but didn't really get into the adult fantasy books I could find (ugh, Thomas Covenant, whatever--there's a reason they were never checked out of the library), which left me with fairy tales, folk tales, and myths. Nettle & Bone feels like a delicious blend of the three.

It begins in a kingdom, with the birth of a princess, only this time someone recognizes that the daughters are groomed to be used, not raised for themselves.

"The queen tipped water into her daughter’s mouth and made soothing noises, and the midwives circled like jackals, waiting for the babe to come."

Marra, last in a line of princesses has a special role. She thinks her position allows her to putter around a nunnery, which works for a while. Eventually though, she takes on a quest to a dust-wife. A dust-wife is like the best witches of old, living on the edges of society, complicated in motivation and skill. She sets Marra three tasks (there are always three), but ends up becoming involved despite herself.

“Enough of this place,” said the dust-wife. “Everyone have their souls still? Shadows still attached? Then let’s go before that changes.”

The writing is solid, a nice balance of description and action. There's a few spooky elements, though I wouldn't call them 'horror,' precisely, as well as humorous moments. If the characters feel a little simplistic, it's because that's usually the way in such stories. But Kingfisher gives them agency beyond the tropes, and that makes it feel quite refreshing.

“No.” That was loud enough that Marra winced. “I am giving up my power in order to be decent. If warriors are allowed to stop killing people and bang their swords into plowshares, I ought to be allowed to keep chickens and give children good health and not curse them.”

There are prophesies, unusual animals, goblin markets, underground labyrinths and quite a few dead--or mostly dead. I was 100% on board for this quest and the pace it kept. Nothing lingered too long, except perhaps near the ultimate challenge. One of the more interesting things about it is that there are very few male characters. But what was most impressive, really, was the 'ever after.' Kingfisher recognizes how some of the characters collude in their own oppression and lays a thorny problem of survival at our feet.

I didn't know when I read it that it was the Hugo winner for 2023, but for once I concur with the masses, as well as those clever souls who nominated it for the Locus and Nebula awards. It was a delicious book, reminding me of those days when I read The Blue Fairy Book and D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, but deliciously updated. I will definitely be re-reading. ( )

Oh man I love a good dark fairy tale. So witchy, so spooky. And a BONE DOG? Sign me up. ( )