Nettle & BoneNettle & Bone
What it's about
Marra is the third daughter of a small kingdom's queen, raised quietly in a convent. Her older sister is married to a prince who abuses her, and no one is coming to help. So Marra decides to kill him herself. To do it she needs help: a grumpy gravewitch, a disgraced knight, a fairy godmother and a dog made of bones.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Hugo Award and was a Nebula and Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a funny, dark fairy tale about ordinary people fighting evil.
You'll love it if you liked
A Sorceress Comes to Call
Uprooted
Legends & LattesGood to know
Domestic abuse is at its heart, though handled with care. There's a demon-possessed chicken.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller33 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz26 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #38 of the 86 horror books we rank
- #243 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #282 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1630 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark, Adventurous, Gripping
More by T. Kingfisher
A Sorceress Comes to Call
What Moves the DeadIf you like this, read next
Fairy Tale
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
A Deadly Education
Parasite
Divine Rivals
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's StoneExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Nettle & Bone worth reading?
Yes. It won the Hugo Award and was a Nebula and Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #1,630 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.2 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Nettle & Bone about?
Marra is the third daughter of a small kingdom's queen, raised quietly in a convent. Her older sister is married to a prince who abuses her, and no one is coming to help. So Marra decides to kill him herself. To do it she needs help: a grumpy gravewitch, a disgraced knight, a fairy godmother and a dog made of bones.
How long does it take to read Nettle & Bone?
About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Nettle & Bone?
If you liked it, try A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher, Uprooted by Naomi Novik or Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.