Professional reviewers defined Nettle and Bone as a feminist fairy tale, and I agree with that assessment, but it feels a little unfair to slap such a finite label on this story. It is a new fairy tale, though it is brilliantly written and doesn't feel new. I was sucked into the story from the start, and only set it down long enough to put dinner in the oven, and pull it out again!

The main character is the third daughter of a king in a small kingdom. Her two older sisters are married off - the second after the eldest dies "from a fall" - to the prince of the wealthy kingdom to the north. As was often the case, these two princesses were basically sacrificed to save their own small kingdom. Marra, the youngest daughter, was sent off to a convent to keep her "safe." She is happy living a normal life without the stresses of being a princess. But after her eldest sister dies "from a fall," and she learns that her second sister is being abused by the prince, Marra is determined to save her sister, somehow without causing the downfall her own kingdom. She sets off on a journey alone for the first time in her life, completes impossible tasks, and gains the help of an odd assortment of friends to help her on her quest.

Marra is refreshingly normal! Her looks are barely mentioned, she isn't the quickest thinker and knows it, but she is determined and fiercely loyal. The impossible tasks set for her are indeed impossible and quite fantastic, but she completes them anyway, much to the dismay of the Dust-Wife who set them for her. She makes interesting sacrifices, earning the respect of her traveling companions, though she is always doubting herself, as anyone would. The characters were unique and flawed and charming and I loved all of them.

This is one of those books that I'll read again and again - not because it's a happy book, but because there is a cast of characters that I fell in love with, and I want to spend more time with them and get to know them better. To me, that's priceless.

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Created Jul 11, 2022 at 8:55am • Submit your own review...