Nettle & Bone cover art

Nettle & Bone

Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Nettle & Bone

Written by: T. Kingfisher
Narrated by: Amara Jasper
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $19.42

Buy Now for $19.42

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

2023 - Hugo Award - Winner

2023 Nebula Awards - Nominee, Short-listed

2022 NYPL Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2022 NPR Best Book of the Year, Long-listed

2022 BookPage Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2022 Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Year Long-listed

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.

"Nettle & Bone is the kind of book that immediately feels like an old friend. Fairytale mythic resonance meets homey pragmatism in this utterly delightful story. It's creepy, funny, heartfelt, and full of fantastic characters I absolutely loved!”—Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage

©2021 T. Kingfisher (P)2021 Macmillan Audio
Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Royalty Magic Users Funny Witty Heartfelt Wizardry
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

“Deeply satisfying and darkly funny feminist fairytale.... At its heart a story of good people doing their best to make the unjust world a fairer place, this marvelous romp will delight Kingfisher’s fans and fairytale lovers alike.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Blending fairy-tale familiarity and common-sense characters, Kingfisher’s prose balances grim circumstances with humor and heart. Readers of Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered and Melissa Albert’s ‘The Hazel Wood’ series should pick this up immediately.” —Library Journal, starred review

"Kingfisher’s combination of comedy with feminist rage in a complex fairytale setting makes for a wholly entertaining read." -- Buzzfeed

What listeners say about Nettle & Bone

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    97
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    80
  • 4 Stars
    29
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely loved this!

This book caught me by surprise. Dark and funny and lighthearted and poignant, all at once. Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Refreshing indeed!

Clever writing, great characters (including chickens), and a story that's exciting/fun/important. Perfect narration, too

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

interesting, magical, dark and unique

In the context of the growing popularity for romantasy, Kingfisher takes the tired tropes (in my humble opinion), and weaves an interesting narrative.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

NOT a coming-of-age fantasy

When I saw who the author was I immediately bought the book with no knowledge of the plot. And it was such a breath of fresh air to read a fantasy story about a 30-year-old woman pleasantly living out her life who sets out on an adventure. Not because she's a chosen one, or prophesied, or has been working her whole life towards this goal... But because she finds out that the Prince her estranged sister is married to is abusive and so she decides to kill him.


The narration is excellent and the characters are all wonderful. If ever there's a sequel I'll be pre-ordering it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well done!

Interesting and unique story. Well written and well narrated. Very entertaining listen. Definitely recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A decent story!

I like a story with some fairy tale elements in it (The Bytterbynd series is one of my favorites!) Although 'Nettle and Bone' has a plot much less conveluted than that, I still thoroughly enjoyed it... especially after getting past the first bit with Mara making Bone Dog, having flashbacks of what previously occurred in the life. Great characters, dark humor, people with character traits I did not expect : overall I enjoyed this book, will recommend it to others and can give the author no higher praise than to add it to my perminant library.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well developed characters, creative world, female led.

Fantasy isn’t even my preferred genre but TK does it again. Rich description, but not excessive, easy to follow plot but still complex and compelling. Relatable characters who are not barely legal waifs, but real and interesting.

The acting is well done and entertaining. A great adventure fantasy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great work!

i enjoyed this read from start to finish. excellent story with a wonderful adventure and amazing voice acting!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

5 Stars

A fairytale adventure with serious undertones, subtle and witty humour, magic, and just a touch of romance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

all fives love it

the chemistry and humor between tr characters and the adventure all equals five five five.

And I luv the reading of this book, truly capturing the characters of this story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!