Nettle & Bone
#2354.07 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2022 Reading commitment Low T. Kingfisher Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
A standalone dark fairy-tale novel about a princess, Marra, who spends years building a dog from bones and forging a knife from nettles to attempt the murder of her sister's abusive prince husband: a bleakly funny, folkloric quest built on the fairy-tale-task structure but told from a woman past the age fairy tales usually spare a thought for.
Fairy-tale retelling, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Nettle & Bone (2022) core · 4.07 (155,588 ratings); Standalone dark fairy-tale novel (Tor Books, April 2022) -- registered as a single-work universe, T. Kingfisher's second universe in this canon alongside The Saint of Steel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Nettle & Bone? Nettle & Bone's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Nettle & Bone finished? Complete (2022).
- How much reading does Nettle & Bone take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~325 pages).
- How is Nettle & Bone ranked? #235 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 155,588 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #235?
Ranked #235 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.07 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 156k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #234, The Fionavar Tapestry (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 156k ratings · Ranks #235 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2023: won: Nettle & Bone; thehugoawards.org itself could not be reached; registered on the strength of 2 independent contemporary trade-press reports (Gizmodo, CGTN) plus Wikipedia, all in agreement -- revisit and cite thehugoawards.org directly if a future pass can reach it.
- Nebula Award (Best Novel), 2022: nominated: Nettle & Bone
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2023: finalist: Nettle & Bone; sfadb.com could not be reached to independently corroborate; registered as finalist (not won) per Wikipedia -- revisit against sfadb.com in a future pass.
- Dragon Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2022: nominated: Nettle & Bone
Related universes
- Same author The Saint of Steel: Both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), confirmed separate continuities -- Nettle & Bone's standalone dark fairy-tale world shares no characters, setting, or continuity with The Saint of Steel's own secondary world.
- Same author Thornhedge: Both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), confirmed separate continuities -- no shared characters, setting, or continuity across her admitted standalone/series universes.
- Same author A Sorceress Comes to Call: Both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), confirmed separate continuities -- no shared characters, setting, or continuity across her admitted standalone/series universes.
- Same author Hemlock & Silver: Both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), confirmed separate continuities -- no shared characters, setting, or continuity across her admitted standalone/series universes.
- Same author A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking: Both by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon), confirmed separate continuities -- no shared characters, setting, or continuity across her admitted standalone/series universes.
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Suggestions computed from what Nettle & Bone and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Stonewater Kingdom Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.22
- Snake-Eater Cozy fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.20
- Between Two Fires Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.18
- Spinning Silver Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.07 across 155,588 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Nettle & Bone admitted; Core Canon = the single novel accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Nettle & Bone Tier 2
- Nebula Awards: T. Kingfisher nominee page Tier 1
- Gizmodo: The 2023 Hugo Award Winners Have Been Announced Tier 3
- CGTN: Sci-fi writer T. Kingfisher won Hugo Award for Best Novel Tier 3
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: single-work: a genuinely one-off novel, registered per this canon's Once and Future King/LOTR-analogy precedent. Confirmed separate continuity from T. Kingfisher's other admitted universe, The Saint of Steel (a secondary-world series about paladins of a dead god); no shared characters or setting.