Marra, a third-born princess of a small city-state, was forced to watch the death of her eldest sister and the mistreatment of the second princess at the hands of Prince Vorling of the Northern Kingdom. Now, realizing that no one will save her, Marra takes it upon herself to look for tools to kill the prince. Seeking out a powerful dust-wife, she is given three impossible tasks to accomplish—but that is truly only the beginning of Marra’s journey. No quest is complete without companions: joining Marra are her great aunt/fairy godmother Agnes; Fenris, a former knight; and the gravewitch and her demon-ridden chicken. These five vow to take on the long-standing power of the Northern Kingdom in order to free Marra’s family and land from the prince’s ruthless grip. This isn’t as dark as Kingfisher’s horror novel
Swordheart but does involve cannibalism and abusive relationships.
VERDICT 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.
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