“The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires. Her fingers bled where the wire ends cut her. The earliest cuts were no longer bleeding, but the edges had gone red and hot, with angry streaks running backward over her skin. The tips of her fingers were becoming puffy and less nimble. Marra was aware that this was not a good thing, but the odds of living long enough for infection to kill her were so small that she could not feel much concern.”
This opening paragraph knocked me out.
T. Kingfisher is the pen name of an author/illustrator that I deeply respect – Ursula Vernon. She created the Hugo-winning “Digger” webcomic (which is still online for free!). From that success, she’s written many novels and built many worlds with interconnected lessons, imagery, metaphors.
Publisher’s description: “This isn’t the kind of fairy tale where the princess marries a prince.
It’s the one where she kills him.
Marra — a shy, convent-raised, third-born daughter — is relieved not to be married off for the sake of her parents’ throne. Her older sister wasn’t so fortunate though, and her royal husband is as abusive as he is powerful. From the safety of the convent, Marra wonders who will come to her sister’s rescue and put a stop to this. But after years of watching their families and kingdoms pretend all is well, Marra realizes if any hero is coming, it will have to be Marra herself. If Marra can complete three impossible tasks, a witch will grant her the tools she needs. But, as is the way in stories of princes and the impossible, these tasks are only the beginning of Marra’s strange and enchanting journey to save her sister and topple a throne.”
The beginning-to-middle sections of the book are what shine brightest for me, since we watch Marra learn about the world and choose her place in it. I love watching a protagonist square their shoulders and move towards their seemingly impossible goals. My one small complaint is that Marra seemed to regress in this character growth a little later in the novel. She starts to doubt herself and her ability to arrange the prince’s murder – like, Marra, girl, you can do this! But it didn’t detract from the story much, and it let the group dynamic really shine.
Would recommend! It’s always comforting to read books that have happy endings and clear lessons.