Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel
An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller
An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022
A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022
An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022
A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee
From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.
*The very special hardcover edition features a gold foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*
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.
"Wholly entertaining."—Buzzfeed
"A modern classic."—Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart A Doorway
"Pure delight. T. Kingfisher uses the bones of fairy tale to create something entirely her own."—Emily Tesh, award-winning author of Silver in the Wood
Also by T. Kingfisher
Thornhedge
A Sorceress Comes to Call
What Moves the Dead
What Feasts at Night
A House with Good Bones
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
- Arab American Heritage
- Easter & Lent 2025
- Passover 2025
- National Autism Awareness Month
- National Poetry Month 2025
- Earth Day 04/22/2025
- Library Love
- Financial Literacy
- Buried in the Garden: Garden, Farm, Flower Cozies
- New eBook additions
- Best Books of 2024
- In Memoriam 2024
- Healthy Eating Cookbooks
- See all ebooks collections
- Arab American Heritage
- Easter & Lent 2025
- National Autism Awareness Month
- National Poetry Month 2025
- Library Love
- Earth Day 04/22/2025
- Financial Literacy
- Buried in the Garden: Garden, Farm, Flower Cozies
- New audiobook additions
- Onyx Storm Read- Alikes
- Best Books of 2024
- In Memoriam 2024
- Coping With Stress & Anxiety
- See all audiobooks collections
- #ownvoices / Diverse Books
- Antiracism Resources
- Sheet Music & Song Books
- Bücher auf Deutsch / Books in German
- Civil Service Test Prep
- The Great Courses
- QuickReads Collection
- See all featured collections collections