We first meet Marra digging in a pile of bones left by local cannibals so she can find enough pieces to build a bone dog.

Publishers Weekly gave the novel a starred review, stating that it handled tricky subjects such as domestic violence "with great compassion and care". here, you will find a goblin market, labyrinthine royal burial chambers, a demon-possessed chicken, the blessings and curses of godmothers, a tooth-merchant, a heroine faced with three impossible tasks, angry ghosts, cannibals, a puppet-plagued innkeeper, a thief-wheel, a dog made of bones, and murrrrder. Great world building, quirky, engaging characters whom we really care about, and a fascinating story. Agnes and Fenris were fun additions to the cast of characters, and the dust-wife brought in the dour and pragmatic voice whilst the bone dog and the demon chicken the humorous weirdness that made the story endearing.She has been nominated for the World Fantasy and the Eisner, and has won the Hugo, Sequoyah, Nebula, Alfie, WSFA, Coyotl and Ursa Major awards, as well as a half-dozen Junior Library Guild selections. T. Kingfisher is the adult fiction pseudonym of Ursula Vernon, the multi-award-winning author of Digger and Dragonbreath.

Two had shared a fire with her, some nights ago, although she was careful not to eat their food, even though they offered. Marra adored her beautiful and gentle oldest sister Damia who would allow her to curl up in her bed when she was lonely, but her sister Kania who was closer in age seemed to actually despise the youngest Princess. The brown hen stood on the death mask, which had split in two, looking as serene as only a chicken can look. In the beginning, Marra isn't compelling, and the story starts in a way that makes you think it's going to be Horror, and ultimately isn't, which is going to be either a pro or a contra depending on whether you like Horror or not. This book dragged from the first chapter, which is not something I think I've ever experienced before.

Classic T Kingfisher - a fairy tale that delves deep into the darkness and horror that underlies those stories, both in sinister magic and in human cruelty. At the same time, Marra was sent to a convent so that Kania’s kingdom might not be married into other hands.