An instant USA Today & Indie bestseller

From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure.

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

“The kind of book that immediately feels like an old friend.”―Melissa Caruso, author of The Tethered Mage

"Clever and bold-hearted . . . this rollicking feminist fairy tale is filled with redemption, community and courage, its dark passages the road to a satisfyingly uplifting endgame."―Shelf Awareness, starred review

“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, author of Silver in the Wood

“Highly recommended for fans of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Helen Oyeyemi’s Gingerbread."―Booklist, starred review