i would die for koala lou 🩵

another masterpiece by one of my favourite authors!

this is a fairytale, and contains elements from multiple classic fairytales (clothing woven from nettles like in the wild swans by hans christian andersen, fairy godmothers like in some versions of sleeping beauty or cinderella, a goblin market much like the one from christina rossetti's poem, and probably many others i can't think of right now). makes it very fun to look at these fairytale elements and where they come from (i have fallen into a few research rabbit holes while reading to find out how certain tales developed and in which variants specific elements first appeared, highly recommend).

one of the central themes of the book is the treatment of women in these classic, medieval-inspired fantasy worlds, in particular the lack of agency many of them experience (like being forced to marry, sometimes very young), the gruesome reality of pregnancy (from forced pregnancy to miscarriages, death of the mother, and abortion), harassment, and marital abuse. despite the heavy themes, there are also lighthearted and funny scenes throughout the book.

there is a great cast of characters: marra, a thirty year old princess who is kind of a nun but not really, really likes fiber arts, and has a bit of social anxiety (#relatable); a witch who is (at first begrudgingly) roped into marra's murder plans; fenris, a former knight with a strong sense of duty that isn't helped by his suicidal tendencies; and agnes, a fairy godmother who is not particularly good at blessings but has a very good heart. also my personal favourites: bonedog, a dog made of bones (duh, it's in the name); a chicken possessed by a demon (literally); and finder, a baby chicken cursed to be good at finding safe places. 🐓 i liked that none of the characters were motivated by romantic love; there is some romance, but it's in the background (marra is busy with more important things). instead, marra's main motivations are her love for her sisters and her strong sense of justice. and sometimes justice means gathering a team of unlikely individuals to murder your brother-in-law. 😌