Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

This gorgeous, haunting story has the feel of a dark fairy tale, with the princess Marra, a witch (called the dust-wife), the fairy godmother Agnes, and the former knight Fenris coming together as Marra tries to save her sister from a terrible fate.

Instead of being at court, where she struggles with politics and her family relationships, Marra lives at a convent and cultivates somewhat mundane skills like embroidery and spinning wool. But those skills turn out to benefit her as the dust-wife (in exchange for her help) sets her impossible tasks, which Marra works at with diligence — demonstrating the spirit of just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what’s right even when it’s terribly hard.

Every character seems to subvert our expectations from fairy tales, and I enjoyed seeing the different kinds of power and kindness exhibited by both the dust-wife and Agnes, as well as the quiet, gentle strength and support that Fenris provides. This is a beautifully woven story less about grand heroics and more about simply not giving up in the face of adversity.