Nettled: A Wild Swans Retelling

A mute princess. A distrustful prince. Eight spider-y brothers. One chance to save the kingdom from a scheming stepmother

Princess Maeryn is the only girl stuck in the middle of seven brothers. Life's been full of pranks and the occasional sword fight at the table, but it isn't until her widowed father remarries and fathers an eighth son that the real trouble starts. Now her brothers have been transformed into the most loathsome creatures imaginable, nobody else knows of the curse, and she can't speak a word about it. Literally.

Eadmund is still reeling. His best friend has betrayed him, and his parents have sacrificed his beloved cousin's happiness for political gain, promising her to a cruel prince for reasons he can't understand. Facing his own suddenly arranged marriage leaves him wary as he arrives in Cwmyr to meet his bride. His suspicions seem confirmed when he discovers she is mute, only communicates by writing, and seems strangely affectionate towards the creepy giant spiders that seem to appear in every corner. Are his parents certain they want a mad princess as his bride?

But the more Prince Eadmund comes to know Princess Maeryn, the more he begins to wonder. What if there's some point to her harvesting of nettles and that constant knitting?

Nettled is a sweet, clean retelling of The Wild Swans. While it can be read alone, the books of The Enchanted Tales of Tírare best enjoyed in order.