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vmknmy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3/5
I read The Gilded Ones about a year ago and could not remember anything from it, so I went into this one with only remembering like 3 things lmao, didn't even remember Deka's name until it was mentioned a few pages in or something like that, and I also didn't remember who anyone was at first.
one of the things I liked about the book was the characters- they were all so distinct and ngl after reading a few chapters I remembered who most of them were because the way they were written made them memorable in a way, especially Britta and the way her dialogue is written that shows how she has a different accent than the rest of them, which is just really cool to see :)))
I also really liked the representation in this book, with how the author introduced trans and non-binary characters into the story and how they had people who were "more of a they than a she" and also how the Singular was introduced as an "our" and "they" and how they were all genders I think that's what the book said? cant remember lmao and how they introduced a few characters as being trans (at least that's what I read some of the parts, idk I'm stupid :') ) I also liked the wlw and mlm characters, as they felt like they had more of a purpose in this book rather than just being thrown in for diversity like i felt the first book did, but this one had so much diversity in terms of sexuality and gender which was just really cool to see :)))
The plot in this was also good i think, i liked how there were twists and how things didn't go as they planned. I also liked the fact that Deka had to uncover the truth about the godesses, and how she had to come to terms with it and how it unsettled her that she had been lied to and decieved, which really helped with her character development. It also had a lot of death, with some quite important deaths happening, and one almost made me cry which is rare so i guess that makes it good ? idk
The world is so well developed and so many details are explained and it really develops the culture of Otera and how they explained customs, social norms and social ettiquete is so detailed and aaa the world is really well made
i enjoyed the book and ill probably read the next one but i didn't love it as much as other books ive read so like 4 stars
there's also some mentions of how some characters were transphobic towards another (if i read it correctly, that is) as well as some
I read The Gilded Ones about a year ago and could not remember anything from it, so I went into this one with only remembering like 3 things lmao, didn't even remember Deka's name until it was mentioned a few pages in or something like that, and I also didn't remember who anyone was at first.
one of the things I liked about the book was the characters- they were all so distinct and ngl after reading a few chapters I remembered who most of them were because the way they were written made them memorable in a way, especially Britta and the way her dialogue is written that shows how she has a different accent than the rest of them, which is just really cool to see :)))
I also really liked the representation in this book, with how the author introduced trans and non-binary characters into the story and how they had people who were "more of a they than a she" and also
The plot in this was also good i think, i liked how there were twists and how things didn't go as they planned. I also liked the fact that Deka had to uncover the truth about the godesses, and how she had to come to terms with it and how it unsettled her that she had been lied to and decieved, which really helped with her character development. It also had a lot of death, with some quite important deaths happening, and one almost made me cry which is rare so i guess that makes it good ? idk
The world is so well developed and so many details are explained and it really develops the culture of Otera and how they explained customs, social norms and social ettiquete is so detailed and aaa the world is really well made
i enjoyed the book and ill probably read the next one but i didn't love it as much as other books ive read so like 4 stars
there's also some mentions of how some characters were transphobic towards another (if i read it correctly, that is) as well as some
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual violence
Minor: Transphobia
dhwani's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A perfect sequel to The Gilded Ones (which I rated 5/5 too), The Merciless Ones is dark, adventurous and thoroughly thrilling. It follows the story of Deka, who has finally freed the goddesses but still has to do much more than that to ensure the safety of people in Otera. Enraged by her actions, the jatu are killing and torturing the women even more so, and Deka has to stop it. She comes across a lot of new things which she was never certain existed, hence, with her bloodsisters and the uruni by her side, she is sent on a mission to find an artifact that the goddesses are certain is the reason behind the peculiarities seen among the jatu and the new deathshrieks.
However, as she goes about this journey, she encounters a lot of people who make her question her loyalty to the mothers. She discovers powers she never thought she possessed, and a lot many truths are revealed to her. On the other hand, there is also the enigma of the symbol that makes her lose her senses and the story behind it. She knows that whatever she is against is no common army she can defeat easily, and her only weapon to get out of this battle alive and save the people of Otera is herself.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t remember the previous books easily when a sequel is released, and I didn’t have enough time to reread The Gilded Ones. This book, although, summarised the previous points such that I recollected everything perfectly and the elements leading up to the building of the new story weren’t lost. Deka’s character was my favourite, like always. She is written in a way that lays her vulnerable with both her strengths and weaknesses. Her powers don’t mean that she forgets the trauma she has from what happened to her.
The side characters were also all so well-written. I loved getting an insight to their backstories and despite having so many side characters, none of them were useless or just standing by.
I also liked the fact that unlike other liberal feminist stories, this one focused on the problems faced by all the genders and people instead of the usual man-hating feminism that the mainstream is reverting towards. The values set in this book were so good and I liked that part the most. AND WE LOVE TO SEE BADASS WOMEN FIGHTING AJHBHSB ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE SO SO COOL IMAGINE HAVING POWERS AND FIGHTING TOGETHER AS A TEAM TAKE MY HEART ALREADY!!!
There were also so many plot twists and THE ENDING HABJHHJNFJDSB I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL TO BE HERE ALREADY!!!
I totally loved this book and please read it and let me know so we can scream about it together!!!
However, as she goes about this journey, she encounters a lot of people who make her question her loyalty to the mothers. She discovers powers she never thought she possessed, and a lot many truths are revealed to her. On the other hand, there is also the enigma of the symbol that makes her lose her senses and the story behind it. She knows that whatever she is against is no common army she can defeat easily, and her only weapon to get out of this battle alive and save the people of Otera is herself.
I’m the kind of person who doesn’t remember the previous books easily when a sequel is released, and I didn’t have enough time to reread The Gilded Ones. This book, although, summarised the previous points such that I recollected everything perfectly and the elements leading up to the building of the new story weren’t lost. Deka’s character was my favourite, like always. She is written in a way that lays her vulnerable with both her strengths and weaknesses. Her powers don’t mean that she forgets the trauma she has from what happened to her.
The side characters were also all so well-written. I loved getting an insight to their backstories and despite having so many side characters, none of them were useless or just standing by.
I also liked the fact that unlike other liberal feminist stories, this one focused on the problems faced by all the genders and people instead of the usual man-hating feminism that the mainstream is reverting towards. The values set in this book were so good and I liked that part the most. AND WE LOVE TO SEE BADASS WOMEN FIGHTING AJHBHSB ALL THE CHARACTERS WERE SO SO COOL IMAGINE HAVING POWERS AND FIGHTING TOGETHER AS A TEAM TAKE MY HEART ALREADY!!!
There were also so many plot twists and THE ENDING HABJHHJNFJDSB I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL TO BE HERE ALREADY!!!
I totally loved this book and please read it and let me know so we can scream about it together!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Gaslighting
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