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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Really wonderful world-building in this novel about 16-year-old Fie, a member of the Crow caste who finds herself thrust into leadership and drawn into thwarting an attempted coup.
I listened to the not-super-impressive audio version, which means I both gave it the benefit of the doubt (oh, I'm tidying up anyhow, so let's stick with the story) and judged it based on the reader's skill (must we attempt a British accent for dialogue when the narrative is spoken in good old 'murican?), so my review is colored thusly.
So this medieval-ish, magic-using society is divided into twelve castes, each named for a species of bird. Phoenixes are the rulers, Peacocks the gentry, Hawks the fighters, and Crows are the lowest, despised by all despite their invaluable service of cleaning up the plague dead. Magic is –– according to Fie's leader's story –– the now-living embodiment of each castes' gods. Fie's magic involves using the remains of the dead to harness that power (use the tooth of a dead Hawk for battle, the tooth of a Phoenix for fire, etc.), and the good news is that she managed to negotiate a whole bag full of Phoenix teeth for cleaning up a pair of plague-dead lordlings. Bad news: the lordlings are not dead.
The story is not surprising –– Fie and the lordlings evade their hunters; Fie is able to rescue her ransomed people; Fie falls in love with one of those lordlings; the story is poised for the next book –– but that is not the point. I took this novel as an entertainment, with familiar way-points, and characters who fit into ready niches, a comfort on a weekend when my hands were busy with other chores.
I listened to the not-super-impressive audio version, which means I both gave it the benefit of the doubt (oh, I'm tidying up anyhow, so let's stick with the story) and judged it based on the reader's skill (must we attempt a British accent for dialogue when the narrative is spoken in good old 'murican?), so my review is colored thusly.
So this medieval-ish, magic-using society is divided into twelve castes, each named for a species of bird. Phoenixes are the rulers, Peacocks the gentry, Hawks the fighters, and Crows are the lowest, despised by all despite their invaluable service of cleaning up the plague dead. Magic is –– according to Fie's leader's story –– the now-living embodiment of each castes' gods. Fie's magic involves using the remains of the dead to harness that power (use the tooth of a dead Hawk for battle, the tooth of a Phoenix for fire, etc.), and the good news is that she managed to negotiate a whole bag full of Phoenix teeth for cleaning up a pair of plague-dead lordlings. Bad news: the lordlings are not dead.
The story is not surprising –– Fie and the lordlings evade their hunters; Fie is able to rescue her ransomed people; Fie falls in love with one of those lordlings; the story is poised for the next book –– but that is not the point. I took this novel as an entertainment, with familiar way-points, and characters who fit into ready niches, a comfort on a weekend when my hands were busy with other chores.
I don't recommend starting this one over breakfast, and then it took me a little while to want to pick it up again (just - cruel violence at the start) but I was humming along invested by partway through and it kept me hooked, and I just borrowed the sequel. Hoping that doesn't end on a cliffhanger? I should probably check.... 7/10.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really enjoyed the unique magic system in this book, and the caste system based around birds was really intriguing as well. However, around the 50% mark, it started to drag and lost its momentum. The plot points started to become a bit redundant and some points were a little too convenient. Not a bad book and will definitely check out the sequel.
It wins you over.
The book started a bit slow and I caught myself skipping over paragraphs a couple of time, but once it got going it had me in its grips. Though you do need to be halfway through for it to do that.
The world she has created is really amazing and worth indulging into. General Draga reminded me of Major General Armstrong so that helped a lot.
The book does have a few moments of laugh which were a huge plus. All in all got me excited for the sequel.
The book started a bit slow and I caught myself skipping over paragraphs a couple of time, but once it got going it had me in its grips. Though you do need to be halfway through for it to do that.
The world she has created is really amazing and worth indulging into. General Draga reminded me of Major General Armstrong so that helped a lot.
The book does have a few moments of laugh which were a huge plus. All in all got me excited for the sequel.
partially my fault because I know I would’ve liked it more if I had physically read it rather than passively listen to it
Solid YA fantasy. Looking forward to the next one. Good character focus and development, I'm kind of curious to see more of the other caste birthrights/magic at work.
I like it when I am right. And when I ordered this book for our own collection I thought "This could be very interesting if done right." And it was. What a wholly original debut.
The character building was strong and the romance believable. The threats to their safety seemed entirely credible. The world, including the magic system and class divisions, felt like a breath of fresh air. I'm worried though, because this seems to be flying very low under the radar and has not received a lot of positive reviews. C'mon, people! This is very good stuff! Honestly, next to Rory Powers' Wilder Girls, this is my favorite debut of the year so far.
Also, if I see one more of these ding dongs in the reviews saying they picked up this book thinking they were going to get Kaz Brekker 2.0 just because the title had the word "crow" in it, and now they're mad about it, I am going to lose my mind. Crows exist in the universe outside of Leigh Bardugo's books. Please leave.
*Copy obtained via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
The character building was strong and the romance believable. The threats to their safety seemed entirely credible. The world, including the magic system and class divisions, felt like a breath of fresh air. I'm worried though, because this seems to be flying very low under the radar and has not received a lot of positive reviews. C'mon, people! This is very good stuff! Honestly, next to Rory Powers' Wilder Girls, this is my favorite debut of the year so far.
Also, if I see one more of these ding dongs in the reviews saying they picked up this book thinking they were going to get Kaz Brekker 2.0 just because the title had the word "crow" in it, and now they're mad about it, I am going to lose my mind. Crows exist in the universe outside of Leigh Bardugo's books. Please leave.
*Copy obtained via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
REREAD UPDATE
I still loved this just as much as I loved it the first time! I wish more people would read this because it’s so unique and refreshing. On to the sequel!
*4.5
“The gods who begat the Crows had a bad sense of humor. Crows came into the world with no blessings, but their witches had a gift all the same. It was why other castes called them bone thieves: their gift was stealing Birthrights.”
You know why I love YA Fantasy so much and will probably read it for the rest of my life? Because I honestly feel that some of the most imaginative worlds come from this group of books. I am always amazed when a YA Fantasy creates a world that is unique and different. It is such an unexpected surprise and feels that a breath of fresh air. That is what this book was for me.
The Merciful Crow is one of the most unique YA Fantasy books I have read in a while. It follows this group of individuals known as Crows, nicknamed The Merciful Crows. In this world, there are different castes and each of these castes have their own Birthrights which gives them different abilities, all except the crows.
The crows are the only caste that is born without any special abilities. The only exception are the crow witches who are able to use other castes teeth to do different things. They are also the only caste untouched by the Sinner’s Plague that has ravaged the land. Their job is to travel to the other castes and deal with the individuals who have this plague since it is extremely contagious and the castes are not immune. They are basically mercy killers.
Fie, our main character, is traveling with her group of crows when they get roped into this job of faking the death of a Crown Prince and his Hawk, making their lives even harder than it was before.
One of the things that stood out to me was how well thought out this world was. You can really tell that the author thought of every detail of how she wanted things to run in this world. Every bit of history was well thought out and placed perfectly in the story. I had to take lots of notes because it can be a bit confusing, but once I got it, I had no problems understanding it.
I am just so in love with the idea of the magic in this world involving teeth. I have never read another book that has used that as the magic source. Teeth are so powerful on their own, but when you give them magical abilities and history, they get even better.
On top of the world being amazing, so were the characters. I loved Fie. She was such an amazing main character. She really took no crap from anyone, especially her royal companions. I also enjoyed all of the side characters. There are quite a few of them, but we only really get to know a few. The prince and his Hawk being two. Tavin, the Hawk, was just great! Jasimir, the Prince, was a brat for a lot of the book but he really surprised me by the end of the book.
The romance here is also worth mentioning. I really enjoyed it. It is almost an enemies to lovers. I wish it was stretched out a little more, maybe until the second book, but I still enjoyed it.
While, I loved seeing the other crows, I don’t feel like we got to see enough of them. I really hope that changes in the sequel because I would love to get to know them a little better.
The representation in this book was really great. I believe that all of the main characters are people of color. Tavin is Pan ( I believe the author mentioned this on Twitter and it is shown on the page). A good diverse YA fantasy! What more could I ask for?
This book also talks a lot about how the Crows are mistreated. They deal with a lot of prejudice from the other caste, who look at them as if they are below them because of who they are and what they do. Even though without the Crows, their society would collapse. The author definitely doesn’t shy away from how much BS it is that they are treated that way.
“I hate it. I hate how, how we’re always the ones who have to keep our mouths shut and take it and keep doing our job, because we’re Crows. You can kick us around anytime because we all know if we kick back, you’ll just put on some white powder, call yourselves Oleanders, and cut every one of us down.”
The ending had so many twists and turns that I could hardly keep up, and I absolutely loved it.
The book is not without faults though. It is a debut and you can definitely tell that. At times the writing got a little clunky and the middle dragged a bit, but I was really impressed overall. I can’t wait for the next book and did you see that title ([b: The Faithless Hawk|41022295|The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow, #2)|Margaret Owen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|64017699])? I cannot.
“Eons ago, he’d told her, when the thousand gods had founded their castes and chosen their graves, they’d left one final blessing before they died: a Birthright for every caste. Every caste, that was, save for the Crows.”
I still loved this just as much as I loved it the first time! I wish more people would read this because it’s so unique and refreshing. On to the sequel!
*4.5
“The gods who begat the Crows had a bad sense of humor. Crows came into the world with no blessings, but their witches had a gift all the same. It was why other castes called them bone thieves: their gift was stealing Birthrights.”
You know why I love YA Fantasy so much and will probably read it for the rest of my life? Because I honestly feel that some of the most imaginative worlds come from this group of books. I am always amazed when a YA Fantasy creates a world that is unique and different. It is such an unexpected surprise and feels that a breath of fresh air. That is what this book was for me.
The Merciful Crow is one of the most unique YA Fantasy books I have read in a while. It follows this group of individuals known as Crows, nicknamed The Merciful Crows. In this world, there are different castes and each of these castes have their own Birthrights which gives them different abilities, all except the crows.
The crows are the only caste that is born without any special abilities. The only exception are the crow witches who are able to use other castes teeth to do different things. They are also the only caste untouched by the Sinner’s Plague that has ravaged the land. Their job is to travel to the other castes and deal with the individuals who have this plague since it is extremely contagious and the castes are not immune. They are basically mercy killers.
Fie, our main character, is traveling with her group of crows when they get roped into this job of faking the death of a Crown Prince and his Hawk, making their lives even harder than it was before.
One of the things that stood out to me was how well thought out this world was. You can really tell that the author thought of every detail of how she wanted things to run in this world. Every bit of history was well thought out and placed perfectly in the story. I had to take lots of notes because it can be a bit confusing, but once I got it, I had no problems understanding it.
I am just so in love with the idea of the magic in this world involving teeth. I have never read another book that has used that as the magic source. Teeth are so powerful on their own, but when you give them magical abilities and history, they get even better.
On top of the world being amazing, so were the characters. I loved Fie. She was such an amazing main character. She really took no crap from anyone, especially her royal companions. I also enjoyed all of the side characters. There are quite a few of them, but we only really get to know a few. The prince and his Hawk being two. Tavin, the Hawk, was just great! Jasimir, the Prince, was a brat for a lot of the book but he really surprised me by the end of the book.
The romance here is also worth mentioning. I really enjoyed it. It is almost an enemies to lovers. I wish it was stretched out a little more, maybe until the second book, but I still enjoyed it.
While, I loved seeing the other crows, I don’t feel like we got to see enough of them. I really hope that changes in the sequel because I would love to get to know them a little better.
The representation in this book was really great. I believe that all of the main characters are people of color. Tavin is Pan ( I believe the author mentioned this on Twitter and it is shown on the page). A good diverse YA fantasy! What more could I ask for?
This book also talks a lot about how the Crows are mistreated. They deal with a lot of prejudice from the other caste, who look at them as if they are below them because of who they are and what they do. Even though without the Crows, their society would collapse. The author definitely doesn’t shy away from how much BS it is that they are treated that way.
“I hate it. I hate how, how we’re always the ones who have to keep our mouths shut and take it and keep doing our job, because we’re Crows. You can kick us around anytime because we all know if we kick back, you’ll just put on some white powder, call yourselves Oleanders, and cut every one of us down.”
The ending had so many twists and turns that I could hardly keep up, and I absolutely loved it.
The book is not without faults though. It is a debut and you can definitely tell that. At times the writing got a little clunky and the middle dragged a bit, but I was really impressed overall. I can’t wait for the next book and did you see that title ([b: The Faithless Hawk|41022295|The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow, #2)|Margaret Owen|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|64017699])? I cannot.
“Eons ago, he’d told her, when the thousand gods had founded their castes and chosen their graves, they’d left one final blessing before they died: a Birthright for every caste. Every caste, that was, save for the Crows.”
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes