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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
3.5 STARS!!!!
i loved the beginning but i got pretty bored halfway through, then the ending sucked me back in lol
i loved the beginning but i got pretty bored halfway through, then the ending sucked me back in lol
5/5 stars.
10000/5 stars.
I haven't read a fantasy this good in a WHILE... probably since Serpent & Dove.
Anyways, here are the stats:
Writing: 10/10
World-building: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
Romance: 10000/10
I loved everything about this book - so much so that I went out to buy the sequel before I even got half-way through because I knew I wouldn't be able to wait. Fie is such a strong fmc, but it's so clear to see her flaws as well. Her development is good, but not as good as Jasimir's. His development didn't feel rushed or sudden at all, but he changed so much in such a short period of time - it was magical.
And don't even get me STARTED on Tavin. He rivals every other book boyfriend I have (fantasy or otherwise). I was SWOONING. Please spare my baby boy in the next book Margaret, I'm begging you (and everyone else for that matter).
If you've made it this far and haven't read this, go read it now. You won't regret it.
10000/5 stars.
I haven't read a fantasy this good in a WHILE... probably since Serpent & Dove.
Anyways, here are the stats:
Writing: 10/10
World-building: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
Romance: 10000/10
I loved everything about this book - so much so that I went out to buy the sequel before I even got half-way through because I knew I wouldn't be able to wait. Fie is such a strong fmc, but it's so clear to see her flaws as well. Her development is good, but not as good as Jasimir's. His development didn't feel rushed or sudden at all, but he changed so much in such a short period of time - it was magical.
And don't even get me STARTED on Tavin. He rivals every other book boyfriend I have (fantasy or otherwise). I was SWOONING. Please spare my baby boy in the next book Margaret, I'm begging you (and everyone else for that matter).
If you've made it this far and haven't read this, go read it now. You won't regret it.
4.5/5
Fantastic fantasy with a badass lead and a good amount of swoon.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Fantastic fantasy with a badass lead and a good amount of swoon.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
I LOVED THIS! Fie is amazing! Tavin is amazing! Jasimir is a little shit but also still amazing! THE TEETH MAGIC! Loved how this and the caste system worked.
2.5 which sucks bc I loved Little Thieves!!! The more I move through authors' backlists the more I swear it is cursed for me
This one just didn't do it for me. The magic and caste systems were already kind of confusing from the get go - the caste systems are like named after birds and there's Crows, Hawks, like, I don't even remember, Orioles or some shit.. but Crows are the ones people hate even though they're called in to get rid of dead bodies, and they can get paid in teeth, and they use teeth to fuel their magic, like they burn up a tooth's magic power and harness the past of whoever's tooth it was and they can do random things like go invisible or track people with them... but for some reason they're like the caste of people that folks hate to acknowledge or touch or give any rights to, yeah idk
But they go to pick up these two dead bodies of royals and turns out they aren't actually dead and they needed to be smuggled out of the kingdom and taken to some allies, one is a prince and one is like the lookalike decoy who is supposed to volunteer to die in the prince's place if need be
The pacing was sooooo boring, it eventually ended up just being the main girl, Fie, and the two not-dead guys completing their journey across the map. It was the slowest paced and longest page count of them 3 just walking and having things happen to them. A romance developed, because of course it did, even though I don't know that enough really happened between the two of them to merit them falling for each other lol, then it became both Fie's family and her romance that had to be saved
The action picked up in the last 100 pages or so, and I liked the way it ended, but god it was such a slog to get to that point.
I did like the fact we had a bi love interest, I think the prince was asexual, and the book was sex positive and like anti-slut shaming, which is all stuff I can trust Margaret Owen to do. I'm just really confused about how it can be so similar in some ways to Little Thieves (messy main character, rivals to lovers, convoluted plot) but in other ways soooo deviated from what I liked so much about LT!!!
I may eventually read book 2, mostly because I have it and it's just a duology, but I don't think it'll be any time soon.
This one just didn't do it for me. The magic and caste systems were already kind of confusing from the get go - the caste systems are like named after birds and there's Crows, Hawks, like, I don't even remember, Orioles or some shit.. but Crows are the ones people hate even though they're called in to get rid of dead bodies, and they can get paid in teeth, and they use teeth to fuel their magic, like they burn up a tooth's magic power and harness the past of whoever's tooth it was and they can do random things like go invisible or track people with them... but for some reason they're like the caste of people that folks hate to acknowledge or touch or give any rights to, yeah idk
But they go to pick up these two dead bodies of royals and turns out they aren't actually dead and they needed to be smuggled out of the kingdom and taken to some allies, one is a prince and one is like the lookalike decoy who is supposed to volunteer to die in the prince's place if need be
The pacing was sooooo boring, it eventually ended up just being the main girl, Fie, and the two not-dead guys completing their journey across the map. It was the slowest paced and longest page count of them 3 just walking and having things happen to them. A romance developed, because of course it did, even though I don't know that enough really happened between the two of them to merit them falling for each other lol, then it became both Fie's family and her romance that had to be saved
The action picked up in the last 100 pages or so, and I liked the way it ended, but god it was such a slog to get to that point.
I did like the fact we had a bi love interest, I think the prince was asexual, and the book was sex positive and like anti-slut shaming, which is all stuff I can trust Margaret Owen to do. I'm just really confused about how it can be so similar in some ways to Little Thieves (messy main character, rivals to lovers, convoluted plot) but in other ways soooo deviated from what I liked so much about LT!!!
I may eventually read book 2, mostly because I have it and it's just a duology, but I don't think it'll be any time soon.
This debut author had developed an amazing world where kings and queens rule, individuals still die of the plague and people are identified through their clan affiliations - Peacocks are the rich, Phoenixes are the rulers, Hawks are the warriors and Crows are the undertakers. When an individual is in the advanced stages of the plague, the Crows are called in to give the sick a merciful death and dispose of the body - as crows are the only faction immune to the plague.
This book is well-written, with well-defined characters and the narration was fantastic.
This book is well-written, with well-defined characters and the narration was fantastic.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I ADORED this novel! I listened to the majority as an audiobook (the accents and different voices were not all winners) but this book was still on of the best/most enjoyable books I’ve read in a while.
I read a review on here that said this book was exactly what the reviewer expected it would be, and it seemed to be made out as a bad thing. If you know that you like enemies to lovers, caste systems, time forced spent together, impossible deals made, and reuniting lovers, then this book is for you! Why reinvent a broken wheel when you can do the wheel well?
Seriously, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
I read a review on here that said this book was exactly what the reviewer expected it would be, and it seemed to be made out as a bad thing. If you know that you like enemies to lovers, caste systems, time forced spent together, impossible deals made, and reuniting lovers, then this book is for you! Why reinvent a broken wheel when you can do the wheel well?
Seriously, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
Definitely one of the strongest YA fantasies I've read in recent years. The only reason it took me so long to get through was because I was deliberately pacing myself while I waited for my ordered copy of the sequel to arrive so I could jump straight in after finishing this (so of course, as per Murphy's Law, the sequel arrived about a week later than anticipated).
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, and how dense and detailed the worldbuilding and magic system is. The edition of the book I have has a bonus annotated first chapter at the end, and as someone who normally doesn't care about "bonus" content in books, I actually liked seeing the author point out where she had woven in worldbuilding details, and left foreshadowing for what was to come in the plot. I appreciate when authors put that much thought into their writing.
Furthermore, I felt this book handled it's social commentary and allegory quite well. I've come to expect YA to have quite clear-cut, prescriptive moral lessons, but I felt that The Merciful Crow went a step further by conveying slightly more complex concepts about systemic oppression.
The plot moved at an excellent pace - this isn't a particularly long book, especially for fantasy, but I felt like so much happened, and yet it never felt rushed. The development of the characters and their relationships are for the most part excellent - the romance was maybe a bit rushed towards the end for me, but this is YA after all, and I'm extremely picky with romances anyway. All in all, I'm very excited to move on to the sequel and spend more time in this world.
I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, and how dense and detailed the worldbuilding and magic system is. The edition of the book I have has a bonus annotated first chapter at the end, and as someone who normally doesn't care about "bonus" content in books, I actually liked seeing the author point out where she had woven in worldbuilding details, and left foreshadowing for what was to come in the plot. I appreciate when authors put that much thought into their writing.
Furthermore, I felt this book handled it's social commentary and allegory quite well. I've come to expect YA to have quite clear-cut, prescriptive moral lessons, but I felt that The Merciful Crow went a step further by conveying slightly more complex concepts about systemic oppression.
The plot moved at an excellent pace - this isn't a particularly long book, especially for fantasy, but I felt like so much happened, and yet it never felt rushed. The development of the characters and their relationships are for the most part excellent - the romance was maybe a bit rushed towards the end for me, but this is YA after all, and I'm extremely picky with romances anyway. All in all, I'm very excited to move on to the sequel and spend more time in this world.