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adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Lythlet and Desil have been friends since childhood. Shackled by a debt-ridden life they fear they'll never escape, they sign up to be conquessors, arena combators that fight sun-cursed beasts in the seedy underworld.
The Serpent Called Mercy is a standalone fantasy, and it's no small thing that the author was able to create a world that felt real and believable within a single book. I got a good feel of who the main characters were, the setting they were in and their daily lives, but I think I would've loved a little more about the sun-cursed beasts they're tasked to defeat. I could imagine them, but there wasn't much background about how or where they were being 'summoned' from for these battles to take place.
The rounds of the tournament differed; some were fantastic, tension-filled fights and others fell a little flat and were almost glazed over. It did start to feel a little repetitive at points, but on the whole I enjoyed what they brought to the story. It did feel like the battles took a backseat towards the middle of the story, but I didn't mind that and I enjoyed the direction Lau took the book.
The real highlight for me were the relationships that Roanne Lau created between the characters. The friendship between Lythlet and Desil and how that changed throughout the story, the complexities of Lythlet's relationship with her Parents, and the tense push-and-pull she had with Master Dothilos, the organiser of the tournament. I enjoyed the politics, and the exploration of deep-rooted injustice and imbalances of power between the wealthy and the poor.
Overall, a fantastic read that I rather loved. The author's Malaysian/Chinese inspiration shone through, and whilst the story wasn't what I went in expecting it to be, I loved the direction Lau took the story even more. This is a debut novel and I cannot wait to read more of her work!
** with thanks to the author and Solaris who provided a free copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
The Serpent Called Mercy is a standalone fantasy, and it's no small thing that the author was able to create a world that felt real and believable within a single book. I got a good feel of who the main characters were, the setting they were in and their daily lives, but I think I would've loved a little more about the sun-cursed beasts they're tasked to defeat. I could imagine them, but there wasn't much background about how or where they were being 'summoned' from for these battles to take place.
The rounds of the tournament differed; some were fantastic, tension-filled fights and others fell a little flat and were almost glazed over. It did start to feel a little repetitive at points, but on the whole I enjoyed what they brought to the story. It did feel like the battles took a backseat towards the middle of the story, but I didn't mind that and I enjoyed the direction Lau took the book.
The real highlight for me were the relationships that Roanne Lau created between the characters. The friendship between Lythlet and Desil and how that changed throughout the story, the complexities of Lythlet's relationship with her Parents, and the tense push-and-pull she had with Master Dothilos, the organiser of the tournament. I enjoyed the politics, and the exploration of deep-rooted injustice and imbalances of power between the wealthy and the poor.
Overall, a fantastic read that I rather loved. The author's Malaysian/Chinese inspiration shone through, and whilst the story wasn't what I went in expecting it to be, I loved the direction Lau took the story even more. This is a debut novel and I cannot wait to read more of her work!
** with thanks to the author and Solaris who provided a free copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking