Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Serpent Called Mercy

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau

7 reviews

adragoninspace's review against another edition

4.0

emotional inspiring tense

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

jvbook_reader's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

the_abundant_word's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

mezzythedragon's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging emotional tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

It’s a slow one to get into, but it gets better at the second half, namely when Lythlet discovers the really underhanded dealings of the city, and how her entire life is tied to them.

Content Warnings

shay_talksbooks's review against another edition

4.0

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 **

Content Warnings

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring 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: Yes

Gladiator meets The Witcher in this high stakes and utterly compulsive, epic fantasy from debut author Roanne Lau.

Masterfully weaving a pacy and emotionally raw narrative that had me on the edge of my seat. We follow a pair of loveable, underdog-esque protagonists who take up fighting monsters (in a colosseum type arena)— in an effort to pay back their debts and rise out of the slums they’ve barely survived in.

Lythlet, (our sole POV character) was a fascinating if unconventional protagonist; morally ambiguous and unapologetically calculating —she’s willing to do whatever it takes to survive (including lie, cheat, manipulate or steal.) Yet in spite of this, she still holds firm in her moral convictions when it involves the city’s most vulnerable. And as such, brought a sense of relatability and realness to her character that I feel will resonate with a lot of readers.

The pacing was heart poundingly swift too, yet it never diminished the emotional depth (or growth) that our characters undertake—particularly when it came to the horrifying events in the arena and the slow, brutal demise of Lythlet’s closest relationships.

I also adored the nuance and multilayered elements of the prose (which was beautifully crafted) and loved that we could experience such an incredible Malaysian Chinese-fantasy setting. (I also really need an illustrated bestiary as the sun-cursed beasts all sound soo fascinating!)

The focus on corruption in the pursuit of power (and exploitation) was also handled extremely well. It’s unsettling how relevant some of the thematic elements (gentrification, oppression, displacement of the lower classes and the corporate-fuelled greed of the ruling classes) are in relation to current world events.

And (in my opinion) served as a stark reminder at how easily societal structures can be taken for granted, or even dismantled, when the people in power choose profits over the lives of their citizens —or only see empathy as a weakness.

If you haven’t added this to your TBRs yet, then I highly recommend you do so as it’s action packed, thought provoking, and soo very detailed—I was fully immersed! Just be sure to check the TWs first.

Also, a huge thanks to Shalini and Solaris Books for the finished copy.

Content Warnings

kimwritesstuff's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous medium-paced

I liked this book, but didn't love it. It felt so dense and yet I had so many questions about the world and magic. I felt like the main story could have been two books instead of one. I did love that this is a fantasy story without a real romance aspect. There is some flirtation, but always between the main characters and a side character. Lythlet and Desil are best friends, and I love the familial relationship between them. I liked how they really complemented each other and there wasn't any heaving bosoms and stolen glances.

The book takes place over the course of just over a year. There is so much plot that takes place that I was just rushing through the end. So many of their conquessor battles are just glazed over, but I would have liked more description. I also was interested in the real difference between Sun Cursed and Sun Blessed. Also, it seemed like other nations still had magic, so why didn't they? I know it's explained but it just felt so vague.

I would also wager a guess that Lythlet is neurodivergent. I loved the way she was described and her interactions with people. She wasn't a caricature, but a loving representation. The other thing this book does well is describe the harsh ways people get trapped in poverty. The predatory loans and jobs that overpromise and underdeliver. This really was a scrappy underdog story, but the ending isn't pitch perfect. The ending depicts an imperfect world that has years to go, I like a messy ending.

I don't know if I would read another book in this series, but if you like monster fighting rebellious fantasy, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

More...