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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
The book provides a vivid vision for the power of found family. The overall plot was engaging and well paced to branch out past the core brawl scenes. Will say, the book doesn't shy away from some dark scenes and most characters at least dabble with immoral actions.
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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
Super slow pacing and missing... something. I enjoyed this but didn't love it. I would read more from Lau - I thought the magic and the world she built were super interesting I just didn't get pulled into the story as much as I would have wanted.
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
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let’s just start by addressing the comps: The Witcher meets Squid Game? Not really. This has monsters and a competition. That's about where the similarities end.
What does work here, and works very well, are the characters and their relationships. The highlight of this entire novel is the deeply nuanced, platonic love between Lythlet and Desil. It’s refreshing to see a book let friendship take center stage—and while I wish it had leaned even harder into that dynamic, what’s here still resonates. Honestly, Desil’s POV could’ve added a ton to the story. His emotional turmoil, his guilt, his (throwing-stones-in-a-glass-house) self-righteousness—it would’ve sung if we could’ve gotten inside his head.
Lythlet’s relationship with her parents is another standout. The way she wrestles with her own guilt and longing, trying to reconcile survival with filial piety, is raw and real. Her parents aren’t cardboard cutouts—they’re living, grieving, breathing people. It adds genuine emotional weight to a world where everyone’s just trying to scrape by.
And then there’s Dothilos. The mentor/mentee relationship between him and Lythlet is uncomfortable, manipulative, and can never be truly trusted—and yet it’s a crucial part of her arc. It’s a toxic dynamic, sure, but it is intentionally written. That said, the book maybe spends too much time letting that dynamic unfold, when it could have been using that space to build out the city’s unrest, or the rising rebellion, or the class war brewing in the background.
That said, the arena fights aren't really the cutthroat bloodsport with betrayals and backstabbing humans I wanted. It’s mostly about killing beasts. And while the monsters are fascinating, the repetition of beast fights takes some of the tension out. You can only read about creative animal killing so many times before you want something more. There aren't that many emotional elements that you can put into a scene when it's just survival. Adding humans would have made this conflict much better. I guess the animals were utilized because they obviously wouldn’t be forfeiting, so it escalated the stakes.
Because here’s the thing—the world wants to be deeper. There are hints of it. Moments of it. But most of the book stays locked inside the arena, which has diminishing returns after the fourth or fifth monster fight. The political tension outside? The real stakes, the anger, the uprising? It’s there, lurking in the margins, and I really wish it had been front and center. The arena moments really seemed like wasted potential.
Still, this was a solid debut. It's smart, layered, and emotionally grounded, even if some of its flashier elements (like the arena) fall a bit flat.
Thanks so much to DAW and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
What does work here, and works very well, are the characters and their relationships. The highlight of this entire novel is the deeply nuanced, platonic love between Lythlet and Desil. It’s refreshing to see a book let friendship take center stage—and while I wish it had leaned even harder into that dynamic, what’s here still resonates. Honestly, Desil’s POV could’ve added a ton to the story. His emotional turmoil, his guilt, his (throwing-stones-in-a-glass-house) self-righteousness—it would’ve sung if we could’ve gotten inside his head.
Lythlet’s relationship with her parents is another standout. The way she wrestles with her own guilt and longing, trying to reconcile survival with filial piety, is raw and real. Her parents aren’t cardboard cutouts—they’re living, grieving, breathing people. It adds genuine emotional weight to a world where everyone’s just trying to scrape by.
And then there’s Dothilos. The mentor/mentee relationship between him and Lythlet is uncomfortable, manipulative, and can never be truly trusted—and yet it’s a crucial part of her arc. It’s a toxic dynamic, sure, but it is intentionally written. That said, the book maybe spends too much time letting that dynamic unfold, when it could have been using that space to build out the city’s unrest, or the rising rebellion, or the class war brewing in the background.
That said, the arena fights aren't really the cutthroat bloodsport with betrayals and backstabbing humans I wanted. It’s mostly about killing beasts. And while the monsters are fascinating, the repetition of beast fights takes some of the tension out. You can only read about creative animal killing so many times before you want something more. There aren't that many emotional elements that you can put into a scene when it's just survival. Adding humans would have made this conflict much better. I guess the animals were utilized because they obviously wouldn’t be forfeiting, so it escalated the stakes.
Because here’s the thing—the world wants to be deeper. There are hints of it. Moments of it. But most of the book stays locked inside the arena, which has diminishing returns after the fourth or fifth monster fight. The political tension outside? The real stakes, the anger, the uprising? It’s there, lurking in the margins, and I really wish it had been front and center. The arena moments really seemed like wasted potential.
Still, this was a solid debut. It's smart, layered, and emotionally grounded, even if some of its flashier elements (like the arena) fall a bit flat.
Thanks so much to DAW and Netgalley for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Headlines:
Sneaky, clever heroine
Politics and secrets
Morally grey
This story landed the reader in an underground world of dubious choices and quick decisions. I felt interested straight away by Lythlet who was a survivor and practical but she also showed chinks of a heart.
The context was a Malaysian-Chinese fantasy setting that painted a vivid picture of life. There was a lot packed into this plot and as a standalone, it worked well.
The friendship-centric elements of the story were what I enjoyed the most. No romance was needed or proffered. I've been a fan of a number of SFF friendship-type stories in the last few years and I add this now to my list of those.
Themes focused on politics, privilege, street-smarts, battles, adversity and society.
Thank you to Solaris Books for the review copy.
Sneaky, clever heroine
Politics and secrets
Morally grey
This story landed the reader in an underground world of dubious choices and quick decisions. I felt interested straight away by Lythlet who was a survivor and practical but she also showed chinks of a heart.
The context was a Malaysian-Chinese fantasy setting that painted a vivid picture of life. There was a lot packed into this plot and as a standalone, it worked well.
The friendship-centric elements of the story were what I enjoyed the most. No romance was needed or proffered. I've been a fan of a number of SFF friendship-type stories in the last few years and I add this now to my list of those.
Themes focused on politics, privilege, street-smarts, battles, adversity and society.
Thank you to Solaris Books for the review copy.
adventurous
emotional
sad
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