Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I really liked this book! It’s a very fun concept of battling in arenas and a girl exploring what it means to survive and shine and how to hold true to the person that you are deep down when you are tempted with greed and riches beyond belief. I will say some parts were a little clunky in the sense that the fights could have been a little better (the description was a little confusing) but I really liked the pace of the book and the almost innocence of it because there isn’t a hero at the end. There isn’t the happy ending we think she is going to get and I think that’s the point - we see that after all the battles Lythlet suffers and all the ups and downs, hopes and hardships, she consistently has to choose to have faith and hope in the long run- against all odds. The ending was a little meh for me but it leaves the reader to openly interpret what the future might hold. Some of the vocabulary was a little dense I think it would have been nice to have a visual of the types of gods or the structure of their religions to refer to but overall I liked reading this! Would recommend if you like the hunger games and kind of underdog coming of age stuff.
First I want to thank Solaris and Netgalley for this ebook
I did enjoy this book in parts, but not as much as I wanted to though. The pacing was slow at first but then picked up in the second half. I did like the world building but I do wish the author would have touched more on to the magical aspect in the book, I love anything magic and I wanted more of it.
I didn’t really understand the plot either, there was too much going on that I could really see what was happening. I couldn’t really get on with the characters either.
But I did enjoy the authors writing style and if this was a series I would definitely carry on.
I did enjoy this book in parts, but not as much as I wanted to though. The pacing was slow at first but then picked up in the second half. I did like the world building but I do wish the author would have touched more on to the magical aspect in the book, I love anything magic and I wanted more of it.
I didn’t really understand the plot either, there was too much going on that I could really see what was happening. I couldn’t really get on with the characters either.
But I did enjoy the authors writing style and if this was a series I would definitely carry on.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
comparing this book to The Witcher or Squid Game does it a disservice as it is so unlike them I don't really understand why it was marketed as such! The fact its a fantasy with dangerous beasts, and the characters are in debt they're desperate to pay off is where the similarities end. The world is unique, vibrant and alive with interesting culture and lore I wish could have been expanded on further - the gods and goddesses, the class system, the wider world beyond the city (especially the Wildlands). I found the fact there was zero romance in this book pretty refreshing. It was nice to have a story centered around lasting friendship and the loyalty between them. If you're not a fan of action scenes then this may not be the book for you - this is where the story really shines, in an arena pitted against dangerous magical beasts and creatures, fighting for their lives as spectators cheer them on. Overall an ambitious standalone with compelling, interesting characters and packed full of action.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Thank you Netgalley and Solaris books for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication!
The Serpent Called Mercy follows Lythlet as she attempts to pay off her best friend's debt and escape the cycle of poverty. The world building in this book is thoughtful and intriguing- from the structure of society to the light sources, the author clearly put a ton of effort into creating it.
I love the world this story takes place in as well as the basis in mythology and the social commentary it includes, but the story itself was a little off in some places. While the author does an excellent job of using dialogue to advance the plot in some places, conversations sometimes feel forced and fall victim to info dumping. Additionally, I feel like pacing was far better in the first 60% of the novel than towards the end.
It seems like this book is more suited for YA audiences than the adult fantasy it is marketed as. I almost DNF'd it, but I am overall glad that I finished the story. It shows a lot of promise for future novels!
The Serpent Called Mercy follows Lythlet as she attempts to pay off her best friend's debt and escape the cycle of poverty. The world building in this book is thoughtful and intriguing- from the structure of society to the light sources, the author clearly put a ton of effort into creating it.
I love the world this story takes place in as well as the basis in mythology and the social commentary it includes, but the story itself was a little off in some places. While the author does an excellent job of using dialogue to advance the plot in some places, conversations sometimes feel forced and fall victim to info dumping. Additionally, I feel like pacing was far better in the first 60% of the novel than towards the end.
It seems like this book is more suited for YA audiences than the adult fantasy it is marketed as. I almost DNF'd it, but I am overall glad that I finished the story. It shows a lot of promise for future novels!
adventurous
emotional
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
medium-paced
Thank you NetGalley/DAW for the e-ARC!
This book was hard not to get excited about when I saw it was marketed as the Witcher meets Squid Game. I had imagined a high stakes deadly competition against monsters for the main character to escape debt. And that's what it is... plus a bit of other stuff. The other stuff (being politics and interpersonal problems) comes to the forefront as the book progresses, and the monster fights get to the point where they are glossed over. Not really a complaint, but just trying to set up correct expectations. The fights were interesting at first, and I loved seeing the monsters Lythlet and Desil were fighting. They were really interesting and inventive, and left me wondering a lot about the larger world.
And that larger world was so interesting. I could tell the author put a ton of thought into the history and religion especially, and I wonder how much was cut during the editing process to keep the page count down. Being a standalone, I don't really mind that not all of my worldbuilding questions were answered, but what we got was pretty inelegant. And that's a word I'd use to describe a lot about this book. Not bad, just rough around the edges. A few instances of lore dumping something that would be important in the plot 3 pages later. A lot of the dialogue felt very stilted and cartoonish, especially from the villainous characters. Many points the book is trying to make are spelled out directly on page, which I guess is fine, but does make me feel a little talked down to. This might be more of a me problem than an issue with the book itself, so keep that in mind.
And while those complaints made it so I couldn't love this story, there was a lot I liked about it! It felt very fresh compared to some of the other new fantasy I've been reading recently. There's no romance at all and the story focused on a deep friendship instead, and I loved their relationship, especially in the last chapter. Lythlet was a great main character to follow, and I thought the way she wavered through the story was believable. And, inelegant as it was, I am glad this was a story about people struggling in cycles of poverty and openly discussing the problems that cause and perpetuate it. I think this book would be a good choice for a YA reader who wants more books with social commentary.
This book was hard not to get excited about when I saw it was marketed as the Witcher meets Squid Game. I had imagined a high stakes deadly competition against monsters for the main character to escape debt. And that's what it is... plus a bit of other stuff. The other stuff (being politics and interpersonal problems) comes to the forefront as the book progresses, and the monster fights get to the point where they are glossed over. Not really a complaint, but just trying to set up correct expectations. The fights were interesting at first, and I loved seeing the monsters Lythlet and Desil were fighting. They were really interesting and inventive, and left me wondering a lot about the larger world.
And that larger world was so interesting. I could tell the author put a ton of thought into the history and religion especially, and I wonder how much was cut during the editing process to keep the page count down. Being a standalone, I don't really mind that not all of my worldbuilding questions were answered, but what we got was pretty inelegant. And that's a word I'd use to describe a lot about this book. Not bad, just rough around the edges. A few instances of lore dumping something that would be important in the plot 3 pages later. A lot of the dialogue felt very stilted and cartoonish, especially from the villainous characters. Many points the book is trying to make are spelled out directly on page, which I guess is fine, but does make me feel a little talked down to. This might be more of a me problem than an issue with the book itself, so keep that in mind.
And while those complaints made it so I couldn't love this story, there was a lot I liked about it! It felt very fresh compared to some of the other new fantasy I've been reading recently. There's no romance at all and the story focused on a deep friendship instead, and I loved their relationship, especially in the last chapter. Lythlet was a great main character to follow, and I thought the way she wavered through the story was believable. And, inelegant as it was, I am glad this was a story about people struggling in cycles of poverty and openly discussing the problems that cause and perpetuate it. I think this book would be a good choice for a YA reader who wants more books with social commentary.
Thank you Solaris for the arc. It breaks my heart to dnf this because I want to support South East Asian authors. I had high hopes but I’m afraid this wasn’t for me. I personally wasn’t engaged enough with our characters and the plot to pick this up every night. I read the first two trials and it was the same premise but just different monsters. I’ve read enough trials books and I need them to be different each time to keep engaged. Monsters were cool though and world was promising.
Thank you Net Galley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
DNF at 60%
even though i fairly enjoyed this book in the beginning,
it later became too slow for me and i stopped being
invested in the story. however, it was very original and
might decide to finish it one day, but i know that for now, i can't.
the fighting of the monsters was nicely done, there were a lot of details so i could imagine quite well how the scenes looked. the monsters were creative and most of the time i truly had no idea how they're going to win.
the worldbuilding was good, the author explained to us how the world works, and gave us lots of more details through stories Lythel knew. i loved reading the stories since they were all well written, like the entire novel, and interesting
the characters were likable, well most of them. Lythel, our main character, was very original, she was herself, and loved the way she spoke. her friend Desil however, wasn't very likable. for me he was just a bit too religious which at times made me uncomfortable. other than that, he didn't do much, and he didn't do anything significant. the side characters were cute, i loved the way they interacted with Lythel, and i enjoyed reading about her relationship with her parents.
overall, this novel was pretty good and i think the author is a great writer, the story was just too slow-paced for my liking.
DNF at 60%
even though i fairly enjoyed this book in the beginning,
it later became too slow for me and i stopped being
invested in the story. however, it was very original and
might decide to finish it one day, but i know that for now, i can't.
the fighting of the monsters was nicely done, there were a lot of details so i could imagine quite well how the scenes looked. the monsters were creative and most of the time i truly had no idea how they're going to win.
the worldbuilding was good, the author explained to us how the world works, and gave us lots of more details through stories Lythel knew. i loved reading the stories since they were all well written, like the entire novel, and interesting
the characters were likable, well most of them. Lythel, our main character, was very original, she was herself, and loved the way she spoke. her friend Desil however, wasn't very likable. for me he was just a bit too religious which at times made me uncomfortable. other than that, he didn't do much, and he didn't do anything significant. the side characters were cute, i loved the way they interacted with Lythel, and i enjoyed reading about her relationship with her parents.
overall, this novel was pretty good and i think the author is a great writer, the story was just too slow-paced for my liking.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
This was a solid book that I really enjoyed. It's a bit dark, at times, but it ends up being quite hopeful.
I enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters the most, and especially the character growth of the FMC. She had to make her mistakes to get there, but it was a good journey to go on.
The book didn't go in quite the direction I thought it was going to go in, I have to admit. I thought it was going to trend a little more towards the mythological rather than the political, but it didn't. Or maybe, it was a different kind of political than what I thought it would be. That's not bad, but it was surprising.
However, once I clocked on that it was the kind of political book that it was, it became somewhat predictable. That didn't make it any less enjoyable to read though.
I look forward to seeing more!
I enjoyed the friendship between the two main characters the most, and especially the character growth of the FMC. She had to make her mistakes to get there, but it was a good journey to go on.
The book didn't go in quite the direction I thought it was going to go in, I have to admit. I thought it was going to trend a little more towards the mythological rather than the political, but it didn't. Or maybe, it was a different kind of political than what I thought it would be. That's not bad, but it was surprising.
However, once I clocked on that it was the kind of political book that it was, it became somewhat predictable. That didn't make it any less enjoyable to read though.
I look forward to seeing more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault