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A review by kmartbooks
The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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.