A review by parchmentdreams
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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

4.5

“Most people start with hello.”

Overview
 
Hart and Mercy live in a world where trapped souls come back to life by inhabiting the deceased, and can only be removed by destroying the appendix of the person or creature it is inhabiting. Hart is a Marshal, one who patrols the misty world of Tanria where wandering souls are trapped. Mercy is the eldest daughter of one of the border town undertakers, and inheritor of the family business. But ever since their first meeting, Hart and Mercy have been trapped in a mutual hate-hate relationship - with the exception of Mercy’s dog Leonard.
 
After a mysterious letter - penned but not signed by Hart himself - gets delivered to Mercy, a friendship is struck. But can the budding romance survive the hardest hurdle of any distance relationship - meeting face-to-face?
 
What I Liked
 
I absolutely loved both Hart and Mercy! Their characters are fun and relatable, though their actions can be frustrating at times. I loved the dynamic between Mercy and her family, and Hart and Duckers, not to mention Leonard! And the banter, so much banter!
 
I also really liked the world they were in. I really like Megan’s fantasy worlds and how there is always an element of religion and philosophy. It was really interesting how there were demigod characters (Hart and Alma) but the story focused more on their mortality and human traits while using the concept of immortality as a character development device.
 
In regards to the sex scenes (yes, there were multiple!), can we please take a moment to appreciate the lack of cruingey euphemisms (Maas I’m looking at you)! Not a single velvet-wrapped steel in sight, thank goodness! Also the face that all throughout the book, both Hart and Mercy were ogling the other. We love equal ogling here!
 

“I notice all boobs, regardless of their owners.”

What I Didn’t Like
 
The worldbuilding was a bit confusing at the start, with a lot of terminology that was never really explained properly. It wasn’t until there was a description of an “autoduck” driving on an actual road that I realised it was supposed to be a car like vehicle not a boat! And how an equimaris differed from a regular horse wasn’t really clarified until much later in the book.
 
There were also a few moments as mentioned earlier that I found myself frustrated with both Hart and Mercy. I find the miscommunication trope incredibly irksome and as our protagonists were both prone to jumping to conclusions, I found myself getting a bit frustrated at them. On the whole though, it worked well to help develop their relationship and was used well as a device, so I’m not too bothered by it.
 

“If people can’t remember gods, think how easily forgotten any of us are.”

Other Impressions
 
Overall I loved this fun, heartbreaking tale of love, lonliness, friendship and family. Of how hard it can be to do the right thing, and how easy it is to get caught up in our misconceptions of others. I loved that the characters were fully grown adults, showing that it’s okay not to have your life all sorted out by your 30s. But with friends, family, and furbabies, everything will turn out alright.
 

“For the first time in a long, long while, he wasn’t alone.”