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A review by aksmith92
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Setting the stage: we follow Mercy Birdsall, the daughter of an Undertaker in a world that I don't think is very dissimilar to ours but is much more fantastical. Her role is to see to the dead, aka provide funeral services. Then, we also follow Hart Ralston, a big grump who is a Marshal ensuring that the law is followed and that things called drudges don't wander around the country. Hart regularly interacts with Mercy because drudges are zombies - they inhabit the dead, so when he officially puts them to rest, he takes their bodies to Birdsall & Sons if they don't have "keys" (read to find out what I mean!). Mercy and Hart loathe each other, and the first 25% of the book of their interactions is simply witty banter about that hatred. Throw in a couple of subplots like how another local Undertaker is trying to buy out Birdsall & Sons, the Birdsall family that houses some secrets, and Hart, a demigod, trying to figure out and come to terms with his past. There is also the crux of the plot outside of the romance: drudges are becoming more and more prevalent, something the country really hasn't seen.
Here is what worked for me: I thought this was a pretty innovative fantasy novel - I enjoyed the world with zombies, marshals that help contain the zombies and other order, the gods in this world, and the fact that this novel has to do with undertaking - something you do not see in novels regularly, particularly ones with a heavy dose of romance. I also simply LOVED that Bannen intertwined the soul with an appendix. What in the world! That is incredibly weird and yet funny. I don't know, there were some very odd aspects to this fantasy world that just made me smile. I also liked the prose - it was incredibly readable and quirky. I do think at times it may have veered towards cheesy, but I honestly didn't mind. In addition, I could not stop smiling with Horatio and Bassareus, the nimkilims who carried the good ole' mail. Nimkilims seemed to be reincarnated gods that wound up in certain animal forms like an owl and rabbit. Basareus and Horatio's banter with Mercy and Hart was very well done. Lastly, there is a family aspect in this that I enjoyed. Hart's lack of biological family turned into a found family was heartwarming and Mercy's family was quirky yet loveable.
Sidenote, I loved the realizations Mercy had with Nathan, her ex-boyfriend. Their one coffee meetup was an excellent dose of remembering your self-worth.
In general, I also really enjoyed Mercy's role as the Undertaker and how much the role meant to her. The business aspect/piece in this novel was done really well.
Here is what didn't necessarily work for me: I felt the world-building was a bit...lacking. I think Bannen did a good job at making this novel relatable yet still adhering to a fantasy world. There are mentions of chicken piccata, underwire bras, two-step dancing, BLTs, and overalls, yet there are also mentions of equimare and autoduck - words obviously made up for this world and where one can most certainly infer as a horse (but with webbed feet??) and car, but what in the world did they look like? Nothing like that was described to us. I must admit that sometimes with world-building I like the author to spoon-feed me so I better understand the place - this might be more of a me thing! But regardless, while I loved the idea of zombies called drudges and gods morphed into mail carriers, some of the world still felt underdeveloped (including all the places/cities, which were named but not really discussed. Can I tell you really the difference between Tameria and Bushong? Not really other than something to do with the gods).
In addition, while I understand that Bannen was painting a picture of good ole' confirmation bias, I thought Mercy was a bit of a ding dong when it came to the letter-writing reveal. Without giving much away, I just want to say that it frustrated me that she didn't think more critically. We've witnessed Mercy in the first half of the novel (and later in the second) being smart and innovative in her trade and with her family, yet she somehow let so many clues slide when it came to the letter reveal. I must admit it frustrated me. Then, it frustrated me that a 36-year-old man was struggling to come forward with his secret. Over and over and over and over.
Honestly, it felt like the letter reveal plot of the novel was made to just create more pages on the paper and for additional conflict between the two main characters. On that note, while I think I enjoyed the romance overall, it was that weird slow-burn-ish until it really wasn't. It was like we went from 0 to 100 in one chapter and after Hart was nice to Mercy literally once. I found that very eh. THEN there was the miscommunication, so while I think for a lot of the novel I liked their relationship, other times definitely not so much.
A lot of the novel read like 2.5 stars for me. Thankfully, I enjoyed the ending! I thought it was clever and fitting.
Points (aka stars) for main characters 30+ :)
Here is what worked for me: I thought this was a pretty innovative fantasy novel - I enjoyed the world with zombies, marshals that help contain the zombies and other order, the gods in this world, and the fact that this novel has to do with undertaking - something you do not see in novels regularly, particularly ones with a heavy dose of romance. I also simply LOVED that Bannen intertwined the soul with an appendix. What in the world! That is incredibly weird and yet funny. I don't know, there were some very odd aspects to this fantasy world that just made me smile. I also liked the prose - it was incredibly readable and quirky. I do think at times it may have veered towards cheesy, but I honestly didn't mind. In addition, I could not stop smiling with Horatio and Bassareus, the nimkilims who carried the good ole' mail. Nimkilims seemed to be reincarnated gods that wound up in certain animal forms like an owl and rabbit. Basareus and Horatio's banter with Mercy and Hart was very well done. Lastly, there is a family aspect in this that I enjoyed. Hart's lack of biological family turned into a found family was heartwarming and Mercy's family was quirky yet loveable.
Sidenote, I loved the realizations Mercy had with Nathan, her ex-boyfriend. Their one coffee meetup was an excellent dose of remembering your self-worth.
In general, I also really enjoyed Mercy's role as the Undertaker and how much the role meant to her. The business aspect/piece in this novel was done really well.
Here is what didn't necessarily work for me: I felt the world-building was a bit...lacking. I think Bannen did a good job at making this novel relatable yet still adhering to a fantasy world. There are mentions of chicken piccata, underwire bras, two-step dancing, BLTs, and overalls, yet there are also mentions of equimare and autoduck - words obviously made up for this world and where one can most certainly infer as a horse (but with webbed feet??) and car, but what in the world did they look like? Nothing like that was described to us. I must admit that sometimes with world-building I like the author to spoon-feed me so I better understand the place - this might be more of a me thing! But regardless, while I loved the idea of zombies called drudges and gods morphed into mail carriers, some of the world still felt underdeveloped (including all the places/cities, which were named but not really discussed. Can I tell you really the difference between Tameria and Bushong? Not really other than something to do with the gods).
In addition, while I understand that Bannen was painting a picture of good ole' confirmation bias, I thought Mercy was a bit of a ding dong when it came to the letter-writing reveal. Without giving much away, I just want to say that it frustrated me that she didn't think more critically. We've witnessed Mercy in the first half of the novel (and later in the second) being smart and innovative in her trade and with her family, yet she somehow let so many clues slide when it came to the letter reveal. I must admit it frustrated me. Then, it frustrated me that a 36-year-old man was struggling to come forward with his secret. Over and over and over and over.
Honestly, it felt like the letter reveal plot of the novel was made to just create more pages on the paper and for additional conflict between the two main characters. On that note, while I think I enjoyed the romance overall, it was that weird slow-burn-ish until it really wasn't. It was like we went from 0 to 100 in one chapter and after Hart was nice to Mercy literally once. I found that very eh. THEN there was the miscommunication, so while I think for a lot of the novel I liked their relationship, other times definitely not so much.
A lot of the novel read like 2.5 stars for me. Thankfully, I enjoyed the ending! I thought it was clever and fitting.
Points (aka stars) for main characters 30+ :)