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A review by fresholivebread
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
5.0
Pride and Prejudice meets You've Got Mail, set in a unique fantasy world (with zombies!) featuring a romance between a perky undertaker and a grouchy demigod marshal with letter-writing and other zombie (called drudges) and undertaking shenanigans.
The world-building, though very inventive and quirky, took a while for me to understand how it all works. There were too many new things, and the backstory of the different/places, the reimagined days of the week, the New Gods and Old Gods, it all got a bit jumbled, to be honest. But it wasn't very difficult to settle in, and once I did, the world is completely charming and fits the vibe of the book very well.
I loved our MCs - they're both unique, complex, and extremely loveable. Hart Ralston is grumpy, antisocial, and lonely, but he's also courageous with a whole lot of heart. He also has a boatload of vulnerability that just makes me want to hug him. Mercy Birdsall is sweet, dedicated and independent, and so very cheerful despite the nature of her job. She has a loving family but yet, she couldn't help feeling lonely. She's committed and passionate and I couldn't help but love her.
Their romance is one of the more solid enemies to lovers I've read in a while - such sizzling chemistry! 😍 I loved that while they snipe away based on perceptions, at the same time, they are also falling in love with each other's true selves through anonymous letter writing. The banter and bickering are top-notch and eventually burn with so much heat that you just want to knock their heads and tell them to stop being stubborn.
Their loneliness is what drew them to each other and this is expressed so well through their letters. The letters are a major, major highlight - they are so wonderful, and give so much depth to their romance. I especially how the letters made them less lonely and their connection feels very real, and they truly open their hearts and lay out their vulnerabilities. And the romance remained equally wonderful when they got together in real life, I adored them together and he is so head-over-heels in love with her. I did think Mercy's flip is *just* a little quick, though it still works well enough, and I loved how she cares for him. They're so wonderful together and every single moment of them together is precious and swoon-worthy.
The 70% conflict made sense to me, given Hart's fears and yearning. His losses have made him fearful and that had understandably guided his actions/decisions, even though Mercy's anger is completely justified. What happened after made me bawl my eyes out. Mercy's emotions were beautifully written - they are so raw and her sorrow is absolutely flying off the page, and I wondered how was Bannen going to make them come back from that. But her resolution to that was unique, and never felt like a deus ex machina, so props to her for that. I'm just so glad I got my HEA, because Hart and Mercy are precious and their love needs to be protected!
It's a book about life, love, death and living, and I laughed, I cried and I loved every single moment of this. Also the side characters are all mostly *amazing* - especially Pen, Hart's apprentice (and their relationship is so very awesome), and the nimkilims (anthropomorphic mail animals), the snooty Horatio and crass Bassareus.
The world-building, though very inventive and quirky, took a while for me to understand how it all works. There were too many new things, and the backstory of the different/places, the reimagined days of the week, the New Gods and Old Gods, it all got a bit jumbled, to be honest. But it wasn't very difficult to settle in, and once I did, the world is completely charming and fits the vibe of the book very well.
I loved our MCs - they're both unique, complex, and extremely loveable. Hart Ralston is grumpy, antisocial, and lonely, but he's also courageous with a whole lot of heart. He also has a boatload of vulnerability that just makes me want to hug him. Mercy Birdsall is sweet, dedicated and independent, and so very cheerful despite the nature of her job. She has a loving family but yet, she couldn't help feeling lonely. She's committed and passionate and I couldn't help but love her.
Their romance is one of the more solid enemies to lovers I've read in a while - such sizzling chemistry! 😍 I loved that while they snipe away based on perceptions, at the same time, they are also falling in love with each other's true selves through anonymous letter writing. The banter and bickering are top-notch and eventually burn with so much heat that you just want to knock their heads and tell them to stop being stubborn.
Their loneliness is what drew them to each other and this is expressed so well through their letters. The letters are a major, major highlight - they are so wonderful, and give so much depth to their romance. I especially how the letters made them less lonely and their connection feels very real, and they truly open their hearts and lay out their vulnerabilities. And the romance remained equally wonderful when they got together in real life, I adored them together and he is so head-over-heels in love with her. I did think Mercy's flip is *just* a little quick, though it still works well enough, and I loved how she cares for him. They're so wonderful together and every single moment of them together is precious and swoon-worthy.
The 70% conflict made sense to me, given Hart's fears and yearning. His losses have made him fearful and that had understandably guided his actions/decisions, even though Mercy's anger is completely justified. What happened after made me bawl my eyes out. Mercy's emotions were beautifully written - they are so raw and her sorrow is absolutely flying off the page, and I wondered how was Bannen going to make them come back from that. But her resolution to that was unique, and never felt like a deus ex machina, so props to her for that. I'm just so glad I got my HEA, because Hart and Mercy are precious and their love needs to be protected!
It's a book about life, love, death and living, and I laughed, I cried and I loved every single moment of this. Also the side characters are all mostly *amazing* - especially Pen, Hart's apprentice (and their relationship is so very awesome), and the nimkilims (anthropomorphic mail animals), the snooty Horatio and crass Bassareus.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death