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A review by dreareads_
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
5.0
This book is simply about how men ruin everything the moment they arrive.... lol jk jk jk... or am I?
The brilliance of this story is not its unpredictability, but the sense of doom you feel after every page knowing what is going to happen in the future. You want to scream at the women, tell them to be careful, to run, but just as they cannot leave the tiny island of Vardø, you cannot stop the forces of ignorance and hatred to sweep them away.
Millwood Hargrave is fantastic at weaving a story that drowns you in darkness, and exudes light in the edges. A relevant story that explores the growing schism between opposite sides, leading to an eruption of horrors and immediate regret.
I was connnected (both in bad and good ways) to each of the characters. I was absolutely terrified of Absalom, I wanted to be friend Kirsten ,
shake sense into Mamma, and feared for Diina's safety .
Maren was an absolute pleasure of a main character, smart but not immune to the histeria and dear that would overcome the town. Ursa warmed my heart with her soft heart, wit, and vulnerability.
I personally loved seeing Marens own queerness come slowly to the surface and her full acceptance of who she is.
Truly marvelous.
TW: death, violence, religious bigotry, racism, burning at the stake, drowning, misogyny, domestic violence, rape, discrimination, animal death.
The brilliance of this story is not its unpredictability, but the sense of doom you feel after every page knowing what is going to happen in the future. You want to scream at the women, tell them to be careful, to run, but just as they cannot leave the tiny island of Vardø, you cannot stop the forces of ignorance and hatred to sweep them away.
Millwood Hargrave is fantastic at weaving a story that drowns you in darkness, and exudes light in the edges. A relevant story that explores the growing schism between opposite sides, leading to an eruption of horrors and immediate regret.
I was connnected (both in bad and good ways) to each of the characters. I was absolutely terrified of Absalom
Spoiler
and rejoiced at his deathSpoiler
and for her to be an actual witch so she could destroy the bastards that killed hershake sense into Mamma
Spoiler
a cautionary tale of what happens when you allow grief to overcome youSpoiler
I appreciate how the book did not lead to the graphic death of an indigenous woman, instead her seeing the reality of it all and using the knowledge that condemned her in their eyes to save her son and herselfMaren was an absolute pleasure of a main character, smart but not immune to the histeria and dear that would overcome the town. Ursa warmed my heart with her soft heart, wit, and vulnerability.
I personally loved seeing Marens own queerness come slowly to the surface and her full acceptance of who she is.
Truly marvelous.
TW: death, violence, religious bigotry, racism, burning at the stake, drowning, misogyny, domestic violence, rape, discrimination, animal death.