A review by baileyk113
The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-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

4.5



4.5 stars

450 pages 

I really love how unique The Guilded Ones series’ world is. I’ve never read a story quite like it, and I’m enjoying it even more as I read more. This book definitely explained so much more, so I found myself enjoying it much more than the first. I also noticed that there didn’t seem to be time jumps and gaps in the story like the first book. One of my critiques was that the first book just glossed over the whole training and fighting to become alaki; the author included all the details this time, which I thought brought me deeper into the story. I really enjoyed how Deka questions the Mothers. It was interesting because the entire time I couldn’t help but think how this mirrored my process of confronting the religion I grew up with. Looking forward to seeing what Deka does as the Angoro. The only big critique I have of this book is that some parts felt over explained. I understand that the author will bring things up from the previous book in the beginning to remind readers of the previous plot, but I felt there were parts later in the story that took away from a scene because there was unnecessary explanation. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. There was one part of the story where Elder Kadiri calls White Hands a “bitch,” and the author just wrote the perfect sentence to describe why. “Ah…There it is again, that word. Any time pious men want to level an insult,they have to dredge it up. But I’m not bothered by it” (224). Just perfect 🤌
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