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A review by youmeandem
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
2.0
I came into this expecting a rampantly feminist read about a group of women, some of them queer, surviving in historical Norway. But as it went on and the hopelessness started to set in, I could hardly find any feminism in its pages, only desperation and women turning on each other at the drop of a hat to win a man's favor.
I enjoyed the writing style, but I found some real issues with the pacing and the characters didn't do much except react and lust after each other—for no apparent reason other than they were the main characters and queer, the suddenness of which I also expect to be the result of the pacing. Months would go by in a few lines and we were supposed to believe they had a really deep and profound relationship, but still the moment they got together it felt empty and misplaced.
If anyone wanted to read about witch trials in 1620s Norway I'm sure this would be an interesting read for them, but if anyone expected even an ounce of feminist actions against said trials I would have to steer them away from this book at all costs.
I enjoyed the writing style, but I found some real issues with the pacing and the characters didn't do much except react and lust after each other—for no apparent reason other than they were the main characters and queer, the suddenness of which I also expect to be the result of the pacing. Months would go by in a few lines and we were supposed to believe they had a really deep and profound relationship, but still the moment they got together it felt empty and misplaced.
If anyone wanted to read about witch trials in 1620s Norway I'm sure this would be an interesting read for them, but if anyone expected even an ounce of feminist actions against said trials I would have to steer them away from this book at all costs.