by Margaret Owen
Series: The Merciful Crow #1
Published on July 30, 2019 by Henry Holt and Co.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
A future chieftain
Fie abides by one rule: look after your own. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime.
A fugitive prince
When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses—and perhaps his throat. But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns.
A too-cunning bodyguard
Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own?
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If you take nothing else from The Merciful Crow, just know that teeth are powerful and there’s a cat named Barf.
Honestly I’m a bit at a loss for words with this book because I loved it SO MUCH! It’s one of those cases where I just want to gush but don’t know what to say. But I guess I can start with the overall idea. . .
. . . which I loved. Crows are taking over YA fantasy but unlike other books I’ve read, including one this year that also had a caste-like system, The Merciful Crow blew them all out of the water. I loved the idea of the different castes being named after types of birds and how that dictated the roles they were supposed to play in the kingdom because it provided a reason for the protagonists to break out of those roles and become something more. And this idea that teeth (bones in general, but teeth specifically) hold power based on the caste they originally came from just hooked me from the beginning. I wanted to know more about the world and how this magic system worked.
But mostly I wanted to learn about Fie as she trained to become a Crow chief and lead a band of her own.
Fie was human, and I don’t mean that there were non-human characters too (I mean there were but not really characters per say). She’s relatable. She has wants and dreams and has fought her entire life to get to where she is now. I loved watching her grow from the fierce little chief-in-training to a leader in her own right. Her loyalty to her friends and family was so powerful and became such a force throughout the book that I wished I was a Crow working with her. But she had her flaws, her stubbornness and her outspokenness at times, but it all worked and made me love her more.
And while Fie was the main protagonist, Owen didn’t skimp on the other characters. Each was fleshed out and stood their ground on the page. I never felt like a side character was sacrificed just to fill a role, but that they were all actual people with their own motives and struggles even if we didn’t get to see everything through Fie’s eyes.
The prince, Jasimir, and his guard Tavin are two good examples. Both come from different castes that looked down on the Crows and ignored how they were treated. It was a constant back and forth between them and Fie as they learned that Crows are people too, and Fie understood that maybe not all nobles were terrible.
Plus the romance. O.M.G. now THAT is how you do a slow burn! It was perfect. The banter, the back and forth are-we-enemies-or-allies but also let’s throw some almost angry sexual tension in the mix and maybe a few life-threatening encounters and UGH. So. Good. Loved it. I need the sequel. I need this ship to live. I need to know it survives.
Okay. Whew. So yeah. The romance was on point. Would highly recommend. But it also wasn’t overwhelming, you know when you’re reading a fantasy and suddenly it becomes a romance? The relationship felt like a natural progression for the characters and fell in line with their development over the course of the book.
Which I suppose I should talk about too — the story, that is. I was hooked from the very beginning. You’re thrown right in the middle of things and given just enough information to keep you on the line for more. The pacing ensured I never wanted to put the book down but also gave me time to breathe between the action-packed scenes. The Merciful Crow has a voice to it. No, the book wasn’t talking, but the narration was distinct in the way I found Nevernight to have its own style. I’m not saying the two are similar voices, mind you, just that it stood out in a good way. Even when I could predict a twist or two, there was always something extra tossed in to keep things interesting.
Basically the book rocked.
The Merciful Crow is a book I want multiple editions of on my shelf. A book that is a must-read for all fantasy fans. And a book that is just downright fantastic.
Highly recommend and I’m already dying for the sequel!
About Austine
I'm a 20-something research proposal developer with a background in the life sciences and education. Reviewer of books since 2011, amateur photographer by day, and aspiring author by night. I believe animals (and books) are better than people.
Sounds great I read a lot of different genres and I will consider reading it before summer is over
I’ve added it to my TBR, this sounds really good to me, particularly the part about a slow burn romance, slow burn is very much my preference. I probably read more contemporary than anything else, especially in the summer, but I do like to read a little of everything, I think changing up genres can really help when it comes to reading slumps.