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offictionandfantasy's review against another edition
1.0
DNFed at 55%.
I still didn’t care about any of the characters or the plot by this point, but the magic system was very intriguing! I’m in the middle of a move, so I will change my rating if I pick it up again and manage to finish it.
I still didn’t care about any of the characters or the plot by this point, but the magic system was very intriguing! I’m in the middle of a move, so I will change my rating if I pick it up again and manage to finish it.
klenarto's review against another edition
4.0
This is a story set in a fantasy world where people have god-given powers and are organized in a caste system based on those powers (sort of). The main character is Fie, she is a crow, the very bottom caste.
There was a looot of world building that needed to happen here, and for the most part the author did that. A few thoughts about the world:
I find it to be a little far fetched that there are only 1000 gods descendants (or reincarnates? Not really sure), and at one point there were at least 4 of them all together at once. If there are only 1k gods/witches, wouldn’t they be very rare and garner more respect? Like be part of a counsel or something?
What is this plague?? Has it been around forever? Is it some sort of a punishment for the other caste?
The teeth thing, was kind of gross tbh, but I get it.
Crows are hands-down the most powerful caste. And I like that the caste system is more socio-economic based, than power-based.
I LOVED the fact that the author hinted at “caste privilege” in regards to the lordlings and the crow interactions. And the micro aggressions! And slurs that the prince didn’t even realize were offensive! So so good!
I did not love the accents. “Ken”, “Kenned”, etc confused the hell out of me, and took me out of the story a bit because I had to translate what the characters were saying.
There was a looot of world building that needed to happen here, and for the most part the author did that. A few thoughts about the world:
I find it to be a little far fetched that there are only 1000 gods descendants (or reincarnates? Not really sure), and at one point there were at least 4 of them all together at once. If there are only 1k gods/witches, wouldn’t they be very rare and garner more respect? Like be part of a counsel or something?
What is this plague?? Has it been around forever? Is it some sort of a punishment for the other caste?
The teeth thing, was kind of gross tbh, but I get it.
Crows are hands-down the most powerful caste. And I like that the caste system is more socio-economic based, than power-based.
I LOVED the fact that the author hinted at “caste privilege” in regards to the lordlings and the crow interactions. And the micro aggressions! And slurs that the prince didn’t even realize were offensive! So so good!
I did not love the accents. “Ken”, “Kenned”, etc confused the hell out of me, and took me out of the story a bit because I had to translate what the characters were saying.
linde26's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.25
readwithmesashamarie's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This is one of my long overdue ARC reviews, and because of that I also purchased my own copy of this novel - which is what I read from in order to complete my review. I always like to make this distinction between reading from the ARC copy versus the finished copy in case there are/were discrepancies between the two.
This story threw me head first into a new magic system, political structure, and new spoken vernacular. I found the map, as well as the caste system graph, in the beginning of the novel extremely helpful in acclimating to this story. I love stories that include magical hierarchies, with each group having distinct specialties. This of course can lead to discrimination and oppression of groups of people, because even in a magical setting people are still people (unfortunately).
Our main characters are part of the lowest, and in my opinion most underestimated, caste known as the Crows. They’ve survived purely on ingenuity and their abilities, while reminding the other groups (sometimes in very appropriately drastic measures) why their survival is vital. The money dance the Crows performed in the first few chapters didn’t just ensnare the queen. It also trapped me into continuing further into this book, and discovering as much as I could about their lifestyle and profession.
Fie is going to be a chief one day, and her attitude doesn’t change one iota when she realizes she’s in the presence of royalty. I loved how steadfast she is in her understanding of her position in the world, all the while working to make it better for herself and her future crew. I had some misgivings in the beginning when I realized we might be entertaining a set up for a love triangle, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that the prince himself was openly gay.
As far as the romance goes, I didn’t completely fall for this one. I personally felt so much of Fie’s internalized anger that I couldn’t allow myself to accept that she had fallen for someone who had done nothing (before meeting her) to make the Crow’s lives more humane. However this element of the story wasn’t in any way off putting, and the sweet interactions were a much needed respite from the anxiety-inducing journey this trio was embarking on.
I flew through this novel in three sittings, and really enjoyed the pacing up until the last handful of chapters. I was so fed up with them getting captured or experiencing a near death, near miss, betrayal moment. My threshold for danger around every corner had reached its limit, and I was ready for the finale.
Thankfully the finale was one I enjoyed, and I finished the novel with even more burning curiosity about this magical world and the people in it. I believe this story is a duology, and I would be interested in reading the next book. I’ll have to wait a few days and see if this story lets me move on to something else, or if I need to dive into book two immediately.
This story threw me head first into a new magic system, political structure, and new spoken vernacular. I found the map, as well as the caste system graph, in the beginning of the novel extremely helpful in acclimating to this story. I love stories that include magical hierarchies, with each group having distinct specialties. This of course can lead to discrimination and oppression of groups of people, because even in a magical setting people are still people (unfortunately).
Our main characters are part of the lowest, and in my opinion most underestimated, caste known as the Crows. They’ve survived purely on ingenuity and their abilities, while reminding the other groups (sometimes in very appropriately drastic measures) why their survival is vital. The money dance the Crows performed in the first few chapters didn’t just ensnare the queen. It also trapped me into continuing further into this book, and discovering as much as I could about their lifestyle and profession.
Fie is going to be a chief one day, and her attitude doesn’t change one iota when she realizes she’s in the presence of royalty. I loved how steadfast she is in her understanding of her position in the world, all the while working to make it better for herself and her future crew. I had some misgivings in the beginning when I realized we might be entertaining a set up for a love triangle, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that the prince himself was openly gay.
As far as the romance goes, I didn’t completely fall for this one. I personally felt so much of Fie’s internalized anger that I couldn’t allow myself to accept that she had fallen for someone who had done nothing (before meeting her) to make the Crow’s lives more humane. However this element of the story wasn’t in any way off putting, and the sweet interactions were a much needed respite from the anxiety-inducing journey this trio was embarking on.
I flew through this novel in three sittings, and really enjoyed the pacing up until the last handful of chapters. I was so fed up with them getting captured or experiencing a near death, near miss, betrayal moment. My threshold for danger around every corner had reached its limit, and I was ready for the finale.
Thankfully the finale was one I enjoyed, and I finished the novel with even more burning curiosity about this magical world and the people in it. I believe this story is a duology, and I would be interested in reading the next book. I’ll have to wait a few days and see if this story lets me move on to something else, or if I need to dive into book two immediately.
reading_and_dreaming's review against another edition
4.0
I really really enjoyed The Merciful Crow. Super interesting world and class structure, hidden princes, snarky bodyguards, a strong young chief who has to save the stupid boys to save her people. It's real good.
derangedcultist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-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
tinysierra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
The Merciful Crow is a fitting book to read for Halloween. It has crows, ghasts, teeth, plague, death, and a grumpy cat.
This book excels in its world building. The magic system is super unique. They use the teeth of dead people to cast magic. Society is split into caste systems based on birds (Hawk, Crow, Swan, etc.) The Crow’s Money Dance and Crow traditions were intriguing. Maraget Owen writes great banter and clever protagonists. Also I love a good queer normative world. One of the main characters is pansexual (“Gender has never mattered.”) and another is gay (“he doesn’t fancy girls”).
The slow adventure/quest plot didn’t really interest me that much. Also, I have never seen the word betwixt so much in my life.
Maraget Owen’s other book Little Thieves is my favorite book ever right now. The Merciful Crow felt like a different atmosphere from Little Thieves. It still has Margaret Owen’s clever protagonists, loveable characters, great banter and wit. I will say the humor in The Merciful Crows is less cheeky and doesn’t have real world/internet references that could take you out of the story. But Little Thieves is Barbie. It truly feels like an artwork and a fairy tale from cover to cover. The Merciful Crows is just Ken. It’s a good book. It just doesn’t paint a picture the way Little Thieves does. I mean the dedication in Little Thieves vs the one in The Merciful Crows just shows how much care went into the whole of crafting Little Thieves.
There is kissing and sex but none are described very physically. More emotionally than anything and closed door. Nothing explicit.
This book excels in its world building. The magic system is super unique. They use the teeth of dead people to cast magic. Society is split into caste systems based on birds (Hawk, Crow, Swan, etc.) The Crow’s Money Dance and Crow traditions were intriguing. Maraget Owen writes great banter and clever protagonists. Also I love a good queer normative world. One of the main characters is pansexual (“Gender has never mattered.”) and another is gay (“he doesn’t fancy girls”).
The slow adventure/quest plot didn’t really interest me that much. Also, I have never seen the word betwixt so much in my life.
Maraget Owen’s other book Little Thieves is my favorite book ever right now. The Merciful Crow felt like a different atmosphere from Little Thieves. It still has Margaret Owen’s clever protagonists, loveable characters, great banter and wit. I will say the humor in The Merciful Crows is less cheeky and doesn’t have real world/internet references that could take you out of the story. But Little Thieves is Barbie. It truly feels like an artwork and a fairy tale from cover to cover. The Merciful Crows is just Ken. It’s a good book. It just doesn’t paint a picture the way Little Thieves does. I mean the dedication in Little Thieves vs the one in The Merciful Crows just shows how much care went into the whole of crafting Little Thieves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
bethanyangharads's review against another edition
5.0
This book is one I had gotten out from the library, returned without reading, and then borrowed again a few months later. SO happy I decided to pick this up again as I truly loved it. I had so much fun reading the banter between the main characters and how inequalities between classes was discussed. Also, that romance? Toootally ship them! Ugh, love love love.
evitaveda's review against another edition
4.0
“You make me believe I can do something better with my life than die.”
The Merciful Crow is the first book in a duology and I am definitely captivated. I loved Margaret Owen’s Little Thieves so I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d pick this one up.
I will admit it took me a while to realise I was hooked on this book. The writing style took a bit of getting used to and the main character is quite standoffish before you get to know her properly. The characters definitely grew on me though and I ended up really invested in them all.
The plot was really interesting. I love seeing people overcome trouble together and getting to know each other on a different level. Not to mention, ruling classes beginning to understand the difficulties, challenges and discrimination aimed at the people who are considered the lowest of the low. Fie, Tavin and Jasimir were brilliant characters and I loved watching their dynamic change throughout the story. They overcame so much together and went on a truly action packed adventure! This book is full of high stakes and dangerous situations. I loved the cool magic system too, although it took me a while to understand it.
Overall, a really interesting first book which had be immediately wanting to start the sequel.
Read if you like to see:
🐦⬛YA fantasy
🐦⬛High stakes
🐦⬛Silly banter
🐦⬛Cool teeth magic witches
🐦⬛LGBTQIA+ characters
🐦⬛A little bit of romance
🐦⬛Sneaking around and hiding from a corrupt leader
The Merciful Crow is the first book in a duology and I am definitely captivated. I loved Margaret Owen’s Little Thieves so I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d pick this one up.
I will admit it took me a while to realise I was hooked on this book. The writing style took a bit of getting used to and the main character is quite standoffish before you get to know her properly. The characters definitely grew on me though and I ended up really invested in them all.
The plot was really interesting. I love seeing people overcome trouble together and getting to know each other on a different level. Not to mention, ruling classes beginning to understand the difficulties, challenges and discrimination aimed at the people who are considered the lowest of the low. Fie, Tavin and Jasimir were brilliant characters and I loved watching their dynamic change throughout the story. They overcame so much together and went on a truly action packed adventure! This book is full of high stakes and dangerous situations. I loved the cool magic system too, although it took me a while to understand it.
Overall, a really interesting first book which had be immediately wanting to start the sequel.
Read if you like to see:
🐦⬛YA fantasy
🐦⬛High stakes
🐦⬛Silly banter
🐦⬛Cool teeth magic witches
🐦⬛LGBTQIA+ characters
🐦⬛A little bit of romance
🐦⬛Sneaking around and hiding from a corrupt leader