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A review by a_ab
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I mostly enjoyed this book, but I also have some mixed feelings.
Let's start with the negative, so I could convince myself to end on the positive note:
The bad:
- There are scenes and concepts here heavily inspired by (or closer to 'lifted from') the movie "You've Got Mail", and they are charming, but not new.
- The overdramatization of events feels a lot like emotional manipulation by the author.
- The characters are in they're 30's, but act like hormonal moody teenagers.
- The obligatory sex scenes, which don't feel natural in the context (and too explicit - mismatched from the rest of the book's tone) play a role in the emotional manipulation, making it infinitely worse.
- The overall length of the book. Not the worst offender in this category, but I felt that the book should have been edited better, and that such editing could easily have gotten rid of about 50-70 pages.
The negatives cover 2 of my personal peeves: characters not acting their age and sex stuck in where it doesn't belong.
And yet, I still found the book enjoyable.
The good:
- The world building. Combining the fluffy romcom inspiration of "You've Got Mail" with the other inspiration, which seems to have come from the 1979 movie "Stalker" (or its inspirations or derivatives) is a bold move, especially when it's layered with the fantasy elements of demigods and complex religious beliefs. The thoughtfulness with which all these elements were integrated into a cohesive reality is rather impressive.
- The secondary characters, friendships and family dynamics. They all felt natural and realistic.
- Mercy - she is smart, strong and nonsense when she is not acting like a sulking 15-year-old.
- The overall cuteness and the nicknames.
It all probably adds up to about 3.5*s, but I will round up for the lovely ending.
Let's start with the negative, so I could convince myself to end on the positive note:
The bad:
- There are scenes and concepts here heavily inspired by (or closer to 'lifted from') the movie "You've Got Mail", and they are charming, but not new.
- The overdramatization of events feels a lot like emotional manipulation by the author.
- The characters are in they're 30's, but act like hormonal moody teenagers.
- The obligatory sex scenes, which don't feel natural in the context (and too explicit - mismatched from the rest of the book's tone) play a role in the emotional manipulation, making it infinitely worse.
- The overall length of the book. Not the worst offender in this category, but I felt that the book should have been edited better, and that such editing could easily have gotten rid of about 50-70 pages.
The negatives cover 2 of my personal peeves: characters not acting their age and sex stuck in where it doesn't belong.
And yet, I still found the book enjoyable.
The good:
- The world building. Combining the fluffy romcom inspiration of "You've Got Mail" with the other inspiration, which seems to have come from the 1979 movie "Stalker" (or its inspirations or derivatives) is a bold move, especially when it's layered with the fantasy elements of demigods and complex religious beliefs. The thoughtfulness with which all these elements were integrated into a cohesive reality is rather impressive.
- The secondary characters, friendships and family dynamics. They all felt natural and realistic.
- Mercy - she is smart, strong and nonsense when she is not acting like a sulking 15-year-old.
- The overall cuteness and the nicknames.
It all probably adds up to about 3.5*s, but I will round up for the lovely ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment