This is a spoiler free review.
The Merciful Crow
Written by Margaret Owen
Written by Margaret Owen
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: July 30, 2019
Pages: 384
Source: Library Hardcover
Source: Library Hardcover
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
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
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
The Merciful Crow was a story that you can't get out of your head, even long after you've put it down. It's an intriguing read about a world afflicted with prejudice and people who are fighting to end it.
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
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
The Merciful Crow was a story that you can't get out of your head, even long after you've put it down. It's an intriguing read about a world afflicted with prejudice and people who are fighting to end it.
COVER
The cover and the title are what originally made me want to read this book. I like how the cover doesn't show the face or the front of any of the characters as well as doesn't show a lot of the setting, which allowed me to imagine a lot of it.
The cover and the title are what originally made me want to read this book. I like how the cover doesn't show the face or the front of any of the characters as well as doesn't show a lot of the setting, which allowed me to imagine a lot of it.
WORLD-BUILDING
The Merciful Crow had fantastic world building. Margaret Owen gave us a great picture of the society, culture, places and people. I really liked seeing the magic that was threaded within the story and how the different types of people used it.
The people were split into twelve castes and each one had a birthright gifted to them by their gods. Each caste was named after a bird such as the Phoenix caste (which is the royalty caste) has the birthright of fire. However, the lowest caste - the Crows - were born with no birthright and were treated horribly by others. They are hunted and abused by people called the Oleander gentry and shunned in every place they go. Crows are the only people who are immune to a disease called the Sinners' Plague which is impossible to survive and the Crows are necessary as people to mercy kill those ill and to safely dispose of the bodies.
Then there are the characters.
FIE
Fie is a crow as well as a future chieftan. She is a very strong-minded protagonist and goes through incredible development. At the beginning, she is shown to be very stubborn and relentless. When she meets the prince and his bodyguard, she wants to leave them to die because she doesn't think they care one bit about the crows. She isn't a damsel or a damsel in distress and she always puts her loyalty to her family and tribe first. Her harshness is used as a strength and she is filled with rage. It was nice to see that though all her qualities at the beginning of the book remained, by the end of the book other qualities begun to join them. Fie was a very independent and strong character who knew she didn't have to depend on anyone.
TAVIN
Tavin is the prince's bodyguard and body double, and a part of a caste known as Hawks. He is very charmingly enigmatic but also vulnerable. I liked him from the moment we were introduced to him, but his motivations were a little blurry and unknown. He was very loyal to Jasimir but also wanted a life of his own which he didn't really have as a body double. I really liked how he also changed over the course of the book, but kept most of his initial qualities.
JASIMIR
Jasimir is the prince who is heir to the throne, but is worried that he won't get to be king due to his father's wife's evil intentions. He is a little harder to love at first because he is very disconnected from his people and very pompous. However, spending time with Fie changes him so much for the better. He learns about the Crow caste and everything they have to go through and realizes that he has to become king in order to do something about it. I really liked his character development and it makes you like him a lot more than at the beginning.
The Merciful Crow had fantastic world building. Margaret Owen gave us a great picture of the society, culture, places and people. I really liked seeing the magic that was threaded within the story and how the different types of people used it.
The people were split into twelve castes and each one had a birthright gifted to them by their gods. Each caste was named after a bird such as the Phoenix caste (which is the royalty caste) has the birthright of fire. However, the lowest caste - the Crows - were born with no birthright and were treated horribly by others. They are hunted and abused by people called the Oleander gentry and shunned in every place they go. Crows are the only people who are immune to a disease called the Sinners' Plague which is impossible to survive and the Crows are necessary as people to mercy kill those ill and to safely dispose of the bodies.
Then there are the characters.
FIE
Fie is a crow as well as a future chieftan. She is a very strong-minded protagonist and goes through incredible development. At the beginning, she is shown to be very stubborn and relentless. When she meets the prince and his bodyguard, she wants to leave them to die because she doesn't think they care one bit about the crows. She isn't a damsel or a damsel in distress and she always puts her loyalty to her family and tribe first. Her harshness is used as a strength and she is filled with rage. It was nice to see that though all her qualities at the beginning of the book remained, by the end of the book other qualities begun to join them. Fie was a very independent and strong character who knew she didn't have to depend on anyone.
TAVIN
Tavin is the prince's bodyguard and body double, and a part of a caste known as Hawks. He is very charmingly enigmatic but also vulnerable. I liked him from the moment we were introduced to him, but his motivations were a little blurry and unknown. He was very loyal to Jasimir but also wanted a life of his own which he didn't really have as a body double. I really liked how he also changed over the course of the book, but kept most of his initial qualities.
JASIMIR
Jasimir is the prince who is heir to the throne, but is worried that he won't get to be king due to his father's wife's evil intentions. He is a little harder to love at first because he is very disconnected from his people and very pompous. However, spending time with Fie changes him so much for the better. He learns about the Crow caste and everything they have to go through and realizes that he has to become king in order to do something about it. I really liked his character development and it makes you like him a lot more than at the beginning.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Fie's family is her tribe which consists of her adoptive father who is also the chieftan. Fie feels an extreme sense of loyalty towards her tribe and believes that family always comes first. She protects her family throughout the book and always makes it clear how much she cares about them.
I also really liked the hate-to-friends relationship that was developed between Jasimir and Fie. I loved seeing them interact and liked how their relationship changed over the course of the book.
Fie's family is her tribe which consists of her adoptive father who is also the chieftan. Fie feels an extreme sense of loyalty towards her tribe and believes that family always comes first. She protects her family throughout the book and always makes it clear how much she cares about them.
I also really liked the hate-to-friends relationship that was developed between Jasimir and Fie. I loved seeing them interact and liked how their relationship changed over the course of the book.
PLOT
The Merciful Crow is about Fie who lives in a world that is broken down into castes. She belongs to the Crows who's only rule is to look after their own, while serving as undertakers and offering mercy killings to members of other castes affected by a horrible plague. They are called out to collect a dead royal, and she is expecting a big payday, until it turns out that Prince Jasimir and his bodyguard have faked their deaths in an effort to prevent his kingdom from being taken over by a vicious queen. Fie offers the prince protection in his mission to save his kingdom, if he'll provide protection for the Crow caste when he ascends to the throne. Meanwhile, his bodyguard Tavin starts to question whether he wants to shadow and protect Prince Jasimir forever. The trio has to work together in order to save the kingdom, however they might end up betraying each other first.Margaret Owen also tackles a lot of issues in this book such as prejudice. I thought this plot was very original as was the entire world that Margaret Owen has created and I really enjoyed it.
The Merciful Crow is about Fie who lives in a world that is broken down into castes. She belongs to the Crows who's only rule is to look after their own, while serving as undertakers and offering mercy killings to members of other castes affected by a horrible plague. They are called out to collect a dead royal, and she is expecting a big payday, until it turns out that Prince Jasimir and his bodyguard have faked their deaths in an effort to prevent his kingdom from being taken over by a vicious queen. Fie offers the prince protection in his mission to save his kingdom, if he'll provide protection for the Crow caste when he ascends to the throne. Meanwhile, his bodyguard Tavin starts to question whether he wants to shadow and protect Prince Jasimir forever. The trio has to work together in order to save the kingdom, however they might end up betraying each other first.Margaret Owen also tackles a lot of issues in this book such as prejudice. I thought this plot was very original as was the entire world that Margaret Owen has created and I really enjoyed it.
ROMANCE
The romance is a very slow-burn one and certainly doesn't take over the plot. I really liked how it is developed naturally. There is a respect between the two characters and nothing is forced. However, the romance is affected by the social systems in play as one is part of a more privileged cast than the other. It's almost an enemies to lovers romance which is one of my favorites and I didn't think it was too fast paced or forced.
WRITING
I really liked Margaret Owen's writing and how immersive she makes the world. I was hooked from the very first line and I loved how fast-paced the story was. I also loved how she didn't dump all the world-building and information on us at once and that we got to learn about it throughout the book.
The romance is a very slow-burn one and certainly doesn't take over the plot. I really liked how it is developed naturally. There is a respect between the two characters and nothing is forced. However, the romance is affected by the social systems in play as one is part of a more privileged cast than the other. It's almost an enemies to lovers romance which is one of my favorites and I didn't think it was too fast paced or forced.
WRITING
I really liked Margaret Owen's writing and how immersive she makes the world. I was hooked from the very first line and I loved how fast-paced the story was. I also loved how she didn't dump all the world-building and information on us at once and that we got to learn about it throughout the book.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Merciful Crow is an immersive and fast-paced novel. It's full of betrayal, backstabbing, romance and adventure to keep the readers engaged. It's a great addition to the young adult genre and I can't wait to see what the sequel will hold.
Quotes from the Book:
The Merciful Crow is an immersive and fast-paced novel. It's full of betrayal, backstabbing, romance and adventure to keep the readers engaged. It's a great addition to the young adult genre and I can't wait to see what the sequel will hold.
Quotes from the Book:
None Yet
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Crowns
