| Title | : | The Boneless Mercies |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0374307067 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780374307066 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published October 4, 2018 |
When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.
The Boneless Mercies Reviews
-
“a dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory”? EXCUSE ME IT IS MY GOD GIVEN BISEXUAL RIGHT TO HAVE THIS BOOK RIGHT THIS SECOND
-
Ahem. I have an announcement to make.
This book and I are enemies.
The Boneless Mercies went out of its way to ruin my life and hurt my feelings and I will not forgive it. I refuse.
I was personally attacked by the synopsis of this book, a retelling of Beowulf in which a group of reformed girl-assassins go off on a jaunt through a high fantasy world to kill a beastie and earn their glory. The more details I consider, the more I feel I should’ve liked it: the mermaid creatures, the magic, the fighting, the badass women everywhere.
And yet, not for a single moment did I enjoy reading this book.
Up to the last page, I was waiting for something to happen. We spend so much time following these girls on a grating trek of boredom through poorly described fight after anticlimactic conflict, and when we finally get to the beastie, it’s the end of the book. And the whole thing takes about eight pages. It’s not even hard.
This has the pacing of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but it’s a STANDALONE. That’s not even slightly forgivable.
This book was supposed to be darkness and violence and the void, and also feminism.
Instead, it was a nonstop train ride to Boring City, running express to Bad Plot.
Bottom line: There’s more action and emotion and excitement in my lack of forgiving this book than there is in its whole storyline.
--------------
pre-review
you know that feeling of when you're reading a book and things start happening and you're like "oh, i must be around a third through" and then actually the book's almost over, it was just super slow?
that's what this book was like, except things never started happening. the book just ended.
review to come / thanks to FSG for the ARC / 1 star
--------------
tbr review
me: i've never read beowulf
this book: i'm a dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory
me, suddenly: beowulf?? i love it. me, and the epic story beowulf? get along like peanut butter and jelly. best pals. big fan. love the Old English Epic of Beowulf -
For many years Boneless Mercies have helped with assisted suicide; Mercies, leader Frey, Ovie who has lost an eye, Juniper the Sea Witch and Runa have grown weary of the death trade and on hearing that one of the last great monsters roams free and is marauding and killing, they decide that such a quest is for them. A clever and interesting read, because even though it has a third person narrator, readers only get to know what the the girls themselves know at any time. This makes everything a mystery from the origins of the girls through to the monster itself.
This book sort of crept up on me, on the face of it being typical young adult fantasy fair, but in reality being a very cool female-centric fantasy quest without romance, without gender specific violence and some very well put together combat scenes. The most shocking thing about this book is that there isn't a sequel! An 8 out of 12, Four Star read. :)
2023 read -
Four fierce young women work a dark trade. They are death for hire, mercy kills on call. Highly recommend this book to fans of Norse myth, The Hobbit, or winding sagas steeped in lore.
Four Boneless Mercies stood at a crossroads near a hangman's tree.
It was like something from a Vorse saga.
In their hands they held four weapons, freshly ripped from the grave.
I smiled. -
It was okay enough!
Mel 🖤🐺🐾 -
Once upon a time, in the final days before Salt and Marsh Witch War, four Boneless Mercies turned their backs on the death trade, and went west, seeking immortality.
This freaking book broke my heart in so many ways I don't even know where to start talking about it.
Badass assassin girls are my weakness and The Boneless Mercies doesn't only have the bestest cast of characters I've ever read about, it's also gifted with an impressively tormented, impactful and visual writing.
When I first read the synopsis, I so wanted to like this book, yet I went into it very carefully because I almost expect it to be a flash in the pan that couldn't live up the hype that was created around it like it happens very often in cases like these. But guess what? This book is great, even way too great for its own hype.
Frey, Runa, Ovie and Juniper (my fave❤️) are the plain example and the written proof that it's possible to have an all-female cast without the girls bitching, pitting and shaming one another. The sisterhood-y feelings, the bond between the girls, THE SEA WITCHES...if this book doesn't scream genuine and healthy feminism to you, I don't know what would.
At this point, you'd think their male counterparts would be the mediocre and weak ones, but that's where you'd be wrong.
Though less relevant, they're still important to the plot and the development of the MC's. And why not, even their own, even if the story doesn't revolve around them.
There's honestly nothing -nothing!- bad or wrong I can say about this bunch of fictional people, and trust me, I wish I had because that would mean I didn't dream all of it.
Yeah, I know I didn't. I just read it and I'm still holding the actual book in my hands like the fuming weapon it is, but you get what I mean.
It's incredible. Too incredible.
There's a mild hint of romance (if you can call it this way)in case you're asking, but it's so mild and hidden among the various friendship, women adoration and heart-wrenching plots and twists, even those who aren't particularly interested in the romantic side of a novel would truly appreciate.
If romance is your everyday bread, well, you might end up starving a little but I promise you it's not a priority.
April Genevieve Tucholke owns the English language like I own my inability to stop eating so many fries.
She can create a mood and she surely can set up a freaking scene.
That drug-induced ritual/mushroom scene in the woods??? Pure art. I still shiver thinking about it.
She also seems immune to the need of writing Mary Sue characters in favor of creating complex, flawed and morally gray ones, and she's not afraid of exploring themes and dynamics only someone with undeniable talent would dare engage in.
In case you didn't get the memo, I am in love with her writing. I wanna woo it and marry it under a started blue sky on a hot summer night.
AGT's became a new absolute favorite and all it took her was something less then 340 pages and the courage to write what really was in her heart.
I stan.
Haaaard.
TW: gore, lots of killing, drug use.
PS: I shamelessly added my bookstagram pic at the top because I'm (again) shamelessly proud of how pretty it looks and even prouder to share with you all that gorgeous biker lady poster my adorable bestie sent my way! 😎
-
Meh Idk. This was boring, felt rushed and pointless.
I had absolutely no connection to any of the characters nor to the story. The writing style was fine most of the time, fighting scenes were pretty shallow though. Overall rather disappointing. -
4.5 stars
The Boneless Mercies is a genderbent Beowulf retelling and the third book I've read by April Genevieve Tucholke. I liked Wink Poppy Midnight for its weirdness and had mixed feelings on Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and this one might be my favorite one of the three.
The Boneless Mercies is, at its heart, a story about friendships. Mostly about friendships between women, but there are some relevant m/f ones too - the only thing that this book lacks is a romance, and I really did not miss it.
Even in YA books that are supposedly about friendships, the romance almost always ends up overshadowing the friendships. Because in YA fiction, friendships are static and boring and one-dimensional, while romance gets the development.
Not here.
This is the only book I know that not only doesn't fall in the "this is just friendship" trap, but reverses it. When the main character is asked whether she's in a relationship with a guy, she answers that they're friends. And the other person answers "so it's deeper, then" (or something like that) and it was so beautiful to see. It's also a sex-positive story. There's no romance, but the main character sleeps with a man she's not in a relationship with, and again, I almost never see this in YA fiction.
The Boneless Mercies is the story of four women looking for a future in a world in which they're forced to wander as outcasts. It's about striving for more while never belonging, about seeking glory. The main characters aren't forced to face peril by circumstances: they look for it. They find it, and they go through it together.
I don't remember the last time I saw that in a YA book. Maybe I never did, especially not in a book with a mostly-female cast, and it was so refreshing. I hadn't realized how used I was to passive main characters.
As I now expect from April Genevieve Tucholke, this book was beautifully written and atmospheric. It has the kind of writing that makes you feel the wind, the snow, the smell of saltwater; that makes you feel as if you're getting lost in the marshes too, as if you're wandering in the mist with the characters.
Some described this book as slow-paced and incomplete, and I see why, but I don't think this story would have worked if it had been written like most YA fantasy books. It's creepy and bloody and dark, but it's mostly sad, and I think many didn't like that. But this is not a story about defeating a beast and falling in love in the process, this is a story about looking for your place in an unwelcoming, changing world, about the uncertainty of it all. The way it feels so distant and so close at the same time is exactly what made it feel like a myth and not just like another retelling that kept the bones of the story but not the heart of it.
There's something nostalgic about it, and I think that's the way it should be.
For something that felt very distant, it sure made me feel a lot of things. It's been a long while since a character death affected me this much, as I find most of them cop-outs. Also, the characters were great and I loved all of them:
🐺 Frey, the narrator, a girl seeking glory in a world in which glory is a man's thing. I loved her a lot.
🐺 Ovie, a warrior girl with a mysterious past. Probably the least developed of the five, but still great.
🐺 Runa, an archer with a very abrasive side. She went through a lot, she just wants to leave. An awesome character.
🐺 Juniper, Sea Witch, the youngest and most magical of the group. Deserves every good thing.
🐺 Trigve, the only guy in the group, a Soft Boy between warrior girls.
I didn't think this book was perfect - I thought that changing words like "Norse" to "Vorse" and "Valhalla" to "Holhalla" felt more cheesy than anything - but it was everything I wanted Sky in the Deep to be earlier this year, and I'm glad I found a book inspired by Norse mythology about female warriors I actually liked.
I did kind of want this book to be gayer. Listen, there was so much sapphic subtext here, but as there was no romance at all, I'm not even mad it just remained subtext. Also, at some point the main character says she wouldn't be mad if Trigve decided to spend the night with a healer girl because she'd do the same thing and... I know, I wouldn't recommend this as a queer book as it's a blink-or-miss thing, but there's no heterosexual explanation for this. Frey is totally bi. -
THE BONELESS MERCIES is a wonder, infused with the spare and melancholy magic of a heraldic ballad. It's the story of an all-women pack of paid mercy killers winding through a Norse-influenced fantasy world on their way to slaying the marauding Blue Vee Beast, thus earning fame, glory, and enough money to leave their old lives behind.
But more than that it's about the world Tucholke creates, which sings with glimpses of mythology and history and plant lore and dead kings and lost goddesses and long-ago battles and people passed out of memory. It feels lived in and deeply magical. I LOVED it. -
3 Stars with some extra lil gold stars
Hmmm honestly I thought this could have been better. Some parts I loved but somehow it wasn't enough at all. I wanted 4 POVs. I wanted more charactarization. I wanted more action. I wanted to get spooked.
I wanted more info. Just more of everything!
Things I really loved
- 4 girl killers
- strong friendships and sisterhood 🖤
- no amnoying drama
- almost no romance
- no ridiculous girl-boy drama, there was actual friendship between boys and girls and such easy companionship I wanted to jump around because I'm sick and tired that there has to be insane drama in every FUCKING BOOOOOOK
- oh and monsterhunting -
Characters: 4 stars
Writing: 3 to 2.5 stars
Plot 3 stars
----
What I loved:
the atmosphere and the world the author built.
The bond between the girls and Trigve.
The Sea Witches home
The mythology she creates, blending with some known ones.
So-so's:
I was interested enough to keep reading but at times I could feel my eyes glazing over and there were times I would look at the book and think Do I really want to pick this up .
I did get bored and push myself through some of this... skim read some of it *shrugs*
Overall, a well done book but underwhelming for me. -
It makes me kind of sad that I didn’t love this book — it features strong, independent women, and the cover is gorgeous. (What. That’s important)
But despite how I may have liked the characters, the story is just... blah. The pacing is off, with scenes just blending into one another without any sort of definition; there is a fair amount of fast-forwarding in key scenes, and a little too much telling without showing.
The world-building isn’t bad, but with the narration being so incredibly humdrum, it affects how much the scenes and the entire world actually come to life.
The characters are interesting, distinct, and fairly remarkable in their own way — but they have to carry the whole story, and even with all their strengths... it’s just not enough.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I had a hard time deciding how to rate it and bounced back and forth; but ultimately I realized that I don’t want to keep it and I am fairly certain I won’t want to re-read it, so that brings it down below 3 stars. So it’s 2 1/2 STARS for me, and I’m afraid I am not really inclined to recommend it, sadly. -
I would give this one 4 solid stars. It was well written and I enjoyed the story. I also enjoyed the character development.
I wasn't sure going in what this one would be like, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story and the characters. It was different and a bit dark, which I found pleasurable. This was a story full of adventure and with girls as the main characters. They were brave and strong and together they were a family even though they were as different as night and day.
I enjoyed getting to know each character and their histories. I felt the character development was well done and I grew more attached to them as their stories unfolded. I loved that they were all so different yet molded together into an incredible family circle. The author was great at developing these characters while keeping the story moving at a steady pace. The story was full of adventure and it never left you bored or waiting for more. It was always moving.
This was really well done. -
I will read ANYTHING by April. Her world building and characterization are always spot on. And her prose is always lovely, thought-provoking, and sensorial without being purple.
-
So Soooo good!! Full review soon!
-
mmm… no.
le tenía expectativas a este libro la verdad porque la sinopsis pintaba buena…. no cumplió ninguna jajajan’t🧍🏻♀️
es que, la trama es buena. un séquito de cuatro mujeres independientes con sed de gloria? dame todo. pero, DESARROLLAMELAS CONCORDE A LA HISTORIA NO EN UN PÁRRAFO PARA CADA UNA MAMITA DALE MEDIA PILA
la única que me pareció más o menos interesante fue Runa, pero hasta ahí. son personajes unidimensionales, no los personajes cebollita que me gustan a mí (cebollita porque tienen capas y capas de profundidad, got it? ;) )
pero no solamente los personajes, siento que está todo a la mitad. el world building? PESIMO. lo terminé recién y enserio sigo sin saber cómo se organiza este mundo fantástico, lo cual es una pena porque posta parecía muy prometedor.
lo mismo con las “criaturas sobrenaturales”, podría haber explicado un poquito más, no se, tal vez DE LAS BONELESS MERCIES, EL GRUPO PRINCIPAL?
y el romance, rarísimo, en una mitad esta con uno y después te cambia el rumbo y te quedas ??????
muy extraño también el “problema” por el cual se revuelven las 333 páginas que dura el libro, como que ni siquiera es al gran cosa como para hacer tremenda misión.
no creo que sea una lectura memorable, hubiese estado 100 veces mejor si hubiese sido llevado de la manera correcta.
y si, ya me desquité, pueden ir a dormir en paz🧍🏻♀️ -
"They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin, we dissolved into smoke."
TW: gore, death
Unpopular Opinion Time I guess 🐸☕️
This, to put it simply, did not work for me.
There was no suspense whatsoever and everything got boring pretty quickly.
The Boneless Mercies dragged and nothing exciting happened, tbh. The plot was just bland, which is really bizarre. This book is filled with death and gore and blood and murder, and yet. And yet I found myself bored throughout the book and I had to force myself to continue reading - and that’s never a good sign.
Truth be told, there was nothing bad in the writing style. It was readable and enjoyable enough. It was just that the plot, the characters and the world building did not work.
Basically, the writing style was one of the only - if not the only - positive point.
I found interesting the whole theme of “mercy” killings but, alas, they were not addressed and were mainly brushed aside. I thought that was such a pity because a great discussion about morality, mortality and mercy could have arisen. But that was not the case and it was really a missed chance, in my opinion.
Also because that would have been a very challenging topic to tackle and it would have been a nice change since the majority of the problems and their solutions were incredibly easy and convenient. Everything got sorted out a bit too easily and a bit too smoothly and I was not a fan of that because it did not give tension to the story.
It also did not help the fact that the characters were two-dimensional in a way that was painful to read and witness. Like, they shared once their backstory and that was it. That is the whole characterization that you get.
I mean. Characterisation…where? Who? Clearly, April Genevieve Tucholke doesn’t know her.
All the characters were incredibly two-dimensional and just superficial. And their relations felt stale. Which, again, really is a pity because it could have been such a great example for platonic friendships and relationships, but no. Not happening.
Jupiter prays and has blu-greenish hair - those are the only things we know, basically.
Runa has long legs and arms, and is passionate. That’s it.
Ovie is quiet. And almost literally nothing else.
Trigve is a guy. Nothing more nothing less. His character was completely useless.
Are those characters, I ask you? Because to me, they were not.
Also, world building…where? Who? Again, clearly the author doesn’t know her as well.
There was no world building whatsoever in my opinion.
Names and places were dropped left and right but there was no culture, no reason why the world was the way it was, no charm. Absolutely nothing. Lots and lots of random mythologies that were not explained but if put together do a lot of pretty smoke. Yeah, no.
I wanted something more special and unique. Something more accurate and concrete and real. Idk man, I was bitter.
Also, everybody is heterosexual? C’MOOOOOON DUDE! Like, you’re telling me that there are no queer couples? Mmmm, okay. Sounds fake but okay 🙄
So, overall.
I wanted something cool instead a got a rather dull and boring read.
Alas, I really enjoyed the Old English epic poem Beowulf and I hoped this book could do it justice, but I was wrong. This just simply did not work for me, unfortunately ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"Only fools want to be great. Only fools seek glory." -
I ended up really enjoying the Boneless Mercies!! I was expecting an action-packed fantasy and it DEFINITELY delivered. It was so unique & fun to read! 😁🙌
“They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin, we dissolved into smoke.”
Firstly, the characters. Our main group of characters, the Boneless Mercies, were Frey, Juniper, Ovie and Runa. It was told from Frey's point of view, but all the characters were integral to the story, with a wide cast of side characters as well.
I really liked all the characters in this one- they were all very well-developed! All the Boneless Mercies were very likeable and it was really easy to root for them throughout the story. I liked how all of their unique personalities shone through and the way the author gradually revealed their backstories as the story progressed. Frey was a great character in my opinion and I admired her fierceness and loyalty. I did find her constant obsession with 'finding glory' and 'being a hero' a bit irritating at times, but this did lead to some interesting explorations on that topic.
“I wanted to change my fate, to force it down another road. I wanted to stand in the river of time and make it flow a different direction, if just for a little while.”
The plot was also really great! I enjoyed the fast pace and how, even in the non-action parts, there was always something interesting to keep me entertained. The world-building was detailed and seamlessly integrated into the story, providing interesting tidbits of information during the slower parts. This really helped me to enjoy it more.
The climax was also really exciting and heart-pounding and I was really on the edge of my seat for those last few chapters. SO GOOD!!
“I was a Mercy-girl with no family, no home, no fortune, and yet my blood sang a song of glory.”
However, the best part of the story by far was the writing. THE WRITING. I absolutely ADORE April Genevieve Tucholke's writing- it's so gorgeous & poetic. Something about it also felt so ADDICTIVE and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. Once I got into the story, I was HOOKED. It was honestly so hard to put down at times.
“Once upon a time, in the final days before Salt and Marsh Witch War, four Boneless Mercies turned their backs on the death trade, and went west, seeking immortality.”
However, the only reason it's not QUITE good enough for a solid 4 stars (and instead is more of a 3.5) is because I DO feel that all the seperate storylines within the book were a bit conflicting at times and didn't gel together perfectly. Also, I feel like there should've been something more for the ending- like, some kind of twist. It just felt... predictable.
“Warriors are loud, and Mercies are quiet. There is strength in silence.”
Overall, however, I really enjoyed this! I would definitely recommend the Boneless Mercies if you are looking for a unique fantasy adventure with great female leads. 😁❤
~ 3.5 stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was SUCH a fun read!! 😁🙌 I liked it so much more than I thought I would! RTC! (as soon as I have time) -
I wish I could say I wrote this book! Something about this novel felt like home; it felt familar like an over-sized sweater in front of my fireplace in the middle of winter.
The Boneless Mercies follows a troupe of four young women and one young man who travel a Nordic-based region and take payment to perform "mercy killings." They interact with Sea Witches, Marsh Witches, and an ancient monster attacking a jarl's lands.
I loved the Nordic back-drop. It will forever be my jam. I loved that it was a stand-alone novel that left me wanting more. I loved that the author only gave partial backstories (if any) for a lot of the characters so the book still ended with an air of mystery, though enough information that the reader felt satisfaction.
The use of Nordic terminology that was just slightly tweaked was a little odd: Obin, Vollholla, and other variations.
Overall, highly recommend.
I'd rate this book a PG-13 for violence and perilous situations, gore, and some sexual situations though nothing explicit. Points of controversy could include god worship, ritual magic, and what could be considered euthanasia. -
Considering how explicitly based on Viking mythology this book is, I am surprised that it is labelled as fantasy and not historical fiction. The twisting of Viking names was incredibly lazy and rather silly. Valkree instead of Valkyrie, Obin instead of Odin. The Blue Vee Beast was an interesting concept, but much like the saga of Beowulf - except all-female. Speaking of the characters, they were all had the potential to be memorable but ended up mundane. They stood out for a moment and then sank back into the background of the book. And I was surprised to learn that the oldest of them is only twenty - I expected them to be in their late twenties, at the least. Knowing this is YA - I did find it in the Teen Fiction Room, after all - but have you heard they way they talk?!
One question remains. Why were they called the Boneless Mercies? They’re called Mercies because they ‘mercy-kill’, but what does that have to do with bones? Or the lack of bones, for that matter? -
Why are people rating a book that's not out for another year?? Add it to your To Read list if you wanna read it, don't go skewing the ratings.
-
The thing that really struck me about this book was how effortlessly the author portrayed non-sexual relationships and closeness. Characters were bonded and demonstrated their affection with physicality but it never read as sexual and I really enjoyed that! When characters did pair off romantically, it was clearly a different kind of affection, but it didn't diminish the power of their friendships.
They called this book a gender-switched Beowulf, but I think that sells the story a little short. Spoiler! This is a great book for fans of fantasy YA who like realistic female warriors. -
4 stars
I really enjoyed this, and it's not just because of the two gorgeous covers this book has.
This is definitely one of the better fantasies I've read, and it incorporates a lot of different aspects that makes this book really really cool. Like, if I wanted street cred, I'd say I read this book.
The premise is just so awesome. A genderbent Beowulf? Like hello there please come and let me read you. It's about a group of female assassins who do the work that men aren't willing to do (truth) and mercy kill the old and the sick. And then they decide to renounce this job and instead monster hunt for glory (yes girls you work it) which leads them across different lands.
Plus, it has something that I know is like an super big trend now, but it's got "Vorse" people aspects which I assume is the author's Norse/Vikingish inspired group of people. But what makes this book superior to the otherblandViking books is that it incorporates more than just Vorse (there are Sea Witches and Quicks and Mercies and all other types of peoples) and they're not! all! white!
So yay +1 for diversity and being creative and devising this wonderful magical world with an awesome premise.
Tucholke is such a skilled writer. You can see in the way she weaves the plot and hints at certain occurrences later in the book that she knows how to write and craft a good plot and a complex magical world.
The story was left off with a bunch of potential for a sequel (please be a sequel please be a sequel) but also resolved this book's storyline. I think this is definitely one of the best resolutions that I've read in a fantasy novel before.
The characters' immediate needs were wrapped up really well, but the world still has certain issues brewing between groups of people that has sequel potential. I think the plot was wonderfully structured and am really hoping for a sequel.
The only issue I really had with this book was the intensity, which ended up affecting a lot of the book for me. The ending was wonderfully tense and intense and it grew more and more fierce as we kept reading, until it slowed down after the climax.
But the first 2/3 of the book felt kind of one-tonal to me, as if the intensity was exactly the same throughout. It was like they had these trials and different happenings along the way to kill the Blue Vee monster, but it felt like the story didn't really oscillate between more and less intense for things like fight scenes vs. wandering.
Tucholke does a really good job in setting up this fantasy world's system, and it never felt like she was infodumping us, but rather was easing us into this world. I think this definitely could have contributed to why the book felt a little one-tonal for the majority.
But that doesn't discount the quality of the writing too much, and this could definitely be just me. I read the first half-ish on a plane and kept getting distracted, so that's definitely a possibility as to why I felt like I wasn't really invested in something I should have loved tremendously.
I wanted to fall fiercely in love with characters and ships, but I eventually realized that's not Tucholke's writing style. The biggest hint is that it's a whole girl gang and they're heading towards near certain deaths, and that Tucholke's not really setting everyone up for their perfect ship pairing (i.e. it's not like the entire girl gang is getting matched up with a significant other).
Overall, I did really enjoy reading (especially the last third) and found this to be a very well-written and well-crafted novel. This might not be the book to bring you your next best ship, but it's well-paced, luscious, and a fantasy I think a lot of people will read.
It may be somewhat untraditional for the genre (no giant sweeping romance), but will definitely appeal to people looking to dive into fantasy.
Thank you so much to Hashtag Reads from Simon & Schuster UK and Fierce Reads @ BookCon from Macmillan for providing me with (two!) advance reader's copies in exchange for an honest review!
Blog |
Instagram |
Twitter
-
I've been reading much less YA over the last year than I used to. Thankfully though, there's some amazing YA novels coming out, and when I do read it I've been lucky enough to find absolute gems. That held true with The Boneless Mercies, a retelling of Beowulf set in a Vorse (Viking + Norse) setting of snow and blood and the absolute bond of those who had to find their family.
Frey and her band of Mercies are a travelling group, dispensing mercy killings to those able to pay for the release. It's a job only held by orphaned teenage girls in this world, and even as the novel started it was clearly weighing on the group. So when they hear of a chance for fame and glory if they can relieve a Northern jarldom of it's monster problem, they're all for it - and into adventure they hurl themselves, head first.
The setting itself is a mildly skewed version of our own history, with a touch of magic. Viking + Norse is a pretty good summary - we've got longboats, trolls, skinfights and seers. I actually felt like the book was at it's strongest when it wasn't trying to show just how Norse it was, but it's a first novel and sometimes you've just got to build a world. And as it let the dreaded infodump be avoided, I'll be forgiving.
The real strength of the book for me was in the characters - the bonds between them were so well portrayed. The differing friendships between each of them were so skillfully done, and it really meant that we learned so much from each character just by seeing what they were like with each different person. Obviously, female friendship taking such a centre stage is always a plus, but this was just brilliantly handled.
It's a very strong start to the series. And let me just emphasise - while it's the first in a series it is a stand alone story in it's own right, and thank you to the author because it's so important for other authors to see how to write a fantastic and complete story that still has the reader excited to go on to the next. I know I am. -
This is a book about strong women and their friendships and ambitions and yes yes yes that’s what we need
(RTC)
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
This review (when it comes lol) will also available on my
blog -
This was sadly so bland that it made Beowulf look like a fun read.
-
This was a great book! The author did a spectacular job of reeling you into their world. I was disappointed when it ended because I wasn't ready to leave the Boneless Mercies just yet. I really hope a second book is forthcoming. I'd love to see what role they'll play in the upcoming witch wars.
*I won this ARC from Goodreads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
*Read this for 2018 AMMP Trim A Tree
*Read this for 2018 AMMP Gifts for the Wild -
DNF @ 58%
I just didn't care about anything :( -
My feelings towards this book are a bit conflicting so I’m going to go with 3.5 stars. The start hooked me because the story is so unique and I haven’t read anything like it before. And then I started to get bored because it is slow paced and I was getting impatient. I also wanted it to be a bit more darker but oh well🌚 I am glad that shit eventually went down in the second half and I was hooked again and it even managed to rip my heart out in a couple of places so here we are! The female empowerment in this story is amazing which is one of the reasons I jumped it up from 3 stars and it sounded like more of this story will be expanded upon(hopefully??) so I’ll be looking forward to that 👏🏼
-
While I was gnashing my teeth in irritation at
Sawkill Girls, this was a balm to my blackened little quarter-soul.
Here is an epic Nordic fantasy, loosely Beowulfian, about a group of young women and one young man traveling together as Mercies or euthanasianists, if you will. They roam from town to town offering a quick, merciful death to the ailing and infirm or to those who just cannot abide life any longer. They're a sort of necessary evil; scary because their job is death but also important because no one else wants that job and someone needs to do it. The thing is, the death trade is becoming passe and no one remembers a Mercy; there are no stories about them, no songs. They exist in the shadows and they're fading further from view.
Frey wants something more.
Her fellow Mercies aren't hard to persuade.
Off they go in search of glory.
I loved this story.
The environment - hamlets, roads, dark woods, a sinister marsh, late fall with early snows - is just as much a player as any of the characters.
The writing doesn't have a lot of flourish, it's mostly straightforward but incredibly communicative. For the amount of stuff these people go through, this should have been at least 100 pages longer. The storytelling skills are strong with this author.
The background characters often felt more fleshed out than a two-paragraph person needs to be. Some were awful, some were delightful, most were simply the people in the neighborhood, the people that you meet each day.
And the main characters. With very little description, they're each fully formed - Frey is the default leader mostly because she was trained by the last leader. Juniper is the youngest in the group, a sea witch with green hair and a free soul. Ovie is the stoic; she's got their backs and she is ever dependable but she doesn't say much. Runa is Frey's counterpart, she's often angry and dissatisfied, brash and rash, a fighter. Trigve, a young man, travels with them for companionship and safety and he acts as Frey's anchor. They're all strong, determined, resilient, and they rely on each other, their wisdom and power comes from their togetherness. They don't fight one another, there's no romantic tension because there's one guy on the team with four girls. They talk things out, they vote for what's best for their group, they're solid. I think seeing women get along like this will be boring to readers who love catty drama; there is very little of that here. I think the lack of romance will put others off; obviously that was 100% my cup of tea because romance is gross. In addition to unromantic, this story is also melancholy, bordering on sad; there is grief and pain and loneliness, there are a lot of hard moments, specifically in examining the "monsters," and that, too, could put a reader off, especially a reader who wants a light-hearted read with a happy ending.
This story is incredibly woman-centric but without the stereotypes and clichés. It's not Hollywood girl-power and it's not misandrist. It's just women supporting women and often men, as well, and it's amazing.
My overall reaction: I need to find the Sea Witch colony because, despite me not being an ocean person, I am fairly sure that's where I belong.
