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?

This book pulled me in from the beginning. The world building with a complex caste system and magic and political machinations made for a fast-paced adventure. Well this story wraps up nicely it definitely opens the door for more stories to figure out how this will conclude considering the throne in jeopardy! ( )

Obviously this was overhyped as overhyped could be yet nevertheless “Merciful Crow” was still a somewhat enjoyable read with some major flaws that some readers may not be able to overlook. The original world-building adventure of a tale really started to pick up the pace ⅓ into the read after a slow and painful start. Seriously I had for a brief moment considered dropping this but I had decided to struggle through and wallah! I persevered and made it to the end. Kudos to me! Anyways… the downside of this novel were the characters. I. Hated. All. Of. Them. And not one, not one had any redeeming factors to make them worth liking. And let’s not forget the romance in which I can’t even formulate enough words to describe how bloody awful is was. This read could’ve done without the romance and I was left cringing with the instant love “my life would suck without you” type of romance. The “relationship” between Fie and Tavin was rushed and unbelievable. Like what was the purpose of adding the romance into this YA fantasy novel?! I need answers damnit! Despite those flaws, I was still enthralled by the author’s writing style and her ability to draw me in (enough) to the YA fantasy world she was able to create that's filled with action, adventure, and world-building.

( )

As I get older, it's rare for me to write a review. I know it's an author's bread and butter and I know that's on me--my only excuse is that I write SEO Content for 8 hours a day, five days a week, and that sucks the will to (brain go mush) think at the end of the day about writing anything else.

I will say, that if the book is exceptional I will dredge up enough energy to do my best to leave at least inadequate words on how much it moved me.

I found the Merciful Crow via Amazon Kindle Unlimited. I am so glad I found this. Book. Is it dark? Yes, is it beautiful? Also yes. Is it something you should be reading? Yes--especially if you do not mind the subject matter of disease or death. Looking past that, this book has so many fantastic, clever, wonderful things that address some of the hardest topics that come along with being human. And I loved it.

P. S.

To whoever said there was cat torture...????? Did you....did you read the same book I did? WITHOUT Spoilers: Yes, there is a cat in this book. And yes, there is a moment of pent-up tension and suggestion of danger toward the cat, but I am HAPPY to report the cat is not, in fact, tortured. And the most important part: lives, is taken care of.

VAGUE SPOILER EXPLAINING CAT I am not sure what the one reviewer is going on about. The cat is locked in a wagon that has been set on fire by antagonists while the protagonists are hiding. The cat is described as yowling, which can be distressful to some but I want to assure you that the cat is rescued before anything bad happens. In fact, the ONLY injury the cat receives in the entire book is an injury to its paw that is self-induced by its scratching to get out. And it is healed. So yeah. There's no CAT TORTURE in this book jeeze.

How much did I love this book? I was halfway through it when I got up, walked to my PC, and ordered and paid for the second book. And I read the second book in 1 night.

Recommend?
GET IT. ( )

*Received via NetGalley for review*

An interesting concept with a fairly interesting plot that seems to head into a love triangle but (thankfully) doesn't. Lots of twists and turns that drive the plot along and raise the stakes.

There are some unanswered questions, but could be a standalone. ( )