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sleepydahlias 's review for:
The Mercy Makers
by Tessa Gratton
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for the chance to review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I needed this to be released and in my hands a week ago. I don't even know where to start talking about everything I loved. This was so distinctly and blatantly queer. Various genders and sexualities were present. I loved that Iriset was bisexual and how normalized it was to be trans, nonbinary (including with the use of neopronouns!!!), or experience same sex attraction (this was even pushed as preferable to having un-sanctioned children) which is something we need to see more of with the state of the world and the current push against trans and other queer people.
Iriset was everything I wanted in a main character. She's clever and intelligent, driven by her love for her father and her art. I loved her argumentative nature and how she pushed Lyric philosophically. She wasn't vengeful which I wouldn't have minded but it seems to be formulaic at this point when a heroine has her family taken or killed by the rulers. Her relationships with Amaranth, Lyric, Raia, her father, even Bittor, were all really well developed.
The magic system was incredible. I have never seen anything like it before and it was well constructed without any failed logic holes in it. The rest of the world building was also really well done. I loved that the ruling class wasn't white, nor were the subjugated groups, which introduced even more shades of black and white when it came to the morality of the ruling class. There wasn't a lot of info dumping either, which tends to be normal when it comes to fantasy. All of the politics and morals, both for those who believe in Aharta and balance and those for chaos and apostasy, were subtly intertwined in the story which made it feel natural to question it with Iriset as you're reading.
I needed book two yesterday and book 1 hasn't even released yet. This is for fans of A Memory Called Empire and The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It's deliciously sexy (yes there are sex scenes), politically intriguing, and unapologetically queer.
I needed this to be released and in my hands a week ago. I don't even know where to start talking about everything I loved. This was so distinctly and blatantly queer. Various genders and sexualities were present. I loved that Iriset was bisexual and how normalized it was to be trans, nonbinary (including with the use of neopronouns!!!), or experience same sex attraction (this was even pushed as preferable to having un-sanctioned children) which is something we need to see more of with the state of the world and the current push against trans and other queer people.
Iriset was everything I wanted in a main character. She's clever and intelligent, driven by her love for her father and her art. I loved her argumentative nature and how she pushed Lyric philosophically. She wasn't vengeful which I wouldn't have minded but it seems to be formulaic at this point when a heroine has her family taken or killed by the rulers. Her relationships with Amaranth, Lyric, Raia, her father, even Bittor, were all really well developed.
The magic system was incredible. I have never seen anything like it before and it was well constructed without any failed logic holes in it. The rest of the world building was also really well done. I loved that the ruling class wasn't white, nor were the subjugated groups, which introduced even more shades of black and white when it came to the morality of the ruling class. There wasn't a lot of info dumping either, which tends to be normal when it comes to fantasy. All of the politics and morals, both for those who believe in Aharta and balance and those for chaos and apostasy, were subtly intertwined in the story which made it feel natural to question it with Iriset as you're reading.
I needed book two yesterday and book 1 hasn't even released yet. This is for fans of A Memory Called Empire and The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It's deliciously sexy (yes there are sex scenes), politically intriguing, and unapologetically queer.