The Gilded Ones was an excellent feminist fantasy, the Merciless Ones is even better.
It's an easy or heartwarming book, sometimes I felt it was a sort of grimdark fantasy due to some very crude or violent scenes.
That said I loved this story and I think that Deka and the other characters are amongst the most interesting in the fantasy world. Like the world building and the plot.
Namina Forna is a talented storyteller and I can't wait to read the last part of this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine