Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow Series, 1) Paperback – Illustrated, August 18, 2020

I loved the characters in this book! Fie was such a strong main character and knew who she was and didn’t let anything – or anyone – change who she was. That’s not to say that she didn’t struggle with the decisions she had to make, because she definitely did but I feel like those decisions showed how strong she was. I feel like I still have so much more to learn about Tavin and Jas, but what I’ve seen makes me really want to learn more about them and their background. I loved how Fie challenged their view of the world and didn’t just let them be these high and mighty lordlings. Tavin was so resourceful and loyal and I could tell from the first moment we met him that I would really like his character.Tell me if you’ve heard this before: a prince has to fake his own death in order to fight his way back onto the throne, but needs to rely on someone he never would’ve chosen to help him out. While the basic plot of this is a fairly standard fantasy plot, the extra details and the journey these characters take makes it so much more than just a regular old fantasy story. One of my favorite things that this book did was the caste system and how it connected to the magic system, but not everyone in each caste had magic. The romance in this book was such a fantastic slow burn, like THAT is how you do a slow burn romance! There is so much tension as they get closer to each other, and it felt so natural that these two characters should be together.Each caste has it’s own “birthright” which is the magic that caste has and can use. For example, the phoenix caste’s birthright is fire so they are able to use and control fire. Another example would be the sparrows whose birthright is refuge. This is an interesting one because people in this caste who can use magic are able to hide themselves from view, which helps hide them from those who would hurt them. Then the most interesting caste (in my opinion) are the crows. Crows don’t have a birthright and are treated as less than human by the other castes. But the crows are immune to the deadly sinners plague so they are the ones who have to dispose of the bodies. The really interesting thing about the crows and magic is that while they don’t have one specific birthright to themselves, the crow witches can actually steal the birthright of the other castes by using their teeth. So if they burn a sparrow tooth it will grant them refuge. This is such a complex, unique and interesting magic system, I could literally just write my entire review about that!I loved that we got to see a lot of this world since our characters travel around, and the gorgeous map in the front was super helpful with seeing where the characters are at any given point in the story. The way that the crows have to dispose of the bodies of those affected with the plague gave the book a creepy vibe, not to mention the tooth magic! When the crows show up to remove bodies, they wear plague masks like the ones worn during the time of the bubonic plague which also lends this ominous tone to the book. There were also these things called ghasts, and if you haven’t read this yet let me tell you – these things are so freaking creepy!I was hooked from the beginning of the book! Margaret Owen really knows how to draw a reader in and make them want more, because I definitely want more from this world and I want so desperately to see these characters again. I also loved how she made all her characters comfortable and proud about their sexuality, since it is mentioned a few times that the characters don’t choose between male vs female partners, it’s based on who they really connect with. There is also a side character that uses they/them pronouns as well which was really nice to see! I always say that if the writing doesn’t stand out to me then it’s a great writing style, and this one fit that description for me which is a bonus!I absolutely LOVED this book from beginning to end, and I took my time with it because I didn’t want to be over! I have no idea how I’m going to wait until the next book comes out. I honestly can’t stop thinking about these characters and it makes me want to pick up the book and read it over again, even though I just recently finished it. I just want this book in multiple editions because it was such a fun book, plus it had some great discussion about discrimination and acceptance.This book clearly is getting 5 stars from me, and I think that everyone needs to read this book. If even just one aspect of this book catches your interest, do yourself a favor and read it because I don’t think you will regret it. Also, book 2 is titled The Faithless Hawk, and if that doesn’t make you excited and scared, I don’t know what will.

The Merciful Crow is the first book in the young adult fantasy series by the same name from author Margaret Owen. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to jump on the Merciful Crow train, but with the second book releasing next month, I finally pulled out my ecopy of this book that was waiting patiently on my kindle and dove right in. (if you are interested, Fierce Reads is currently doing a readalong with all kinds of cool checks in and events in anticipation of book two’s release next month. I have a whole blog post with more information on that readalong HERE. There is still a week left if you want to join in! At first, I was keeping pace with the weekly chapters, but then I got so invested in the book that I just had to keep reading when I hit the end of the chapter allotment, and before I knew it I was done with the book too soon! I can’t wait to dive into book 2- The Faithless Hawk!In the Merciful Crow, we meet our main character Fie. Fie is a crow, which is the caste that is responsible for bringing mercy to those individuals inflicted with the deadly plague, by killing them and honoring their bodies with a burial pyre. The crows are the treated like dirt though, with all of the other castes in the world looking down on them. Each of the castes is a different type of bird, Crows, Phoenixes, swans, hawks, etc, which reminded me a little of Kaitlyn Davis’ fantasy (the Raven and the Dove) When Fie, her father and their band of fellow crows are called to bring Mercy to the dying Prince, they are in for the surprise of their life when they leave town with a not so dead prince, and his body guard double, set on getting revenge on his evil step-mother. And so they all set off on a quest to deliver the prince to some allies. But things get complicated when basically everyone is trying to kill them.I enjoyed the characters in this book, though some of the secondary characters like the band of crows really faded into the background without me learning much (or anything) about them. Our main characters were Fie, Prince Jas and his bodyguard/double, Tavin. I loved Tavin! He was easily my favorite character. I liked Fie as well and I admired her sense of morality and ability to power through tough times. I was hoping for a little bit more depth from Jas though. I don’t feel like I got to know him all that well in this book, and I am very much looking forward to getting to know him better in the next novel. I believe that will really be his time to shine (or to disappoint me…but I hope not!) In this world, each caste has witches and non-witch individuals, each with their own abilities. Crow witches can use teeth from different individuals to call upon their owners powers. The whole teeth aspect of the story was pretty cool, and kind of reminded me of All the Stars and Teeth.Overall, I really enjoyed this fantasy. It is great for lovers of quest style worlds with political issues coloring a lot of life. It is easy to see that this is part one of a bigger story, and I can’t wait to see what direction the plot will turn in next. There was a nice romance in this book, but of course I am hoping for a lot more in that department in the future. I know one thing for sure…I am super read for The Faithless Hawk right now!

I enjoyed this book.. if you’re into YA fantasy with a strong female lead, fast pace, and where you actually feel the emotions with the characters you’ll enjoy this too. There is strong character development.. the story starts with the crows answering a death call.. they burn bodies of plague victims because the crows are immune to the plague. Anyways they retrieve two bodies from the palace and that’s where things really start getting interesting. I’m not going to spoil the plot I will just say I enjoyed the banter. It made me laugh, it made me cry.. the pissabed joke had me laughing out loud. This book hasn’t much spice.. there are some mature scenes but its pretty mild which is okay because not every book has to be that kind of book. It has a great plot and great story telling. I had a hard time reading it at times because I felt the emotions of the characters but that’s how you know it’s written well! I give this book 5/5 stars. Definitely recommend it.

Comprei para treinar meu inglês e aprendi toneladas de vocabulário novo com o livro.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. The world building and magic system is perfect, all the characters live and breathe, not just Fie, Tavin, Jas and Pa (all of whom have my heart), the plot is epic and pacing is perfect. It felt so real that if I were able to paint, I could reproduce scenes in technicolour from the images seared into my mind.I am utterly thrilled that there are more books in this series and determined to not only find and read them as soon as possible but to get my hands on everything Margaret Owen has ever written and devour them.

You have no idea how excited I was for this book., from the moment I’ve heard the author pitch it on a Twitter I knew I needed it. It sounded right up my alley all gritty and gory with a kickass female lead. Plus, wait for it… it has a bag of human teeth! How does that not make you want to read it? Need more convincing? There’s a cat named Barf, come on! Needless to say, I was so happy to be chosen for this blog tour.Fie is a Crow. The lowest caste in Sabor. But Crows are Merciful. When beacons are lit because of the plague, the Crows will come to give mercy to the sinners. This is the way it has always been. When the beacons at the palace are lit, the crows come to take the plague ridden bodies of the prince and his bodyguard. But what if those sinners weren’t dead? What if they came to the crows to ask for help?Our main character, Fie, is one of my favourite character this year. She is just so forking amazing. She’s this petite thing of a girl that just wants to burn the world down. My kind of gal! I love how you get a sense that she is not conventionally pretty and that she’s not this quirky character either which every YA female lead is nowadays. But she’s cross with the world for how her people are treated.This is one of the coolest magic systems I have ever come across. Though all the other 11 castes have birthrights magic, crows don’t. But they can take the other castes magic through their teeth. By touching teeth, they see images from the person’s life and can draw up their magic. The fact that it revolves around teeth is just so badass to me and in a way, it makes so much sense.If I had one little thing to say, and I’m nitpicking really. I would have liked a little more information regarding the Crows’ situation. Why are they such outcasts? I needed a little more history on it and the rest of the castes. Maybe we will see more of this in the upcoming sequel. But, that being said, it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book or understanding the context.The story moved at a normal pace and kept me engaged throughout the book. I never felt like it was lagging in any way. One of my favourite parts in all the book (no it wasn’t just the cat) was the style in which Margaret wrote it. I loved the prose of it all. I’m a sucker for anyone that uses the word reckon. She also preferred words like betwixt instead of between. It just made it more authentic to me and gave the story character.I adored this book so much. It had everything I love in a great book: brilliant characters, amazing plot, original magic system plus a cat. If you are not following Margaret on Twitter you definitely should. She is hilarious and super engaged with her followers. Go grab The Merciful Crow today.

I admit, I struggled to finish this book. It's not that it's entirely bad (the story is intriguing and the magic system is actually quite unique)... it's just that my expectations were so high that in the end they were ultimately disappointed. Some things didn't make sense to me, while I have the feeling that many others were just left there unexplained (like the origin of the plague, not exactly a trivial point given the circumstances). And the fact that I found the main characters quite annoying for most of the novel didn't help either.Only Jasimir's character develpment had me glued to the pages in the end. He would probably be the only reason that will lead me to read the sequel.Final rating: 3+

Masterful wordbuilding, delicious intrigue mixed with the right blend of adventure and romance. I haven't felt this spell-bound while reading or so satisfied at the end of a book in a long time. With a world as intricte as the characters are complex, the plot is thrilling, even in moments when it seems to hurl toward the inevitable. Fie is a protagonist who balances on the edge, and watching her toe the line between what is necessary and what she wants, is refreshed by the coexistence of her vulnerability and strength in the face of all odds. I'd recommend this book to anyone and cannot wait for the next installment.