The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow, #1)

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?

Rating:

I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out, and I’ve been told since it came out that I had to read it … so what took me so long? Pffft … uhh … velociraptors? Yes, that’s it. It was a daring, harrowing quest to wrestle the book from their clutches, but now that I have, I can unabashedly tell you do not be like me. Read the dang book.

The Merciful Crow is a dark, dangerous book about caste systems, the oppressed, and finding one’s self. Complete with a sweet enemies-to-lovers romance, an uplifting coming of age arc, and plenty of dark magic.

I was caught up in this book early on, and I was so curious to find out what was going to happen that I had trouble putting it down, even when I had to. I’m actually kind of glad I waited to read this until I had the sequel, because now I don’t have to leave this world that I’ve come to love so much. Ha, how’s that for beating the system?

Sabor is a dark, brutal world governed by castes and prejudice.

Which obviously isn’t great for anyone in the lower castes, which just so happens to be our main characters, the Crows. Seeing as how this culture believes they are sinners reborn into that caste to repent for some misdeeds, it’s seen as totally okay to mistreat them. There’s just so much wrapped up in this narrative alone, about what happens when you treat people like they’re nothing, about prejudice and injustice, about how harmful deep-seated beliefs can be. I loved how this narrative was handled, and it made it all the easier to support Fie and her lovely band of Crows.

I thought it was really interesting that every caste in this world is named after some form of bird.

I didn’t realize that going in, but it makes sense now, and it actually made the castes really easy to remember. I mean, what do you think of when you think owl? Scholar, obviously. Gull? Sea. Hawk? Fierce talon-weilding bundle of doom. Yup, super easy to keep everything separate. So I had absolutely no trouble at all falling into this world and understanding the dichotomies and how everything was divided.

What’s more, the world feels lived in, and it’s one I’m not ready to leave (so thank goodness I have the sequel). From the idea of a money dance as a way to manipulate people into doing the right thing, to viatiks (which are basically tithes for the dead paid to the Crows who collect them), and different classes of magic, Sabor really came to life for me.

There’s so much going on in this world that it makes for a complex plot with plenty of little goodies woven in-between everything.

And by goodies, of course I mean betrayal, backstabbing, and underhandedness, mixed with a little magic and death and torture. You know, all the finer things in life.

I’ve already mentioned the struggle the Crows have just in general to even be seen as people. Well, they also happen to be in charge of taking care of plague victims by delivering a swift, merciful death and clearing out the bodies, because they appear to be the only ones immune to the plague. So yeah, there’s a plague. And it’s absolutely brutal, but also fun. Who doesn’t love a good plague?

The big overall plot in this is that the prince fakes his own death because, surprise, his life’s in danger, and only the Crows can help him prevent his actual death.

If you’re a prince and your only hope is the Crows, well, that’s a pathetic situation to be in, from his perspective. Because they’re Crows. Which leads to some fantastic interactions about prejudice and assumptions and judging people you don’t even know. It also makes for a lot of nice tension, because the prince doesn’t want to be there and the Crows for sure don’t want him there. Basically, they’re using each other for their own purposes, which can get messy even under the best of times. And trust me, this is not the best of times.

This plot has the potential to be slow, but with the added commentary and dynamic of the castes and Fie’s motivations of wanting to overcome the limitations of her birth, I found that I really enjoyed it.

The romance in this is enemies-to-lovers, with a bit of an ill-fated lovers spin, and I am just so for this.

I refuse to name names, so you’ll just have to read and see. What I will say is that from the very start, I loved the dynamic between these two characters. The guy is very suave and charming and flirty, and the girl is … well, Fie, okay? I think you can see that much coming, at least. Needless to say, I fell in love with the guy early on, so it’s really not hard to see why Fie might be so inclined.

Ill-fated lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so add that to a slow-burn romance that requires both characters to grow, and I was hooked.

I didn’t think I would care much about this romance, because I normally don’t, but I loved both these characters on their own. So if being together is what makes them happy, then yes, I am all for this. There are also some sweet moments between this couple that had me laughing and melting and so yes, consider this my stamp of approval. *stamps the characters’ foreheads*

I absolutely love Fie’s arc, because she’s constantly beaten down a world that’s doing her absolutely no favors, but still she keeps rising.

I found her so easy to relate to, because she wants more from life than what she’s told she deserves, which is basically nothing … except maybe torture, torment, fear, and an early death. That’s the life of a Crow, and it’s so easy to burn with righteous injustice over the unfairness of it all. Especially once you start spending some time with these Crows.

Fie is forced to grow up a lot over the course of this novel (though it’s clear that she has yet more to do in the sequel), but the way she becomes a source of inspiration and strength for her caste is so uplifting.

Also, not without consequences, as it turns out (and I suspect we’ll see more of this in the sequel). People tend not to like the status quo being all shaken up. Surprise! Who would’ve guessed? I’m so intrigued to see how Fie’s growth in this book will impact the sequel, but as far as this book goes, I was enamored with her changes. Yes, more of this, please. Show them how fierce Crows can be. It’s called a murder for a reason, yo!

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