OK, first sentence: "Pa was taking too long to cut the boys' throats."

The Merciful Crows are the mercy killers of those dying of an excruciating plague. When a village seeks their help, they send for the Crows to end the suffering of the infected and to dispose of the bodies before the plague spreads.

In a world of castes, the Crows--despite their uses--are pariahs and preyed upon by other castes. The book opens with the Merciful Crows called upon to end the suffering of a royal and dispose of the body by ritual burning, but there are two victims instead of one. And neither one has the plague.

Since the Crows are immune to the plague, they play an important role in the safety of the kingdom, but are still despised. Fie, sixteen-year-old daughter of the Crow chief is full of personality and grit and sees a desperate chance to improve the lot of her fellow Crows.

There is a wicked queen who wants the Crown Prince and his body double dead; a group of night marauders from the Oleander Gentry; a troupe of misfit Crows, and lots of suspenseful moments.

It took me a couple of chapters to get a fix on the magic system, but once I had that, I was engrossed with the characters and their adventures. Like the best of YA fiction, the only thing that separates it from other books in the fantasy genre is the age of the important characters.

Read in June.

NetGalley/Henry Holt
YA/Fantasy. July 30, 2019. Print length: 384 pages.

Thank you very much to the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book ended up surprising me— in a good way. If I could, I would give this novel 3.5 stars. It was somewhere in between “enjoyable” and “amazing”, the latter of the two descriptions between for my four star ratings and the former assigned to my third star ratings. However, it leaned more towards simply enjoyable, so I chose a rating of 3 stars.

Margaret Owen’s writing style is pleasant to read, and it flows nicely with little clutter and smooth description. She writes action very well, and I found myself hooked in the very first chapter from the intensity of the moment. The only real problem I found with her writing style was that she used certain words too often enough to notice, but I did not find this too bothersome.

Moving on to the worldbuilding, I really like the setup of the castes and the magical birthrights each one gets (excepting the Crows, of course, who do not have a birthright). Margaret Owen fleshes everything out with details.

Personally, I found Fie’s character to be a little typical and cliché. She’s the tough, stubborn female protagonist who, although is not too pretty, makes up for it in her grit, bravery, and wit. She wasn’t unlikable; I just found her to be a little too similar to many other protagonists I read about. It was good how Margaret Owen did make sure things weren’t too easy for her. Fie has her fair share of struggles in using magic and tiring herself out from the strain. While Fie is gifted, she has to work to improve.

Tavin flips between joking and seriousness. His light humor make tense situations better, and because of that, I ended up liking him more than Fie.

Jas's character development is really quite something to read about, and at the end, it is quite satisfactory to see how he’s changed. Character dynamics between Fie and Jas are especially interesting to read about, especially when they’re alone. Everything is very tentative between the two of them because of the differences of backgrounds and the circumstances they’ve been forced into.

While characters are likable, I didn’t find myself getting attached to any of them.They felt too flat and not alive enough to feel more like a person and less of a character. This was a huge disappointment to me. This was the factor that ultimately led to the dip from four stars to three stars, despite the wonderful world building.

I did like the pacing of the plot. Everything felt comfortable, and it didn’t really feel too rushed. I did get the semblance of an info dump at the beginning, but it wasn’t much. The story itself is extremely thought-out, and you can really feel the hard work Margaret Owen poured in. The Merciful Crow is a solid, well-written novel that I have enjoyed.

An odd little story. The world dynamics were a bit confusing at the beginning. Things level out and become easier to understand as the story goes on.

I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t the faintest idea about a potential time period or inspiration for the world. The way the story is told is unique. Not in a typical way, but the dialect of the Crows. It seriously felt like they were 1800s settlers or something. Fie’s manner of speaking was especially hard to get used to.

I thought the idea of the magic was cool...at least the small bit we got to see. I get that all the castes have some (except Crows), But isn’t the way they use the powers in teeth magical? So I enjoyed that, but would’ve liked to explore the rest of the castes and see where their powers are drawn from.

The story itself isn’t really anything unique. I felt a lot of cliches in the story. It was also repetitive at times, which made it a bit hard to stay engaged. I’d catch a sentence that felt similar—nearly identical—to one I’d read and find myself searching back in the story to see where. And sometimes, it was just the previous page. This was also why I didn’t enjoy Fie’s character as much. For a strong heroine, she continually came back to the same few thoughts. It was exhausting.

There’s some romance, which I did enjoy. I found it to be perfect. Not overkill in the story, which would’ve taken away from the overall importance of the journey. Instead, just enough to add another layer of worry to overcome. And one more person for Fie to protect.

Jasimir was a boring, one-dimensional character. There wasn’t ever a time when I cared if he lived or died. Tavin, however...the precious Hawk. I knew he was hiding something. I was hoping it was a bigger piece of his identity (like being the true heir). I think he and Barf were my favorites.

So, overall, it’s a decent read. I liked some of the plotting. I didn’t see any remarkable twists, but it’s solid enough to keep you reading. I will definitely read the next installment, because I am invested enough to know how this is all going to end! And I want more Draga!

3.75 stars

The Merciful Crow follows Fie, a young woman of the lowly Crow caste, as she is thrust into a dangerous mission aiding a thought-to-be-dead prince and his body double in the hopes of saving their kingdom and earning respect and protection for Crows everywhere.

Throughout this journey, we see the world from Fie’s perspective and learn through flashbacks more about her brutal upbringing belonging to the lowest of the castes, one is that only still around to basically take care of the bodies of plague victims whenever a plague smoke signal is deployed, ensuring that the plague doesn’t spread and decimate entire swaths of villages and towns. We are introduced to a few members of other castes, all gifted with a birthright that imbues caste members with certain powers. We also learn more about what each caste is able to do through Fie, a Crow witch (known as a bone thief, albeit a more offensive term for her powers) who as such is able to project caste powers through the teeth of deceased members of each caste. The tooth power is definitely one of the more interesting aspects of the book and it gives a really great glimpse at caste powers without having to introduce us to a member of each caste to show us what they’re capable of.

Along with the interesting witchy powers, I found Fie’s story equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking. Fie is a great main character; headstrong, stubborn, with a very soft spot for her own people (her crow band of about ten people, including her Pa, is her main motivation for just about everything that she does). Fie has a short fuse and fearlessly rushes into situations, and is sometimes even a little too impulsive. I think Fie is the absolute best part of this story.

The other main part of this story involves a royal prince and his bodyguard/body double. Political scheming is the name of the game and the royals fake their own deaths in order to escape the palace and garner support from neighboring provinces to finally strike down unfriendly forces on the inside. The royal prince and his body double are intriguing, albeit much more one noted characters than Fie. I had hoped for a little bit more from each of them, character development wise.

Some other aspects that were a tad disappointing: the magic system is a bit unclear, several of the supporting characters felt pretty flat, and I definitely have questions about this world (especially the plague aspect), but I must say that this book is a great series opener and will be recommended for those looking for a story that’s packed with gore and violence, magic, politics (both clan, royal, and caste), and a dash of romance to top it all off.

This was a solid debut novel that I really enjoyed, other than a few pacing issues. Honestly, more a 4.5 than a 4, but I'm not upgrading it to a 5 because the pacing was enough to make me take many days to finish it.

First, the world building is spectacularly detailed. There is a LOT to keep track of and the author does a great job of repeating information in multiple ways so you remember why or how a thing is, without her sounding repetitive. I'm pretty sure I only learned about a small portion of Sabor and that there is so much more to discover in this world in book 2.

The characters were brilliant. Strong female heroine? Check. Annoying, whiny, pathetic princeling? Check. Hunky hunky off limits boy toy? Check. Too basic? Ah, but then all are more than what they seem. Each has a lot of growing to do on their journey, and watching the characters learn, make mistakes, grow as people, and become more than what they were is what a lot of stories lack, and this was executed beautifully in this book.

I enjoyed it and I'm eagerly awaiting book 2!

The innovative magic structure of this story has set a precedent for world building this season.

Fie is a strong competent female lead who knows what is right and wrong but struggles with the choices she must make in order to better her society, especially for the future of her people. Jasimir is a clueless and self entitled prince who doesn't understand the people of his kingdom as a whole. His character arc is slow in this first novel, but develops in such an organic mind opening way that it is hard to feel negatively toward him for long. Tavin is the happy medium between the two. Bound by duty but stuck with love. Tavin must figure out a way he can be both what Jasimir counts on him to be and what Fie needs him to be. Their interactions are hilarious and understated in a way that attaches you to each of their individual plights. By the end of The Merciful Crow you will be so hooked into the characters and their futures you will be begging for the next in the series.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fantasy adventure. It will suck you in and give you no hope of spitting you out any time soon.

When reading the synopsis, I wasn't sure what to expect with "The Merciful Crow." In many ways, it doesn't share too much about the world and the magic but sets up the back stories of the three major characters: protagonist Fie (the titular Merciful Crow), Prince Jasimir, and his body double Tavin. All of the castes in Sabor have bird "spirit animals" - Phoenix, Owl, Swan, Hawk, etc. - with the Crows at the bottom as they do not have a birthright. What they do have an immunity to the plague and thus they travel around the kingdom, providing mercy-killings to victims in hopes for fair compensation. Fie is a chief-in-training as a Crow witch and has special abilities that make her formidable and strong. When the Swan-born queen wants to clear the line to the throne for her own son, the Crows make a bargain with the Phoenix Prince Jasimir. A quest ensues filled with violence, ethical dilemmas, and personal growth for our main characters.
Over the course of the ~400 pages, Owen has crafted a gritty yet rich world filled with a tightly constructed caste system, complete with the birthrights/magic each group possesses. "The Merciful Crow" is a gripping political drama that examines rulership, the ways in which the elite neglect and harm the oppressed, and how one's actions can change the future for the better.
The world of "The Merciful Crow" draws elements from different historic cultures and civilizations but feels very organic and never appropriative. Of the many books in YA fantasy, Owen has nailed the class dynamics and tensions that are not completely realized in other stories that feature hierarchical systems. In addition to class, the characters are very diverse in terms of race and sexuality. There is a slow-burn romance that not only explores the characters' feelings for each other, but also forces them to confront how Sabor and its castes gives its people few options for choice.
I could not more highly recommend this book and I anxiously await the sequel! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The concept for this one was really cool especially the masks. However, I just couldn’t connect with the lead character or the story itself. But the writing was super beautiful!

I really wanted to enjoy this story more than I did. There were great moments of writing that flowed and were genuinely unique, but I found several phrases and moments that were repetitive or tired. I liked the premise of breaking the cycle within the caste system, of Fie's anger and talent being constantly belittled and overlooked. The moments where she rallies her Crows and attempts to get through to Jasimir and Tavin are nicely done, showing how difficult it actually is to change the viewpoints of an entire nation.

However, the moments of action felt repetitive and predictable. How many times will they hide from the Oleander Gentry or the skinwitches in the trees, Fie barely hanging on to her magic? How many times will Fie be pushed to the edge, before being overwhelmed by the power she is attempting to control? I felt like I was reading the same scenes over and over again. I wanted this book to move a bit quicker, but overall I think the storytelling was enjoyable.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed An Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir since it deals with similar themes of a broken caste system and an all-powerful government and army.

While this wasn't my favorite story, I still found it enjoyable. The characters were interesting, backgrounds about the main characters slowly revealed though could have been developed more (maybe in the next book will learn more about them), you get a skimmed idea of what the world is like, separation of castes, some abilities found better than others. A religion of sorts though not thoroughly explained. The pace of the story was good, the ending satisfying and left me curious enough to wonder what will happen next. Overall, I enjoyed the story and will likely read the next book when it comes out.

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

From beginning to end this book captivated me. The suspense, the thrill and the rush that was brought from Prince Jasmir, Fie, and Tavin and the struggle they faced while battling the dark witch in risk of not only saving their empire, but saving their own lives and wanting peace. The language and structure of this young adult novel was so brilliantly written and constructed like an adventure in your own home. The twist presented through and through the book will immediately hypnotize our teen readers in starting and finishing it in one day.

We will consider adding this title to our YFantasy collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The Merciful Crow is unlike any book I've read in a long time. The world and magic system is truly original and astounding in its detail, and Fie is a hero I would fight for. In the midst of all the magic, political intrigue, romance, and revolution, The Merciful Crow also asks readers to look deep within themselves: How far would you go to keep your own safe? What would you sacrifice to change the heavy wrongness ground into the status quo?

So this book was a huge surprise for me! I started it and must have been too tired to find myself absorbed in this amazing world that Owen has created because the next time I picked it up and restarted it, I couldn't put it down! This is the story of Fie, a Crow, whose job is to help take care of those affected by the plague. She and her Pa, along with fellow Crows travel to where they are called to treat the bodies of those who are dying or dead from the plague with mercy. In a twist, Fie and her family end up with the Crown Prince Jasimir and his Hawk (guard) Tavin. They from a pact to get Jasimir to safety in exchange for protection for the Crows, the lowest of the caste system. This is a magical, fantasy story in which the power Fie can wield comes from the teeth of the dead. The story is full of action and adventure, romance, passion, bravery and faith. This book was beyond my expectations and I'm thrilled that I had the chance to read it. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion. I can't wait for the next book set in this world!

I loved this story...the world building was strong, the writing style was original and enjoyable, the characters were well-written and memorable. I can’t wait for it to be published! I’m already pining for book 2.

The Crows are a bottom-of-the-barrel caste who travel the country mercy killing and burning the bodies of plague victims. Fie - a Crow magician being trained to become a chief - can wield the powers of every other caste by using their castoff teeth. When Fie's band of Crows is called upon to mercy kill and burn the bodies of the Phoenix prince and his Hawk bodyguard, she demands the highest payment from the Queen - the family's horded collection of Phoenix teeth, which would allow Fie access to Phoenix's fire power. Once outside the palace walls, Fie discovers the royals have faked their deaths, and the Crows are now in grave danger as the Queen hunts them down to reclaim the teeth and kill the prince.

The Merciful Crow pulls from a variety of cultural and historical inspirations to craft a unique and richly detailed world. While many first novels of fantasy series can be bogged down by world building or too much description, the novel expertly shows, not tells, the reader how this world works while keeping the plot constantly moving and having plenty of action. Full of action, adventure, and unique magic, The Merciful Crow is a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure.

This book was captivating. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. The story line was unique, and enchantingly written.
It was full of action and adventure. And the cover is stunning.
I would definitely recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This is a book for someone who likes SIX OF CROWS and DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. It's bound to delight readers in the same way those have. That said, it might get lost as being seen as a remake.

This book was very engaging and kept my interest the entire time. I loved the world building and character development that was shown throughout the book.

This book is amazing. There are so many interesting and unique elements that will appeal to other fans of fantasy. I love the concept of castes named after birds and each group being born with special abilities called Birthrights, minus the Crows, but their people have their own specialty and Fie really shows how great her people can be. The storyline really grips you in and has you rooting for her success.

"Pa was taking too long to cut the boys’ throats."

So begins the tale of sixteen-year-old Fie and her band of Crows, a caste of folks who have to help kill those who are suffering from the plague. It seems Crows are the only people who aren't affected by the plague, so whenever a plague beacon burns, Crows must answer it and help to provide mercy to those who are suffering, burn the bodies, and be on their way. Oh, and none of the other castes really respect the Crows, so this is a very thankless job for them. Even when villages do not pay the price for a mercy killing, the Crows still perform this rite, They live by one rule: Look after your own.

Things go a little crazy after the Crows are called to the palace to collect a dead or dying person from the royal family, the Phoenixes. Things are not always as they seem to be; Fie and the Crows end up smuggling out a runaway/hostage and everything goes from bad to worse. It seems the crown prince and his body double/bodyguard have faked their deaths in order to escape the clutches of an evil queen, so that they can travel to another village where other family can help them.

Along the way, the Crows must carry out more mercy killings and also face attacks by the Oleander Gentry, who are a group of people who ride around the countryside killing Crows (and also while wearing white hoods, which reminded me a lot of the KKK).

Overall, a good read. Parts of it fell flat for me, but overall, it had a good message about staying true to yourself and the importance of family.