Actual rating: 4.5 / 5

"Once, there was a boy who believed."

In a world created by The Unforged God, some humans (known as Smiths) are born with the seeds of divinity; an element of metal flowing through their blood such as copper, silver or gold, and have divine magics as a result. Tal is one such Smith, born with silver in his veins and visions in his dream, he has a deep faith towards the Unforged God and is willing to sacrifice almost anything in order to see his visions through to fruition and save (view spoiler)

"Once, there was a girl who was afraid."

The Destroyer is the heir to the empire, and someone with Mercurial veins, having the incendiary powers of mercury, and the personality to go with it. Having dealt with the struggles of the empire (including assassination attempts!) for almost as long as she can remember, Elodie is quick to anger and dangerous at the best of times. From the get-go she was a fantastically layered and dynamic character, and the amount of character growth she went underwent throughout this novel was truly incredible.

"Once, there was a girl who believed only in her brother."

Nyx is the younger sister of Tal, and has stewed in anger since her seeming abandonment, training with a rebel faction in the hopes of assassinating The Destroyer and ending the regime. She's fierce, takes no prisoners, dedicated, and has an unwavering faith in her brother despite not exactly being happy with some of his choices...

When the girl woke, a gray snow was falling, and the world was silent in the way it only ever was in the aftermath of a great cataclysm.

This is a very character-driven story, and the relationships that develop are what truly make it, but honestly everything about it was brilliant; the plot was action-packed and fast paced, the world building was well fleshed out, and the secondary romances worked perfectly with everything else that was going on. I also really appreciated the fact that there was LGBTQ+ representation with well written and strong characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and thought it was super well balanced; the characters, the world building, the plot, the representation, everything! It all flowed super well and was very natural, and whilst there were some aspects that didn't quite work for me, they were very minor and did not in any way detract from my enjoyment of the novel. All-in-all, a fantastic book, and one I would highly recommend.

Please note, there are multiple trigger-warnings for this book, best described in the author's review, if you're worried about certain topics, I recommend reading their review before delving into the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone in the Alloyed Empire fears the Destroyer. The metal in her blood gives her incredible powers and makes her a cold-hearted weapon for the Empress. That is until a rebel attack leaves her with no magic and no memories of herself. Tal is her royal guard and has sworn to protect her. Now that she’s powerless he can finally end her reign of terror—if he can stop himself from falling for the wicked, funny, utterly unfamiliar girl she’s become.

Fantasy is my favourite genre and I‘m glad that I really enjoyed this book. It took me a few chapters to get into Mercurial, which is pretty normal for a fantasy book because I needed to understand the magic system and world building first. But then I read through the whole story within a day!

I love the enemies to lovers trope, so I knew I was going to like this one. Blood magic is nothing new but the book is still unique in its own way. Lots of things happened that I didn’t expect at all, which made me want to keep reading. I also love that there‘s LGBTQ+ rep in this book, the relationship between Nyx and Helenia was one of my favourite parts of the story! I also thought it was interesting that religion plays an important role because that‘s not as common in fantasy novels.

The more I read, the more I was invested in the story. I hope there‘s going to be a sequel because I would love to read it! Mercurial comes out on the 16th of March.

Amazon review: https://www.amazon.de/review/R10GGQN0SYW6GC/ref=pe_1604851_66412761_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Mercurial is reminiscent of classic medieval fantasy novels but also felt surprisingly fresh with its unique magic system. The book's exploration of faith, redemption, and the power of love was compelling and kept me reading to the end. The exploration of religion is especially integral to the plot with Tal's struggling over his decisions and their consequences as the platform for this analysis. Rather than view it as inherently good or bad, it is a more analytical approach, questioning such things as what it means to adhere to one's faith. While Tal is interesting, I was mostly invested in Elodie, who ultimately became my favorite character. The book kept me riveted, trying to guess what would happen next. I had a difficult time suppressing the urge to flip to the end. I had not heard much about the novel before finding it on NetGalley, and I am thankful I was provided the opportunity to read it. I look forward to reading more from Hughes.

𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5)
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“Mercurial” is set in the Alloyed Empire, a magical world where metal runs in the veins of the Smiths, gifting them with divine magics from the Unforged God.
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Tal trusts in his god completely. So when he is asked to pledge the rest of his life to the Destroyer, the most feared person in the entire Alloyed Empire, Tal does so without reserve. Tal must find a way to look past the Destroyer’s destructive incendiary powers to save her, and through her, save the entire Alloyed Empire.
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The 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 of “Mercurial” is brilliant. I love this twists and turns. Every time you think you know what is going on in this book, or what is going to happen, a new plot element is introduced! There are visions and foresight in this book, and yet I was still unable to predict what was going to happen, which I loved.
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The 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 is fabulous. This world is unique and unlike any other story I’ve read.
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The 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 in this story are extremely complex and intriguing. I loved the character building and weaving in this book. Plus it had one of my favorite book tropes, but you’ll have to read the book to find out which one that is. 😉
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The only reason I rated this as 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars, is because for me the writing seemed a geared a bit more towards middle schooler age as opposed to YA or adult. In this same sense, the writing was slightly less articulate than I would have liked.
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This is Naomi Hughes’ only self-published book, but she has two more published books that I can’t wait to read!
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Thank you Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for providing me with a eARC copy!

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Mercurial is just good, old-fashioned fun. Yes, there are some somewhat overused YA tropes, and yes, sometimes it didn't feel the most polished. But I don't <i> care <i/> because I enjoyed reading it so much.

I got very attached to both Tal and Elodie/the Destroyer from pretty much the first page. There's something about their dynamic that captured me - I especially enjoyed that the dark, ruthless one was the girl. I also adored Nyx and Helenia - they felt like real people that I would be friends with- and I appreciated the complexity of how both Saasha and the Iron Empress were portrayed. In fact, aside from Albinus I think I liked all the characters. I also enjoyed the worldbuilding and magic system.

The story is fast-paced; if I had any criticisms, it would be that at times, Mercurial is a little too fast-paced for its own good. This is exacerbated by quite a few instances of telling rather than showing. I do try not to be a stickler about that kind of technical detail, but in the case of this book, there were moments where it was really noticeable, and as a reader I was left wishing I'd been allowed to gradually figure out the characters' emotions myself, instead of being told what they were feeling at several key moments.

That said... I don't really mind any of it too much, because again, Mercurial was fun! I even enjoyed the representation of faith/religion and the ending, despite feeling that I really shouldn't have liked either, just because of who I am as a person - no criticism of this book, I swear, I'm just difficult like that. And anyway it doesn't matter, because I did like them in spite of myself. It even made me a little emotional at the end, which is a true achievement.

7/10

In the Alloyed Empire, the metal in your blood - or lack there of - corresponds to power. None are more feared than the mercurial Destroyer, whose incendiary magic can level townships in a day.

Tal Melaine has sworn a misguided oath to protect her, an oath he fiercely regrets. But when the Destroyer loses her magic and her memories in an explosion, he is exposed to a new side of her. A side he finds it difficult to hate.

I loved the concept for this book, and was instantly engaged by the lead characters. Each of them was uniquely loveable whilst possessing compelling flaws that drove the book on, and I particularly enjoyed Nyx's bloodthirsty humour.

My only criticism was that I found some of the changes in character's relationships abrupt and jarring; Tal's shifting feelings towards Elodie, for example, could have been dealt with more gradually. However, I understand that it is a short book. It could have been longer! It would have been nice to see the characters' internal and external conflicts drawn out over more shared experiences, but I enjoyed this book for the short treat that it was.

1st of all i just loved this book

Mercurial really is a gem of a novel.

While nothing about most of the tropes it uses are unique (blood based magic, enemies to lovers, enemies have to rely on each other to survive, Big Bad with secret tragic past, over protective misinformed siblings. the list really goes on and on)

I don't think I've really seen any of them (especially an enemies to lovers standalone) handled this expertly before.

let me tell you enemies to lovers is my all time fav trope

but all 3 characters are believable and complex and every single chapter here adds to the narrative.

I'm absolutely obsessed and hopefully, you will be too.

read it already

•Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 4☆
• Side characters- 4.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 4.5☆

I got to read the NetGalley ARC. This is my honest review:

This is a fantastic fantasy. Great world, intriguing magic system, harrowing situations, terrible choices, an actual god, oaths that stick, and amazingly well-done characters to struggle with it all. Not only all that, but the end is incredibly satisfying. Plus, the assassin-sister has a girlfriend. What an amazing book.

Author: Naomi Hudges
Recommended Age: +14
SYNOPSIS:
Everyone in the Alloy Empire fears the Destroyer. The metal in her blood gives her incendiary powers, and the coldness in her heart makes her the empress's perfect weapon ... until a rebel attack leaves her without magic or memories.
His bodyguard, Tal, has long lamented his idealistic hope of saving the Destroyer. Now that she is powerless, he can finally end his reign of terror, if he can avoid falling in love with the evil, funny, and completely unknown girl he has become.
Nyx was furious when her brother, Tal, abandoned her to protect a tyrant. Now, she is honed as a rogue assassin until she can kill the Destroyer and rescue Tal. But the closer he gets, the more he realizes that the entire empire depends on the decisions the three of them will make ...

REVIEW:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
I did not know anything about this book and thanks to Netgalley who approved my application I was able to delve into the history and I want to say that the synopsis is not enough to describe how incredible this world is. We find a dark kingdom where a girl is lethal and dangerous and on the other hand we meet a boy who believes and goes in search of his destiny. The first pages seemed slow to me as up to 20% of the book began to hook me and I want to say that in my opinion the book focuses a lot on the characters and their relationship but like the world and the plot are good, they follow a line temporary but on certain occasions it goes back to the past so that you better understand what is happening. And in this book is my favorite cliché which is Enemies to Lovers and although I feel that something unfolds suddenly it is the most beautiful thing in the world and I wanted his feelings to be digested.
There is an LGTB + couple in the book and I love it because you see a strong relationship that would do anything to save itself and although they are not the main characters, more than one will like their scenes.
And the book itself touches on the subject of knowing yourself better, facing traumas and problems and even if you do not forget everything, it can be transformed into a teaching.
Do I recommend the book?
Of course, it has romance, action, LGTB +, etc ... And the world that Naomi built with beautiful landscapes, a dark palace full of secrets, caves, etc ... make you travel and feel that you are there. Be encouraged to read it so that it will not disappoint you.

4 stars. I had enough complains to give this book 3 stars but it was way too enjoyable for that. This is a bit of a classical story, strong yet vulnerable female character and her knight in shining armor. The ending was a bit predictable but I feel like we need this kind of sotries from time to time. I really liked the metal based powers system.
All in all, this is a character driven book. All 3 protagonists are lovable and you won't be able to put this book down once you fell for its characters. And you will fall for them!

This book was a fun enjoyable read! The world building wasn’t there too much but it didn’t detract from the plot line or make things hard to understand! The magic system was new and cool, i’d never read about one like it before and I really enjoyed it! The are people who have certain metals in there blood and have different magic depending on what metal it is! The romance was kind of odd because it didn’t have much substance, it began out of nowhere and while I love enemies to lovers, it was just kind of bland. The ending was really good and it fit well but it lacked the big bang I thought there would be because I felt that not too much happened in the climax either. I really liked this though and would definitely reread and recommend to those I think would enjoy it!

An enticing story forged with power, blood, and love.

My Rating: 3.3 Stars

Mercurial is a fast-paced fantasy with a straightforward plot. The metallurgy class was a novel concept to me. The story also felt like watching Frozen but with different power and magic in play here. Sarai and Elodie were mostly like Elsa and Anna but were unnerving with their bloodlust. This book left an impression on me with its simple plot and the characters. Once I was done reading it, I immediately added it to my neutral-pile (neither hated or loved), which I didn't mind reading. If you're looking for YA fantasy with strong female characters, I'd highly recommend this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC.

Tal is a really interesting character and brought a lot to the table with his faith and oath that he made. I really liked the relationship and interaction between Tal and Elodie but was left feeling very bleh about Nyx. No real strong feelings either way.

Pacing was a little bit off, either too action packed or too slow and dragging, would have loved an in between. I loved the ending and it definitely left me satisfied.

Mercurial is one of those books that throws you in - a good feature in a book with a different class/magic/world than we’re used to - as you want to know more rather than being faced with a wall of backstory; desperate for the action to begin. The magic itself intrigued me from the start. Metal based magic isn’t new, I, like everyone I know love the Mistborn series - but in this one it’s very different. Mercury equals flames, silver, prophecy. I liked the twist, the simplicity of it that was sorely lacking in Mistborn.

It’s a plot that unravels at a glorious pace, just quick enough to feel pacey but slow enough to make the surprises shocking. It mixes royal intrigue with revolution and assassins and magic and blood oaths - and doesn’t feel too much.

I found myself very torn by the amnesia plot - I knew about it going in, so it wasn’t a surprise, but...

“Her cruel air had been replaced by an oddly innocent ferocity”

She suddenly has no powers, and is innocent as a babe - unable to even light a fire without the help of Tal. And, almost instantly, he becomes conflicted as her jokes and smiles bring emotions up within him. I’m aware The Destroyer is the villain in this book, and as I was reading I found myself desperate to know more about her, but having her suddenly infantilised was a bit disappointing.

I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, something I only do when truly necessary, but whilst I loved the revelation and surprise the royal story gave; having accountability taken from The Destroyer really disappointed me. I was glad to have a conflicted female lead who’s a villain - and having her become yet another innocent romantic figure in need of rescue did ensure I felt rather whelmed by the romance element of this book.

The ending...

On the lead up it had the perfect pacing- rushed in the right way. You felt the drive of the characters, the panic and desperation to speed towards what needed to be done. But...that quickly devolved into a sudden tying up of loose ends and decisions that had my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Sudden offers of crowns and truces and marriage and it just felt...sudden.

And convenient

I can’t say more without spoiling the book which again, I don’t want to do, but people find each other at the perfect times, turn up at the exact right moment, know what’s going to happen, and I think it’s powerful once or twice but Tal’s visions end up being such a convenient plot point that leads the story on so well that it didn’t feel satisfying almost.

This book had so much promise, but the combination of everything above just wasn't enough to bring it to a 4 out of 5. I would have loved to see an unapologetic mean streak in her, unforgiving without playing a role. Tal should have been more conflicted; and the ending...if it was going to play out that way then there needed to be more set up in my opinion. But I do recommend the book - it was enjoyable throughout; and really, isn't that the main point of a book?

The Destroyer, with mercury flowing in her blood, is feared by everyone. She’s taken countless lives with her incendiary powers, lives which were avenged and led to her losing her memory and her power. Her bodyguard, Tal, who’s sworn on metal to protect her and to not harm her himself. And who now has the chance to end the Destroyer after she lost her memory and her power. Tal’s sister, Nyx, who would do anything to free her brother from his oath, even if it means sacrificing her own life.

Mercurial have such an interesting and unique magic system. Yes, it has the usual division and different kinds of magic assigned to each division, but magic based on what the color of your blood is? UNIQUE. (well, I haven’t read anything like that so it’s unique to me) I love reading parts where the power of each color was being used and described. I only hope we also got to read more about the others aside from silver, mercury, and copper.

There are more twists in this book than there is usually in books like this one. They were done so well that they didn’t feel too much. Some books tend to overdo plot twists and end up in a bad way but not Mercurial! It is fast-paced and it is the good kind! It might feel slow at first but, I swear, it’ll be worth it to stick around.

I can only name one or two characters who I would definitely punch in the face, the rest are super likeable. The characteristics of the main lead are different from the usual, the usual being the character starting as a regular person and being a superhero or something in the end. I really liked the Destroyer’s character, I liked how powerful she is but also how she is without her power.

Overall, I absolutely loved how everything went. From how the main plot played out to the character development and the ROMANCE—which I would just keep in my heart because words are not enough to express my love for the romance in this book. With that, I NEED MORE PLEASE. Don’t leave me hanging like this because I will cry and wait forever!

Mercurial is a Young Adult novel set in the world of the ALLOYED EMPIRE. It follows three characters: a cruel princess, a trapped guard, and his sister, the destroyer. This is a great story of love and friendship. The writing was great, and it was written in third person which automatically gives it bonus points. The plot was complex and well articulated, and the characters were all very well developed.

An interesting story about religion, oaths and family.
Something about the writing and general plot really reminded me of V. E. Schwab which was a pleasant surprise.

I felt very mixed about both Elodie and Nyx, I didn’t hate them, didn’t love them. I did like Tal as a character though, I really enjoyed reading about his faith, his relationship with his god, and his oath. The relationship between Tal and Elodie was interesting as well.
Helenia deserved better, that’s all I have to say about her lol.

There were times where I struggled just a bit with the pacing, times were I felt the story was slowly dragging along and I just wanted the characters to get on with it. But in saying that, it wasn’t a huge problem.

The ending was quite satisfying. I have been thinking about certain scenes toward the ending since I finished the book a few days ago and I’m still in awe of them.

I can really see this becoming a book that a lot of fantasy readers will enjoy. Naomi Hughes did a great job in creating an engaging story with deep feeling characters you just can’t help but feel for.

First thoughts
This was AMAZING. Loved it. Devoured it. Want more. I love the cover, I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved all the stabby-ness. So much angst. So much action. Many dogs (that I imagined were huskies). An addictive and fun read for all you lovers of fantasy that has a heavy dose of assassins!

What’s it about?
Mercurial is a YA fantasy with MAGIC. We have two main characters, the Destroyer and Tal. In this world, magic is dictated by metals – some people have different metals (gold, iron, mercury, etc) in their blood and that gives them different kinds of magic. Only in the palace and its surrounding establishments do you find people with significant power, and a rebellion is trying to overthrow the current Empress because of a cruel and dictatorial rule.

The Destroyer is the Empress’ younger sister and she got her nickname from being cruel and merciless. Her metal is mercury and she creates fire. Tal is pledged to her, after having a vision from his god to do so, and he is secretly a silver smith. Silver smiths are illegal and as far as we know, Tal is the only one alive.

The blood of anyone with this magic in them is tainted the colour of their metal. So this means Tal bleeds silver. You can imagine then, that it’s very important no-one sees him bleeding. A tricky predicament for the bodyguard of a frequently targeted person of assassinations.

This is the story of Tal and the Destroyer. After an event leaves the Destroyer with no magic and no memories, the dynamics shift and morals become seriously blurred. It is a tale of enemies to lovers, of strong friendships and the impossibilities of family.

Why I enjoyed this
Ummmm – IT WAS SO GOOD. I was tearing through the pages of this and enjoying every moment. The story is breezy and not too complicated – it’s great to sink your teeth into and get a healthy dose of teenage angst and fiery (literally) magic.

I found the dynamics between the Destroyer and Tal delectable. As much as they were entertaining enough when the Destroyer was a total nutcase-evil-queen-overlord-pooh, once Tal was dealing with her when she had no memories, and was actually being nice, stuff got COMPLICATED.

Nothing delights me more than throwing endless moral challenges at characters to see how they’ll react, and to watch them learn and understand that sometimes the world isn’t as black and white as it first appears.

The world
I wanted to take a second to talk about how much I loved the setting of this book too. It is largely set in a wintery landscape around some harsh mountains. The snow and bitterness of the landscape really added some delightful tension to the overall chaos of the story.

I found it really easy to picture – and I loved imagining the animal called the Mooncat – and I’d love to see some artwork for this setting. I think it would be utterly captivating.

Diversity
I also really loved the diverseness of the characters. Not only am I talking skin colour here, but religion. I thought that was an interesting addition to a fantasy book that you don’t always see present in this conflicted manner as you do here.

With one of the main motivations of Tal, being the main character, to do what he’s doing through the whole book having come from a divine vision, religion plays a central role in this story. I really enjoyed how religion played with the motives of a lot of the characters involved and how differently they each interpreted it.

Whilst it’s not largely explored, Hughes also touches on the idea of contrasting faiths and religions causing conflict in the story too. It makes me really curious about what the rest of this world would look like if this story was expanded into an epic series – though as a standalone it is quite sufficient.

Summary
This is a fantasy you simply need to read if you want something quick and exciting with some great characters. I really enjoyed this and I was so pleased I did! The cover is simply gorgeous and I will be obsessing over these characters for a long time to come.

3.5 stars

I liked this book eventho it took me a bit to fully engaged with the story, I still liked it.
The main characters, Tal and Elodie, I really liked them and their journey. I didn't get bored or skimmed in any chapter and overall this was a fun reading experience.
That being said... The start felt a little slow (even though it was a fast paced book) and between catching up with the magic system and world building you start to drift away from the story itself. And I think that's my biggest issue with the book and why I couldn't fully enjoy it. because it took me about half the book to understand what was going on and how (some) of the magic worked and the basic built up in this society because although we know who the characters are, that's all we know. I feel like this needs a companion novel or a prequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Mercurial" was an interesting fantasy book! I enjoyed the universe & worldbuilding which were very well fleshed out! The concept of the world was very intriguing, especially the religion part. The characters on the other hand, however memorable, could have been more developed throughout the story. As I saw it, it was more about following the story than learning more about the characters' personalities, since they definitely had a past but not necessarily distinguishable character traits. Therefore I feel like this book would definitely be a better option for people who prefer plot-based stories!
I loved the sapphic romance as well & very much appreciated how the main romance was a slow burn and not "all over your face", since I prefer discreet romances in fantasy books.
An overall enjoyable fantasy book from an author I'd gladly check out more of since the writing was quite nice!