I requested this book because I am a sucker for any kind of deadly trials in an arena, but this book ended up being about SO much more than the conquessorial battles. There were political secrets, oppression of the lower classes, and large scale conspiracies that Lythlet and Desil found themselves caught up in. The individual battles themselves actually became more about revealing some kind of detail, secret, or character development than defeating the monsters themselves.

I really liked how the theme of mercy wove through the entire story and really became the central theme for Lythlet's character arc. She had an interesting progression; gaining and then losing confidence, being steered by the strong personalities of others until finally finding her own voice. Her upbringing really fueled her motivations, and it was interesting to see how that even contrasted with others who had similar pasts but made different choices.

Overall, this book has an epic fantasy feel to it, while also being very emotional and character-driven. I really loved Lythlet and Desil's friendship and how it grew and changed and went through struggles, but always remained a sort of north star, something they could always cling to even when things went wrong. I feel like nowadays with the world of romantasy (which don't get me wrong, I am 100% a fan of) every boy/girl pairing in a book ends up romantic, so it was really sweet to see a deep, soul mate level of friendship that was absolutely content to be exactly that. There is also a sweet, found-family-eqsue ensemble that you'll definitely end up falling in love with.

(I gave this one a 3.75 but rounded up to a 4 for Netgalley.)

I still cannot believe that this was a debut book. I loved everything about it - from the intriguing capitalistic fantasy city, to the monsters brought into the arena for fighting, to some of my new favorite characters in Lythlet and Desil - but also so many of the side characters, including Master Dothilos, because I love a character that has ambiguous morality and you never really know whose side he’s on.

“Anyone who buys into the concept of a meritocracy is someone naive to the workings of the world. What option have you ever had but poverty, Lythlet?”

The fights in the arena were definitely my favorite moments from the story because we get to see just how clever and smart Lythlet can be. These were the moments with so much tension because I was certain something tragic would have to happen in these battles. No spoilers as to if that happens or not, but every battle had me on the edge of my seat.

The mythology and religious world-building employed in this story was *chef’s kiss* - just so phenomenal. I would love to see more of this world explored and see more of the magical aspects introduced because what we got was fantastic, but I want more!

The way the characters deal with trauma and overcome their lot in life is too real and tragic. I think this is a book that a lot of people can connect with feel for these characters because of it. Even Lythlet’s reason for wanting to join the arena is rooted in this:

“I want to be happier!” she exploded. “I want what my parents never had, nor my ancestors – to survive and prosper.”

There is some commentary on capitalism woven into the story in such a satisfying way, leading me to root for the downfall of the governor even before you really know him.

“She was no more than a commodity stripped naked before a hungry market, a racehorse they would ruthlessly beat to the finish line if it meant they’d win.”

And because I feel like I never see this in this type of fantasy book much anymore, I was excited that Lythlet and Desil are not romantic interests, but are truly best friends and the platonic love that they share for each other is so beautiful. Even through their worst moments in the books, something brings them back together time and time again.

“Flowers fade quickly, but a well-bound book will last you decades.”

5 Sun-Cursed Beasts out of 5

Thank you to @dawbooks for the ARC and finished copies 🙏 All thoughts are my own.

2.75 ⭐

With a cover that gorgeous (😍), it's sad to say that I didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. The cover drew me in initially to this one but once I read the blurb, I was excited to read it! It sounded like a great premise.

Ultimately, it did fall short for me. I found it to be fairly repetitive (one point I thought my kindle messed up and bounced back because I swore I read that already). The plot also got VERY political heavy (politic games, corruption, etc.), which I usually don't mind, but it just seemed like a lot in this one. Especially with everything else that is going on. I felt like I had a million things thrown at me but none of them stuck.

I was sooo upset that the magic system in this world was just a blip in the plot. Why?! I wanted more of it! It sounded cool. When it was first introduced I thought "Ohh, okay they can probably do some cool things with that!" but alas, it barely gets an entire page and the execution is... well, lame. And never explained again.

Lythlet and Desil's friendship and bond was everything. I found myself actually relieved that it didn't turn into something more.

Overall, it was entertaining but just a bit drawn out and repetitive.

This book pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. Giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Been on a dystopian kick lately, and this book delivered. Imagine the Gladiator games of Rome reimagined but with a Hunger Games twist. I don't think the comparison to The Witcher and Squid Games is quite accurate other than the inclusion of mythical beasts and the crippling debt, so folks might feel misled. However, specifically the concept of sun-blessed or sun-cursed beasts left me wanting to know more about the world outside the immediate walls of the city. There is a lot of description but into the architecture of the city and under-city and the social structure of the world, but there are definitely aspects that I wish were more fleshed out like the religion and beasts.

Lythet and Desial make a really interesting pair of protagonists, and in a lot of ways remind me of a black cat-golden retriever dynamic with a large heaping of friends-to-lovers. Lythet is the morally grey character, and as a reader I honestly cannot blame her for the decisions she made because at the end of the day she is just trying to survive. Desial makes a great character foil for her, as he is her moral compass and is what ultimately brings her back to her morals. Though in a world of violent debt collectors and economic stratification, it can be hard to really believe that at the end of the day morals will win when you know you will be beat up and starved.

Overall interesting read and I am curious to see if more stories in this world make an appearance (I'd love to see a prequel!)

The Serpent Called Mercy is about friendship and survival. Together with Lithlet and Desil we go through the slums, and fight monsters inside arenas. The action scenes were decent, yet seemed to be over quickly. I could never fully connect with this book. I must admit, I didn't care much for our main characters. Weirdly enough, despite me not caring that much for them, I thought the relationship between Lithlet and Desil was actually well done. It felt believable.

I went into this expecting more monster fighting, and while we get that, I'd say it's a smaller part of the book. I hoped for more worldbuilding. Go big into the detail of the monsters. Expand the story by working with its content.

Respectfully, I believe calling the book a mixture of The Witcher (not much similarities here, except for some monster fighting, which is also not a big part in The Witcher) and Squid Game (not many "games" here) does not help. I understand that publishers do the marketing, so this is not a knock against the author.

I'd give this book three stars. I may still check out what Roanne Lau is going to write in the future, because idea of the book was not bad at all. Should you give this book a try? I think you should give it a chance, just go into it expecting more friendship and relationship, than tons of monsters. I do I'd also love to mention the cover, this is seriously one of the best looking covers I have seen.

I want to thank you for the ARC, and I hope the issues I had can be ironed out in future books by the author.

Thank you Daw and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this incredible epic fantasy! The world building in The Serpent Called Mercy was flawless, Lau painted an extraordinary picture for the reader and spared no detail in terms of the culture, mythology, religion, everything. Fantasy authors world wide, take note; This was everything i could have wanted and more. The main character was relatable and fierce, you cant help but cheer her on throughout this epic tail. The relationship between Lythlet and Desil was eloquent and sweet. 10/10 would reccommend this book to everyone!

This is an action-packed novel where the main characters enter into gladiator-style battles against monsters (not other people, in the way that Squid Games is). Lythlet and Desil have been friends for their entire lives and enter into the sport out of desperation, as they both need to clear their debt and start new lives. Each match is against a different type of beast, and each beast has its own strengths and powers, which made for an interesting cataloging of monsters + a bit of a puzzle in figuring out how to defeat them.

My favorite parts: the relationship between Lythlet and Desil and the fact that it never turned romantic! I love romantasy but it's so nice to have an option to recommend that is non-romantic. To me, the vibe felt queerplatonic which I always enjoy. I also liked the development of Lythlet as a character; it's complex and not necessarily linear/morally simplistic. I also liked the magic/creatures/world building that we got!

What I would have liked more of: world building outside of the immediate city, what the deal is with the gods' blessings and related magic, the rebellion plot.

What I would have liked less of: the gladiator style fights were very cool but did get a little repetitive.

Big thanks to DAW Books and Roanne Lau for this ARC!

🗡️ A high-stakes fantasy novel with mythical monsters, brutal arena battles, and an underground fighting ring—how could I say no to that? If you love action-packed fantasy books, this one delivers tense survival challenges, intriguing magical creatures, and a world inspired by Malaysian Chinese mythology.

🤩What I Loved:
💖 A platonic duo in fantasy is so rare, and I absolutely loved that our two main characters never develop romance! Lythlet and Desil’s partnership is built on trust and strategy, making their dynamic feel fresh in a genre often dominated by love interests.

🐉 The creatures and mythical monsters were the highlight! Each one felt unique, with intense, Squid Game-style battles that made every fight thrilling. If you enjoy fantasy books with magical beasts, this story will keep you hooked.

🖤What to Expect:
⚔️ A fantasy death game arena
👹 Deadly mythical creatures & monsters
🇲🇾 A Malaysian Chinese-inspired fantasy world
🤝 A rare platonic relationship in fantasy
🔥 Survival, action, and high-stakes battles

🗺️ Pacing & Worldbuilding:
The pacing is steady but slows down at times. I also wished for more worldbuilding beyond the arena—especially about where the creatures originate. If you love fantasy novels with rich lore, you might find this aspect lacking.

🗡️ Final Thoughts:
This is a standalone fantasy debut that blends dark tournament-style games, magical creatures, and survival fantasy in a unique way. While I craved deeper worldbuilding, the action and character dynamics kept me engaged. If you love books like The Hunger Games, Squid Game-inspired fantasy, or battle royale-style fantasy novels, this is worth checking out!

I'm obsessed. The writing and narrative style of this book was really compelling and I loved it. I found the dialogue and the humor to be really tight and well-done. The world-building and descriptions were thought out and did a great job drawing me into the world. This is also a story where, unlike some stories which feature trials or games, they actually factor into the plot and are action-packed and kept me on the edge of my seat. This was just a great book and I cannot wait for more from this author--I also cannot wait to get our physical copies in at my branch because I want to see this cover in person.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau is a third person-POV Malaysian-inspired fantasy. Lythlet and Disel are two impoverished youths who find a way to pay off their debts through becoming conquessors, gladiator-esque fighters who battle monsters in increasingly dangerous battles. But match-master Dothilos has his own agenda and is very interested in Disel’s previous history as a brawler before turning his attention to Lythlet.

Lythlet and Disel have a Queer Platonic-coded relationship. They view each other as soul mates and they are deeply important to each other and are, for all intents and purposes, partners. Lythlet never expresses romantic feelings for anyone and there’s even a scene that implies she is Aspec, possibly AroAce. There is no label stated outright and all of the coding is my own interpretation, but regardless of whether or not someone reads QPR into their relationship, it’s still very cool to see a strong female-male friendship that stays platonic and very tight-knit.

There is a nice variety of monsters and all of the monsters that appear on the cover do appear in the book. Lythlet means more about them from a bestiary that is gifted to her and she retains the information, helping her and Desil win their matches as she hones in on the weaknesses in the most efficient way possible. The two-headed horse was my favorite of all the monsters because the details of the match were very interesting and the twist was a nice surprise. It’s action-packed but requires a lot of wit and strategy on Lythlet and Desil’s part.

A major theme is trauma. Lythlet is triggered by one of the monsters pulling her hair and we go into one of her memories with her of being bullied in a very humiliating way followed by a peer seeing her being bullied and doing nothing. This deeply affects Lythlet in the ring and we learn a lot more about her as a character and her history. Disel and Dothilos also have trauma that is explored later and the trauma of poverty does come up throughout the story.

Content warning for violence and mentions of CSA

I would recommend this to fans of fantasy with strong platonic friendships and readers looking for a monster fighting fantasy with a smaller cast of characters

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

If you are looking for your next thrilling fantasy read with amazing character exploration look no further, you have just found it.

The Serpent Called Mercy follows Lythlet and her best friend Desil while they try to navigate life and their life consuming debt in a incredibly corrupt city. That leads them into joining a crazy fight to the death against fantastical beasts.

I throughly enjoyed these fight scenes and all the development and hindsight that they allowed us to glimpse specially form Lythlet. These characters felt so real in their flaws, desires and the trauma they had dealt with that shaped them into the people they are, I think Roanne Lau's writing really shines in that aspect.

I will literally just complain a little bit over the pacing of the story — I wanted a little bit more of the slower moments between the fights (totally just something I wanted — and the world building, because we focused so much on these trials I felt like the world didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have been, especially because we were just focused on this one city and the political aspect only came into play a lot later in the book.

Overall this was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what this author comes out with in the future.

Lythlet and her only friend Desil are desperate for money, so they sign up as conquessors. Those are combatants who fight sun-cursed beasts in the seedy underworld of the city. While the match master Dothilos initially likes Desil’s brawling, he quickly takes Lythlet under his wing. Lythlet is ambitious, but she isn’t the only one. She will have to decide if sacrificing her honor and only friend is worth a fortune.

This is a Malaysian Chinese-inspired novel. We see the poor in the city, and how unscrupulous usurers are able to keep the citizens in debt. While it drives Lythlet and Desil to the games, it also keeps the different classes starkly separate. The touches of religion and myth behind the city dwelling and the monsters are dismissed by most, but not Lythlet. She's determined to learn more about the monsters and the world her. She relies on herself for the most part, which is partly what gets her drawn into the arena to fight, and also into the deceit under Dothilos. They have similar origins, and she's so starved for recognition that even his will do.

I enjoyed the little world-building details. The lightning bees provide light for the poor, the crafted bulbs for the rich, the city built over the bones of the old one, and the monsters themselves. Lythlet has difficulty with speaking, with crowds, and with dealing with people in general. At the same time, she's clever with numbers and money, reasons things out quickly, and remembers details without effort. She grew up with Desil, and we'd likely classify her as autistic if we had to label her. She has drive, and the early admission that she wants to be happy is at first brushed off as idiotic. But it's what drives people all the time, and the only difference between them is what makes them happy. For someone as poor as Lythlet, of course, she thinks it's coin in the beginning. She thinks she's alone, that she's a burden, and that no one cares for her unless she gives them something to like her for. This doesn't give away the ending, but I grew teary-eyed with the sequence of visits to friends and her parents. Each value and love her for herself, not what she could do for them. I loved that she heard that and saw it was true. We all need that.

The Serpent Called Mercy is a beautifully written story about friendship and the perils of living in poverty. There are so many important messages hidden in plain sight within this story. I really do recommend it to anyone who wants a fantasy read filled with political injustices, and a main character who is fighting against them.

This story gave me huge Hunger Games vibes, as well as really any other sort of dystopian fantasy where our main character is struggling through life, while the rich are prosperous at the expense of the poor. Our main character is forced to journey through a humbling growth in mind, to learn that riches aren’t the fix to all of her problems.

One of my favourite things about this read is that we have 2 very unique features revolving around the main character: 1) She is “ugly”, as quoted several times in the book. I loved this because we got to see the rough and strong personality of a character without constantly being reminded of how good they look. 2) There is no romantic connection between the two main characters, but they have a beautiful friendship and call each other “soulmates”.

The world building was great, and although the world in itself was nothing specifically unique (the usual downtrodden slums vs the wealthy areas), the environment and the things in it, like the lightning bee hives that light the streets, the tea houses and the homes in the trees, were really charming.

My reason for not rating this book 5 stars is because, although the dialogue was written extremely well, it sometimes became really overwhelming and dragged out when some characters went on a bit of a rant/monologue for pages on end. I also thought there were some perfect spots to end the story after the 90% mark, leaving the reader with resounding questions and thoughts after finishing. However it did just continue on for, what I personally believe, was too long.

I’m also a huge animal lover, so any book that has animals dying or suffering is difficult for me to read.

Please read the trigger warnings before picking up this book, as some uncomfortable topics are talked about, but not heavily focused on.

I’ve tried so many times to pick this up, seeing some really brilliant reviews absolutely raving about this book… but I just can’t get into it. I’m not sure if it’s the way it’s written, or edited for the ARC, but I’m about 20% through and struggling. This unfortunately will be a DNF for me, but thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

this book had a very interesting premise: a society in which the unregistered and the poor struggle to make ends meet everyday whilst the highborn enjoy luxury and comfort. where i feel it fails most is in part due to not showing this contrast enough. we have the spectators of the fighting matches versus those who are fighting, which lets us see it for a while. we see some previous fighters who have gotten further up in the hierarchy which was an interesting pov to explore, but those characters are painfully underdeveloped and the story suffers for it. the story felt far too dragged out and the second half in particular was often boring.
most of the characters we see are underdeveloped, or one-note. i wasn't able to form a connection with any of them, and following the FMC around for 400 pages got very grating as she erred on the side of annoying oftentimes. the match-master was the most interesting by far, and his dialogue and backstory was genuinely very good.
the plot involving fighting beasts could have been quite compelling, but the world-building could be confusing or absent altogether. they are sun-cursed but we never dive into what that really means, and we don't see the wealthier parts of the city at all. it all felt very compressed, and if the characters had been compelling at all I would have found it easier to forgive some of this.
the beasts themselves were inventive and imaginative, but we don't see too much of them.
overall, a bit of a letdown, and i found myself skimming from about 60% onwards.

I feel very middle of the road about this book. On one hand I really like the premise, all the politics, and the ending. But on the other hand, I felt like the story struggled with pacing at times and it kinda seemed like the last 30% of the book had too many story lines. Instead of every thing culminating and coming together at the end, it seemed more like following and wrapping up one story line then jumping to the next one to do the same. It made the last part of the book feel a bit clunky.

Publishers really do a disservice to authors by comparing their books to amazing franchises - especially when the book is nothing like the comps.

The Squid Game meets Witcher description is not accurate at all - yes, there are monsters to kill, and there are games where you can win a lot of money, or die, but that's about it. I found Lythlet and Desil's story to be okay, but it needed more. More worldbuilding, more fleshing out, more consequences so that things don't feel so surface level.

All in all an okay effort but not a book I will be going back to.

If you see this book - READ IT!

Imagine if the Hunger Games was a team of two against legendary beasts instead of other people, and one of the team members was low-key Sherlock Holmes. Sprinkle in some essence of The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon and some Malaysian/Chinese mythology, and you have one awesome story.

This debut novel is delightfully descriptive, with humour sprinkled throughout. I laughed out loud and cried multiple times while devouring this story. Only two chapters in, this book had its claws in me!

The scenery had me vividly imagining this new world. The trials and combat scenes had me on the edge of my proverbial seat. The friendships had me laughing and crying.

We follow the story of Lythlet, who isn’t pretty or rich. The change and growth of our main character was a joy to see. Her moral compass is such a key part of this journey and was beautifully written.

I found many powerful quotes of thought-provoking wisdom to the philosophy that will keep me returning to reference this book. I can’t recommend this book enough, even if I can only think of so many words to do so!

Clever, brilliant, unique, and a joy to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW Books for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau.

The premise and the story in general were really great, but somehow this still wasn't that good. I felt like it was just lacking real depth to the characters. Like Desil could have been literally written out of the story and I feel like I would feel the same. Most of the side characters fell flat and the story just dragged really bad 50% of the way through. Really i feel like the world felt one dimensional and the worldbuilding was lacking so bad, felt like there was only 2 places in this world, the arena and there hut they lived in. The creatures were cool but it didn't help that I never really cared if they made it out alive. The beginning was great but tge middle needs more editing.

2.5 Rounded up

“There is nothing more dangerous than hope.”

The Serpent Called Mercy had such good bones and a premise I liked but this one just didn’t feel very fulfilling for me. I really wanted to be in the group of people that enjoyed this one and gave it 4 and 5 stars. You’re following Lythlet and her childhood best friend Desil trying to find a way out of the debt that they’re in. They end up deciding their solution was to become conquessors and fight sun-cursed beats in an area for money run by the match master Dothilos.

I loved the beats in here and the deep friendship and bond between Lythlet and Desil. I also really liked that it never developed into a romantic relationship. As well as seeing the relationship between her as her parents. I think these relationships were very well written. I loved some of the magical and fantasy aspects of this as well but I felt that they would get touched on maybe a little and then were just kind of forgotten about which would really bum me out as I wanted to know more about them and the world that this was set in.

I also was drawn in on the pitched comparisons of it being The Squid Games mixed with The Witcher (I really love The Witcher) and didn’t really see them in this story. It sadly, to me, felt that the world and lore wasn’t well developed. The actual fighting felt glossed over and the politics I felt we were supposed to be learning about felt so in the background. I was also bummed about that as well. There were sooo many elements I was fascinated with that we just didn’t get to fully delve into. Some plot points felt a little weird or off at times or maybe even like out of left field a bit, but that’s my opinion.

Overall, I am sure there’s readers out there that would enjoy this but I guess this one just isn’t for me.
I would still be interested in reading something by Roanne Lau again though.