Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for this ARC.

Crueler Mercies is a book about cruelness of war. There can be no hope when you do not have the control to create it. I really enjoyed the relationships that Vita made and how she was always kind to the people around her even if she didn't owe it to them. I loved hating the general and all of his cruel behavior. There was so much loss in this book and it was emotionally heavy. You will enjoy Crueler Mercies if you enjoy war strategies, feminine rage, and crows.

Oh, this was a fun one. And by fun, I do mean a delectable tragedy with a hard-earned ending that I will call happy, but at what cost, you know?
Vita was a truly spectacular protagonist; I was hooked on her journey from the very beginning. She fought so hard to come into her own and I was cheering her on the entire way. This will definitely be another book for my "I support women's rights and wrongs" list.
The sapphic romance in this book was also wonderful, watching Vita fall in love felt like a special treat alongside all of the horrors she was forced to experience (and commit, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers so I won't say more).
I loved this read, and I encourage all lovers of sapphic fantasy to pick up.

CRUELER MERCIES is the story about a princess who was excommunicated by her father right after he beheads his queen. Vittoria was sent away from the castle she grew up in, never to be seen or heard from again. While she isn't sure the reason, Vita eventually accepts her fate and succumbs to being fed and periodically washed by the servants she barely knows or talks to. She turns to her birds for friendship and comfort. When a challenger comes along to claim the throne for himself, he gives Vita an ultimatum: marry him, seek revenge on her father, and become queen at his side. Or die. Most of the story is Vita trying to come up with whatever scheme may work best to not only revenge her mother but to rid herself of her new fiancé, Ardaric. She befriends a servant, Solene, who has her own plans to rid of Ardaric. Together, the envision a kingdom that isn't ruled by man, that isn't cruel or unjust. It's definitely a slow burn as far as plot is concerned and more of a coming-of-age, rather quickly, for Vita. She was secluded for so long that most of the time she's playing catch-up to everyone around her, which got a little tedious at times. There wasn't too much world building either and I wanted more of that. There's a surface-level history to the story that the author reveals to serve the plot (or lack thereof). Then there's the alchemy. It's the mechanism for which Vita and Solene serve to oust Ardaric but it's almost a non-starter because Solene can't accomplish much with it and Vita never heard of it because she was locked away for so long. This part of the plot also feels surface level because there's no tangible reason for either of them to practice; it's briefly mention that Solene's grandfather practiced but that's about it. I did really enjoy the cast of characters and the found family trope. The sapphic love story was well done and felt organic. All in all, I did really enjoy it and if there was ever a sequel., I would read it.

It's okay, it took me a while to get into it, but those first few chapters did hook me. I think the world building was easy to comprehend at first because we spend so much time with just Vita in an enclosessed space and then it all just slowed down and the world building kinda disappeard.

My biggest complaint is Vita has next to no agency and I understand she grew up isolated but cmon do something! anything! Another complaint is that while its advertised as adult it reads as ya and I think that difference does effect how you read it.

Yea I dontreally know what to say other than it's ok, I think if I knew going in that it was more ya then I coulda prepped myself more on what to expect.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!

By the five percent mark, Maren Chase already reels you in on Vita's story and manages to tug quite painfully at your heartstrings. Tragedy within books has been explored countless of times in countless different books, it puts a pit in your stomach and helps you forge some sort of connection with the characters as you begin to root for them. This is what happens in Crueler Mercies.

The novel starts heavy and hits you hard in the gut. It evokes strong emotions of protectiveness towards Vita as we see the beginnings of the life she leads. A princess with everything at the tip of her fingers, Vita is bright and vivacious. She is by all accounts, a child. But even in the epilogue, you begin to see parallels of how different Vita is to her father and how cruelty is not inherited in any way that matters. It sets the tone loud and clear, and just like that, you're hooked. This is what I loved about the book. There were no unnecessary pauses or odd starts; it flowed well and did not give you time to think 'Hm. Maybe it's time I put this book down.' The pacing is phenomenally done, which is something that can make or break a novel in this particular genre.

However, I will say that Vita's character often gave me whiplash. She does not respond to a situation the same as you would expect her to based on what you know about her. Yes, this could also be because of the harsh circumstances she's thrown into left and right, however, Vita's personality seemed to shift chapter by chapter. You didn't really know if she would respond more like the Vita trapped in the tower or the Vita that has been let out of it, sometimes you even got a glimpse of baby Vita in her decisions. And while this did bring about confusion, it managed to round itself out in later chapters in the book.

Crueler Mercies is a story of developing feminine rage and struggle for vengeance with in a sapphic fantasy setting. The book had a strong cast of female characters, and Vita's development throughout the book was believable and thoughtful. The prose in the book is really lovely and made certain moments even more memorable. I really liked how across the book, Vita really began to understand the world and her perceived place in it as she figured out how to manipulate that to get the vengeance she sought. Of course, I also loved the sapphic romance between Vita and Soline and at times, I found it so achingly tender. The ending was... awesome.

This book took me a while to finish. I'd pick it up, read a little, try to get into it, and then put it down and try again some days later. The beginning was not the issue. That part was great, and I found it easy to get into Vita's backstory and what happened with her parents. My issue was with everything else that followed. For Vita to be treated so cruely and isolated for so long, where was the rage? I wanted more from her. 2.t stars rounded up.
Thank you NetGalley, Bindery Books, and Maren Chase for this read.

I would try this again as an audio got to 58% after trying for over a month and gave up
I wanted her angrier
Was interesting story just a little to slow for me

Overall, this book was fine. It's a slow burn, and when it finally gets where it's going, it's over too quickly. I was dreadfully bored during the very lengthy second act, but binged the third act in one sitting. The worldbuilding is not particularly interesting, I've seen the themes done better in other books, and the writing serves its purpose but isn't anything exciting. I did love the historical and artistic influences that went into the book, but I was craving more atmosphere and a more interesting heroine. I think I will remember those influences more than I will remember this story in particular.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the e-ARC. This is my honest review.

Dnf at 55% and I'm gonna say this was a 2.5, rounded up to 3

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Bindery Books, and Fantasy & Frens for the e-arc!!

I want to take the weight off my chest by just dfning this. Tbh I don't wanna dnf this, I've really been enjoying the majority of this book and even bought it because I was so sure I would end up finishing it and rating it 4 stars. But unfortunately it's gotten to a point where nothing has been happening for ages, the book just drags and drags with no plot or character development and since it's lost that kind of momentum, I've lost interest in this book. This novel starts out really strong in the first couple chapters and honestly I was so into it.

I spent hours and hours reading it and becoming invested. The plot and dynamics were interesting and I was so in love with the writing style and the book had a lot of tension. Then, after they set out to war, the plot (ironically) stops progressing, the tension somehow dissipates, and the plot overall disappears. And at some point in trying to push through and trying to find excitement in the words and events that were transpiring, I was put into a TERRIBLE reading slump. I could no longer read, process, or focus on the words on the page.

I know this book picks up at some point towards the end and there are mixed reviews on whether the ending was satisfying or not, but at the end of the day due to that dissipation of pacing, plot, and tension, I no longer care. This book had so much potential and it could've kept building and building and building, but instead chose to slow down significantly and make it so that your connection to the characters and potential future events becomes disconnected. We also barely get to see any of the "magic"?? We only get failed attempts at alchemy and we really have no idea how it works. The synopsis phrases it in a way that's like "and then Vita meets a charming girl named Soline who introduces her to alchemy and teaches it to her". Um???

No she doesn't????? And I'm sorry but what kind of magic system sets itself up that the main user of it doesn't even know how it works, nevermind that it was barely explored??? So overall, I liked Soline as the love interest (and I never like love interests nowadays but yk she was actually nice and playful), Marius is my favorite character but was obviously set up to die in some terrible way, I liked the relationship Vita had with her crows and how much she values them, there were some generally shocking moments, I did think that the majority of this book was a very good political fantasy, and at the end of the day even though it doesn't make sense I liked how intelligent and book smart Vita was about certain subjects like politics, war, (but still didn't know how sex worked so yk, ehhhh, like I said doesn't make sense) etc. But at the end of the day, I realized the plot was non existent, the pacing slowed down way more than it should've, the magic system was barely explained and even less practiced, and I think the romance should've been more explored. I think this is really good for a debut but it needed to be a lot better

This book surprised me in a good way, but did have a few flaws. It felt like I had to get past the first half to really start appreciating the characters and the story. The beginning was slow, which while in hindsight provided an effective setup for the second half of the book, did make it difficult to get into at first. The main character Vita is very passive at first. However, the second half more than makes up for this. We see growth in Vita and her choices which changed my opinion of the book dramatically. I did feel that some of the side characters were more one dimensional, but this is primarily Vita's story told from her point of view so I can forgive that. Overall a solid read especially once you get into the second half.

This was such a unique take on reclaiming a kingdom. The exiled princess didn’t master the sword upon touching one for the first time. She didn’t fight in the battles, but she also didn’t allow herself to become a puppet. She fought and fought and fought in her own way. And for that, I respect her most. She saw the writing on the wall and smashed through it. The pacing could have been a bit faster but I also like how it is realistic about war time and how it’s not just one all out battle for a kingdom.

This was great. I couldn’t put it down. The world was immersive and the characters were well developed. I found this book through TikTok and I can’t wait until more people get a chance to read it.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The beginning feels a little rough as Vita’s life gets catastrophically turned around a couple times and she has to deal with sensory overload after a decade locked in a tower, but once the intrigue starts it’s absolutely riveting. You get political intrigue, siege warfare, queer love, and a lot of burning vengeance.
I like how the villains of the piece are personally cruel, not just monsters on a grand scale. It helps build emotion within the story, but it’s also a great way to bring common domestic violence tactics to light in an unambiguous context. Overall a great read.

For the most part, I think this was well written, with a character that made a lot of sense given her background, and a satisfying ending.

However, there were a few things that really impacted my enjoyment.

First, this really felt like it should have been a YA novel, not an adult one. The story starts when the main character is a child, and by the time the main events occur, she's still.... 19? 20? and EXTREMELY naive, unworldly, stunted in emotional growth.

Second, I don't think the alchemy element worked here. It wasn't explained enough and took too much page time for ultimately very little impact. Having finished it, I'm still not sure why they didn't just use non-alchemy means to make a poison. This is similar to how I felt about the birds. What was the deal with the birds? Is she actually communicating with them via magic? Are they just pets? Why do they feature so prominently in some sections and then we forget about them in others?

Finally, it was frustrating to have the main POV character have so little agency throughout so much of the book. It felt like I was mostly watching her be tortured and everyone around her suffer, just for a very abrupt character change and ending in the last bit of the book. I didn't feel that the transition from the character who regularly hid in a wardrobe or a box of clothes due to loud noises to the character who would order mass murder and personally kill several men was explained enough to justify the shift (though I do very much understand her motivation!).

Overall, I would recommend this to someone who is looking for a YA coming of age novel filled with justified feminine rage, wish fulfillment, and a minor sapphic romance story line set in a pseudo-historical setting with minimal magic or worldbuilding.

I think the cover for this is just absolutely incredible. I love Fantasy and Frens and their Tiktok, so when I found out that they were publishing Maren Chase's novel with Bindery, I was overjoyed. This book is such a fascinating blend of fantasy and horror and I was so overjoyed that it was a sapphic relationship featured. I would definitely reccomend this book at my work for anyone looking for something dark and somewhat gritty but super enjoyable!

Crueler Mercies gave such immaculate fairy tale vibes while also giving romance, suspense, and intrigue. I am happy to see more queer books being supported by publishers and this book did queer romance well - I rooted for the two heroines the entire time and found the ending very satisfying.

When searching for a book to catch my interest, I usually fall back on the same few aspects: fantasy; historical; magic; sword lesbians. I’m a simple soul, really. Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase delivers on every front with an incredible story. It brings together queer relationships and a level of female rage that kept my attention the entire time.
Vita is a main character for the ages. Where she begins a royal child at such a tender, young age, she becomes a formidable wielder of alchemy able to stand for herself and the people she holds dear. It was not her fault that she reached her twenties as naive as she did, but Vita quickly rose above it and, with the help of Soline, was able to use that naivety to her advantage. I loved the relationship between Vita and Soline, how they both had their own reasons for wanting to take down Ardaric.
Vita, unfortunately, was stuck between a rock and a hard place, to be a pawn for either her father as his only true heir or Ardaric’s pawn as his wife. Soline helped her realize her true potential in taking back her autonomy despite Ardaric’s barbaric ways. That being said, Ardaric was a well-written villain, someone that I hated and opposed on every level, but I still had to give it to Chase for writing such a convincing antagonist. I hated him so much, but that’s what I love about a great story: if characters can make me feel such strong emotions whether good or bad, I consider it great.
There were so many moments during which I had muttered, “good for her,” because I was consistently rooting for Vita and Soline. Soline punching a drunken guard in the throat at the eleventh hour had me crowing with excitement. I loved how strong she is as a character, not just physically, but within her convictions as well. She was prepared to help Vita until the very end so long as she had a sword in hand to stop their shaking. Their final act against Ardaric was so incredibly satisfying. Becoming the Merciless Queen was a long and arduous journey, but it was a most worthwhile ending.

This tale of a king's daughter who tries to escape the confines of the men around her, this is steeped in intrigue and romance while moving so well I just had to finish this in one sitting. This is historical fiction but through a feminist lens - where women are messy, unapolgetic, and use whatever tools they have to shape their lives by any means possible. An excellent read that was emotional and action-packed at the same time.