DNF ~22%

Not sure why, but having a hard time getting into this story. The writing style is pretty straight forward, but in a way that feels a little boring to me. I normally don't like a lot of purple prose, but I would love a little more in the way of descriptions of the setting and what Vita is experiencing.

While I acknowledge I'm not very far in, it feels both like a lot has happened, but also nothing. The opening was strong with the death of Vita's mother, but then then the whole explanation of her being locked away for many years (unsure how many) felt unnecessary? Besides her making friends with the crows, most of those pages didn't need to be shared and a time jump forward I think would have been better.

There's a chance I'll return to this story, but its not doing it for me right now.

Got an e-arc from netgalley and bindery books in exchange for an honest review.

I got vibes of Mary Tudor and a bit Catherine the great from this book. Author had a interesting idea for a book but i am not sure of execution of the idea. I skimmed 2/3 of the book and tried to get into it. The main character had a lot thrown on her at one time and her reactions to male main character is normal to be apprehensive.

I am on the Fantasy and Frens discord with zorrane host and was truly excited for this book and was so excited to get a arc review. But I was very disappointed in this book,

I absolutely adored every moment spent inside Crueler Mercies. It reads like a classic fairytale written with modern thinking, and gave me exactly what I was hoping for with the story, setting, and characters. I LOVE Vita and Soline, they are both such well crafted, fleshed out women and I fell in love with them so quickly. The world building feels complete while still contained enough to truly sell Vita's isolation from the outside world. This felt like the perfect slice of a fantasy cake, and I couldn't help from devouring it.

I really enjoy how Vita's confinement played such a roll in her narrative style. I often found myself thinking a question right before she'd ask it herself, and it made for such an immersive and entertaining read to learn things about the world and the characters around Vita right as she did. It's also really interesting how Vita is never written as overly naive or unintelligent. She has complex layers of grief, loneliness, rage, independence, and desire and they all work together in flawless harmony. She is such a unique and stand out character, it made following and rooting for her so easy.

I'm so in love with this book, I'll be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

DNF at 50%
Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book..
Unfortunately this book was not working for me. It felt like a mashup of Princess Mary Tudor combined with Rapunzel if the Princess was rescued after a decade in a tower by a warlord who claimed her as his bride for political maneuvering and then ignored her. I’ve seen lots of comments about this being about female rage but I have seen nary a drop of even a bit of anger. In general this one wasn’t enough to keep me interested so it’s being DNF’d. Two stars for rating purposes which puts it firmly in meh status for me.

Feminine rage at its finest.
Knowing you will be at a disadvantage and be underestimated and using all of that to your benefit. Quietly working against the cruel powers who would quiet and cage you until you can make your final move.

This is a brutal book that is aptly named. The not so small injustices and cruelties a woman is forced into, the way a person can only take so much before it’s their turn to deal out cruel mercies in return.

I really like this take on the feminine rage avenging woman, it’s a quiet taking while no one is looking at her rather than the popular loud and brash forcefulness that we see so often.

I hope my girl Vita is finally getting some PEACE!!
In all seriousness, this book was the fabulous feminist fantasy I didn’t know I needed. Vita grows throughout the novel through masterful storytelling, going from damsel in distress to merciless Queen Vita with the help of beloved characters and those you absolutely love to hate.

I ate up every ounce of the not-quite-sub-plot romance! The tension and yearning between Vita and Soline was written with the most beautiful prose!! My heart needed this story of vengeance and hope in these dark times we live in. Chase writes their characters with such vulnerability and relatability that it’s easy to see bits and pieces of all of the strong, intelligent, beautiful women I know and love, and even those whom history forgets.

All in all, I loved every bit of this beautiful work of art. I am so grateful to Bindery and NetGalley for granting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!! <3

Interesting in premise, I found the writing to be hard to follow and I was not a fan of the main character. there were one or two supporting characters that stood out to me but all in all, one that I will not revisit.

Got an e-arc from netgalley and bindery books in exchange for a honest review.

The story of Vita's revenge starts slowly, but stick with it—the plot eventually falls into place, and the payoff is worth the wait.

While the tension is low until the final arc, this slow-burn approach works perfectly for Vita's compelling character development. The protagonist, a passive narrator for much of the story, patiently bides her time, making her eventual growth feel both organic and well-earned. I'm not that used to reading about this type of passive protagonists, so this was a nice change of pace.

The central f/f romance is sweet, though it did feel a bit underdeveloped. Vita's allies suffer this same fate but you'll find yourself genuinely rooting for them and hurting with them nonetheless.

In contrast, the antagonist fares better: His cruelty is disturbingly realistic and nuanced, avoiding cartoonish villainy and capturing the multi-faceted nature of abusers.

This solid antagonist along with the well-crafted worldbuilding is what I think ultimately made the narrative work, it provided a strong foundation for the complex political intrigue and warring factions that drive the latter halves of the plot, making it all feel very grounded.

(3.5 ⭐)

While I loved the setting and prose in this book I found the main character a bit too “perfect”, so it was hard to enjoy the story as a whole. Vita mastered politics, diplomacy, alchemy, history and strategy mostly by herself after enduring an isolated upbringing. Even before her mother’s death, Vita was portrayed as distracted at best rather than some sort of prodigy. I would have loved to see Vita rely on the other people in her life more rather than do everything herself! 2.5⭐️

Thank you Bindery Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.
I went into this fully expecting female rage, but found it a bit more tampered than I wanted it to be. For sure, the character buildup was well done and well paced, but more than assisting to the brutalities suffered by Vita I would have loved for her and Soline relationship to be more present - at some points their nights together spoke to me as a mean of blowing off steam rather than a deep love in the process of being built.
Also, the ending was too abrupt - I wish I could have seen at least an epilogue of a future story about The Merciless Queen or a snippet of Vita’s days as queen.
A fine book, especially writing wise, but it could have been so much more.

This would appeal to YA and Adult Fantasy readers. Those looking for a character encapsulating the idea of "female rage" will definitely find it here!

This book developed a little slowly, but when I really started getting into it I adored the plot and the writing style.
Rage and love combined into a beautiful narrative. I was so enthralled by Vita's character and her development.

(4.5⭐️) Crueler Mercies is a story of female rage, courtly politics, war, and sapphic love so run don’t walk to pick this up!! I am quite frankly obsessed.

The main character, Vita, is such a compelling anchor to this book and you walk with her patiently as she learns the horrors and joys of the world. I love a character who is soft and vengeful. In fact, all of the characters in this book exist in multitudes, and it was compelling to unpack the nuances of each one.

Overall, this book marches at a slower pace and the fantasy element is quiet (not bad things!), but the stakes are made clear and I was thoroughly invested throughout!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

Crueler Mercies was a dark fairytale with a nice slow-burn romance that I found to be sweet. From the beginning the author was able to portray Vita's situation and her mistreatment effectively. However, while continuing the book I found Vita to be contradictory. At some points she was very childish and naive, which I found understandable at the beginning since she was in isolation for 11 years from the age of nine. However, later in the book she was having thoughts about politics and had knowledge about the political state while she was still living with her father. This didn't seem realistic to me for a nine year old, whom I was under the impression was a kid that didn't take her schooling seriously, to be remembering any of this information, especially after 11 years in isolation.

Another problem I had was that I didn't find the main villain, the conquerer, to be all that scary. I actually just wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about him. I also didn't understand the magic and alchemy system in the book. I feel that it was under used and could have been further explored.

The writing itself at times would read to me as choppy and hard to read through. I honestly was struggling to get through this book towards the end. It had good potential but I don't think it was executed well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

A story that shimmers with notes of Ava Reid and Kiersten White, “Crueler Mercies” embodies many aspects of female rage & revenge and although there were aspects of the story I personally didn’t enjoy, author Maren Chase definitely delivers on the book’s enticing premise.

Vita’s story is alluring from the first page, the writing is propulsive and compelling, immediately drawing readers into the political world of the Carcan kingdom. The betrayal of Vita’s father is emotionally fraught and Vita’s distress was palpable through each chapter of her exile. Through each conflict that Vita faces, the author does a fantastic job of drawing out different elements of Vita’s emotions, leading to a character that is easy to empathize with, despite her role being fairly passive for a majority of the story.

Her character arc feels a bit weak at times, specifically in the way her character development feels stalled during each time skip period of the story, but her development in the final act of the story felt like a seamless and natural progression to the story, and served to give readers a satisfying and rewarding ending for Vita. Her romance with Soline was a tad underwhelming, the power imbalance between the two characters was never addressed, though I did enjoy the chemistry between the characters.

The overall plot was fairly well-written, if a bit simplistic in its various portions, but the world-building, specifically in the depth of political parties involved and the foresight of political maneuvering, was definitely the strongest part of the story. Each warring faction or political leader had strong, clearly defined motivations, there was never a point where it felt like these characters had to sink to Vita’s level in order for Vita to accomplish her goals. I wish there had been a deeper dive into the alchemical world building elements, it felt like such a sequestered element of the story, and didn’t always feel like a cohesive part of the plot.

My biggest critique of the story is in how the politics surrounding Vita’s revenge plot lacked intersectionality, I feel like female rage stories are overwhelming written to cater to a White Woman audience, and “Crueler Mercies” was certainly no different.

Otherwise, I had a fairly enjoyable experience reading this book, and I would be mildly curious to see what the author writes next.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved seeing the character growth of Vita and how she was written. Her interactions with every character in the story felt so meaningful and every interaction showed to be significant in the end. The ending was incredible. The ending was not at all how I expected it. I would not change anything about this book. Amazing. Very good writing and storytelling

I enjoyed this story, but I had trouble connecting to Vita's character development. She really goes through so much trauma throughout her life so it makes perfect sense it would transform her, but at times I had a hard time believing in the transformation. The use of alchemy in the book didn't feel super connected and I could have used more crow. The romantic plot line was lovely though and kept me reading.

I loved the characters and the vibe.
Sapphic and female rage combination.
I couldn't put it down.

I found this quite slow going to start with. It took quite a bit to get into it and I would say I found the last quarter of the book really keeping my attention. I thought it would be a bit more action and less prosy. Until the last quarter approximately as I have said. It made up for the rest of the story. I enjoyed the book mostly it was just not quite what I had expected.

First thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me an advanced reader copy of Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase.

This book was a bit slower for me to get into, as someone who can’t visualize things in my head the writing style was hard to adjust to, and I think would have been better for me to listen to than read, so with that in mind, I rounded up to a 4/5 star rating.

Vita was an interesting character to see develop, but what I enjoyed most was all her interactions with Soline. They provided such a perfect balance to one another, and you could see the tenuous relationship growing to friendship and then that friendship growing to more, a true definition of a slow burn.

If you are interested in a political fantasy book that has superb character development, an interesting alchemical/magic component, politics, and a moments that leave you begging for more, I’d recommend picking up this book!

Crueler Mercies absolutely lives up to its name because from page 1 the reader is introduced to one cruel act after another, right through the very end. Vita watches her mother be executed by her father as a young child and then is immediately taken away to live in isolation. Her only family are crows that she befriends throughout her period of being locked up. Once the city she's being held at is conquered, she is forced to become the bride of General so that his claim to her homeland is stronger. However, it is quickly apparent that he is ruthless and hungry for bloodshed and violence. Vita must learn how to navigate this new world thrust upon her while also learning how to live.

I absolutely loved the world that Chase created. The atmosphere of the book is very reminiscent of an Ava Reid book. The amount of politics and plotting was a lovely surprise. I often feel that these areas are neglected for larger action scenes. I thought Vita was a brilliant main character and that her growth throughout the book felt believable and not just a way to move the plot along. Her quest for vengeance and rage against what has happened to her was so fun to read, and I loved her found family that went along with all her plotting. I love when women outsmart those in power, and this absolutely delivered.

The only area I wished we had more of was actually the magic system. I didn't feel that the alchemy was very fleshed out, nor as present as I would have expected.

If you like a fierce main character, a book that doesn't shy away from cruelty, and political maneuvering, then this one will be for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!