Tentative 3.75 / 5 stars I think?

I’m kinda struggling to write a review of this book. I liked reading it, I thought it was quite well-paced, I liked the characters, I liked the premise and how it was executed. But something feels slightly off? But I can’t really identify what.

As I just said, I liked the premise; The princess is sent away to live in isolation after her father, the king, has her mother executed because she allegedly commited adultery. All while he has a bastard son, who is younger than the princess, running around the palace. The princess grows up with hardly any human contact, until a foreign warlord takes over the city she’s kept in. He captures her and offers that she can have revenge on her father by marrying him and ‘helping’ take over her country. Also it’s sapphic.

I love this premise. I also quite enjoyed the execution of the premise. I loved reading this book. There were parts where I genuinely bawled my eyes out, and parts where I was incredibly on edge because I was afraid something would go wrong. But at no point during reading was I truly and fully immersed in this world. At first I thought that this perceived distance was a stylistic choice by the author, representing the main character’s own perspective of her world - a world that she’d only experienced at a distance, high up in a tower, watching through her window, for the last 10 years. And maybe that was indeed the author’s intent, but even so, it just ends up feeling weird.

What contributed to this feeling were the many time-jumps scattered throughout the story. There are so many instances where something happens, followed by ‘and 3 weeks later…’. This is, I find, most egregious whenever Vita acquires a new skill. When her and Soline are messing around with alchemy, it describes their first try, and then continues with something along the lines of ‘and they continued messing around with alchemy for the next 2 weeks, and were never successful’, which just took me out of the story. This is a commonly used technique, obviously, cause the reader doesn’t need to see one scene repeated over and over again, with only small differences everytime. But something about the way these kinds of scenes are handled in this book just made them stick out in a way that they usually don’t in other books.

I do also have positive things to say about this book though. The world-building isn’t particularly extensive, for example, there’s no complex magic system that needs explaining, but world-building does happen is very good. I hate it when I’m reading a fantasy book and I come across a sentence that is just a blatantly obvious lore drop that catapults you out of the story to lecture you about the fantasy world’s fantasy elements. This book does not do that. The world’s history and rules are conveyed in a subtle way that means you don’t even notice when it happens because it just organically fits into the rest of the text.
The characters are another thing that I really liked about this. There is only a pretty small cast of important characters. The warlord manages to be unequivocally an asshole without ever veering off into being comically evil. The pace at which the romance develops is also great, it goes slow enough to feel organic, but fast enough to never get annoying. The focus isn’t just on the romantic relationship - the ties Vita forms with others in her orbit are well done too, and manage to do a lot of character-building with very few words.

“I don’t want to be a damsel either. We all survive how we can.”

After her mother is executed, Princess Vittoria is sent away to a far off tower by her father. While some servants come and go, the main constant in her small world for 11 years are her birds who visit her open window and bring her trinkets. When the town she’s held in falls to a foreign army and Vita’s betrothed to the commanding General, she’s faced with new troubles, new threats, and new options she never fathomed.

This was an interesting read. The book opens on a gripping scene and quickly proceeds to examines the effects of isolation on a young adult before evolving into a war/politics sphere. While the romance was a soft addition to an otherwise brutal life Vita was living, I certainly would say it’s a subplot. I will say that the book as a whole reads a bit more YA than I was expecting, but has some very dark scenes that had my stomach turning.

I think my biggest mismatch with the book was that in some ways the main characters actions seemed a bit disjointed with her motivations. Rather than feeling like Vita as a character evolved, it felt like different draft versions of who the protagonist was inserted at different points of the book. Truly the Vita we opened the first 25% of the book with could’ve seemed wholly divorced from the Vita we closed the last 25% with. And the same could be said of Soline as well.

Also I’m not sure the alchemy subplot was necessary?

Overall, I’d say this one is for fans of Ava Reid and Allison Saft but those who are okay with a little Game of Thrones-esc war violence and cruelty added in.

Coming of age grows into coming of rage as an exiled and imprisoned princess is let out of her tower after nearly a decade only to exchange the prison she knew for the unknown and unwanted prison that is a forced engagement to a warlord.

If you took the song “Look What You Made Me Do” and gave it a tavern song arrangement, then I think that would be the end credits song on a movie made from this book. Part of what makes this book a great read is how Vita’s (our protagonist) personality grows and character develops throughout the book, from the truly naive and sheltered girl who’d been isolated and hated for so long to a cunning and considerate woman who knows when to stand tall and when to bend in order to turn tides and get what she needs. By the time the climatic scenes toward the end of the book hit, she’s a glorious creature of rage and power.

Likewise, this book has a fantastic supporting cast that really keeps this book character-focused, which I enjoyed. This book isn’t heavy on world building and while the plot does involve alchemy it doesn’t go too heavily into it, either. The emphasis is truly on the characters and it’s nice to get that in a fantasy novel and have the characters be so nuanced. There’s a lot of gray morality in the supporting characters and that helps take the shine off of Vita so we don’t always see her as some sort of savior in an ivory tower.

This was an engaging read with a lot of great action scenes and I really enjoyed it. 4⭐️



I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Adult Fantasy/Coming of Age/Fantasy/Forbidden Romance/LGBTQ Fantasy/Political Fantasy/Sapphic Romance/Standalone

Vita has only ever known the cruelty of men in power. Her father forced her to watch her mother be beheaded when she was nine years old, and then sent her to live in a tower. Vita’s only companions — other than the infrequent and indifferent maids of the family who ruled the city — were the crows she befriended. For over ten years, Vita lived in a single room until General Ardaric came for her.

Ardaric of Carca has long heard tales of the lost Princess of Messilio, and he came with an army to kill her father and take her crown. Now, Vita is held captive by the mercurial Ardaric, a man of endless cruelty and caprice who will smile one moment and treat her like a pet, and beat a man to death the next. He is volatile and dangerous, and Vita will be forced to marry him if she wants to stay alive.

The two lonely stars in this endless night are Eda, the raven Vita befriended, and Soline, the Carca noblewoman assigned as her maid. Soline is gentle and kind, observant and understanding. Ardaric has already killed one of her brothers and she refuses to let him live long enough to kill another. Together, the women keep each other safe; together, they will endure Ardaric until they are strong enough to kill him.

This is a wonderful book, albeit a dark one. There are trigger warnings for animal death, murder, imprisonment, cannibalism, and wartime atrocities. There are battles and mentions of death, and mentions of sickness and cruelty, but it’s all off page. Unfortunately for Vita, living in this book, she feels these events very strongly. She has been made helpless all her life. A pampered and spoiled child was sent to a tower, where all freedom was taken from her. She mentions food and baths being inconstant and random, but it’s hard to tell if that’s fact, or simply time slipping away from her in the monotony of her captivity. While she is occasionally given a book to read, she has no stimulation, no friends, no choice in anything done to her. When Ardaric “rescues” her, Vita has even less choice. It’s live or die, obey or die, be quiet or die.

However, now she has friends. Isotta, a widow who comes to care for Vita, seeing her innocence and helplessness and understanding the life that she will be forced to live as a captive Queen and eventual mother. Marius, a young man set to be her personal guard who desperately wants to protect her from the dangers around her, but who — like everyone else — must bend the knee before Ardaric. And, of course, Soline.

Soline’s family are noble, and were swept up in Ardaric’s desire for military conquest. Of her three brothers, he beat one to death, badly beat a second, and her third was lucky to avoid much attention. She can’t simply stand by and let him continue to hurt her family, so Soline has been trying to learn the secrets of alchemy, to do … something, anything to stop him. And when she slowly begins to fall in love with Vita, her gentleness, her curiosity, her kindness, Soline ends up telling her all about her grandfather and his alchemical gift. Through chance or luck, it turns out Vita might have an innate ability when it comes to magic, something she will make full use of to save the people she loves.

Ardaric, for all that he’s a psychopath, is not a poor leader. He rules through fear and punishment, but he’s an excellent general and, surprisingly, a good teacher. His conversations with Vita about governance, ruling, about the choices a ruler must make — to save the starving orphans and widows or to prioritize the army in times of siege, to punish disobedience or offer compassion — shape Vita in a very interesting way. Vita may have been helpless, but she’s neither stupid nor afraid. She makes the hard choices because she is the only one who can make them.

And it’s interesting that Vita bucks the idea of being a perfect victim, of being good and kind and hoping for someone else to save her. Vita goes from being uncertain to being a wonderfully gray character, someone able to make those hard choices, and to make them not for the power they bring her, but the safety of her people. For Vita, the ends do not justify the means, they define them. She’s a marvelous character and I adore her. Soline, surprisingly more gentle and kind, is a perfect companion for her, offering reason when Vita falls into emotion, support when Vita is uncertain, and love, when Vita has so little of it before.

You’ll see this book again in December on my annual favorites list, I promise you that. And if you’re in the mood for a book filled with exquisite tension, effortless writing, a perfect pace, and an amazing heroine, I hope you give this one a try. It’s a bit dark, yes, but it’s beautiful for all of that.

Crueler Mercies is a dark, slow-burning thriller with themes of trauma, revenge, and power. The writing is atmospheric, and the plot seems to build gradually. It may appeal to readers who enjoy emotional, character-driven mysteries with a psychological edge.

There's the bones of an excellent book here, but it sadly missed the mark in execution.

This book is very bleak for the first three quarters. The pace is slow, and our main character, Vita, is very much the damsel in distress, despite thinking she isn't. Every time she actually attempts something helpful, it goes wrong. After a while, it was just depressing to witness. She finally gets it together in the last quarter, and I wish we had seen more of <i> that </i> Vita!

I found myself more interested in the side characters, though we don't get much of them beyond serving Vita's plotline. Soline had the potential to be a great main character herself, and Marius was the only acceptable man in the whole book!

The worldbuilding and magical elements could have been stronger. No spoilers, but I will say that as a notorious bird hater, the payoff from that particular plot device was the best part of the story.

Her mother was ordered to be killed by her father and that was her last day at the palace. The first 9 years spent at home - with both parents, gardens, studying and being a child. However, the next 10 are spent in a room up in a tower far away from her home. Her only interactions are with helpers who feed and bathe her. But even those are brief. Half a life spent in a room with a single window. And her befriended crows.
Until an army takes over the town and she is offered to marry the general (or die). His promise? To kill the king and take the kingdom for them both.
For her it is moving from one confinement to the next.

It was a great read - to follow along how one grows up when there is nothing and how she absorbed the world once she was allowed to leave the room. This book amazingly describes the cruelty of greed and that everything can be taken away.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn in by the idea of a Rapunzel-like character and the promise of alchemy. I stayed for the bond that grew between Vita and Soline and the simmering rage that they fought to use to bring a kingdom to its' knees.

Vita is the daughter of a the King of Carca, cast out and banished to live in a tower, doomed to be forgotten. She finds what little solace she can in Eda and her crows, the only friends she has to sustain her for the decade that she is locked away. But Vita is not forgotten, she is eventually captured by invading forces and brought to heel with promises of revenge against her father for killing her mother. Quickly she becomes a pawn, a figurehead for a cause that is led by men, none more vicious and controlling than Ardaric, the general leading the charge.

What follows is a story that is all too familiar. Women brought to their knees by men who don't care for their opinions, only control. Women thought to be useless. Vita slowly learns how to use her situation to her advantage. She also falls in love with Soline, who has motivations of her own for seeking revenge against Ardaric and dabbling in alchemy. Alchemy that Vita latches onto in a desperate bid to finally take what she is owed.

This story is dark and unflinching in its' portrayal of war and the violent actions of men unhinged. There is no quarter, and so many times Vita hits a new wall in her attempts to make even a modicum of difference. But she continues on. With Soline and Isotta and Marius and Eda and the soldiers she is kind to along the way. This path is not without great loss (from the beginning pages of the book), but it also is a story of resilience.

3.5 stars

Crueller Mercies is the tale of Vita, a princess thrown in exile by her father. Imprisoned in a tower for several years with limited contact with other people, she befriends the crows that come to her window. Then, an invading general finds her and offers Vita a choice: marry him and help him take the throne or die. What choice can the girl have, really? General Ardaric gives Vita a small staff: the maid Isotta, the guard Marius, and the lady-in-waiting Soline to help prepare her as the general's fiancee and future queen. But when Ardaric's blatant cruelty becomes too much to bear, Vita decides to go against him with the help of Soline and her limited knowledge of alchemy. Together, they plot their revenge and fight for a better future.

Before anything else, I would like to thank CJ Alberts and the team over at Bindery Books for giving me an e-ARC of this debut novel by Maren Chase.

I enjoyed reading Crueller Mercies, and Vita's journey of self-empowerment and inner strength was a pleasure to read. I just love it when female characters get to do badass things!!

However, there are some things that fell a little flat for my liking. The worldbuilding could be better, but there is the convenient plot point of Vita being locked in a tower from age 9 to 20, and with her being our eyes, it makes sense that she doesn't know much of the world around her, save for some half forgotten lessons she had as a child pre-exile. I did like their religion of the Mother and the Father though. The Mother gives and the Father takes, a pretty cool concept if you ask me.

Pacing also felt imbalanced. Things happened quickly in the beginning, then slowly in majority of the middle part, before picking back up again during the end. I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle, especially with what seemed like Vita and Soline making progress then having to backtrack again and again.

Tha magic had the same issue with the worldbuilding. Yes there is magic, but very limited because Soline only knows about it from the fragments of notes her grandfather left. I wish we got something more in-depth.

The development between Vita and Soline was sweet, but it definitely needed more spark! I wanted more yearning!!! I just needed it to feel more intense, but maybe that's just a me thing. But I love them!!

I also loved how bloody it got in the end!!! I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. Did it feel a little too abrupt for Vita to be so nonchalant about it? Kinda. But that's female rage for you.

Thank you again for the folks over at Bindery Books and author Maren Chase for the e-ARC.
HAPPY PUB DAY!

I wish I had finished this faster! My siblings' graduation got in the way, but!!!! My God, another banger ARC!!! I saw some other reviews saying that Vita had no agency, and I can certainly see how that can be thought, but I strongly disagree. There are moments when she has no or little agency, or when she's out of her depth or depressed, but the whole story is about Vita claiming her agency, taking it back by force - she tricks people into thinking she's submissive, but she is fighting damn near the whole time. A fantastic book, a great execution of something that can be very tricky. I loved it.

The pros: God, everything. The atmosphere of this book is so incredibly tense, and it's just unrelenting. The worldbuilding is impeccable, developed to just the right point, just the amount needed for the story and not too much to be overbearing, still weaved into the world and uplifting it. The plot is so simple, but so well-done. The characters are strong and lovable, and it hurts every time we lose someone, human or animal. Every time you think we've hit the depths of depravity for Ardaric he does something worse, he's a fantastic villain. The romance is quiet and subtle but still so powerful. And like I said above, the real story, that of Vita taking back her life and her agency!!! It's so fantastic and so well done and I absolutely loved it.

The cons: Jeez, I really can't think of anything. While I liked that the romance was quiet, I could've used a teeny bit more of it. I would've liked more complexity to Elio, he was one of the only characters who felt a little flat. I know we don't see much of him, but still. His whole relation to the plot and events feels a bit flimsy. And the summary makes the alchemy aspect sound like it will be much more relevant, but it's actually very minor. I didn't mind that, and I'm not saying it's not an important aspect because it absolutely is, but it's not nearly as prevalent as the summary makes it sound.

Overall, absolutely loved this book!!! Highly recommend! I look forward to seeing what else Maren Chase writes!!

Wow! What a book!

This ended up being darker than I initially anticipated but in the best way. This perfectly encapsulates “dread” and there were several moments where my mouth was left open in shock, which doesn’t happen often! I definitely felt like I was just along for the ride in this, I had no idea where the next turn would take me and I loved every second of it.

Every bit of this was delicious. Dark, sapphic, angst, feminine rage, revenge, found family, war, crows!! I feel like this book was written with my specific interests in mind. Chef’s kiss.

I read the e-arc for Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase and I did enjoy this loose retelling of Rapunzel. This is a fantasy and it is very light on world building, at first, you accept that you don't know the world because our FMC, was 9 when she was locked away in the tower after her mother is killed. But, she has read a lot of history, so honestly, even if she is less mature and knowledgeable than she should be at 20 when she is freed from the tower, she should be able to explain the world and it is just omitted. Our FMC, Vita is, and always has been, friendless. She craves family and people who love her. No one has loved her since her mother died when she was nine and Vita is lonely. Her only friends are the family of crows that visit her window in the tower. Many of Vita's wishes and dreams are childish, and I think that has to do with being locked in the tower and having very limited exposure to people and to real life. I honestly wish this was written and marketed as YA because that would make the FMC more palatable. I did like the story overall but it gets bogged down in places. I give this book 3.25 stars and I need to thank Net Galley and Bindery Books for my arc.

One of my most anticipated releases of the year and I have to admit I was slightly disappointed.
There’s a good portrayal of Vita’s desperation, helplessness, and loneliness throughout the story, you can feel it intensely through the pages, but I was certainly expecting more rage from her character. Also the pacing was really slow, the plot and world building needed more work and depth, and the changes in Vita’s personality felt forced and abrupt. It was really not what I was expecting and looking forward from this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Book for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

Crueler Mercies by Maren Chase
Genre: Epic Fantasy I Political Machinations
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Rating: 4⭐️

Thank you to @coloredpagesbt @bindery_books and @chasethemaren for the arc of your debut novel!

In this debut novel from Maren Chase we have gritty, authentic storytelling, combined with elements of fantasy, historical fiction with complex characters. I say in pretty much all of my reviews that I need to be hooked within the first chapter and this novel is no different. The reveal that happens in the first chapter sets the setting for all that our FMC, Vittoria. Princess Vittoria bears witness to a horrific event at merely 11 years old. Her father, the king, exiles her until she is found many years later by Ardaric. He gives her the option to marry him and seek out revenge on her father or die at his hands.

The first 25% starts out rather slow but the pay off was so great! We get to see Vita come into her own as the story progresses. Vita has a forbidden romance with her lady in waiting, akin to Priory of the Orange Tree. I am still blown away that this was a debut and truly exceeded all expectations I had. I enjoyed the set up being a slower pace because it made me really care for Vita.

This novel releases in May on @zorannes imprint through Bindery, fantasy & friens. I still think it’s so amazing that influencers get to bring these stories to life.

I got sucked into this story much further than I was originally expecting - there's something about Vita's story and Chase's writing that grips you and keeps you there waiting to see how everything resolves.

Mainly this is a story about female rage - it wants to be about empowerment, but aside from Vita getting to take some of her destiny into her own hands, most of it is an outpouring of female rage at being controlled and kept down. Which I personally could have used a little more worldbuilding as to why we got queens ruling in their own right and multiple women in various armies and warrior queens, but the society is still so patriarchal and belittling towards women. Especially with various countries and practices at play. Nevertheless, it was cathartic to see Vita get to take some agency back from the men who have written her story for so long and get to take her own steps forward. I would have loved to have seen more of it coming into action for her own benefit and less as a reaction and a better build up until her speech at the camp, but for a debut, it's a tricky path to walk.

One thing I loved that I didn't quite expect going in is how well and balanced the war and siege descriptions are. The discussion of politics , while we don't get a lot of time to delve into anything or enough worldbuilding to get a sense of how it all really fits together, is as nuanced as it can be. Instead of going the glorious-battle-storming-the-city route, we instead dig into the side that affects the common people much more than the armies or the monarchs that control them.

I do wish there were more of the alchemy promised in the summary, however. It's not much of a fantasy aside from being set in a fictional world, and while it could be said that the real alchemy is to Vita's soul, the summary does kind of promise more than the story delivers.

I didn’t connect with this book as much as I expected to. Every element that could have made the story better felt a bit underused, which left the overall experience feeling somewhat flat for me.

The book has a juvenile tone - not necessarily a bad thin - but considering it's marketed as an adult novel, I was surprised by how YA it felt. I found the characters intriguing in concept, but they never quite came to life for me. I couldn’t connect with them emotionally and their development felt very surface-level.

The plot builds slowly, which can work in the right context, but here, with not much else holding my attention, it dragged. Vita and Soline’s relationship felt sudden and lacked chemistry - I wasn’t invested in them as a couple, though I was curious enough to see how the rest of the story would unfold.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book but it just wasn’t for me. I don’t think I was the intended audience for it.

This book was a strong debut novel that explores the complexities of female rage with a well-developed sapphic romance. With dark fairytale elements that are somewhat reminiscent of T. Kingfisher, the worldbuilding in this book was engaging and felt realistically developed. From the beginning, it's easy to want to cheer Vita on in her journey, and the scenes exploring her relationships with the other characters made her feel like an authentic character.

While the writing was generally tight and engaging, some of the pacing fell flat throughout the middle of the book. Some scenes felt drawn-out, and some of the underlying sense of urgency regarding the rebellion got lost mostly as a result of some scenes and plot points being told instead of shown. Despite this, the book maintained momentum as I was invested in the characters and overarching plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Vittoria has been sent away by her father, the king. He wants to make his mistress and bastard son the new royal family. With her mother dead and no one to help little Vita, she succumbs to exile in a dirty tower with no hygiene and minimal food. General Ardaric storms the family that is holding Vita hostage, kills everyone, and saves Vita, but only for his personal gain.

This is where Vita finally comes to life, wakes up and realizes that the kingdom that Ardaric wants, her father's, belongs to her and that she must learn to take the reins of her life and her future. And unforseen love sparks between her and a lovely lady-in-waiting, and this gives her the drive to continue to fight on.

Crueler Mercies was a beautiful story of strength, friendships, sacrifice and that in the end, all types of love do conquer all. 💫💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley and Bindery Books for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

At nine years old, Vita revels in carefree days running through the castle gardens until her world shatters. Her father publicly executes her mother and banishes Vita to exile. For 11 years, she’s confined alone in a tower until an enemy general seizes the city and offers a stark ultimatum: die now or marry him to reclaim her throne. Maren Chase launches the story with gripping intensity, introducing an FMC you desperately want to see triumph.
Unfortunately, the momentum falters early. By the 20% mark, the narrative loses its drive and never fully recovers. The primary issue is Vita’s stagnant character arc. Instead of learning and adapting to her circumstances, she falls into a repetitive cycle of taking the lead in scenes only to regress to a meek, passive state. This one-step-forward, one-step-back pattern prevents the growth or agency expected from a story marketed as “feminine rage.” The side characters and romantic interest mirror this stagnation, showing little development or depth. By the novel’s end, the resolution feels unearned and disconnected from Vita’s journey, undermining the story’s impact. Despite this, Chase’s foundation is promising, and her raw talent suggests she could become an exceptional writer. I look forward to seeing her future work.

Thank you Netgalley, Maren Chase and BinderyBooks for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ⭐️ I think. It’s still very fresh seeing as I finished it about 2 minutes ago.

Crueler Mercies is a sapphic rapunzel inspired story about war, brutality and rage. We follow Vitta, who at 9 years old is sent and locked away in a foreign place, completely isolated aside from her birds that she befriends.


Overall this was a pretty good story that I feel could’ve been flushed out a bit more. We as readers typically had no idea what plan the characters were conjuring up, and I feel like sometimes that works in order to surprise the reader of the outcome, but the many many failed attempts throughout the first 60% of the book could’ve been elaborated on. Also, the only reason I knew this was likely a romance before they something actually happened between the two is because of the LGBTQ tag on the book description. Before the relationship began to progress it read as close friends or almost a sisterly bond, and I say this as someone who reads into subtext every chance I get.

Also, this is labeled as fantasy, and while there was some alchemy, I don’t know if it was really enough to qualify as true fantasy. I kept waiting for more and there never really was more.

ALSO. SPOILERS.

Marquis. My boy. What a lad. I shed a tear.