I have incredible appreciation for Tessa Gratton's lush prose and thoughtful world-building. I also think Gratton is one of the few who actually gets the subtle different between Romantasy and Fantasy With Romance correct. However, on the flip side, the dense nature of the text and the ill-explained magic system made the story difficult to crack. The broad premise - that of a magical and religious heretic seeking to infiltrate the royal family for revenge - was highly intriguing. However, reading the story felt like looking at an attractive picture. The characters lacked sufficient substance to endear me to them, which in turn made the relationships feel hollow. I was especially struck by this in the case of the character Lyric, who had great potential but became more a vehicle to allow the plot to unfold than a person in his own right.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I had to dnf this book at 16%. the premise of this story sounds absolutely incredible, but the writing was very meticulous and slow, and because of that I had a hard time picking it up. I felt that I had to go back and reread paragraphs and pages to figure out what was happening.

Unfortunately, this just wasn’t the book for me! Ig you are into very meticulously-woven stories and complex writing and lots of detail - I would definitely recommend!

I would be willing to try to pick it up again in the future, or try another book by this author!

The Mercy Makers is a masterclass in worldbuilding, political tension, and identity. Set in a religious empire founded on sacred architecture and elemental forces—rising, falling, ecstatic, and flow—the story follows Iriset mé Isidor, a secret architect working under the alias “Silk.” When her father is captured by the empire, she is drawn into a web of deception, forbidden magic, and emotional upheaval that changes her identity—and her fate—forever.

At first, I found the opening chapters dense and hard to navigate. The introduction of the religion (Silence), the empire’s history, and a wide array of characters made it a slower start for me, especially as someone who reads quickly. But once I acclimated to the setting and Gratton’s lyrical, descriptive style, I was completely immersed.

The empire’s structure is a brilliant fusion of architecture, theology, and power. Using the four elemental forces, architects like Iriset can alter not only buildings, but even the human body—a practice strictly forbidden. The dominant racial group, mirané, reflects the empire’s built-in racism, while same-sex relationships are more culturally accepted than heterosexual ones due to religious law. This kind of inversion added unique texture to the world.

As Iriset’s role in the empire shifts, the stakes grow higher and more personal. What begins as an attempt to save her father turns into something much larger and more dangerous, forcing her to navigate court intrigue, religious politics, and forbidden magic. Tensions mount within the palace walls, and hidden identities begin to collide with public expectations. Gratton masterfully builds suspense as Iriset is drawn into a plot that could alter the course of the empire—and her own life—forever.

Assassinations, betrayals, and secrets bubble beneath the surface, leading to an emotional crescendo that’s as tragic as it is inevitable. Love, loss, and loyalty all come into question, and just when you think the story has reached its climax, Gratton delivers one final, haunting twist that completely redefines the endgame. The conclusion is both shocking and strangely poetic, leaving you with a deep sense of unease—and admiration.

Gratton’s writing is rich, layered, and emotionally devastating in all the right ways. I’ve never read anything by her before, but The Mercy Makers left me deeply impressed. This is a book that demands patience and attention, but rewards it with brilliance, heartbreak, and a story I won’t forget. Can’t wait for the next installment of this series!

I needed this to be released and in my hands a week ago. I don't even know where to start talking about everything I loved. This was so distinctly and blatantly queer. Various genders and sexualities were present. I loved that Iriset was bisexual and how normalized it was to be trans, nonbinary (including with the use of neopronouns!!!), or experience same sex attraction (this was even pushed as preferable to having un-sanctioned children) which is something we need to see more of with the state of the world and the current push against trans and other queer people.

Iriset was everything I wanted in a main character. She's clever and intelligent, driven by her love for her father and her art. I loved her argumentative nature and how she pushed Lyric philosophically. She wasn't vengeful, which I wouldn't have minded, but it seems to be formulaic at this point when a heroine has her family taken or killed by the rulers. Her relationships with Amaranth, Lyric, Raia, her father, even Bittor, were all really well developed.

The magic system was incredible. I have never seen anything like it before and it was well constructed without any failed logic holes in it. The rest of the world building was also really well done. I loved that the ruling class wasn't white, nor were the subjugated groups, which introduced even more shades of black and white when it came to the morality of the ruling class. There wasn't a lot of info dumping either, which tends to be normal when it comes to fantasy. All of the politics and morals, both for those who believe in Aharta and balance and those for chaos and apostasy, were subtly intertwined in the story which made it feel natural to question it with Iriset as you're reading.

I needed book two yesterday and book 1 hasn't even released yet. This is for fans of A Memory Called Empire and The Traitor Baru Cormorant. It's deliciously sexy (yes there are sex scenes), politically intriguing, and unapologetically queer.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-rc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to DNF this. The premise sounds very interesting, but the writing is entirely too flowery and not cohesive to where you can't really keep track of what's going on and I found myself having to re-read paragraphs just to kind of figure out what's going on. This is my first attempt at this author's work, and I'm not sure if this is how Gratton writes all the time, but if so, they may not be an author for me. If you enjoy their work though give it a try as you may like it.

4 stars!

Thank you so much to the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! This is the first time I have read a book with such prose and world-building characteristics. If I could describe this book to anyone else I would say it's like the perfect storm, brewing and thundering in so many different places the wrap you into the whole story. One aspect I did love was the how descriptive and filled of emotion everything was, honestly I was head over heels and on my toes because I felt like I needed to finish the book to see what happened at the end.

Unapologetically, this book is for anyone that loves beautiful prose, magical worlds, high fantasy, love, and ambition. For some a long read, but definitely a must read!

DNF, while I truly wanted to like this- but the start alone felt like I should’ve known more of the lore, world, and the story itself.

It almost was like I was dropped mid scene, and my brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening. I am a hard core mood reader, and so I eventually decided to forgo continuing this novel.

Orbit, I truly appreciate you approving me this ARC & look forward to more works!

DNF. The premise of this sounded unique and interesting, and while I am so grateful that Orbit gave me access to this book, I couldn't continue on. The third person writing was extremely hard to push through. Every page is so utterly dense which had me scrambling to keep up with the details of the story. There are heavy themes of religion, philosophy, and forbidden magic. Unfortunately, this didn't hold my interest, but I can see how others may enjoy it. Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC!

3.5 ⭐ rounded up!

i wanted to love this book more than I did! the mercy makers offers one of the most original and intriguing magic systems I've encountered in fantasy—truly unlike anything I've read before, but that uniqueness also became kind of a double-edged sword, as i found myself lacking familiar points of reference which made it difficult to fully grasp how the system worked until around the halfway mark.

the prose is dense and lush, undeniably beautiful, but I often found myself doubling back, rereading entire passages so my smooth brain could keep up. there’s something admirable in that kind of richness, but it also created a bit of friction in my reading experience. that said, iriset makes for a fantastic protagonist: layered, sharp, so great to follow. still, by the final chapters, i noticed that my focus was drifting and i struggled a bit to stay entertained.

i think this would be a fascinating read for seasoned fantasy readers, the ones who really love intricate worldbuilding and prose that asks for close attention. and the cover? STUNNING.

thank you to netgalley and orbit books for the arc!

4 ⭐️ (really like 3.75)

In the spirit of being honest I will say that I did enjoy reading this and it is technically a good book. I think the plot was really interesting and I’m OBSESSED with the magic system. That being said— while I enjoyed this and it was technically good, I almost DNFd it multiple times before getting to like chapter nine. There’s just so much front loading of information happening that it’s hard to really find the story. I also am concerned that I’ve retained like none of the information (this is probably a me issue) and that I’m going need to reread before ever continuing the series. Another issue I had while reading was the language used, it was an odd mix of super formal writing and then sometimes just throwing in a super casual sentence or an add in after a paragraph that didn’t really match the pacing or the vibe of the story.

Overall I did really start to enjoy this story and the characters. I just wish I got to know more about them rather than more about the world building.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Orbit team for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don't know feel about this book. Im kind of in between. there were some parts that were good and some parts that weren't. I feels though the pace of the book moved way too fast for me. Sometimes I was confused and felt like I couldn't keep up with everything that was happening.

1 "lord have mercy on my reading life" star !

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an ecopy. This novel will be released June 2025. I am providing an honest reaction for the first 7 percent. I just had to stop...full stop.

I cannot go any further. The story has some interesting potential but the prose is so bloody tedious and precious and gives me both irritation and indigestion...cutting my losses....

I really did not vibe with this writing style - it felt very passive and juvenile in tone (in my opinion). Unfortunately that coloured how I felt about the whole book, so I didn’t end up enjoying this on as much as I expected to based off the synopsis.

Give it a try though, as writing styles work differently for everyone!

3.75 Stars. I really enjoyed this read. The pacing is pretty good. When it starts to get too slow you are hit with some faster paced stuff to keep you interested. Nothin is over explained or simplified, which I like and the world building is well done. Will read from Gratton again.

Honestly, I was a bit meh on this one. I thought the concept was cool, and I love reading books about criminals and intricate court politics, but I thought all of the aspects that made this book interesting were quite surface level. There was a large cast of characters, though besides the main character, we do not get to know them well enough to feel attached to them and to feel interested in following their plot arcs. Even when devastating things happen to the characters and the stakes are raised, I didn't care much. Additionally, I don't think the world building was in depth enough for such a long book. We know there's an empire that has colonized all these different groups of people, but we don't know anything about these people's cultures or the history of the empire outside of its religious origins. The magic system, while unique and creative, was also not explained well enough, considering that it played such an integral role in the plot and the characters' development.

Despite these shortcomings, I do think the book was engaging enough to read all the way through, and I ejoyed the whodunnit/mystery aspect of it (despite it being a little predictable). I also enjoyed the exploration of organized religion and how it can be used to keep people oppressed and under a ruling thumb.

Wow. This book is pure magic—lush, immersive, and utterly intoxicating. Iriset is a stunningly complex anti-heroine, torn between ambition and vulnerability which just makes her journey feel all the more real! The magic system is breathtakingly unique--which is something I feel Gratton excels at--woven seamlessly into such a rich world! With its intricate storytelling, stunning representation, and heart-wrenching love stories, this is a book that lingers—and leaves you desperate for more.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I felt like I was in a constant state of a confusion and did not enjoy the characters at all. Also seemed like a YA book? Which is fine, just wasn't what i was looking for.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC! I LOVED this book and I am so excited for everyone to read this. I'm rating this 4.5 stars, rounded up.

My two favorite reads so far this year have been The Spear Cuts Through Water and These Burning Stars. Take the incredible world-building of The Spear Cuts Through Water (and even elements of the structure that dips into various POVs) and combine it with the morally gray, ambitiously motivated characters of These Burning Stars, and you’ll get the fat, sexy book baby that is The Mercy Makers.

The story follows Iriset, daughter of a crime boss and genius designer creating magical disguises and other illegal inventions. When her father is captured and sentenced to death, Iriset seizes an opportunity to get in close with the ruling family and attempt to manipulate them to save her father. But this is just the beginning: the arrival of a foreign princess betrothed to the emperor sets off a chain of events that pull Iriset deeper and deeper into a political world that she might want to destroy entirely.

This is one of those novels that is so surprising in its twists and turns that you have to tread carefully in reviewing it because there is so much that could be spoiled. The world-building is beautifully done, and you really just have to throw yourself into it and learn the magic as you read; explaining my favorite parts here would, in my opinion, be as much a spoiler as a plot point. But I love that this doesn’t just follow the cookie cutter “evil empire vs scrappy rebellion” scheme that has become so repetitive in a lot of fantasy novels. Iriset isn’t leading a revolution: she’s up close and personal with the makers of empire themselves, and while it’s always easy to identify and criticize what people do wrong, it’s much less simple to formulate what they should all be doing instead. The Mercy Makers also really excelled in its character development. None of these characters are good people, but there is so much nuance in both their actions and the world around them that you find them sympathetic and understandable even while they are behaving atrociously.

I will admit, this is absolutely the smuttiest fantasy book I’ve ever read, and that’s where I’m docking half a star. I don’t like gratuitous sex scenes in books: erotica and steamy romances exist for that. It’s fine for it to be sexy and have sex scenes — that’s part of the political intrigue, and Iriset’s behavior during sex does help define her — but several pages of graphic intercourse doesn’t need to be interrupting the plot.

——
Is it queer? Emphatically, YES. Iriset is blatantly bisexual, and there are a number of interesting takes on gender and gender roles as well (for example, the two ruling positions are decided by the order of birth of royal children, so even though one of them has the word “Mistress” in the title, that position can be and has been held by men). There is also a character with unique in-world pronouns, which I love to see.

Is it diverse? Yes, there are various racial and ethnic divides between the people. The ruling party, which contains a strain of religiously-motivated racial superiority, is not white. However, neither are the people they have conquered, and these are complex and fully developed characters. Complicated anti-hero/sympathetic villain roles should not be reserved for white people, and I like that we have other ethnicities in power here.

How long did it take? I spent around 15 hours reading this, though I was very definitely reading on the slow side (even for me!) for this one.

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.

Wow. I have some complicated feelings about this book. This is book is not an easy read, it’s a commitment.

In the beginning it was hard to read and slow to understand due to the narrators way of speaking . It’s as if it was written in a different language that is very familiar to our own but just dissimilar enough that it is hard to understand. Similar to how old English is very different from modern English. There are so many words and phrases used in an unfamiliar way and the narrator gives us no immediate explanation of the meaning of them. It feels like reading Shakespeare.

I almost put this book down because it felt like a chore to read, but the world was so well built, and beautifully written, that I felt I needed to push on and give it a fair chance.

This very inclusive story exists in a very religious world with a lot of commentary on social issues very relevant to our own.

The back half of the book picked up speed quickly and ended in a bit of a cliffhanger. After reaching the 50%mark I couldn’t put it down. I am very glad I decided to push through, and can’t wait to see what happens in the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit/Hachette for the free advanced copy of this book. All opinions written here are mine alone.