DNF 59%

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy of The Mercy Makers.

I really struggled with this. The narrative is so circular and flowery that I wasn't actually sure what was going on half the time. I am a very plot driven person and while there was plot there, it was so hard to understand what I was listening to that I had to keep going back and then I still couldn't quite understand. The narrator was good but this is definitely not a book to only listen to as the pronouns and names were not easy to parse. This was not the book for me.

This story has an ambitious scope and a richly built world that grabbed my attention early on. The writing is often lyrical and evocative, with some genuinely powerful themes around sacrifice, legacy, and the weight of power. There are moments where the emotional depth really shines.

However, the pacing felt inconsistent—some parts dragged while others moved too quickly, making the overall flow a bit hard to follow. I also struggled to fully connect with the characters; their motivations weren’t always clear, and a few emotional beats didn’t quite land as strongly as they seemed intended to.

Overall, it’s a beautifully written and imaginative book with some memorable moments, but it didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

DNF @ Chapter 7

I don’t even know how to be respectful with this one, so I’m just gonna go the direct route and be brutally honest: this is a hot mess. The writing is indecipherable. The dialogue reminded me of what 10 year old children might sound like if they were pretending to be kings and queens in the dark ages.

I can’t even tell you what it’s about. A chick who makes magic with silk and math? But she’s not supposed to use it because reasons? I’m not even certain about that. I seriously hate DNFing, but I can think of a whole host of other unpleasant things I’d rather be doing than reading this book.