Review

Fie, Tavin and Jas are thrown together because of an unexpected situation. Bound by an oath they most protect each other or face the worst of things. They struggle because they don’t get along; different castes, different people. Fie wants to prove herself to Pa, and the two boys just want to succeed. But will they be able to? Forced out of their comfort zones they must learn to adapt — and trust.

Holy smokes this book! I honestly cannot say how much I enjoyed it! I thought it was superb! I was in love with this book from beginning to end. There is nothing else like it – such a lovely mix of adventure, daring, romance and amazing plot. The characters were amazing too – I didn’t find any of them too irritating. I will be singing this book’s praises for a long time to come and suffering until the next book comes out. This book deserves all the applause because I was totally and utterly infatuated. I know I keep saying it, but I can’t even think of starting another book now.

As the only caste untouched by the plague, the Merciful Crows were duty-bound to answer every summons.

So, why did I love the book so much? The plot was good and it was interesting. The whole concept of it was amazing, how we start at point a and then get to point b. This book slowly ramps up the action and stakes the further and further you get into the book and it works. Owen does it brilliantly too, because as she raises the stakes and tensions she makes you fall in love with the characters at the same time, and you are absolutely hoping she doesn’t kill any of them off.

Fie decided she liked the cat. Anything happy to leave the royal palace had good taste.

Fie was definitely my favorite. She was absolutely fierce and delightful. She made me smile and laugh and I just wanted to hug her because she was so precious. Precious but fierce. And I loved her for it. I loved that she was a strong character, but that she had flaws and hopes and dreams. She was vulnerable too. I loved that. I loved absolutely everything about Fie. She is one of my favorite characters now. Easily. I also really appreciated how her relationships with the people around her were depicted. It made for some really interesting reading.

Fie didn’t intend to punch the boy, but she did all the same.

I also adore Tavin. I think he’s a humorous character, but he also has a seriousness to him as well. It makes him a great foil for Fie. Especially for banter. And that is all I will say on that subject. Jas as his best friend too was a cool relationship and I would love for it to be explored further in the next book. I think there is so much that Owen can do with it.

The rest of the crows too, I would love to see more on them! They are part of the amazing world building that was created. There was no big info dump, instead it was parceled out to you in easy to read chunks. It was woven seamless into the narrative.

And finally the writing was lovely. I really got into it and found that it flowed beautifully. There is nothing more I love than good prose, and this book had that in abundance.

So to recap: this book was a stunning and lovely read and I can’t wait to read the next one!