Through Fie, The Merciful Crow digs into what happens to the people that society both needs and doesn’t care about, and what happens when they start to find a way to put change into motion. She’s brilliant, negotiating payment for the Crows’ services, with an uncanny sharpness, but she’s also stuck, lacking the resources to make a significant change in the world’s social structure.

Every day, she endures so much and fights tooth and nail to survive in a world that doesn’t care about her for a second, but there’s also only so much she can do by herself. It’s no secret that stabby girls are one of my favorite character types, but Fie takes this to the next level. It’s no wonder, then, that Fie is a sharp, clever, furious girl, and that in turn makes it no wonder that I love her. Though Crows provide an essential service, as bodies unclaimed will spread the plague quickly, they’re also the lowest caste, treated with complete contempt especially where the upper castes are concerned. The main character, Fie is a member of the Crow caste, people who are responsible for removing and burning the bodies of those killed by the Sinner’s Plague. There’s a lot of things about The Merciful Crow for me to adore, but at the top of the list is easily Fie. Of course, that meant blazing through The Merciful Crow the day of the tour stop, charging ahead at a breakneck pace so I could say something other than “can’t wait to read it!” while standing in the signing line. I preferred to meet three authors whose books I hadn’t read, and one that I did.

I hadn’t originally scheduled The Merciful Crow into my TBR until closer to 2020, but when Fierce Reads scheduled a tour stop near me, I knew I had to burn through this before I went, unless I wanted to go meet four authors whose books I hadn’t read. But what happens when Tavin begins to want something to call his own? 5 STARSĬW: loss of a loved one, violence, gore, graphic injury, sex scene, child abuse Hawk warrior Tavin has always put Jas’s life before his, magically assuming the prince’s appearance and shadowing his every step.

But he offers a wager that she can’t refuse: protect him from a ruthless queen, and he’ll protect the Crows when he reigns. When Crown Prince Jasimir turns out to have faked his death, Fie’s ready to cut her losses-and perhaps his throat. Her Crow caste of undertakers and mercy-killers takes more abuse than coin, but when they’re called to collect royal dead, she’s hoping they’ll find the payout of a lifetime. “On nights you burn sinners, sleep with your sandals on.”įie abides by one rule: look after your own.

The merciful crow margaret owen