*ARC received from NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Oh my gosh, this book was brilliant. I had so many questions while reading the book that got answers eventually. After being let down by other books that leave those questions unanswered this was such a nice change. Fie was a character I came to love. The boys quickly grew on me though it still feels like the Prince never got fully fleshed out. Heck, I can't even remember his name now after finishing the book yesterday. Out of everything that is the only criticism I can give this book is the fact that he needed just a bit more growth. Other than that one fact this was a gorgeous ride with a world that was built up so well I easily gave a description of it to my father from memory because it stuck with me so well.

I finished this one a few weeks ago, but I liked it so much I had trouble coming to write a review. I was sad from it being over! And there was so much I liked that I was afraid I wouldn't do it justice with a review.

There's YA that skews young, and YA that is more accessible for YA readers that are adults. While this novel can appeal to both audiences, it definitely leans towards the latter; it deals with topics of racism, violence, and sex/sexuality (but none in an excessive way, all done in ways that give meat to the plot or characters).

Is YA intended for a younger audience? Maybe originally, yes, but it's clear that that's no longer its primary readers, and I'm thrilled when I can tear into a YA fantasy with some teeth to it, when the author does not hold back. Because it does feel like YA authors do hold back sometimes, whether out of fear of offending someone, or being unmarketable, or not feeling like teens can 'handle' it. But I think we forget what we were like as teens. And like I said before, teens are not always the market audience for YA anymore, anyways. But I think it's a tough thing to grapple, toeing that line between the two worlds, creating a story that can appeal to both.

But Owen doesn't toe the line here, but rather steps above it, writing the story she wants to tell, regardless of audience, regardless of offense, subject only to the story she felt needed to be told. You can sense the passion and creativity that went into it. There's parts where another author might have said, 'shoot, can I really say that? Can my characters do that?' But Owen slashed through those doubts and barreled forward, creating a rich, alive world and a fascinating society, with solid characters to boot.

And maybe it's just because I'm struggling with some of these fears in my own writing, especially with the recent YA-callout culture-twitter-toxicity issues that have been brewing. But it's more than that, too. I've encountered so many YA fantasies that while enjoyable, feel packaged and neatly wrapped in foiled paper, clean-cut and presentable for the masses. Ones that even when they have an edge, hold back a little, making sure not to tiptoe out too far. And I didn't even realize how stifling it had started to feel, until this book swooped in and it was like settling into something old and familiar and alive.

It's a YA fantasy that took me back to 6th grade, reading under a tree and forgetting the world around me. I actually started reading slower to make it last longer. I don't even know the last time I did that, if ever. Bold, imaginative, and moving, I'm rooting for this book. Right now it feels like a precious baby bird ARC that I'm cradling in my hands, but I'm rooting for it to take flight like...well, like a badass crow, I suppose.

The Merciful Crow was such an amazing read and the characters pull you into their story like no others. I couldn't rip myself from those pages, I loved it so much. The Merciful Crow is hands down one of the best books I've read this year.

Sooooo the fact that I preordered this book right away after finishing it should probably give you a good idea of how I felt.

I. LOVED. This. Major 5/5 stars!

There is a clear heirarchy in this book, with the Phoenix reigning at the top, with the Crows hanging around the bottom. Crows go to beacon where they are called when a sinner has been brought down with the plague. Crows are the only ones said to be immune, so they must show mercy to the sinners and make a pyre for them. All the other castes call to them when they require services, but the Crows are still treated as lesser people and are hunted by some. When after 500 years Crows are called to the palace to do their duty, they end up leaving not with 2 dead bodies, but instead the crown prince and his bodyguard. Feigning their deaths, they are set to overthrow the Queen's plans of taking over the kingdom for her own evil gain, entrusting the Crows to help them on their journey. However, things take a turn for the worse, putting all of their lives at stake and a kingdom hanging between 2 forces of power.

I loved Fie! She is so fiesty, knowing she must do her best to fulfill her oath but wanting to protect her kin. I loved her fro the first pages, and she just grows so much over the course of the book. From controlling the magic of the teeth of the other castes, to forming alliances with the prince and Hawks, she is wrongly underestimated by many. Her character arc is so powerful, with her figuring out who she is and what she wants.

I would be lying if Jas didn't get on my nerves for a solid chunk of this, but it was an on-and-off relationship. There'd be times I would love him, then he'd go and say something so shitty that I'd hate him again. Went that way until about 65% of the way through, After that, I really started to like him! I'm interested to see how he goes about his plans in the next book.

MY BOY TAVIN! He's definitely book boyfriend material and I love him so much! His smugness from the first words he speaks all the way to the sentimental scenes at the end just make my heart melt. I loved being able to read about his past, his plans, and just seeing him break out of his hard shell and be comedic relief. I honestly just adored him and I want to read more about him again!

So yeah... I loved this book. You should probably go out and get it. This was one of my most anticipated reads, and it definitely lived up to my hype! I have to get my hands on a signed copy somehow, but yeah. This was amazing. Highly recommend!

ARC provided to be by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I feel like this book had a ton of potential, but it just ended up not being the book for me.

The pacing of the story was very slow and I don’t think some of the characters were developed fully. I felt like Jasimir was really one dimensional and I didn’t really care about him at all. Tavin was far more developed and probably the most interesting character in the book.

There were really good social discussions about the treatment of the lower caste Crows by all of the other castes. I also enjoyed the references to the plague and the historical elements like the plague masks that the Crows wore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital copy of this book. I’m sorry to say from the very first sentence I did not like this book. This book is trying to be dark and deep but only gets the dark part. Other than that the book doesn’t get to a deeper level of story telling or humanity.

I was rather impressed by this book! I thought that the magical world was extremely well-developed and I felt connected to the characters.

At times, the world was a little too complicated for me to follow, there were a lot of moving parts that didn’t seem necessary at times. Also, some of the language and diction used seemed stilted and forced.

One other critique I have was that the plot was very much a journey plot and I found it to be repetitive.

However, overall, I really enjoyed the characters, especially the LGBTQ representation in the book. It was so well done and shown as a part of characters without any questions or explanations, they were simply themselves, which was so lovely.

​Boy howdy does Fie want to slap this Hawk boy and I'm living for it. She's so perfectly angry at the injustice of this world and the Caste system and I loved cheering her on. She doesn't want to burn the world down after all, she just wants them to know she can.

The Merciful Crow is one of those books that I think has a really fantastic opening. From page one, I was already so interesting in these characters, the world and how it worked. The writing was really well done too. I don't know if it was just me, but I kept getting a western vibe somehow? It could probably be just me.

One thing that I have to say about this book though is how quickly it brought my emotions out, especially concerning these characters. While there is a large group of them that are together during this book, some of the main focuses are on Fie, Tavin, and Jasimir. Right off the bat I didn't like Tavin and Jasimir, but that could be because this book is through Fie's point of view and I was seeing everything through her eyes, but the pair did grow on me.

One thing that did catch me off guard was Hangdog and how he treated Fie. Mostly because I didn't see the reaction coming at all and didn't think him capable of it? It through me completely and I think I complained very loudly about it.

Overall, I think this is a book that will enthrall young adult and fantasy lovers both far and wide. Spectacular magic system, amazing writing, and characters that you can help but connect to, The Merciful Crow should definitely be on peoples list.

I was incredibly excited for this book, and it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019, so I was ecstatic when I received an e-arc of this book allowing me to read it early. Unfortunately, it was not quite what I expected.

Overall, this is a great book. The world building is fantastic, and the characters are complex and multi-layered. The book is told from a single POV, that of Fie, and I absolutely loved watching Fie struggle with her own identity, her role, and her duty vs her heart's desire. I was a fan of Tavin form the start. And Jasimir eventually grew on me. Somewhat.

So my issue with the book is neither setting nor character related. Rather, I do not believe this to be a YA book and I am still confused as to why it is being marketed as such. The pacing is slow, the writing is heavy, the language and dialect are difficult, the violence is pervasive. As a developmental researcher who specifically studies YA lit and adolescent development, I do not believe that categorizing this book as YA was the best choice.

My recommendation would be to market this book as an adult fantasy. I think the book would do a lot better and would reach a more appropriate audience. This is not to say that teens can't or shouldn't read this book (or other adult fantasy books for that matter). I believe that labeling this book as adult fantasy would reach a wider audience while still calling to the teens who are interested in a more adult read such as this.

The Merciful Crow stands out among the influx of new YA fantasy releases. I can't say too much without spoiling the plot, but it's refreshing to see a protagonist who does something not because it's for the greater good, but because it serves her and her own people. The world-building is thorough -- Margaret Owen's attention to detail is remarkable, because though the descriptions would be enough to help me understand the world of The Merciful Crow, the way the characters speak and act had me fully immersed.

This book is dark and diverse, and it had me sucked in from the first sentence to the last. What more could I want?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of this novel.
Young adults will devour up this novel just based on the magic and fantasy alone. The author does a solid job of keeping you entertained just has slow spots within the novel. I think young adults will enjoy the diversity of the characters. A definite recommend for fantasy and magic lovers.

NetGalley provided me with an ARC. I don't know if I am grateful or distressed, because I need a print copy of this book and book two NOW! I have no clue how I will have to wait for others to read this book and create the fandom that this world and the Crows inspire.

The Merciful Crow takes place from the perspective of Fie, a girl from the Crow caste, which are the mercy-killers and undertakers of the world of a plague that affects sinners. They are frowned upon despite having such an important role in society. When her flock is called to collect dead bodies from the royal household, she hopes that she will receive the payout of a lifetime. Instead, she discovers that the Crown Prince and his body double have faked their deaths and the Prince and Fie make an agreement: if her flock protects him from the Queen, he’ll give the Crows the protection they deserve.
I love the magic system in this book. In the Crows only a witch is allowed to use other witches’ abilities by using their teeth. So for example, if Fie had a tooth from a person from the Peacock caste (they usually are clothing designers or work with people’s appearances) she could change her appearance or someone else’s for a short amount of time.
I loved the caste system and how unique it was. Each caste is represented by a different bird, with royalty being Phoenixes. The characters are compelling and well-developed. I love Fie and all of the other secondary characters aren’t just there to move along Fie’s story. They are also developed enough to be main characters. My favorite character is a cat named Barf. There’s a reason behind the name, and this cat is amazing.
I need the next book immediately!!!!
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the better fantasies I've read in the past year. The two main male characters did have personalities that seemed inconsistent at times and outright unreasonable at others...but overall I really enjoyed it.

I really wrestled with whether to give this three or four stars. I really enjoyed it, but some pacing issues combined with repetitive writing and a convoluted conclusion tugged me in the 3-star direction.

The good: there are several characters of color as well as LGBT+ characters. One uses they/them pronouns and it's not even really discussed or mentioned, which is really refreshing. The rep is solid. The world is also artfully crafted and clearly well-developed.

The bad: I almost threw the book across the room the tenth time I read the phrase "she could burn Sabor from mountain to coast." It was fine the first time or two but then it got super redundant and aggravating. The author does a decent job reminding you of which caste has which powers (Phoenixes control fire, Sparrows are good at hiding, etc etc) but it's still a lot to keep track of when there are twelve castes. The mechanics of the magic wasn't super clear (why can she use some teeth only once but other she uses repeatedly? etc). And the end was so predictable that I was honestly confused by the twist, because I thought it was info we knew already knew.

I do recommend this book for fantasy fans, but it didn't blow my socks off.

This book was AMAZING.

I feel like I’ve said that about quite a few books lately, and I want to assure you all that I am a harsh critic! But I loved the characters in this novel, and – surprisingly for a fantasy novel – I thought the world was pretty great, too.

Sixteen-year-old Fie is a Crow, the lowest caste in Sabor. While all the other castes – things like Sparrow, Hawk, and Peacock – have special gifts known as Birthrights handed down to them by the thousand dead gods who made them, the Crow gods didn’t see fit to leave anything to their creations. Now Crows roam the land, belittled and scorned by everyone. By night they fear the Oleander Guild, a group of hooded white-cloaked riders who hunt down and kill Crows, as they did to Fie’s ma.

(Yes, I did get KKK vibes off this).

But Crows do have one thing going for them: of all the castes, they are the only one completely immune to catching the sinner’s plague, a terrible disease that keeps hitting villages. This is why Sabor tolerates them. Whenever a mercy killing needs to be handed down to a plague victim, or the bodies of sufferers need to be taken away and burned, the Crows in their beaked masks are called.

(Clear influence of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe here – look at what plague doctors wore!)

Some Crows, such as Fie, her Pa and her friend Hangdog, have another gift too. They’re witches, or bone thieves, who can burn the teeth of other castes to temporarily give themselves the Birthrights of other castes. That’s the reason Fie is being trained to take over as chieftain after Pa. But other Crows have no power at all, while every single member of another caste has the ability to use their Birthright. For instance, Swans can manipulate desire, Phoenixes can control fire, and Peacocks can control illusions.

One day Fie’s band of Crows are called to the royal palace to deal with a couple of dead plague victims – the crown prince, Jasimir, and his guard and body double, Tavin. Only… they aren’t dead. They faked it so they could escape from Jasimir’s stepmother Queen Rhusana, who’s trying to assassinate him and establish control for herself. A binding deal is struck between Fie and Jasimir: she’s going to help him get the throne. In return, once he’s there, he’ll ensure Crows have the protection they need.

Here’s a selection of the multiple things I loved about The Merciful Crow.

✴️ The world is a bit more complex than your average fantasy and it took time for me to work out what was going on, but I loved the fact that there was no infodump. The reader is left to their own devices, and it made everything way more fulfilling. I loved the whole caste system too, and Birthrights, and taking power through teeth – it was explained brilliantly. I also liked that there wasn’t one obvious country Owen was drawing her inspiration from, which sadly is the case for many YA fantasy worlds – they’re too often just thinly disguised versions of real-world places.

✴️ TAVIN IS A BLOODY AMAZING HERO . He really is OH MY GOD I’M ACTUALLY IN LOVE WITH HIM. FIE IS THE LUCKIEST!!! He’s charming, and hilarious, and loyal, and sweet, and just everything. Their enemies-to-lovers romance was absolutely wonderful to watch. It was fairly slow-burn, and I loved both the build-up to it and the consummation.

✴️ Fie was a pretty great heroine herself . I loved her spite and stubbornness.

✴️ Jasimir was probably the most complex character in the novel. He’s spoiled and unworldly, but he does learn eventually, and I found that I sympathised with him a lot more than I was expecting to. Tavin is the only person he’s ever had to himself, so of course he was going to hate being a third wheel to Fie. It also had to hurt knowing his parents loved Tavin more.

✴️ Funnily enough, people are willing to kill Crows just based on their caste, but there is no gender discrimination in Sabor. Nor is there any issue over LGBT rights: Tavin is bisexual, Jasimir is gay, and there’s a (small) nonbinary character too.

✴️ The side characters, in the form of the other Crows in Fie’s band, were awesome. I really got a sense of how they’d banded together as a family and protected each other against the world.

Unfortunately, I felt like there was also a plot hole or two.

✴️ So, the Phoenix caste is the one royalty comes from, and their teeth are the most powerful. Yet Rhusana inexplicably gives Fie every single Phoenix tooth in the country, which she obviously then uses to evade the trackers Rhusana sends after them. Huh???????? Why the hell would she give them to her in the first place???? Or give her every single one? It didn’t make sense.

✴️ It wasn’t fully explained how cross-caste births worked. Jasinder, the son of a Hawk and a Phoenix, is a Phoenix. But what happens to, for instance, the son of a Hawk and a Sparrow? Or a Pigeon and a Gull? I needed a bit more information here.

Overall

An excellent debut, with likeable characters, a gripping world, and emotionally satisfying romance.