The amount of emotion and eye opening experiences I had reading this sequel is insane. The first book was great, but the sequel uncovered so many deep concepts I'm so surprised it's considered YA. I find it as an attack on the evils religion can bring upon society. No religion is exempt from malicious upbringing. The way that a religion can take over a society, and bring upon false preaching is exemplified in this book in a way that's crushing and eye opening to our society.

I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I did The Gilded Ones (I tend to feel this way about sequels), but it was still really great! Forna does an amazing job of expanding the intense and vibrant world, complete with fascinating mythology, creatures, and powers. The way she introduces all the necessary details in small, digestible bits throughout the story keeps it from feeling too heavy. Her writing style really brings the world to life, making it easy to visualize every moment. Plus, the tension is built up quickly and kept throughout, making it tough to stop reading.

3.25 stars - The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna is the second book in The Gilded Ones series, picking up where the first left off with its thrilling exploration of power, identity, and survival. The stakes are higher as Deka and her comrades face new threats and navigate political tensions in a world that continues to test their strength. Forna’s world-building is still lush, and the action sequences are intense, keeping the pace moving forward with high energy. Deka’s growth as a character is one of the highlights, and her internal struggles about loyalty and sacrifice are riveting.

However, some parts of the story feel repetitive, and the pacing can drag at times, especially in the middle. The emotional depth that made the first book stand out doesn’t always shine through here, and the romance, while present, didn’t quite land for me. Though The Merciless Ones is an engaging continuation of the series, it doesn’t fully live up to the promise of the first book, leaving me hoping that the next installment can resolve some of the lingering questions and plot threads.

thereadingroom444

134w
#bookfeature

#TheMercilessOnes #NaminaForna #TheGildedOnes #MERCILESSbooktour #turnthepagetours

TITLE: The Merciless Ones
AUTHOR: Namina Forna
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Books (PRH)
RELEASE DATE: May 31, 2022
GENRES: YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy

SYNOPSIS:
Fans of The Gilded Ones and Children of Blood and Bone will love the second book in an epic fantasy series about a girl who is the key to saving the empire--or its greatest threat.
It's been six months since Deka has freed the goddesses and discovered who she really is. There are now wars waging across the kingdom. Oterans now think jatu are traitors to the nation. Deka is called a monster.
But the real battle has only just begun and Deka must lead the charge. Deka is tasked with freeing the rest of the goddesses. Only as she begins to free them, she begins to see a strange symbol everywhere in places of worship and worn on armor. There's something unnatural about that symbol; just looking at it makes Deka lose her senses. Even worse, it seems to repel her powers. She can't command or communicate with the new deathshrieks. In fact, she can't even understand them when they speak.
Deka knows freeing the goddesses is just the beginning. She can tell whatever dark force out is powerful and there is something sinister out there threatening the kingdom connected to that symbol--something merciless--that her army will need to stop before humanity crumbles. But Deka's powers are only getting stronger...and her strongest weapon could be herself.

Life got in the way and I could not finish the book. Thanks to the publishers for the chance to read the book.

I had a bit of trouble getting through this one despite it starting out with an intense series of events. I was completely invested in the characters and the story. Maybe it was just the wrong time for me, as I found the pacing a bit slow for my tastes. Still, it was a great read and I love these characters. I absolutely devoured The Gilded Ones, so maybe that was part of why I struggled here. There seemed to be a lot of buildup for the next book and not as many things resolved in this one.
Love the writing style and descriptive narrations.

The Gilded Ones was a book that I did not expect to love, but I did! I'm so excited that its sequel, The Merciless Ones, was just as good!

This is such a great follow up to the first. I loved seeing more of the magic system and lore and really found it to be so fleshed out. This also really helped the book stand on its own as a complete story and not just the ramp up for the third. I also liked how the character growth and the growth of their powers were so intertwined in this book. This is such a close group of friends and seeing that growth together even as relationships shifted throughout the story was really well done. I love these characters and love how much their bonds dive this series. All around wonderfully done.

The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna is a thrilling and empowering read that will captivate fans of dark, adventurous fantasy, particularly those who appreciate strong female characters, feminist themes, and stories of heritage reclamation, as it delves into the epic struggle of a powerful heroine fighting to save her kingdom from a sinister force.

The Gilded Ones trilogy took the fantasy world by storm with its West African-inspired world and fierce, unforgettable heroine. In the sophomore novel The Merciless Ones, author Namina Forna remarkably expands her richly-conceived universe while ramping up the intensity, heartache, and addictive dramatic tensions.
Picking up shortly after (6 months) the revelations of the first book, The Merciless Ones thrusts us back into the unforgiving patriarchal kingdom of Impri. Our brave protagonist Deka is now a fugitive on the run, her status as the empire's first female fighter-angel (or "alaki") making her a dangerous symbol that threatens the ruling men's stranglehold on power.
From these opening pages, Forna masterfully layers social commentary into an utterly propulsive plot fueled by mythological mystery and visceral action sequences. Her Impri remains a richly-developed realm of blood-tinged magic systems, deeply-entrenched misogyny, and simmering resistance that you can practically feel emanating off the page.
But it's the characters that truly make this series soar. Deka remains an unforgettable force as she continues evolving from naive village girl into a tenacious rebel leader. Her found family of fellow women warriors offers incredible representation while never feeling like mere symbols. And the men whose paths intersect with Deka's are compellingly multifaceted, their cruelties and frailties laid movingly bare.
With soaring battles, wrenching betrayals, and revelations that will shake readers to their core, The Merciless Ones is that rarest of sequels - displaying a remarkable mastery of spiraling stakes and unstoppable narrative momentum. There was a slower pace, and a successful build up of tension and it was clear groundwork for future conflict was being laid. Regardless of these necessities, Forna has crafted a true feminist fantasy, melding biting social critique with pure escapist thrills.
For fans of N.K. Jemison world building and wordcraft, but made for the YA readers, young and old!

Stop the goddesses from destroying the world!

In Otera, 17yo Deka and her group of Alaki women warriors, set out to free Melanis who is the Light of the Alaki. They find her being burned in the temple. Once freed, male warriors enter the temple to stop her escape and to kill the alaki that helped her. As soon as Melanis is freed from the fire, her body begins to heal and her wings sprout just in time to save everyone from the vicious warriors but then they resurrect and fight again. The alaki can’t fathom how they’re coming back to life but the Goddesses tell them it’s the power of the golden throne, the Angoro. Deka will face the unknown and discover more about herself than she has ever imagined as they search for the mysterious Angoro.

Likes/dislikes: I feel that the story is drawn out. I do like the ending. The characters are a nice variety of personalities.
Mature Content: G for kiss.
Language: PG for 6 swears, no f-words.
Violence: R for bloody deaths.
Ethnicity: Deka is dark skinned, Brita is pale skinned and the following are all mentioned:
copper skin, midnight dark skin, reddish brown skin, bluish purple skin, and bluish black skin.

Now that Deka knows the truth of the death shrieks, she's on a mission from the Goddesses to free all of the lake and take back the power in Otera. However, there seems to be another power rising that is taking over all of the males and raining hell on the women of this world. Deka finds herself facing war again, but something isn't adding up. Are the Goddesses lying to her about their histories and what they want? Or is this new power instilling this disruption and fear as a means to conquer Otera? Things are dark, bleak, and horrific; the characters all witness and experience indescribable horrors and must keep moving. We see the moments that they fear what they've been through is too much for them, and we know the choice to keep going. Each of the characters has their trauma and ways of handling it, and though we mainly see through Deka's experience, there's never a moment where it feels like the darkness is ignored for the sake of a fast plot.

Overall, this was an improvement from book 1 (which was already good!), and in many ways, this was precisely what I had hoped it would be. If you struggled with book 1, I would recommend trying this one. Especially if you love corrupt gods, found family, an animal companion (I love him, your honor), and a main character who constantly has to accept that everything she knows to be true is very possibly a lie.

My students and I loved the first book, The second one is even better. Not often do I like the second better than the first, but this one has done that. This book pulls you in right away there is a lot of action. I did get confused in spots, you just keep plugging away and figure it out. This is not my normal genre but I just love this series. I can't wait for the third.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Namina Forna for the opportunity to read The Merciless Ones in exchange for an honest review.

The Merciless Ones is the second novel in the Deathless trilogy, following The Gilded Ones. Taking place six months after the events of The Gilded Ones, Deka, the alaki, and the deathshrieks are on a religious quest to bring down those who oppose the goddesses.

When the gods, referred to as the Merciless Ones, begin speaking to Deka, she begins to question everything about the quest the Gilded Ones have given her. With an assortment of items to seek and/or destroy and priests to bring down to reduce the power that worship offers the gods, Deka has a lot to figure out. On top of keeping her friends and lover, Keita, safe, she must figure out the best course of action. That is what is expected as the Nuru, a direct link to the goddesses.

Deka's war and the loss seem to become too much of a risk when her memories and the memories of those around her seem to be warped or blocked, slowly unraveling odd truths. With the goddesses, alaki, and deathshrieks relying on Deka's choices, she must see through the fog of secrets surrounding her and everything she knows.

An interesting middle installment that takes a major shift from the first novel. It mostly focuses on the religious war between the Gilded Ones and the Merciless Ones, with something greater on the horizon. The end has a nice setup for an exciting final installment to conclude this action-packed, plot-twisty series.

An enjoyable read for a young adult audience into stories full of battle and strong female characters.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The Gilded Ones. This was dark and violent and confusing in spots. I will definitely read the next one though.

I liked this one, but I think I liked the first one more. This usually happens for me though in trilogies, so i will definitely be picking up the third one. Definitely a favorite series of mine.

I thought this was a duology and that I would get a conclusion in The Merciless Ones, but I only got higher stakes, a journey that expanded the already rich world in this building, a found family feel for the characters who were absolutely bad**s. I absolutely loved this and I love Deka.

I enjoyed this sequel. It was just as good as the first book and served to explain a lot more of the backstory and set up for the finale well. I actually went into this series thinking it was a duology so I was initially upset that the ending set up for another book. However, I do really like this world and these characters so I realized how eager I am to read more in this world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this title a bit more than I did the first one. This isn't my favorite duology but I didn't hate it. Honestly, I wasn't the biggest fan of this but again, better than the first title. I found it to be a bit confusing and it was hard to draw myself into this world.

I loved the first book in this series, and I loved continuing the story even more. Namina Forna is a fantastic writer, and I love being immersed in her worlds.