The Merciful Crow (The Merciful Crow, #1)

by Margaret Owen

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight .
2.5*

Sometimes I read bird books and think "Shannon, you are so silly for avoiding birds!" but this is not that book. Fine, look, in fairness, I think it might be a case of "it's not you, it's me"? Because I liked the characters quite a lot, and in theory, I even liked the world. But I was just so lost and overwhelmed by all the different types of powers, and the hierarchy of the society, and who was using whose teeth for what reason.

Yeah, that's a real thing here! Teeth! Of the dead, that help... Idk, create better magic? I wasn't lying when I said I was kind of confused, okay? And while I did genuinely care about what happened to the characters, it was a real slog getting there. Which isn't to say the writing was bad; it wasn't. Nor was the world, just... it was a lot. And sometimes I don't want to work that hard while reading. So I might have skimmed in the middle. A lot.

I honestly might try this one again, if I hear good things about the sequel. Because I wanted to love it, and there were parts of it I enjoyed. But as it stands, I was kind of bored and definitely frustrated, so here we are.

Also, birds. So many birds.

Bottom Line: Definitely a unique world with a great cast of characters, I struggled to become immersed in the world and plot.