*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the first half of this book. Frey, Ovie, Juniper and Runa were a dynamic team of death traders who were well-developed in a world that drew on our own. However, I felt that at the halfway point it all went downhill. This is the point that all of the action started happening and I just feel like it all happened too quickly, the enemies defeated too easily. The book could have been at least 200 pages longer and I would have enjoyed it much more. 

The plot points themselves were interesting and as I said, the characters were fascinating but the pacing was messy. Overall, I would recommend this if you don't mind quite fast-paced fantasy but sadly I was a little disappointed in this.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster ( UK ), and the author, April Tucholke, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Boneless Mercies in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I was initially drawn to this book by the cover. I thought it was beautiful and mysterious. Once I read the premise, I was hooked. I am so glad I received a copy to review.
I found it an enjoyable read. I loved the central characters. I thought the storyline was well written and intriguing. Would definitely read more from this author. 3.5 stars
Worth a read for fans of the genre.

This book turned out to be nothing like what I expected, which was actually a really good thing! I thought it would be fairly generic YA, with girl assassins and possibly a love triangle, but what I actually got was an ancient saga in novel form, told from the perspective of an unlikely, and somewhat unwilling, group of heroes. It stunned me.

For a book about a group of female assassins, who go by the name Boneless Mercies and offer their services for mercy killings, there’s not an actual lot of assassination in this book. I mean, sure, there’s some – the characters have a fairly casual relationship with death, so if you don’t like graphic on-page deaths, this book may not be for you. But the majority of this book is actually about this particular band of Mercies who get caught up in political machinations and the slaying of an epic beast. The girls (and their one male friend) set out to kill a monster, but discover along the way that war is looming, and they themselves may be unwittingly instrumental to the course of history.

There are Norse and Northern European mythological influences aplenty in this book, and indeed, it seems at times to take place in a world with some overlap with our own. This really helps create that sort of immortal saga-esque feeling to it, where you can see glimpses of history through the fantasy. The slaying of the beast brings Beowulf to mind, and though I’m not particularly familiar with the Edda stories, I feel like someone who was would spot more references than I managed to! However, this is not a book which glorifies heroism. The lives that the girls lead are difficult and dark, and the book doesn’t shy away from this (though it isn’t really grimdark, just realistic).

I thought that The Boneless Mercies was beautifully written, and something in the way that the scenes rolled out was just pitch perfect for the epic tradition. The fact that it’s almost a ‘behind-the-scenes’ of a legend just really worked for me. I appreciated the almost anti-climactic battle scenes, and the sense that tiny decisions could influence the way that the world turned – it creates a sense of magic and wonder at the same time as it undermines itself. I didn’t think that we really got to know the characters all that well, which again, just worked to create this excellent overall tone. Some readers may see these as flaws – and indeed, I might, had I been in a different mood while reading this – but it struck the right chord with me at the right time, so it gets five stars.

I didn't have a clue what to expect when I picked up The Boneless Mercies, it was the fascinating title that drew in me in. I definitely wasn't expecting a tale of death and determination. The story is a very interesting and unique concept, I don't think I've ever read anything similar, which in the world of YA is an achievement. However The Boneless Mercies is a very slowly paced book. Although it's enjoyable, you really need to be in the mood for this paticular story or it might end up feeling like a chore, having to drag yourself through the slow parts to reach the climatic action scenes. All in all, I would definitely recommend this novel if it is of interest to you.

I really expected to love this -- stabby girls, Beowulf influences -- and... I didn't. I actually got distracted partway through, left it for nearly a week, and still struggled to get through it when I tried again. Now, I've been in a weird emotionally exhausted brainspace recently, so maybe it's that, but there were also a few things about this book I didn't get on with.

First of all, and not the author's fault in the least, the ARC I read had absolutely horrific formatting which often impeded on the reading experience, making it hard to follow what was going on and jarring me out of the moment with a misplaced header, random linebreaks, or missing letters. Like I said, not the author's fault at all, but if the publishers want bloggers to be able to give an honest review, they need to make it possible to actually read the book.

Secondly, this was sold to me as a Beowulf retelling. It isn't, really, and I feel like that description led me to expect a different story (one that didn't take until 70% of the way through to really embark on the monster-slaying mentioned in the opening chapter). Had I not been expecting something else, maybe I could have enjoyed what I was given a bit more, but I was constantly waiting for something that never came.

Mostly, though, the worldbuilding confused me. It was essentially fantasy, but all the names were similar to real historical names, so that I kept trying to pin them down in my head and identify them. It would have been easier if there's been a more complete separation but, particularly with references to sagas and so on, I kept being pulled back into wondering whether this was actually supposed to be our own world. Except it wasn't quite. But Snorri Sturluson was mentioned, and he's a real guy. But there are also witches. It... just kept throwing me off. It was neither firmly enough in the fantasy category for me to suspend my disbelief nor real enough to convince me, and as a result I was just confused.

Maybe my year of Old Norse and my interest in medieval literature in general got in the way there, because I picked up on references other people wouldn't have done and kept trying to map them onto the real thing in my head (especially the gods, THEY confused me), but... I don't know. If the names hadn't been so similar, it wouldn't have bothered me, and I'd have enjoyed it a lot more because I'd have been able to take it at face value as a fantasy novel inspired by medieval Germanic literature. As it was, I just couldn't figure out what it was trying to do and why.

But I also didn't entirely chime with the writing style, and I felt like the narrative wanted me to care about the characters and their backstories but just kept plonking them down in front of me without ever really MAKING me care about them, and... I just didn't click with it, at all. Which sucks, because like I said, I should've liked it. Stabby girls, medieval influences, it's like everything I look for in a book. Except apparently not.

Perhaps if I'd read it while not in a huge slump, I'd have enjoyed it despite my reservations about the worldbuilding, but I ended up having to force myself to finish it -- which I think isn't fair, it's worth more than that and my low mood definitely contributed to my complete apathy. As it is, though... well, reading's subjective, and in my present state, I struggled to enjoy this and was ultimately disappointed, even though I can see that it has a lot of elements that will appeal to others. It had girls supporting each other. It has empowerment and friendship alongside the stabbiness. It takes a very male genre of monster slaying stories and twists it to have women as both the heroes and the monsters of the story, and those roles are made complicated. So if you like those things, you might enjoy it a lot. I wish I had liked it more, because I think it deserved more than this very apathetic, unimpressed review.

(Sometimes I read a book and I think it's objectively bad but I love it. Sometimes I know something is good but I don't like it. This one was probably better than my enjoyment of it really reflects, even if it's not quite in the category of "literary masterpiece I dislike".)

Frey is tired of doing mercy killings for a living; she jumps at the chance to track down and kill a vicious monster, for a chance at freedom, glory, and meaning back in her life.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounds amazing.
It follows Frey and her friends, who are Boneless Mercies. Women who travel constantly, putting the sick and the old to death mercifully. It doesn't bring much in the way of money, and even mercy killing is nibbling away at their souls. They have all had enough of this constantly shifting life, and want the freedom to settle down, own a farm, sail away on adventures, have a family, etc.
They each have a reason for becoming a mercy, and they each have a reason for wanting to break free of that life.
The story feels like it could be part of a big Norse saga, and has a pleasant story-telling quality to it, as each mercy reveals her own history.

BUT... I was bored. Which shouldn't have happened with these professional killers; dangerous witches; monsters and cruel men. The steady, story-telling quality slowed the narration (and any possible excitement) down. I found myself willing them to get to the monster, and wrap the whole thing up.
I couldn't understand how I was reading about Frey and co. getting dragged into the middle of some drama between the Sea Witches and Marsh magic... and it couldn't hold my attention. That is my Achilles heel!

I also wasn't impressed, after being promised a band of skilled mercenaries, these girls didn't know how to fight (in the beginning anyway - why did they volunteer when they couldn't fight?!). And when confronted with danger, they're favourite response is to run away!
Seriously, there were some scenes where they were getting wound up by the mistreatment and death of girls, by certain men. Those men turn up, and our Mercies run away. No revenge, no standing their ground - and we're supposed to believe these girls are going to face down a monster that is laying waste to towns and villages?

Overall, it was a nice idea, but it didn't work for me.

LOOOOOVE. Love love love. I love female friendships and this was a fantastic book. I adored it. Going to buy in print!

For me this was Skyrim in book form. Or at least Skyrim the way I play it. Tough Nordic Girls battered into warriors by years of harsh winters and fending for themselves. April Genevieve Tucholke's writing drew me so deeply into Frey's world that it felt like I was part of the sisterhood. And it was a beautiful sisterhood. I could have read about these four girls fighting to make something of themselves beyond where their fate had led them all day.

This for me is the perfect Feminist book. It didn't have the background of so many of the books around where women are subjugated through rape only. Books that try to empower women and show them fighting back while still reducing them to just their bodies. In The Boneless Mercies, the only mentions of rape are alluded to pleasure houses and it shows the few options there are for women without actually showing the violence that is used against them. Coming to the story at the end of the struggle. When the Mercies make the decision to fight for more was the perfect way to show the struggles of women without showing the violence.

Every word of this book was perfect: the ending and fighting the monster, the Cut-throat-queen,the empowerment of women through the entire book. There wasn't anything I didn't like. It was beautiful and made me feel like a warrior just reading it.

This is supposedly a standalone, but the ending certainly left it open for more. If I never get to see another story from the Mercies and this world, I will be very disappointed.

An incredible book, one I'm already going out of my way to recommend to friends. It's the perfect blend of borrowing from Norse sagas and creating a beautiful world which you don't want to leave, even if there is plenty of darkness there too. I love the concept of the Mercies, all the more for seeing why the girls want to leave their old profession behind. This one's a slow-burn, a constant sense of menace as they start making their way north to slay the monster, which makes the sudden burst of action at the end feel all the more fast paced. I love all the Mercies and want them to be safe, but in this grim world, that never feels like a certainty and I was on the edge of my seat until I finished reading this one. Really hope this is the first of many stories to come.

I was lucky to read this a couple of days before it was released and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, until now I have not had the time to write this review, which is sad. But anyway, let’s get on with this review.

We follow our main protagonists, Frey, Ovie, Juniper and Runa. They are called the boneless mercies. The boneless mercies are people that are hired to kill people quietly, quickly and mercifully. Oh I have such a thing for assassins. But this job is female only as men cannot do the job. They then hear of a monster supposedly hunting down men, women and children and decide to go check it out. Will they defeat this supposed monster and receive the glory or will the monster be their end?

Females kicking arse and killing people are so dope I swear but the market is very saturated in the YA genre. What with Nevernight and Throne of Glass but I’m so glad to see this take on it.

4 out of 5 stars.

PUBLISHERS BLURB


They called us the Mercies, or sometimes the Boneless Mercies. They said we were shadows, ghosts, and if you touched our skin we dissolved into smoke ...

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are Boneless Mercies – death-traders, hired to kill quickly, quietly and mercifully. It is a job for women, and women only. Men will not do this sad, dark work.
 
Frey has no family, no home, no fortune, and yet her blood sings a song of glory. So when she hears of a monster slaughtering men, women, and children in a northern jarldom, she decides this the Mercies’ one chance to change their fate.

But glory comes at a price …

MY REVIEW

The Mercies hear of a terrible beast rampaging through villages, they decide to kill this beast and leave their death trade once and for all.

There is a reward for killing the beast and this would allow the band of Mercies to go their separate ways and live different lives. One little snag, the monster is immortal.

April Genevieve Tucholke has written an enthralling and enchanting tale of the relationship between Mercies, all young strong women in a harsh, difficult and poor world. While this is a Young Adult novel it is in no way childish and the Mercies may be young the story’s in depth and is really about hope and love and companionship, you will be utterly committed to these young women and their tales. The world created is very atmospheric and detailed and you could easily get lost here. I loved this and hope there will be a sequel as I feel there is more to come.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Published October 4th 2018 by Simon & Schuster Children's UK

The Boneless Mercies follows a group of women – Frey, Juniper, Runa, Ovie -who are Boneless Mercies, also known as Death Traders. They are hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. It is a job only performed by women. However, the girls have had enough of a job full of death and start on a journey to find glory in slaying a beast. However, they find that death will not let go of them so easily.

The Boneless Mercies was a wild ride from start to finish. It was a story full of magic, witches, warriors, myths, and adventure. It is a gender-bent Beowolf retelling but I don’t know much about that, so, I can’t comment on it.

The Boneless Mercies is a grand, atmospheric, and lush fantasy world that is full of fierce, glorious, axe-wielding women. My favourite part of this book is the positive female relationships, they were utterly brilliant – complex, realistic, and flawed. What I would have loved more, and was a completely missed opportunity, was if there were some sapphic relationships. Like, there were so many chances, so many female characters that bonded really well, and it just never happened? disappointing.

I loved the Norse inspired world, history and mythology as it was so fascinating and atmospheric. I loved the witches, the gods, the beasts, and the sagas.

The Boneless Mercies is a very slow paced book with an odd action scene. It was a book that focused heavily on the world, the characters, and the journey they took. I didn’t mind such a character-driven story though as I fiercely loved these characters. Ovie, our stoic, calm, and silent warrior who only spoke when she felt she needed to. Juniper, our kind and fierce sea witch who misses her people. Runa, our angry and brash warrior who wants nothing more than to find peace and happiness. Trigve, who is loyal and protective of the group but being a man he was never being able to partake in their mercy killings. And finally, Frey, our passionate leader who seeks glory. Yet, though our main band of people, these are not the only memorable people you meet while following the group on their travels. Tucholke manages to craft a dynamic cast of characters who are so distinct and memorable.

Overall, The Boneless Mercies was a wonderfully written book featuring a wonderful cast of characters and a wonderful world full of mythology and magic.

I loved this Norse myth inspired fantasy. The world building was perfect – a cold and unforgiving landscape punctuated by fantastical creature and magic amongst the mundane human villages and towns. Through this world roam the Boneless Mercies, four girls who kill quickly and quietly for money. Hearing of a terrible monster in a nearby town, the leader of the group decides that the fame and fortune involved in killing the creature would be enough for them to retire on. I loved the Beowulf influence here and the direction the author took it in was great. Definitely a darker fantasy with an edge of bleakness but all the better for that. Awesome book.

The new novel from Tucholke, The Boneless Mercies sees four women change their fate by going after a monster, which some may interpret as a gender-swapped Beowulf.

A book that allows the characters to certainly flourish, particularly Frey, The Boneless Mercies introduces us to four women who are different and brilliant, my personal favourite being Juniper. Their relationships are written really well and honestly though sometimes often a little dramatic.

With these characters we see a plot slowly develop and give us a book that keeps you eventually on the edge of your seat as the girls go after the monster in a jarldom far away, the epilogue being pretty satisfactory as they finish their quest and see the impact of their actions. I would like I think to see more from this kingdom with a series much like Robin Hobb’s or Becky Chambers’ books.

There’s so much potential in this world and these characters, and I hope this isn’t a standalone as I feel the world building here is pretty good and could do with much more exploration however I hope the writer raises the pace a little, as the plot is excellent when it gets started.

I really didn't get on well with this book. I thought it started off really well, and I loved the idea behind it, but the pacing was particularly slow for me and nothing much happened. I felt like it was lacking in character building and also pacing issues were a problem for me.

I really really wanted to love this. I really did.
But I just didn’t feel anything for it, the style of writing was good and similar to what I like but the characters I felt had no personality. It’s such a good premise for a story but just didn’t hit the right notes for me.

Fantastic to read!

The story is gripping and full of tense moments. Twists and turns await every page! I really enjoyed reading this a lot and can highly recommend it.

A fierce, feminist fantasy story that is both tender & bloodthirsty! Beautifully written & involved, it needs a sophisticated reader to get the most out of it. Well worth having for genre fans.

I loved the premise of this book, the idea of mercy killing being a job and a service that was an integral part of society definitely intrigued me. That was probably why I enjoyed the early parts of this book the most. I think the story would have benefitted from taking a bit more time on setting up the 'normal' before the changes came in and the characters had to do something different. There are stories of what the Boneless Mercies do scattered throughout the wider narrative, but I think having a touch more of that world/setting building in at the beginning of the book.

I think the reason I didn't connect with this story in the way that I wanted to was large because I didn't feel I could connect with the main character. I thought that Frey was, in theory, an interesting character, but her motivation seemed to boil down to 'wanting to do something heroic' and I'm not sure that's enough to get me on side. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem, as there are some great side characters in there, but since this book is written in first person it didn't work for me. In part, that's personal preference and someone who is more used to, or prefers to read first person, might have a better time of it than I did. Equally, I might place a greater importance on character motivation than others, to each their own.

I said there were witches and I haven't really talked about it. In this case, this book draws from the Norse tradition, much like another book I've read recently, Rachel Burge's The Twisted Tree. Clearly, Norse mythology is the topic to be talking about at present. I thought that the idea of a war between witches was interesting, again it needed a fraction more worldbuilding behind it to really feel like I understood what was happening and why. 

As you might be able to tell, I didn't have the best time reading this book. I think it's one of those books that has moments of greatness, the final peak of action was extremely well-written, genuinely unexpected and very powerful, to make just one example. However, overall the book felt a little too piecemeal for me to feel like I could really get into the plot or care overly about what happened to the characters. 

If you're really into the concept of this story I do think you'll enjoy it, but it's not a book to go into halfheartedly as it does require close attention. 

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received with thanks an ARC copy of The Boneless Mercies from Simon & Schuster UK Children’s and Netgalley.

This is my true and honest review of The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke. This was published on 4th October 2018.

This is a dark YA fantasy based on the poem Beowulf. I have some knowledge of the poem and this was an interesting take on it. The group of Boneless Mercies are a tough group of ladies and it is was nice to read about kickass females not beholding to men. But for me I found I would have liked to have seen more world building and more knowledge about the magic system that is portrayed by characters in the story. It was okay but I did wish for more. I may pick up book two when it’s released. This is great if you love dark, brutal YA fantasies.

PS The UK cover for this book is stunning.