The Serpent Called Mercy Review (publish date 27th March 25)

The Serpent Called Mercy was an enjoyable read overall, offering a fresh and engaging take on a well-worn premise. The story follows two slum dogs, Lythlet and Desil, as they enter an illegal monster-fighting arena to clear their debts. Set in world inspired by Malaysian-Chinese culture, the novel weaves themes of survival, loyalty, and resilience into a fast-paced narrative.

I usually struggle with stories centered around trials or competitions, but this book had me hooked by the end of the first chapter. The vivid action scenes and high stakes pulled me in quite quickly.

One of the highlights of the story is the unshakable bond between our two main characters, It’s refreshing to read a story where a deep, platonic friendship takes centre stage without veering into romance.

While the book delivers an enjoyable story, I felt the fighting arena matches could have been more detailed. Given that these matches are the central theme, it was disappointing that nearly half were glossed over, missing opportunities to fully immerse the reader in the action.

Similarly, the political subplots, though intriguing, felt underdeveloped. With more depth, they could have added a richer layer to the narrative and heightened the stakes.
In summary, if you're looking for a light, enjoyable read with a heroic underdog and a touch of politics, this book fits the bill perfectly. However, if you prefer highly detailed action sequences and a more robust political narrative, it might fall short. Overall, a cozy, fun read—perfect for autumn.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I loved how this wasn’t your typical fantasy with a plot of romance is some form, it is a story about the platonic relationship between Lythlet and Desil, we see their struggles together, their wins together and also their individual struggles.

The world building is so thorough and expands as the story progresses, bringing in new information that can leave you with a new understanding with how there a big divide with the north being the rich, the south being home to the slums and the forgotten city being home to the unregistered.

I was hooked waiting to see what creature they would be forced to fight in the arena and I was even more shocked at what they had to fight on their 12th match. The writing for the matches was in a way that made me feel like I was with the duo fighting their monsters, I felt the same fear and elevation as they did.

This book really highlights the corruption and politics that many in their everyday lives can relate to. The corruption and politics were written very well and the way the author highlights this through Lythlet’s past and her present.

The book was very slow in the middle and I struggled to push through at times, the start and end was strong and more fast paced, I felt like some parts of the middle could of been cut or shortened as they didn’t feel like they added to the story.

Overall it was a pretty strong standalone and I can’t wait to see what else the author can create, whether it be set in this world or a new one.

I think this book came to me at the wrong time. The premise sounded very interesting and I always love a good arena fighting, but I just couldn't start caring for the plot or the characters. I can recommend this book to those who want to read about smart characters fighting fantasy creatures and trying to climb the social ladder.
I actuall, enjoyed reading about a greedy protagonist who wants it all and isn't afraid to show it.
My biggest problem was that it started off really slow and then sped up along the way. Once it started moving a bit faster i enjoyed it, but the first half was a bit hard to get through and I don't think I would've finished it if I just picked up the book in a store.
The main focus of the story is more on the political manouvering and social climbing, and the fantasy part is just a very interesting background. But it's still just the background.
Overall, I liked the writing, the characters, but it just wanted to do too much and somehow lost me as a reader along the way.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This slapped.
This so easily could’ve been a typical fantasy romance; we follow Lythlet and her best friend Desil as they sign up to fight terrifying mythical beasts in an arena, to pay off their debts.
Such a simply premise, yet such a layered story! Lythlet isn’t especially skilled in fighting, but she’s clever and puzzles her way through the fights. Desil has been her best friend since childhood, they love each other dearly, and it never becomes romantic. I see that so rarely in books now, and it really worked here.

There’s layers of political corruption and magical world building; but the main backbone of the story is Lythlet and her trying to fight her way out of her debts. the heart of the story is her creating a support system, reconnecting with people she thought lost to her, and finding out secrets about the one person she’s always implicitly trusted.

I loved this and will definitely be picking up a copy of this fantastic standalone!

The Serpent Called Mercy started well. Although the idea clearly has similarities with other works, it still had a freshness in its approach that didn't make it feel too familiar despite that. Lythlet and Desil interested me as characters and I was keen to see where the story would take them. Where I think this book fell down a little for me was from the mid-point onwards when several new subplots were suddenly introduced. While none were boring per se, they came a bit out of nowhere and then the narrative was forced to split between them all, so none got developed as well as they could have been. This might have worked in a book with a longer page count or with a duology, but there just wasn't enough time for it all in this single volume. When the story ended, I wasn't unsatisfied with the resolution, but I wished we could have found out more about a number of things, from the sun-cursed beasts to the general world in which the story was set, to the politics at play in the background. This was not a bad story by any means, but it is one that, in my opinion at least, had the potential to be better with further development. Still, if you are a fan of fantasy tales involving mythic creatures and death challenges, it's worth checking out and I am giving it four stars.

This book was so much fun! The cover is stunning and immediately pulled me in, but it was the world that really grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let me go. There's something so intriguing about having to fight against mythological beasts to earn enough money to get out of a tough situation. I definitely see the Squid Game comparison and I think having that in mind made the reading experience even more enjoyable.

I especially loved the platonic relationship between Lythlet and Desil. I always think I prefer a romantic subplot in a book until I find a platonic relationship that's done really well. Lythlet's character arc throughout the story was also amazing. Overall, this was a fantastic fantasy story and I can't wait to see what Roanne Lau comes out with next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the platonic friendship, I loved the side characters, I loved the growth the protagonist goes through, and I loved the lore. Despite struggling to remember all the names thrown at me, but that is something you always encounter when picking up a new book set in a fantasy world. I wanted to more know more about it though, maybe in more bite sized chunks.

I liked the pacing, skipping periods of time felt right to get to the next important event in the story, and that I wasn’t missing out on anything. I did find the shift in focus to the gold rot subplot a bit of a bump in the road though. I know we were given crumbs early that the situation wasn’t quite right, but when we did get to it, at first, I was left with a bit of whiplash with the change of focus. Having SAID THAT, I did like the payoff of this subplot.

Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5. A good story about friendship, growth, and overcoming the temptation of letting a poorly dealt hand in life steer you down a bitter and selfish existence. I was left satisfied and teary eyed at the end.

I love discovering new worlds in fantasy books, this was vibrant and an enjoyable twist on the urban environment. The diversity in characters and culture from what most popular books entail was refreshing and made elements more intriguing and interesting. The plot was really good and again, having a modern, urban fantasy was a great escape. I appreciated all the little details in the world building and the lore/belief system was well structured. The story was high stakes and I was stressed throughout, in a good way!

I was beyond hyped for this book the moment I read the description and saw that gorgeous cover! While there were definitely parts that didn’t quite hit the mark for me, there was still a lot to enjoy.

Even with my gripes, it was still a pretty enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from this author, even if the book isn’t quite at the top of my recommendation list for friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

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