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!

#TheSerpentCalledMercy #NetGalley.