Review: The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
I just really enjoy Margaret Owen. She spins a tale ina way that just captivates me.
The Merciful Crow follows Fie, a member of the crow cast, as she and her band of crows live nomadically wandering throughout the country disposing of bodies that have died of the 'sinners plague'. When they are called to dispose of two boys in the court of the king Fie discovers that they are really on a mission to smuggle the Crown Prince and his body double/guard to the Prince's allies so he can stage a coup against his step mother the Queen. So many things ensue from here.
This book, like basically 70% of fantasy/mystery books does the thing where there is a point where the characters know more than the reader and it seems like all is lost but it is really a plan going off exactly as planned. I will hate this until my dying day. But that was basically the only thing I disliked about this book. There is also a bastard character who I immediately knew who his parents were, but I chalk this up to being an adult reading YA.
This book is action packed, has an excellent emotional throughline, does external and internal conflict so deftly, and has super compelling characters. Though as a heads up if you don't like reading white authors writing stories about structural discrimination than this is not the book for you. It is a caste based discrimination and not divided by race or gender or sexuality.
I really admire how quickly Owen established the characterization for each of her cast. She gives the reader really concise and evocative notes on each person that let her characters seem so full so quickly. The reader starts to see the conflict each character is going through and how their personalities will work together and clash. I was so invested in Fie and the people in her life. Much of the book follows her and the two people they pick up, the prince and his body guard. The three of them have a really fun and tense dynamic that is handled really well. I really love a trio.
I think this is a really great start to a duology, The story is pretty contained, a lot of the big elements introduced have a satisfying conclusion by the end of the story, but we still get an excellent hook into the second book. I did say earlier that the parentage mystery did not seem that mysterious to me, but the emotional ramifications of that story line were really well built throughout the story, so even though I knew what was coming I was still really engaged in the build to the reveal.
I though the emotions of their story were so strong, the way this story made me laugh, cry, worry, and absolutely swoon absolutely is what pushed this book to being a five star experience for me. I was just glued to the book. I do think I prefer her later book, Little Thieves, but that makes sense that a writer would improve with more time and practice. I very much look forward to stating the sequel to this book momentarily.
