The Merciful Crow
Margaret Owen
5/5
I would just like to say that I loved this book oh my god. I think it can go into my top reads of 2019 because wow I'm still so amazed by everything that happened here. The Merciful Crow follows Fie, a member of the crow caste who is destined to be a chief. The caste system is what really got me about this book because it's so interesting and cool. Every caste is named as a bird and every caste has a birthright- minus the crows, unless you count surviving the plague. For hundreds of years, the kingdom has relied on the crows to properly dispose of the plague victims while simultaneously committing mass acts of harassment and genocide towards said crows.
I've read books about groups of people who have been discriminated against, fantasy books included, and I feel like Margaret Owen just does it so artfully. I hate all of the other castes for what they do to Fie, but she's not overly bitter and she's not stupid about it. She's spent her life being put down but she has a family, she has created her own family, and no one is dying to push that plot-line forward. It's horrible, the way society treats the crows, but it's not done in an unrealistic way like the way that they're treated is the way that society constantly treats those who are less powerful.
Her powers are cool though, all of the powers that the separate castes have are cool. Invisibility, fire, making people tell the truth, to say a few. Fie can technically access them all through her almighty ability to get those abilities from people's bones- particularly their teeth. She's constantly underestimated for it even though she's literally so good at using them, so smart about everything that she does with all of that power.
The romance was amazing because it's also not overpowering. For one thing, there have been mentions of LGBT characters and that's probably going to get more page-time in the future, I really appreciate that being identified and not like over-dramatized. The main pairing, Tavin and Fie, is also so perfect because neither of them lets it distract away from the ultimate goal. They love each other and protect each other but they also understand that there are bigger problems to deal with that take precedent. I literally cannot wait to see how they're going to deal with the separation while simultaneously plotting their equally important destinies.
I would recommend this book, like I just finished it last night and I've already done so. Fie is an amazing character, the side characters are all very well developed with a ton of potential, the whole plot has so many amazing places to go.
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