Forna’s use of fantasy to confront gendered violence was so well executed in the first novel that it’s really interesting to see how she’s decided to tackle the topic in the second installment. Without getting too deeply into the plot, there’s a pretty significant pivot in how we’re meant to perceive the gods, with Deka slowly peeling back the layers of myth from truth in the stories surrounding the Gilded Ones. A pattern began to emerge for me- from the private god talk to the reviving Jatu to Deka being shocked every time someone lied to her-and blunted the stakes somewhat. She alone was able to converse with the gods, so all of the important exposition and big reveals happened while she was alone, usually telepathically. And unfortunately, I think the scarcity of both figurative and literal human elements in the book held it back from reaching the level of its predecessor.ĭeka, by nature of what her character has become, felt very disconnected from her peers the majority of the time. It’s been over two years since I’ve read the first book in the series, but it’s been a consistent crowd-pleaser even amongst friends of mine who don’t read a ton in this genre. I’m hesitant to call any book set in such an oppressive society “fun”, but I can’t say this one left me breathless in the same way The Gilded Ones did. For me, The Merciless Ones succeeded more thematically than it did in practice.
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