The Merciless Ones

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A poignant examination of patriarchal oppression that ensnares its reader and doesn’t let go. With a compelling main character and fresh magic system, it takes you on a journey of self-discovery through a fantastically built world with a burning mystery at its heart.”—Kalyn Josephson, author of The Storm Crow First, some of the things I liked. I've enjoyed watching Deka grow in her confidence. I really loved the friendships that have evolved and the trust and loyalty that have developed between the characters. I also enjoyed learning more about the relationships between the gods. I found the rest of the commentary on gender and identity smartly done—gender roles are an invention, its stereotypes are arbitrary, anyone can be an oppressor, one group’s survival should not depend on another’s oppression, etc. Though we don’t end up going very deep with anyone besides Deka, I know even the inclusion of characters from so many marginalized communities will mean a good deal to readers who relate to them. Make no bones about it, this world is not nice and it certainly isn’t pretty. Having fought valiantly to sever the bonds that held her prisoner, Deka and her friends have escaped their cruel patriarchal society and are set to rebuild their lives with the newly freed goddesses who promote equality and peace. Overall, I did like the book. But I would have enjoyed it more if some parts were more detailed and others left out completely. I also would have preferred it if Deka had more of the struggle and humanity I felt from her in the first book. I'll probably read the last book, but my eagerness has wilted a bit.

I do also struggle slightly with the writing style, sometimes I feel it’s overly descriptive in places also has quite a bit of internal monologue that gets repetitive. However, the world Forna created is as magical as it is brutal. Find all 5 Daughters, then interact with the NPC in bed found in Streets of Wakes, so you can access and complete all 5 challenges. My actual rating is somewhere between 3.5 and four stars (where are those half stars when you need them!), and I round it up because overall, I really enjoyed the story. See, I was planning on reading this in two or three goes to stretch it out, but once The Merciless Ones sunk its claws into me, it didn't let go and I had to read the whole book at once, naturally.Deka glaubt, ihre Bestimmung gefunden zu haben. Als Tochter der vier Göttinnen kämpft sie für die Freiheit der Alaki, Todesrufer und all der anderen Frauen Oteras. Aber auch ihre Gegner, die Jatu, sind stärker geworden und plötzlich nicht mehr so leicht zu besiegen. Anscheinend werden sie von einem Gott unterstützt, aber allein die Existenz dieses Gottes stellt Dekas Weltbild erneut auf den Kopf. I appreciate the uniqueness and that Forna is not afraid to go to the dark places. And this goes as dark, if not darker than the first book. I felt this book was a lot more polished than the Gilded Ones and a lot more intricate. I enjoyed the action scenes and since the stakes are higher – the heart pounding action started early on. Our heroine, Deka, and her friends are finding out that freeing the goddesses was just the first step in a long, long battle to save the kingdom of Otera. (I would hope that that wasn’t the biggest obstacle, seeing as how I thought that it was a relatively easy, but rushed ending for just one book, as some YA books are prone to do. Thankfully book one is just the first in a series!) If you enjoy fantasy fiction then this is a great read. The good news is that it has been left open for a third book in the series and I cannot wait for the next instalment. Content of note: violence, sexual assault.

The queer rep just felt so off to me because one of my biggest complaints in book 1 was the extraordinarily binary world, and then suddenly there's a ton of queer characters, and of course they all are horrifically abused for their queerness. To reveal the ramifications of this discovery would be a huge spoiler but it is safe to say that Forna is asking readers to think about feminism, and how feminism isn’t necessarily the answer to all of society’s problems. Forna leans more towards “womanism”, which she says is a more inclusive version of “quote unquote feminism”, because “it espouses a view that we are all in this together, women, men, non-binary people, trans people. We are all in this, and how do we move forward together? Yes, men 100% benefit from patriarchy but just as women are oppressed, so are men, so are non-binary people. If you want to take a look at these systems, you have to look at who sits in the middle.” Discover the gripping sequel to Namina Forna's New York Times bestselling YA fantasy, The Gilded Ones.This book shimmers like gold. Add it to your library shelves to dazzle voracious readers.”— School Library Journal, starred review It's been six months since Deka freed the goddesses in the ancient kingdom of Otera, and discovered who she really is... But war is waging across the kingdom, and the real battle has only just begun. For there is a dark force growing in Otera - a merciless power that Deka and her army must stop. The Merciless Ones is recommended for upper school students as it contains violence and threat. Both this and the first novel would make excellent front facing books for dynamic shelving in a library and they would also make good summer reading recommendations. I am sure this will be as popular in the school library as the first book.

Without spoiling much more of the book, I’ll just say, consider reading the “Deathless” series. I think it is a decent YA series with a compelling story. (Looks like there’s a third book in the works, which I am very excited for!)

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Phenomenal and extraordinary! Forna’s breathtaking use of language depicts a thrilling journey through an epic world, rife with danger and deception, as an obedient girl survives the patriarchy and becomes a warrior. Unquestionably, the best fantasy of 2021.”—Kim Johnson, author of This is My America Imani Jade Powers does a phenomenal job with the narration of this story. The variation in the pace and pitch of her reading effortlessly conveys the intensity and sentiments of the story. On top of this, cute accents and voices are done for the various characters, making the audiobook more entertaining. This book gave me absolute whiplash, to the point it doesn't even feel like it belonged to book 1. It felt like it went hard compensating for "mistakes" in the first book to the point I felt like I'm reading a new series. Could not stay engaged or interested as all the secondary characters felt like cardboard cut outs, only there to serve and revere Deka. Deka felt like part of a computer game where if she completed a chapter she got to Level Up With A New Super Power. Every....second...minute.... The foremost among them is Idugu, a militaristic version of Oyomo, the sun god worshipped in Otera. Let’s just say Elder Kadiri and his ilk are arguing that those like Deka need to be exterminated once and for all, and are whipping up the majority population into a killing frenzy, with religion as the main weapon.

Except, of course, those forces upholding the patriarchal system do not want to be dethroned, nor want the way Otera is governed to change. Deka and her friends are fighting for an Otera where gender equality is the norm. Firstly, the characters. Our MC is Deka and this series has loads of cool side characters, like Britta, Keita, Belcalis, Ixa, and many others. I wasn’t an enormous fan of the characters for a large chunk of The Gilded Ones, but they have definitely grown on me since then and I have come to really love them. Deka is an amazing heroine- she’s been through so much and she’s still scarred from those experiences, but she’s determined to keep going and secure peace and equality for everyone. She’s super strong, but she also has this vulnerable side that she doesn’t want to show anyone, in case they judge her for it. Even tho she’s the ‘Chosen One’ in a sense, it isn’t done obnoxiously, and instead shows all the pressure Deka puts on herself to save everyone. Deka went through so much growth in this book and I was 👏 HERE 👏 FOR 👏 IT 👏 I really liked her!! ❤ Deka has taken her place as the Nuru, the chosen one of the Gilded Ones, the four goddesses who have promised to overthrow the misogynistic priests and bring peace to Otera. But if this is a step toward peace in Otera, then why does everything feel wrong to Deka? Her divine powers set her farther and farther away from her friends, women and girls across Otera are being killed in response to the revolution she started, and the Firstborn seem outright dismissive of anyone who isn’t alaki. Even worse, a dark force is at work to oppose the goddesses, and it seems like only Deka and her friends can stop it. But nothing is as it seems, and Deka will be faced with one impossible decision after another.There’s a lot of action in this book, but there’s also a lot of Deka’s internal growth. There’s no question she’s having a rough time with her position, whether that’s within her friend group or with the alaki or the Gilded Ones. This is a story of betrayal and trust, connections to friends and kin, and resilience. The amount of growth that Deka goes through in a relatively short period of time is rough on her (and me, the reader, as well!). There’s something about this author’s writing that just draws me in and fully immerses me in a character’s head, and it makes the joys and the heartbreaks especially poignant. Yet hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything Deka has known. And with her own gifts changing, Deka must discover if she holds the key to saving Otera… or if she might be its greatest threat. I adored and devoured this book! There is intensity and adventure in every single chapter. The pace of the book gradually increases and the last few chapters are filled with anticipation and power.