Merciless

Mercy has been raised by the Assassins' Guild. She was given to them when she was just a week old. She has trained, and she has fought – maybe harder than other apprentices, since she is an elf and held in low esteem by humans. More than anything, she wants to be made a Daughter of the Guild. Each year, a Trial is held, in which one apprentice earns her place as a Daughter. Mercy isn't old enough for this year's Trial, but at the urging of Calum, she cheats her way in – and wins.

Her first assignment: go to Sandori and kill Prince Tamriel. If Mercy can do this, no doubt her reputation as a Daughter will be secure. But will she succeed?

Jacqueline Pawl builds an intriguing world here. One example: The royal hierarchy includes the usual kings and queens and princes, but also has other ranks, such as Seren. The ranks are alphabetical – the closer your designation is to the beginning of the alphabet, the higher your rank. And in a twist on the usual fantasy, elves are of lower rank and status than humans.

The characters are engaging. There are the ones you love, the ones you hate, and the ones you love to hate (and you can read and figure out which ones fall in each category). Mercy doesn't start out as the most likable protagonist. She's very driven and extremely ruthless at the start of the novel. Does she remain so? Tamriel is a prince, but is he a stereotypical self-absorbed royal? Y'all just need to go read.

The book is written in third person present tense, which isn't what I'm accustomed to. It took a bit to get used to, but it didn't throw me off so much that I couldn't enjoy the story. The story started a little slowly, but picked up as I read more. I wouldn't go so far as to call it “un-put-downable”, but once I got into it, I really wanted to know what happened next. It also left things at a spot where I need the next book in the series to see how the story unfolds.

If you enjoy a good fantasy, check out Merciless. There is some violence (there always is, with assassins). Other than that, it's a pretty clean read – no graphic scenes, not a lot of swear words. It's got a couple of things that sneak up on you, too. Time to add Heartless (the second in the series) to my TBR pile!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author. All opinions expressed here are my own, and I don't say nice things about books I don't like.