The Merciful Crow

still ruminating on how i really feel about this book, so don't be surprised if my rating changes in a few days

amazing world-building and magic system with incredibly complex and motivating characters. i loved fie and how she dealt with the two most privileged and ignorant boys she could ever happen upon. i also love jas and tavin and how complicated their relationship and their backgrounds are. all three of them together was just chef's kiss

my main issue with the book had to do with pacing and plot, as it started getting a little grapes of wrath-y towards the 60% mark. there were plenty of exciting scenes, but it felt like we were just running to a point, stopping only to hide for a bit, and then running again for far too long. maybe 75 shaved pages would've saved this book from making me skim some parts lol

overall, i enjoyed this and am interested in picking up the sequel!