This was a rich and magical standalone fantasy, following a group of trained female assassins, known as the Boneless Mercies. They are both hated and respected, as they can be hired to kill mercifully.

READ IF YOU…

• Enjoy female assassin stories
• Liked Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series
• Enjoy rich, magical fantasy

Title: The Boneless Mercies| Author: April Genevieve Tucholke Rating: 3.5/5

A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory.

This was a rich and magical standalone fantasy, following a group of trained female assassins, known as the Boneless Mercies. They are both hated and respected, as they can be hired to kill mercifully. Typically, their clients are those who are ill or dying anyway, or whose family members are so.

Their jobs are to mercy kill anyone who hires them, and to do so in the way the person wants to die.

I think the concept is wonderfully wrought, and the writing was engaging. I do think the quest they go on, to kill the queen, could have been done without, and instead have the story focus more on the mercy kills. Still, I appreciate the quest for what it was. I also liked how viking sagas were woven into the story, like the Volsungs Sagas. Having said that, when the Volsungs or Viking concepts were mentioned, I found myself surprised. I think the world doesn’t quite fit Viking era, though the author tried to make it so.

I do think the last portion of the book dragged a bit, and it felt like it was pages just to have pages, unfortunately. Even so, I loved the concept so much, that it didn’t detract too much from the overall enjoyment.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoyed the Throne of Glass series and wants more of female assassins in their reading pile. Note that these female assassins aren’t like Aelin in the Throne of Glass series, in that they kill out of mercy rather than defense.