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iam's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to give this book 4 stars throughout the first 90%, I really did, but the last 10% sadly took one star away.
First things first, the strong suit are definitely the characters. I am not always one for internal dialogue, and tend to have to force myself to not skip paragraphs forward towards dialogue, but that barely happened with this one.
Switching between the 4 different POVs was easy, as was slipping into their respective perspectives, and even though the start was rough (book specific terms were absolutely not explained, the reader was thrown right into the action without preamble) I was immediately taken.
To be honest, most of the book felt like an Introduction, or a Prologue - partly because for such a long time, barely anything really happened. It was mostly just the characters bobbing around merrily; yet it was not boring at all. Another part was the sheer amount of named side characters.
Royston and Hal's parts had the family and court people, while Thom and Rook's archs had the 14 members of the Dragon Corps that were present and active in almost every scene (and it took a while to get to know them all).
The sheer amount of characters wasn't always handled smoothly, but I found that excuseable as I enjoy such immense scenes ()
What bothered me was that towards the end, everything seemed to happen at once - and yet we barely see any of it. I don't want to say that the plot was rushed or lazy, but it falls sort of flat if summarized, and most of the relevant parts happen in the last 10% of the books.
To the characters: Hal is absolutely precious, and I like Thom as well. Roy didn't make too much impression upon me aside from the fact how he hides his emotions, and Rook... well.
I hated his tendencies to be transphobic (), homophobic and misogynistic, and I hated it even more how it was excused as vulgarity due to the fact that he grew up in the poor district of the city - excuses used by Thom, who grew up in THE SAME DISTRICT and is polite and generally respectful to everyone.
I suppose I should mention that he is more derogatory and mocking for the heck of it and not out of genuinely hateful motivations, though it's still upsetting to me.
He is also bullies and plays Thom a lot - usually such content affects me a lot, but I did not have any troubles with it in this book, probably because a) while it certainly affected Thom, it did not dominate his narrative as he was focused on other tasks and b) because it was partly written from Rook's perspective, which I actually found rather fascinating.
While still on the matter of Thom and Rook, the revelation about their actual relation didn't surprise me, yet left me somewhat disappointed, as the intensity between them reminded me a lot of commonly used UST tropes between to-be-couples. It's probably my own fault for expecting them to end up together - not as brothers but as lovers. well. my bad. looking back i'm more laughing about the idea than anything else.
I was a bit disappointed by the lack of female characters - the few that appeared didn't have much depth or relevance as of yet.
As mentioned before, the most part of the book felt like an introduction to me. I assumed the plot would arc over several books - that was another reason why i was so surprised to see it all wrapped up neatly in the last 10%
The summary for book 2 seems promising though, so I'll continue with that!
Over all, I enjoyed reading it a lot, and admittedly the biggest reason for my disappointment at the ending is
...I also sort of wonder how the series got it's title, since the dragons didn't play as big of a role as i thought they would be. well, plot wise they did, but they barely had any "screen" time.
ONE MORE THING because I can't get it out of my head: at th'Esar's ball, Adamo says Hal had an enthusiastic conversation with Raphael, and yet when Hal later goes to see the Corps with Thom, it's all "oh how would the airmen be" even though he obviously met one of them before???
First things first, the strong suit are definitely the characters. I am not always one for internal dialogue, and tend to have to force myself to not skip paragraphs forward towards dialogue, but that barely happened with this one.
Switching between the 4 different POVs was easy, as was slipping into their respective perspectives, and even though the start was rough (book specific terms were absolutely not explained, the reader was thrown right into the action without preamble) I was immediately taken.
To be honest, most of the book felt like an Introduction, or a Prologue - partly because for such a long time, barely anything really happened. It was mostly just the characters bobbing around merrily; yet it was not boring at all. Another part was the sheer amount of named side characters.
Royston and Hal's parts had the family and court people, while Thom and Rook's archs had the 14 members of the Dragon Corps that were present and active in almost every scene (and it took a while to get to know them all).
The sheer amount of characters wasn't always handled smoothly, but I found that excuseable as I enjoy such immense scenes (
Spoiler
even if I wish there had been more actual depth to those characters, but then again I can understand why the authors didn't bother given how most of them wound up dead.What bothered me was that towards the end, everything seemed to happen at once - and yet we barely see any of it. I don't want to say that the plot was rushed or lazy, but it falls sort of flat if summarized, and most of the relevant parts happen in the last 10% of the books.
To the characters: Hal is absolutely precious, and I like Thom as well. Roy didn't make too much impression upon me aside from the fact how he hides his emotions, and Rook... well.
I hated his tendencies to be transphobic (
Spoiler
I was thrilled to find a trans character in the book - as it later turned out, the character is not canonically trans (at least not mentioned, i hc him that way tho) BUT there is another canon trans character in a later bookI suppose I should mention that he is more derogatory and mocking for the heck of it and not out of genuinely hateful motivations, though it's still upsetting to me.
He is also bullies and plays Thom a lot - usually such content affects me a lot, but I did not have any troubles with it in this book, probably because a) while it certainly affected Thom, it did not dominate his narrative as he was focused on other tasks and b) because it was partly written from Rook's perspective, which I actually found rather fascinating.
Spoiler
especially the part where he lets Thom believe he's opening up to him was intriguing for me.While still on the matter of Thom and Rook, the revelation about their actual relation didn't surprise me, yet left me somewhat disappointed, as the intensity between them reminded me a lot of commonly used UST tropes between to-be-couples. It's probably my own fault for expecting them to end up together - not as brothers but as lovers. well. my bad. looking back i'm more laughing about the idea than anything else.
I was a bit disappointed by the lack of female characters - the few that appeared didn't have much depth or relevance as of yet.
As mentioned before, the most part of the book felt like an introduction to me. I assumed the plot would arc over several books - that was another reason why i was so surprised to see it all wrapped up neatly in the last 10%
The summary for book 2 seems promising though, so I'll continue with that!
Spoiler
I hope we see more of Balfour <3Over all, I enjoyed reading it a lot, and admittedly the biggest reason for my disappointment at the ending is
Spoiler
the death/end of the Dragon Corps and their members, who grew a lot on me. 9 out of 14 dead.... that's harsh. especially since the decision to send them on such a suicide mission on the lucky guess of a country boy seems.... very sudden, given th'Esar's previous behaviour. It's actually pretty illogical. I think. maybe i'm just unreasonable tilted because of character death....I also sort of wonder how the series got it's title, since the dragons didn't play as big of a role as i thought they would be. well, plot wise they did, but they barely had any "screen" time.
ONE MORE THING because I can't get it out of my head: at th'Esar's ball, Adamo says Hal had an enthusiastic conversation with Raphael, and yet when Hal later goes to see the Corps with Thom, it's all "oh how would the airmen be" even though he obviously met one of them before???
sleepyjane's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rebeccacider's review against another edition
4.0
Went back and gave this four stars instead of five. Still enjoyed it.
I picked up Havemercy because one of its coauthors also cowrote The Shoebox Project, a hilarious, poignant coming-of-age novel that happens to be Harry Potter fan fiction. She is scandalously talented, and her first published novel did not disappoint!
This was a beautiful, compelling pageturner of a novel, largely because of the fantastic characters. They were complex, charming, and deeply flawed, and watching their collisions and connections was simply a treat. It helps that the authors write love stories in what I shall call the George Eliot Tradition of Tormented Romance, where each scene is bursting with tension and nothing is ever resolved and if there weren't interludes about other characters, they would probably have to wheel you away to the emergency room, or possibly the psych ward.
The worldbuilding was also very good, and it was beautifully written (although occasionally a bit overwritten for my tastes.) The plot itself was possibly the weak point; it was rather simple and I didn't buy a couple things, although it was all nicely executed. Also, the fact that the first half of the novel is pretty much only driven by character interactions, while the second half had plot all of a sudden, made it feel slightly disjointed. I did think the ending clarified the themes nicely, though - it was a story about exile and belonging, but it was also a meditation on the wartime experience, a theme you don't often read about in fantasy novels even though most are about war. We really got a sense of what had been lost, and what it meant to survive.
Generally I liked it so much that these issues didn't bother me so much. Overall, a fantastic debut by two very talented authors!
I picked up Havemercy because one of its coauthors also cowrote The Shoebox Project, a hilarious, poignant coming-of-age novel that happens to be Harry Potter fan fiction. She is scandalously talented, and her first published novel did not disappoint!
This was a beautiful, compelling pageturner of a novel, largely because of the fantastic characters. They were complex, charming, and deeply flawed, and watching their collisions and connections was simply a treat. It helps that the authors write love stories in what I shall call the George Eliot Tradition of Tormented Romance, where each scene is bursting with tension and nothing is ever resolved and if there weren't interludes about other characters, they would probably have to wheel you away to the emergency room, or possibly the psych ward.
The worldbuilding was also very good, and it was beautifully written (although occasionally a bit overwritten for my tastes.) The plot itself was possibly the weak point; it was rather simple and I didn't buy a couple things, although it was all nicely executed. Also, the fact that the first half of the novel is pretty much only driven by character interactions, while the second half had plot all of a sudden, made it feel slightly disjointed. I did think the ending clarified the themes nicely, though - it was a story about exile and belonging, but it was also a meditation on the wartime experience, a theme you don't often read about in fantasy novels even though most are about war. We really got a sense of what had been lost, and what it meant to survive.
Generally I liked it so much that these issues didn't bother me so much. Overall, a fantastic debut by two very talented authors!
willa's review against another edition
3.0
I was having a great time reading what I thought was a very satisfying enemies-to-lovers with magic metal dragons when like halfway through they hit me with the long lost brothers twist. I definitely wasn’t imagining the intense chemistry so it was pretty jarring. For instance: there’s a balcony scene where one brother passionately kisses a random woman because he knows the other brother is watching (this is before the reveal). Like, it was sexy! Jarring! The actual romance in the book I didn’t find compelling once it progressed beyond hidden yearning. Oh well. This book had so much potential to be 100% my shit.
silquesoleil's review
5.0
Rating: 4.5 points, actually
I don’t really know what to write for this review but I guess the fact that I decided to type it in MS Word at 0.34 am right after finishing the novel says something: that I could not sleep after finishing a book that had elicited so many emotions from me.
I’ve been a huge fan of the Shoebox project (those who know about it, know that Jaida Jones is one of the writer’s there) and this book was recommended to me with the words: “well, there are steampunk dragons in it and a gay relationship” so I really knew I would love this before I started reading.
Then I started reading and… well, I spent the first 20 % of the book trying to figure out the four characters and getting used to the unusual, yet kind of clever writing style (jumping from POV to POV must be a dream for an author since it allows you to do as many time skips as you want and leave stuff aside, that would have you struggling to write it down otherwise). Then things started to become all sugary sweet between Hal and Royston and it wasn’t until the role-play scene between Thom and the Dragon Corps that I was so hooked to the story that I was willing to ignore every complaint. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Rook although he can be such a homophobic bastard, but he and Havemerrcy were so entertaining with all their cursing.
I’m not saying it was a perfect novel – of course there were things I wanted to know more about, especially the dragons and the other airmen and I thought that at least a little bit of implied physical love between Hal and Royston would have been nice (even crazy fangirls like me can read only so much hurt/comfort scenes) – what I’m saying is I loved the novel too much to care how imperfect it was.
I laughed, I grinned stupidly, I was dumbstruck during what I call the most epic revelation of the book which I should have seen coming but did not, I lost precious hours of sleep just because I could not stop thinking about the story – I know that this is not a book for everyone but it got me because I’m weird and twisted.
I’m not even sure who I write this review for – mainly myself, I guess – because if you don’t run into the next book store at the prospect of sugary gay romance and magical steel dragons, this book might not tickle your fancy and if you decide to read it nevertheless and find out it’s not your thing – don’t blame me, don’t blame the authors, ‘twas your own fault!
It’s also a book for people who love to read and love to read about people who love to read. XD
On a final note: Thom reminded me of shoebox Remus a lot so I’m quite sure he’s written by Jaida Jones and I’m guessing she wrote Royston as well because of the way that man talks – not that it matters but as an aspiring writer I was curious about the making of the novel as well as it’s content and this book means so much to me because it holds proof that talented fanfiction authors have a chance to get published.
I don’t really know what to write for this review but I guess the fact that I decided to type it in MS Word at 0.34 am right after finishing the novel says something: that I could not sleep after finishing a book that had elicited so many emotions from me.
I’ve been a huge fan of the Shoebox project (those who know about it, know that Jaida Jones is one of the writer’s there) and this book was recommended to me with the words: “well, there are steampunk dragons in it and a gay relationship” so I really knew I would love this before I started reading.
Then I started reading and… well, I spent the first 20 % of the book trying to figure out the four characters and getting used to the unusual, yet kind of clever writing style (jumping from POV to POV must be a dream for an author since it allows you to do as many time skips as you want and leave stuff aside, that would have you struggling to write it down otherwise). Then things started to become all sugary sweet between Hal and Royston and it wasn’t until the role-play scene between Thom and the Dragon Corps that I was so hooked to the story that I was willing to ignore every complaint. I fell in love with all of the characters, especially Rook although he can be such a homophobic bastard, but he and Havemerrcy were so entertaining with all their cursing.
I’m not saying it was a perfect novel – of course there were things I wanted to know more about, especially the dragons and the other airmen and I thought that at least a little bit of implied physical love between Hal and Royston would have been nice (even crazy fangirls like me can read only so much hurt/comfort scenes) – what I’m saying is I loved the novel too much to care how imperfect it was.
I laughed, I grinned stupidly, I was dumbstruck during what I call the most epic revelation of the book which I should have seen coming but did not, I lost precious hours of sleep just because I could not stop thinking about the story – I know that this is not a book for everyone but it got me because I’m weird and twisted.
I’m not even sure who I write this review for – mainly myself, I guess – because if you don’t run into the next book store at the prospect of sugary gay romance and magical steel dragons, this book might not tickle your fancy and if you decide to read it nevertheless and find out it’s not your thing – don’t blame me, don’t blame the authors, ‘twas your own fault!
It’s also a book for people who love to read and love to read about people who love to read. XD
On a final note: Thom reminded me of shoebox Remus a lot so I’m quite sure he’s written by Jaida Jones and I’m guessing she wrote Royston as well because of the way that man talks – not that it matters but as an aspiring writer I was curious about the making of the novel as well as it’s content and this book means so much to me because it holds proof that talented fanfiction authors have a chance to get published.
hpstrangelove's review against another edition
5.0
Review Edited 220903. Audiobook review. Narrator: Cornell Collins
I love the narration of Cornell Collins, and while searching audible for a book to use a credit on, I searched by narrator to see what other books were available for Cornell Collins. I was quite surprised to see the four book Havemercy series was made available in audio format over a year ago, in May 2021 (poor marketing on Audible's part as this is not listed under LGBTQ+ category).
Cornell Collins did not disappoint. There were things I didn't remember at first, so it was almost like 'reading' it again for the first time. The interaction between Rook and Thom, Royston and Hal, the Dragon Corps, the magicians - was even more fun with Collins' portrayal.
Original Review of hard copy:
What a surprisingly great book. I've had this one for a while, and even bought the second in the series a few months ago, but I just never got around to reading it. I hadn't known there were gay characters in it or I would have read it a long time ago. Thank goodness I had the next book, ready to start reading the moment I finished this one, and I just pre-ordered the third due out next monght.
I love the narration of Cornell Collins, and while searching audible for a book to use a credit on, I searched by narrator to see what other books were available for Cornell Collins. I was quite surprised to see the four book Havemercy series was made available in audio format over a year ago, in May 2021 (poor marketing on Audible's part as this is not listed under LGBTQ+ category).
Cornell Collins did not disappoint. There were things I didn't remember at first, so it was almost like 'reading' it again for the first time. The interaction between Rook and Thom, Royston and Hal, the Dragon Corps, the magicians - was even more fun with Collins' portrayal.
Original Review of hard copy:
What a surprisingly great book. I've had this one for a while, and even bought the second in the series a few months ago, but I just never got around to reading it. I hadn't known there were gay characters in it or I would have read it a long time ago. Thank goodness I had the next book, ready to start reading the moment I finished this one, and I just pre-ordered the third due out next monght.
wyvernbird's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
linguana's review against another edition
4.0
My full review can be found at SFF Book Review.
This was a pleasant surprise. The cover and blurb are misleading - because this is neither a steampunk novel, nor is it epic fantasy about raging wars and bloodshed. It is a beautiful fantasy of manners, it contains a wonderful romance between two men, and - yes - it features mechanical dragons that are fuelled by magic. However, the dragons stay very much in the background.
It is the characters that really drive this book and it was because of the characters - with all their intricacies and relationships - that I wanted to follow. At a certain point this became one of those books you simply can't put down. There isn't a lot of plot but simply watching Thom struggle to understand and put some manners into the impulsive Rook, was an immense pleasure. Or Royston, the exiled magician, who is fascinated by this countryboy Hal who hands on his every word... I cannot say how much I grew to care for them and how much more thrilling this was than epic battles.
A highly recommended fantasy novel that is well-crafted and features some of the most intriguing characters I have read in a long time.
8/10
This was a pleasant surprise. The cover and blurb are misleading - because this is neither a steampunk novel, nor is it epic fantasy about raging wars and bloodshed. It is a beautiful fantasy of manners, it contains a wonderful romance between two men, and - yes - it features mechanical dragons that are fuelled by magic. However, the dragons stay very much in the background.
It is the characters that really drive this book and it was because of the characters - with all their intricacies and relationships - that I wanted to follow. At a certain point this became one of those books you simply can't put down. There isn't a lot of plot but simply watching Thom struggle to understand and put some manners into the impulsive Rook, was an immense pleasure. Or Royston, the exiled magician, who is fascinated by this countryboy Hal who hands on his every word... I cannot say how much I grew to care for them and how much more thrilling this was than epic battles.
A highly recommended fantasy novel that is well-crafted and features some of the most intriguing characters I have read in a long time.
8/10
foggy_rosamund's review against another edition
2.0
it's disquieting that a novel written by two women can have such a lack of women characters. there are very few named women in this novel, and women are mainly described as either "whores" or "shrewish" wives. we occasionally see a woman magician, but she rarely gets the chance to say much, and frequently dies after a few pages. aside from the misogyny, this book's characterisation of the "Ke'An empire", the country with which this book's character's are at war, is problematic. Ke'An gets little direct description, but we hear about torture, opium, and concubines -- things the west historically associates with China and Japan, and Ke'An seems, in general, to be a mixture of harmful cliches about Asia.
i don't want to completely pan this book. there is some strong writing here, particularly in the creation of the four different points-of-view of the four main characters. it's nice to see a fantasy novel with a gay relationship, though this one, between an older man and his apprentice, contains many of the tropes of m/m fiction and can feel a little tired. the characterisations are strong enough to keep me hooked, and i enjoyed much of the descriptive writing of the city around which the story centres. there's a strength to these authors voices, and i hope that later books would have a broader world-view.
i don't want to completely pan this book. there is some strong writing here, particularly in the creation of the four different points-of-view of the four main characters. it's nice to see a fantasy novel with a gay relationship, though this one, between an older man and his apprentice, contains many of the tropes of m/m fiction and can feel a little tired. the characterisations are strong enough to keep me hooked, and i enjoyed much of the descriptive writing of the city around which the story centres. there's a strength to these authors voices, and i hope that later books would have a broader world-view.
ewalrath's review against another edition
4.0
I love Swords n' Sorcery books. This is a very traditional Sn'S book whatever the trappings on it. I enjoyed it (well the whole series) immensly. But then I dig teh whole idea of mechanical magic. I would think of this as a slightly-grungy fantasy/scify Three Musketeers.