Reviews

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

sarahboudereads's review against another edition

5.0

The sea, the wind, the salt in the air. Take me back.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction but I'm so glad I read this one (it's sapphic!!!). The author takes us on such a ride, on a secluded island that felt so real I could almost taste the salt in the wind. It transported me, made me feel loneliness, pain, love, yearning, rage, tenderness and hatred like they were my own emotions.

I personally chose to ignore the ending and that's finale.

carolined56's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

stephandbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ames444's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

crazyaustrian's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lou_myr's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

georgina20's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jessbslide's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Sometimes I worry that I build up a book on my ‘to read’ so much that it can never live up to the hope I has for it, but The Mercies did. So beautifully sad, and rich but subtle in character and scenery. Can’t recommend enough.

gentlemanbadger's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Well written but didn't quite catch my attention 

dahud's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5