The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen - AVERAGE

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen, 369 pages.  Henry Holt (Macmillan), 2019.  $19

Language: R (60+ swears, 2 “f”); Mature Content: R (on page sex); Violence: PG-13 (blood and plague)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Fie and her ragtag family are Crows – the lowest of all the clans in Sabor.  While their job of dispensing the bodies of plague victims is crucial – some are spreading wild rumors that the Crows also spread the plague. When they are summoned to the royal palace of all places, something seems off – the crown prince and his bodyguard are both victims.  When Fie demands their tithe and the group departs, she finds that the deaths were a ruse and that her father ahs involved them in something must more dastardly. Now Fie, the prince, and his bodyguard are on the run and there seems to be no one they can trust.

If you have many fantasy readers in your building, especially those that love Leigh Bardugo, then you will want this one for sure.  Owen has finely honed her novel to keep you reading.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS