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Book Reviewed by:Full of fierce girls, bloodlust, tenuous alliances, and unapologetic quests for glory, this elegantly spun tale challenges the power of storytelling - and who gets to be the storyteller.
Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies - girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life.
When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.
The Boneless Mercies is an epic fantasy filled with fierce heroines, strong friendships, and a quest for greatness. Their friendships are realistic and moving; there are moments of joy and laughter, as well as tension and anger, but there's a true sense of camaraderie underlying it all...continued
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(Reviewed by Jordan Lynch).
The Boneless Mercies is based on the classic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, a sweeping tale of heroes, monsters and epic battles influenced by the culture and mythology of sixth-century Scandinavia. While there are no gods or goddesses in Beowulf, there are references to mythological heroes like Sigmund of the Völsunga saga (a Norse epic poem) and Weland, the legendary blacksmith. The Boneless Mercies is set in the Norse-inspired Vorseland, and its central protagonist, Frey, is Genevieve Tucholke's take on the Norse goddess Freya, evident in the character's dual roles as a warrior and a bringer of death.
Typically known and revered as the goddess of love and fertility, Freya was also a powerful sorceress and the ruler of Fólkvangr, ...
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Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer
Fierce and glorious, this story of outcast girls defying fate utterly bewitched me. Tucholke is a gorgeous writer.
