The Faithless Hawk (The Merciful Crow #2) By Margaret Owen [Review]

RELEASE DATE: August 18th 2020
AUTHOR:  Margaret Owen
GENRE: Young-Adult, Fantasy, Magic.
PUBLISHER: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
SYNOPSIS:

Kings become outcasts and lovers become foes in the thrilling sequel to Margaret Owen’s The Merciful Crow.

As the new chieftain of the Crows, Fie knows better than to expect a royal to keep his word. Still she’s hopeful that Prince Jasimir will fulfill his oath to protect her fellow Crows. But then black smoke fills the sky, signaling the death of King Surimir and the beginning of Queen Rhusana’s merciless bid for the throne.

With the witch queen using the deadly plague to unite the nation of Sabor against Crows—and add numbers to her monstrous army—Fie and her band are forced to go into hiding, leaving the country to be ravaged by the plague. However, they’re all running out of time before the Crows starve in exile and Sabor is lost forever.

A desperate Fie calls on old allies to help take Rhusana down from within her own walls. But inside the royal palace, the only difference between a conqueror and a thief is an army. To survive, Fie must unravel not only Rhusana’s plot, but ancient secrets of the Crows—secrets that could save her people, or set the world ablaze.

 

The Faithless Hawk is the second and final installment in the Merciful Crow duology. I’ve been wanting to read this book since I’ve finished the first one. Well, I enjoyed it even more than the first book. There are so many revelations and I’m glad we get to see more of this world and its magic. The below review might contain spoilers for the first book so if you haven’t read it yet then please stop right here.

After the events in the first book, Fie finally becomes the new chieftain of the Crows and hopes that Jasimir will fulfill his oath to protect her fellow Crows, but things take  a worst turn, when black smoke fills the sky signaling the death of King Surimir and the beginning of Queen Rhusana’s merciless bid for the throne. With enemies chasing them down, Fie must keep her Crows safe while unraveling Rhusana’s plot, and the ancient secrets of the crows.

Fie is the perfect female protagonist. She has become more strong and powerful, but she’s still insecure about fulfilling her role and saving the world. I was really surprised about Fie’s real destiny. I loved Tarvin! He and Fie part ways at the end of first book. He goes through some emotional trauma while searching for Fie and that scene was heart breaking. The romance between Fie and Tarvin is very well done. I really enjoyed their interactions and it killed me when they stood on the opposite sides. Jasimir is a major character but It’s too bad that he didn’t get as much page time as he deserved. I really missed him in this book. From the supporting characters, I liked Jasimir’s aunt Master General Daga, and Corporal Lakima. These two ladies are totally kickass! I wish their characters had more depth. And last but not the least, I also enjoyed Khoda. He’s pretty fun and witty.

The plot was well written and well executed. It was an unputdownable read. It began with a slow start, but the pace does improve as the story progressed. This book was filled with so many revelations, twists, and secrets. I wasn’t surprised with the dead rising part because I saw that coming. The entire book was written in Fie’s POV and it was a little disappointing that we didn’t get others POV. The writing was addicting and kept me engaged till the end. The world building was well developed. We get to see more of this world and its myths. So many things have become clear such as the castes and the dead gods. The magic system was simply incredible especially the teeth magic.

Overall, I loved this book! I’m satisfied with the ending but I feel a little sad that it was finally over. I’ll definitely look forward to the author’s next work.

Recommend it?
YES

I highly recommend this duology if you’re looking for a Dark YA fantasy with unique magic and strong heroine.

MY RATING:

[4/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this series? Have you read it yet? Do you Plan to read it?
Please feel free to comment below!

See You In The Next Post and Have a Great Day! 🙂