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The Kinder Poison #2
Le plus cruel des pardons
Une jeune fille destinée à régner. Une guerre qui menace. Un allié plus dangereux que tout autre ennemi.
Après les événements de la Traversée, Zahru s'est juré de ne plus rêver d'aventure. Mais tandis que le prince Jet cherche à éviter la guerre qui menace Orkena, le prince Kasta fait son grand retour, clamant qu'il est le vrai vainqueur et l'héritier. Il porte même la marque divine qui prouve ses dires. Mais il n'est pas le seul...
Zahru aussi porte cette marque, qui fait d'elle l'égale de Kasta. Avec Jet et leurs alliés, elle va se lancer dans une course contre la montre pour enrayer l'ascension du prince impitoyable, et l'empêcher de déchaîner des horreurs sans nom dans le but de gagner la guerre.
Zahru est prête à tout pour le bien d'Orkena... mais en s'opposant à la brutalité de Kasta, ne risque-t-elle pas de révéler la sienne ?
« Dans cette suite charmante et bien ficelée, la voix drôle et enjouée de Zahru nous entraîne dans une histoire aux thèmes très sérieux - dynamiques du pouvoir, magie noire, loyauté et trahison, injustices sociales -, le tout porté par une réflexion intelligente sur les sacrifices qui s'imposent quand on porte la couronne. Un fantastique deuxième tome. » Kirkus
« Une fois de plus, Natalie Mae captive ses lecteurs avec sa prose vive et fluide, son merveilleux trio de protagonistes, et sa profusion de secrets, de menaces et de comportements suspects... » Culturefly
Après les événements de la Traversée, Zahru s'est juré de ne plus rêver d'aventure. Mais tandis que le prince Jet cherche à éviter la guerre qui menace Orkena, le prince Kasta fait son grand retour, clamant qu'il est le vrai vainqueur et l'héritier. Il porte même la marque divine qui prouve ses dires. Mais il n'est pas le seul...
Zahru aussi porte cette marque, qui fait d'elle l'égale de Kasta. Avec Jet et leurs alliés, elle va se lancer dans une course contre la montre pour enrayer l'ascension du prince impitoyable, et l'empêcher de déchaîner des horreurs sans nom dans le but de gagner la guerre.
Zahru est prête à tout pour le bien d'Orkena... mais en s'opposant à la brutalité de Kasta, ne risque-t-elle pas de révéler la sienne ?
« Dans cette suite charmante et bien ficelée, la voix drôle et enjouée de Zahru nous entraîne dans une histoire aux thèmes très sérieux - dynamiques du pouvoir, magie noire, loyauté et trahison, injustices sociales -, le tout porté par une réflexion intelligente sur les sacrifices qui s'imposent quand on porte la couronne. Un fantastique deuxième tome. » Kirkus
« Une fois de plus, Natalie Mae captive ses lecteurs avec sa prose vive et fluide, son merveilleux trio de protagonistes, et sa profusion de secrets, de menaces et de comportements suspects... » Culturefly
432 pages
First published June 15, 2021
105 people are currently reading
9205 people want to read
About the author
Natalie Mae
3 books578 followersNatalie Mae is the bestselling author of The Kinder Poison trilogy and other young adult novels. She has also been a freelance editor and writing mentor, and she feels it notable to mention she once held a job where she had to feed spiders. Find her online at nataliemaebooks.com or on Instagram @ByNatalieMae.
*Note that this Goodreads account is not monitored. To get in touch with Natalie, please visit her Instagram or website.
*Note that this Goodreads account is not monitored. To get in touch with Natalie, please visit her Instagram or website.
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June 15, 2021IF KASTAZAHRU AREN’T ENDGAME SO HELP ME GOD
June 18, 2021
Every single person who wanted Alina to have a corruption arc and rule the word with the Darkling should read this book. Every single fan of Jude and Cardan should read this book.
I consume a lot of YA fantasy. I see the same stories told in countless ways and the same archetypes recycled again and again. And yet, I rarely see this level of character building and risk-taking in the genre. I wish I could physically push this book into people’s hands because this story deserves recognition.
Plot
The Cruelest Mercy picks up a few weeks after The Kinder Poison. Zahru has survived a death-defying race across the desert and is now a symbol of worship amongst the kingdom. But she is no longer a naive girl seeking adventure and she finds herself blessed with unimaginable power.
Meanwhile, our favourite stabby prince Kasta returns with the mark of the gods, signifying that he is destined to rule. Zahru has the same mark, and much to her dismay, the priests believe that they are destined to rule together. She has a month to prove that Kasta is unfit for the throne or she risks ruling alongside the prince who betrayed her, the man she can’t stop thinking about. But in order to defeat the villain, Zahru will have to become one herself.
This book is much slower and more cerebral than its predecessor, but equally as compelling. It’s extremely rewarding for fans of intricate character building, particularly with Zahru and Kasta.
Characters
Zahru: If the Kinder Poison was an ensemble, this is Zahru’s book. No one takes the spotlight away from her. Her slow descent into villainy coupled with her burgeoning powers is wonderful, and yet, we still see flashes of the hopeful girl she used to be.
“I flex my hands, shivering. Because I’m recognizing that I‘ve indeed become the worst parts of him. I’ve gone to extremes to get what I want, and justified it with my own pain. I’ve let fear drive me, and allowed it to overshadow everything I do, no matter the expense.”
Kasta: Kasta is a fascinating mix of sad, vengeful, conniving and romantic. There’s something inherently likable about him, even when he’s declaring his intent to kill everyone. I think it’s the fact that Kasta continues to be an underdog, surrounded by people more powerful than him, forced to use his wits to outsmart them. It’s rewarding to see him get his way after a lifetime of suffering.
“This was so much easier to handle when I thought he was dead. Then, I could rationalize that he got what he deserved and move on. I don’t know how to move on from this. From seeing him every day, from remembering, from agonizing over what he could have been, in another life."
Jet: Jet takes a backseat in this book, but his morals are vital to Zahru’s inner conflict. There are also some sweet moments with him in the first half of the story. I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the relationship between Kasta and Jet. Jet still believes he can have his brother back, so there’s a goldmine of fraught history there just waiting to be explored.
Hen: Hen is the friend we all need. She’s funny, perceptive, and she doesn’t shy away from telling Zahru the hard truths. I wanted more of her in the Kinder Poison, so I was thrilled she had such a large role in this one.
Romance
I’ve seen a few people mention that there’s no romance in this book which is mind-boggling to me because there is absolutely a slow-burn central romance. It’s complicated but it’s there. And I may or may not have lost it at a certain sword-fighting-angst-fuelled-scene.
Just look at the material, the chemistry is off the charts:
“What if it’s dangerous? What if I need help?”
He turns at the door, his lip curving. “You have the Wraiths. Unless there’s a reason you’d prefer me, personally, beside you?”
His own loaded question. My stomach tightens. Now it’s me who can’t answer without sounding like…
Something we aren’t.
Point to him.
“No,” I say through my teeth. “Goodnight.”
A smile and he slams the door.
And this:
I fight against the gratefulness flickering through my chest. The comfort of having him close. The harrowing whisper in the back of my mind that saving me is much more than political strategy; that something between us has shifted again, as steadily as a slow rising tide.
His gaze drops to my lips and for a moment I panic that he’ll kiss me and it will not feel like nothing.
For anyone wondering, the story pretty decisively takes a stance on the love triangle, which I appreciated.
Overall
As a sequel to the Kinder Poison, this book is immaculate. It sets up the central conflict, forces the main characters to grapple with their inner darkness, and develops the relationships. As a series ender? I don’t know how I feel. I could probably accept this as an ending, but I know in my heart that there is more to this story.
If The Cruelest Mercy at all sounds interesting to you, consider picking it up and giving it the hype it deserves. It has everything you could possibly want: corruption arc, humour, an actual enemies-to-lovers romance, high stakes and a fascinating world.
"Maybe this is the cruel mercy, to spare him from servitude only to chain him to me instead."
______________________________
Pre-reading
Me: Don't overanalyze
My Brain: Okay, so here's a 10-page essay on why the title, The Cruelest Mercy, implies a Zahru and Kasta endgame
I consume a lot of YA fantasy. I see the same stories told in countless ways and the same archetypes recycled again and again. And yet, I rarely see this level of character building and risk-taking in the genre. I wish I could physically push this book into people’s hands because this story deserves recognition.
Plot
The Cruelest Mercy picks up a few weeks after The Kinder Poison. Zahru has survived a death-defying race across the desert and is now a symbol of worship amongst the kingdom. But she is no longer a naive girl seeking adventure and she finds herself blessed with unimaginable power.
Meanwhile, our favourite stabby prince Kasta returns with the mark of the gods, signifying that he is destined to rule. Zahru has the same mark, and much to her dismay, the priests believe that they are destined to rule together. She has a month to prove that Kasta is unfit for the throne or she risks ruling alongside the prince who betrayed her, the man she can’t stop thinking about. But in order to defeat the villain, Zahru will have to become one herself.
This book is much slower and more cerebral than its predecessor, but equally as compelling. It’s extremely rewarding for fans of intricate character building, particularly with Zahru and Kasta.
Characters
Zahru: If the Kinder Poison was an ensemble, this is Zahru’s book. No one takes the spotlight away from her. Her slow descent into villainy coupled with her burgeoning powers is wonderful, and yet, we still see flashes of the hopeful girl she used to be.
“I flex my hands, shivering. Because I’m recognizing that I‘ve indeed become the worst parts of him. I’ve gone to extremes to get what I want, and justified it with my own pain. I’ve let fear drive me, and allowed it to overshadow everything I do, no matter the expense.”
Kasta: Kasta is a fascinating mix of sad, vengeful, conniving and romantic. There’s something inherently likable about him, even when he’s declaring his intent to kill everyone. I think it’s the fact that Kasta continues to be an underdog, surrounded by people more powerful than him, forced to use his wits to outsmart them. It’s rewarding to see him get his way after a lifetime of suffering.
“This was so much easier to handle when I thought he was dead. Then, I could rationalize that he got what he deserved and move on. I don’t know how to move on from this. From seeing him every day, from remembering, from agonizing over what he could have been, in another life."
Jet: Jet takes a backseat in this book, but his morals are vital to Zahru’s inner conflict. There are also some sweet moments with him in the first half of the story. I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the relationship between Kasta and Jet. Jet still believes he can have his brother back, so there’s a goldmine of fraught history there just waiting to be explored.
Hen: Hen is the friend we all need. She’s funny, perceptive, and she doesn’t shy away from telling Zahru the hard truths. I wanted more of her in the Kinder Poison, so I was thrilled she had such a large role in this one.
Romance
I’ve seen a few people mention that there’s no romance in this book which is mind-boggling to me because there is absolutely a slow-burn central romance. It’s complicated but it’s there. And I may or may not have lost it at a certain sword-fighting-angst-fuelled-scene.
Just look at the material, the chemistry is off the charts:
“What if it’s dangerous? What if I need help?”
He turns at the door, his lip curving. “You have the Wraiths. Unless there’s a reason you’d prefer me, personally, beside you?”
His own loaded question. My stomach tightens. Now it’s me who can’t answer without sounding like…
Something we aren’t.
Point to him.
“No,” I say through my teeth. “Goodnight.”
A smile and he slams the door.
And this:
I fight against the gratefulness flickering through my chest. The comfort of having him close. The harrowing whisper in the back of my mind that saving me is much more than political strategy; that something between us has shifted again, as steadily as a slow rising tide.
His gaze drops to my lips and for a moment I panic that he’ll kiss me and it will not feel like nothing.
For anyone wondering, the story pretty decisively takes a stance on the love triangle, which I appreciated.
Overall
As a sequel to the Kinder Poison, this book is immaculate. It sets up the central conflict, forces the main characters to grapple with their inner darkness, and develops the relationships. As a series ender? I don’t know how I feel. I could probably accept this as an ending, but I know in my heart that there is more to this story.
If The Cruelest Mercy at all sounds interesting to you, consider picking it up and giving it the hype it deserves. It has everything you could possibly want: corruption arc, humour, an actual enemies-to-lovers romance, high stakes and a fascinating world.
"Maybe this is the cruel mercy, to spare him from servitude only to chain him to me instead."
______________________________
Pre-reading
Me: Don't overanalyze
My Brain: Okay, so here's a 10-page essay on why the title, The Cruelest Mercy, implies a Zahru and Kasta endgame
Read
February 20, 2023Update 10/20/21: Book 3 will release on Feb 14, 2023 ❤️
--
Update 1/2/21: ebook reviewers! There has been an update to the ending of the ARCs. You'll know you have the correct version if your epilogue starts with "My new room overlooks ..." - if your ARC does not have this, redownload from Netgalley/Edelweiss! It contains a pretty big change to the ending chapters and an entirely different epilogue. Apologies for any confusion.
--
Update 1/2/21: ebook reviewers! There has been an update to the ending of the ARCs. You'll know you have the correct version if your epilogue starts with "My new room overlooks ..." - if your ARC does not have this, redownload from Netgalley/Edelweiss! It contains a pretty big change to the ending chapters and an entirely different epilogue. Apologies for any confusion.
June 15, 2021
GONNA WRITE THE REVIEW WHEN IM COHERENT SINCW I WAS READING ALL NIGHT AND ITS 11AM NOW LOL BUT YEAH YUP THAT WAS GOOD 💚
______________________
OKAY the cover is sexy- i LOVE the snake & the crown imagery its giving me slytherin vibes i love it 🐍👑
_______________________
i have felt like the author is righting the wrongs of some wack YA books that failed us villain stans in the past SO.
wallahi if Kasta x Zahru aren’t endgame i’m gonna k word i need them back together so bad 😭 (they’re giving me alina x darkling vibes & i don’t wanna hope because lord knows i’ve been burned by that so bad lmao but i can’t help but see it in their entire dynamic)
______________________
OKAY the cover is sexy- i LOVE the snake & the crown imagery its giving me slytherin vibes i love it 🐍👑
_______________________
i have felt like the author is righting the wrongs of some wack YA books that failed us villain stans in the past SO.
wallahi if Kasta x Zahru aren’t endgame i’m gonna k word i need them back together so bad 😭 (they’re giving me alina x darkling vibes & i don’t wanna hope because lord knows i’ve been burned by that so bad lmao but i can’t help but see it in their entire dynamic)
July 30, 2021
Before I give my thoughts on this book I just want to say that, I NEED A THIRD BOOK AND FOURTH AND HOW MANY EVER IS POSSIBLE. PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS A SEQUEL😭😭😭😭. TAKE MY SOUL ALREADY, I DON'T NEED IT ANYWAY BUT GIVE ME ANOTHER BOOK. THIS CANNOT BE THE END😭😭😭!!!!!
I am litreally buzzing with restless energy after finishing this and I don't know what to do. Thank you for not being a disappointment. This was such an anticipated read for me that it would have killed me to rate is any less than 4. But in all fairness I have rated it 5 stars ONLY AND ONLY FOR KASTA❤. I just couldn't see anything beyond him.
So I will try my best to write a coherent review. Forgive my excessive fangirling over Kasta🙈.
Plotwise I definitely think The Kinder Poison was stronger. Not much of action happens in this book. Rather there is a lot of scheming and politics involved. Not much is accomplished in terms of going ahead with the plot. We do get more details on the political situation and the brewing war. Focus is shifted more towards the world building and the magic system. Even though there is not much action happening, plot is very engaging. Writing is simple and overall the story is well paced.
Now off to the best part of this series. The characters.
Zahru - I have mixed feelings about her in this book. I love Zahru as a narrator. She is under a lot of stress given she is now chosen as Mestrah to rule alongside Kasta. I am glad she didn't lose her sense of humor in all this high stress situation. But honestly she was just a paranoid mess for the entire duration of the book. It is so opposite to how she was in the first book where she always looked at the best in people, whereas here she just assumed the worst of everyone( well not everyone but only one person counts everything to me so..yeah😤). She was just so petty all the time. Her pettiness was endearing sometimes but annoying most of the time.She definitely became more interesting?? Darker?? I am not sure how I exactly feel her moving in that direction. But I am glad she started becoming accepting of Kasta's ways and came to understand that certain things needed to be done to accomplish a bigger goal. She certainly grew out of the naive wide eyed adventure seeking girl to a leader. I am not quite sure if she will be a fitting ruler as most of her current decision are based on her advisors. It would be really interesting to see what kind of leader she comes to be.
Jet - Jet is really sweet as usual trying to make Zahru happy and calm. He has a righteous way of looking at things, so his actions are justified. The way he always came up with gifts and everything to cheer Zahru up was so adorable. We get very less of him in this book which I was ok with tbh.
Hen- She is a total badass. I so loved Zahru's and Hen's friendship. It's so precious and needs to be protected. Hen is absolutely crazy and such an amazing friend. I totally love her for that. She always comes to Zahru's aid even without her asking and supports her regardless of her decision is just so priceless.
Mestrah- I hated Mestrah from the first book for what he did to Kasta😤 But I came to eventually forgive him towards the end. For whatever he did I absolutely loved him for putting Kasta and Zahru together even when they were not willing and making them work together. Secretly I think he too is a KASTAxZAHRU shipper🤭.
Kasta- Last but not the least in any way Kasta❤❤❤ All the love I have for this series is due to him. And God he didn't disappoint me at all. He is such a complex character. He is filled with so much pain and desire for revenge. He desperately wants to do the right things but just not in the right way. He is the king🤴 of morally grey characters. Like seriously. He grew so much throughout. Actually tried so much to change. I am really trying here to not give much away. Just I love him ❣ and thank you Natalie for giving the world Kasta
The Romance
I know a lot of people believe there is a love triangle in this series. I want to firmly say NO. It is clear as day, it is KASTAxZAHRU. How anybody can think Jet had a chance is beyond me. OMG the romance. Kasta and Zahru's chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Their scenes were amazing. The tension OMG😭😭😭. They litreally go from wanting to kill each other( like litreally stab stab) to kissing each other. And the throwback to the promise Kasta makes to Zahru. Kasta stood by his promises.My poor heart can only handle so much. Their love is so tender and fragile but still so passionate. I love them together SOOOO much. Enemies to lovers has never been done so well. EVER.❤
How can I possibly end this review without mentioning the EPILOGUE.OMG!!! I was not expecting this but I couldn't thank the author enough for that fantastic epilogue. It just left me in tears. I need the next book. I need to know what happens to my precious Kasta. Overall I just loved this book with all my heart. Yeah there were faults but I am just gonna overlook them totally.
I am litreally buzzing with restless energy after finishing this and I don't know what to do. Thank you for not being a disappointment. This was such an anticipated read for me that it would have killed me to rate is any less than 4. But in all fairness I have rated it 5 stars ONLY AND ONLY FOR KASTA❤. I just couldn't see anything beyond him.
So I will try my best to write a coherent review. Forgive my excessive fangirling over Kasta🙈.
Plotwise I definitely think The Kinder Poison was stronger. Not much of action happens in this book. Rather there is a lot of scheming and politics involved. Not much is accomplished in terms of going ahead with the plot. We do get more details on the political situation and the brewing war. Focus is shifted more towards the world building and the magic system. Even though there is not much action happening, plot is very engaging. Writing is simple and overall the story is well paced.
Now off to the best part of this series. The characters.
Zahru - I have mixed feelings about her in this book. I love Zahru as a narrator. She is under a lot of stress given she is now chosen as Mestrah to rule alongside Kasta. I am glad she didn't lose her sense of humor in all this high stress situation. But honestly she was just a paranoid mess for the entire duration of the book. It is so opposite to how she was in the first book where she always looked at the best in people, whereas here she just assumed the worst of everyone( well not everyone but only one person counts everything to me so..yeah😤). She was just so petty all the time. Her pettiness was endearing sometimes but annoying most of the time.She definitely became more interesting?? Darker?? I am not sure how I exactly feel her moving in that direction. But I am glad she started becoming accepting of Kasta's ways and came to understand that certain things needed to be done to accomplish a bigger goal. She certainly grew out of the naive wide eyed adventure seeking girl to a leader. I am not quite sure if she will be a fitting ruler as most of her current decision are based on her advisors. It would be really interesting to see what kind of leader she comes to be.
Jet - Jet is really sweet as usual trying to make Zahru happy and calm. He has a righteous way of looking at things, so his actions are justified. The way he always came up with gifts and everything to cheer Zahru up was so adorable. We get very less of him in this book which I was ok with tbh.
Hen- She is a total badass. I so loved Zahru's and Hen's friendship. It's so precious and needs to be protected. Hen is absolutely crazy and such an amazing friend. I totally love her for that. She always comes to Zahru's aid even without her asking and supports her regardless of her decision is just so priceless.
Mestrah- I hated Mestrah from the first book for what he did to Kasta😤 But I came to eventually forgive him towards the end. For whatever he did I absolutely loved him for putting Kasta and Zahru together even when they were not willing and making them work together. Secretly I think he too is a KASTAxZAHRU shipper🤭.
Kasta- Last but not the least in any way Kasta❤❤❤ All the love I have for this series is due to him. And God he didn't disappoint me at all. He is such a complex character. He is filled with so much pain and desire for revenge. He desperately wants to do the right things but just not in the right way. He is the king🤴 of morally grey characters. Like seriously. He grew so much throughout. Actually tried so much to change. I am really trying here to not give much away. Just I love him ❣ and thank you Natalie for giving the world Kasta
The Romance
"I made you a promise"
I know a lot of people believe there is a love triangle in this series. I want to firmly say NO. It is clear as day, it is KASTAxZAHRU. How anybody can think Jet had a chance is beyond me. OMG the romance. Kasta and Zahru's chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Their scenes were amazing. The tension OMG😭😭😭. They litreally go from wanting to kill each other( like litreally stab stab) to kissing each other. And the throwback to the promise Kasta makes to Zahru. Kasta stood by his promises.My poor heart can only handle so much. Their love is so tender and fragile but still so passionate. I love them together SOOOO much. Enemies to lovers has never been done so well. EVER.❤
How can I possibly end this review without mentioning the EPILOGUE.OMG!!! I was not expecting this but I couldn't thank the author enough for that fantastic epilogue. It just left me in tears. I need the next book. I need to know what happens to my precious Kasta. Overall I just loved this book with all my heart. Yeah there were faults but I am just gonna overlook them totally.
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November 18, 2022
⤅ Three words for you: Second Book Syndrome (SBS).
I think it's a pretty well-documented phenomenon by now that the second books - especially in trilogies - are generally inferior to both the first and third.
(Here's a totally random aside, feel free to skip it. First and Third is the name of the boat club at Trinity College, Cambridge. Originally, the college had three boat clubs: First Trinity, open to all college members, Second Trinity, open only to Theologians, and Third Trinity, only for Old Etonians and Old Westminsters. Legend has it that Second Trinity was disbanded in 1876 after their cox was accidentally killed by a crew from rival St John's College, during the May Bumps races. The rest of the story is that this is the reason why John's is the only college not allowed to have its boat club named after its college; instead, they're Lady Margaret Boat Club, or 'Maggie'. Though people have died during Bumps, that's probably not the reason Second Trinity was dissolved. But in any case it vanished, and First and Third ended up merging in the 20th century, giving us a behemoth of a club which is oozing money but not particularly good at the actual rowing.)
Okay, sorry, aside over... I don't usually go on rowing tangents, but the Boat Race is this weekend and I'm very excited, so it slipped out. Many apologies, back to the book review now.
So, I really didn't enjoy this as much as I was expecting to. Let's do a quick overview of the plot first before we jump in.
Zahru and Prince Jet have just returned from the caves, supposed to be the scene of her sacrifice which would enable Prince Kasta to be chosen as the next Mestrah. Only, they've left Kasta behind - in the care of his enemy Maia, whom he's not likely to survive - and returned confident that Jet will be crowned.
Unfortunately, problems start presenting themselves almost immediately. Zahru has developed a striking rune on her chest which - if she's got things right - means she's supposed to be the next Mestrah, not Jet. She plans to keep her mouth shut about this until the day of the coronation ceremony, when a bigger problem arises in the shape of Kasta, who's miraculously back from the dead. And... he has the Mestrah mark too. But Jet doesn't. The Mestrah ends up choosing both Zahru and Kasta as his heirs, and forces them to work together throughout the book so he can make sure they'll be good co-rulers when he dies. But Zahru is convinced that Kasta has a cunning plan to kill them all.
❌ This brings us to problem one: the fact that for most of the book, there's basically no plot. I genuinely can't overstate this enough. The first 80% is Zahru sneaking around looking for evidence to fit her theories while Kasta eludes her through his absence. There are no plot twists and no surprises. Not until the final 20% is there even any major action. Political-intrigue novels are famously often considered slow and boring anyway, but I've never thought so myself... until I read this one.
❌ There's very little Kasta in this book. In fact, there's very little Hen, Jet, and Marcus too, for that matter. They pop in and out of Zahru's narrative like fleeting birds, leaving barely an impression on the reader. Where are the strong personalities which dominated the first book? And speaking of strong personalities, while Zahru undergoes something of an interesting transformation, her character had moments of unexpected inconsistency.
❌ I won't lie, it really frustrates that nobody in this book - not Zahru or anyone else, except possibly Kasta - seems to have ANY SYMPATHY AT ALL for the Queen's position. She is literally married to a man who had an affair, and kid, with his childhood best friend, a kid who's treated as a prince equivalent to her own legitimate children. Yet somehow she's painted as the bad guy because she has an understandable aversion to Jet (the illegitimate prince) and isn't very demonstrative in her emotion. I realise royalty have always had mistresses, but their kids have rarely been considered legitimate, which must absolutely gall. And for not a single character to express any sympathy for the queen - instead, demonstrating respect and affection for Jet's mother, who knowingly and consensually had an affair with a married man - grates on me to the extreme.
❌ There isn't an iota of romance, even less than the first book. Not with Jet and certainly not with Kasta.
⤅ Overall
I'll be reading the third book, because the final 20% was finally decent, and Mae is for sure a good writer. But I hope things pick up.
December 24, 2022
update: LOOK AT THIS FANART OF KASTA AND ZAHRU OH MY FCKIGNG GOD IM SCREAMING
ac: bloodydamnit
istg if this doesnt convince people to read it holy hellfjghfzkdjg i cant stop staring at them
reread 20 days later:
the length of this book is an actual crime. it is way too short.
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH OH MY GOD IT IS JUST EVERYTHING I COULD ASK FOR IN A FANTASY ROMANCE. just scroll down to the unofficial review with the stars to read how i feel right about now.
pls the things i would do to be able to experience reading this for the first time again
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this book was everything i wanted and more. it has joined the hall of fame in my all-time favorite books ever.
official review
The writing was still the easy, flowing prose as it was in the first one. This was again a very character-driven book, and the characters were definitely my favorite part. Zahru's development was incredible- it was fascinating to see her grow into her new power. She never lost her snarky sense of humor and it genuinely had me huffing with laughter. I'll say this about Kasta- he was one of my favorite characters, right next to Zahru, and I could talk about for hours. He was also written phenomenally and his character is one I think about quite often. All the other side characters were in this a lot less, and I will say they weren't developed as much but its a minor complaint.
The Egyptian influences that inspire this world are also so beautifully described, and I loved them. I can't say I've read any other books inspired by Egyptian mythology so this uniquely stands out.
Overall, I don't have much, if anything, to complain about. I knew I was going to love this but I didn't expect it to be even better than The Kinder Poison, which it was. The ending was an emotional rollercoaster, but I was a little stumped over the epilogue. I am now dying for the third book, and the fact that it's not even confirmed is breaking my heart but fingers crossed. The Cruelest Mercy immediately shot up into my top 5 books of all-time, and I will definitely be raving and recommending this series to everyone I know. I cannot wait to buy a physical copy as I know this will be a series I love and reread for years.
thank you so so much to Edelweiss+ and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review!
★★★★★★★unofficial review★★★★★★★
OHHMYYYGODDSSS FKJDGHREREI ITS OFFICIAL, THIS SERIES HAS BECOME AN ALL-TIME FAVORITE I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH.
zahru was still hilarious omg i was cackling the entire time. KASTA KASTA KASTA oh my gods he was so morally grey, he bordered on being the cruelest villain to being a genuinely good person the entire time AND IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER. i was teetering on the edge of completely loving him or completely hating him (no thats actually a lie- i loved him the entire time). THE TENSION, THE ANGST, THE PUSH-PULL BETWEEN ZAHRU AND KASTA OH MY GODS PLS- IT WAS PERFECT, ALL THEIR SCENES WERE PERFECT. stupid jet i hated him here. he was giving me mal from book sab vibes- and not in the good way.
i could talk about this book for hours, i cant stop thinking about it, but i'll leave saying i really hope this isn't the end to the series. i would dislike the ending, specifically the epilogue, even more if i knew there would definitely be no third book but i'm crossing my fingers and still hoping there will. it left me very confused and i'm not exactly sure i know what happened.
EITHER WAY I LOVE THIS SERIES SO SO MUCH AND IT IS NOW THE MOST UNDERRATED SERIES ON MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SHELF SO PLEASE GO READ IT IF YOU HAVENT, I NEED MORE PEOPLE TO TALK TO THIS ABOUT AND I PROMISE ITS AMAZING
ac: bloodydamnit
istg if this doesnt convince people to read it holy hellfjghfzkdjg i cant stop staring at them
reread 20 days later:
the length of this book is an actual crime. it is way too short.
I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH OH MY GOD IT IS JUST EVERYTHING I COULD ASK FOR IN A FANTASY ROMANCE. just scroll down to the unofficial review with the stars to read how i feel right about now.
pls the things i would do to be able to experience reading this for the first time again
------------------------
this book was everything i wanted and more. it has joined the hall of fame in my all-time favorite books ever.
official review
The writing was still the easy, flowing prose as it was in the first one. This was again a very character-driven book, and the characters were definitely my favorite part. Zahru's development was incredible- it was fascinating to see her grow into her new power. She never lost her snarky sense of humor and it genuinely had me huffing with laughter. I'll say this about Kasta- he was one of my favorite characters, right next to Zahru, and I could talk about for hours. He was also written phenomenally and his character is one I think about quite often. All the other side characters were in this a lot less, and I will say they weren't developed as much but its a minor complaint.
The Egyptian influences that inspire this world are also so beautifully described, and I loved them. I can't say I've read any other books inspired by Egyptian mythology so this uniquely stands out.
Overall, I don't have much, if anything, to complain about. I knew I was going to love this but I didn't expect it to be even better than The Kinder Poison, which it was. The ending was an emotional rollercoaster, but I was a little stumped over the epilogue. I am now dying for the third book, and the fact that it's not even confirmed is breaking my heart but fingers crossed. The Cruelest Mercy immediately shot up into my top 5 books of all-time, and I will definitely be raving and recommending this series to everyone I know. I cannot wait to buy a physical copy as I know this will be a series I love and reread for years.
thank you so so much to Edelweiss+ and the publishers for the arc in exchange for my honest review!
★★★★★★★unofficial review★★★★★★★
OHHMYYYGODDSSS FKJDGHREREI ITS OFFICIAL, THIS SERIES HAS BECOME AN ALL-TIME FAVORITE I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH.
zahru was still hilarious omg i was cackling the entire time. KASTA KASTA KASTA oh my gods he was so morally grey, he bordered on being the cruelest villain to being a genuinely good person the entire time AND IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER. i was teetering on the edge of completely loving him or completely hating him (no thats actually a lie- i loved him the entire time). THE TENSION, THE ANGST, THE PUSH-PULL BETWEEN ZAHRU AND KASTA OH MY GODS PLS- IT WAS PERFECT, ALL THEIR SCENES WERE PERFECT. stupid jet i hated him here. he was giving me mal from book sab vibes- and not in the good way.
i could talk about this book for hours, i cant stop thinking about it, but i'll leave saying i really hope this isn't the end to the series. i would dislike the ending, specifically the epilogue, even more if i knew there would definitely be no third book but i'm crossing my fingers and still hoping there will. it left me very confused and i'm not exactly sure i know what happened.
EITHER WAY I LOVE THIS SERIES SO SO MUCH AND IT IS NOW THE MOST UNDERRATED SERIES ON MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SHELF SO PLEASE GO READ IT IF YOU HAVENT, I NEED MORE PEOPLE TO TALK TO THIS ABOUT AND I PROMISE ITS AMAZING
February 25, 2023
"Good can come from even the most lost of causes."
First and foremost, more people need to read this series because IT IS SO GOOD! The plot is fast and addicting, the characters are unique, the world is super cool, and the writing is light and easy. This book in particular is the jaw dropping sequel to The Kinder Poison , picking up about a month after book one ends. The story gets started right away, and though I can't say much to exact plot events because it would massively spoil the first book, know that a hated enemy returns.
"Maybe this is the cruel mercy, to spare him from servitude only to chain him to me instead."
Zahru's morality is such a huge portion of the story, making this book a stand out amongst other YA novels. She tiptoes between good and bad constantly, and her choices make her perception of both sides fluid. She does what is right for her, not what is right for everyone else and GOODNESS DOES THAT MAKE THIS BOOK AMAZING. It is so so rare to see characters actually go evil, and even when it happens, it is never done as well as it was here. If you characters like Kaz Brekker (SoC), Rielle (Furyborn), Jude (Cruel Prince), or Julian (TDA), you'll probably love Zarhu.
“This was so much easier to handle when I thought he was dead. Then, I could rationalize that he got what he deserved and move on. I don’t know how to move on from this. From seeing him every day, from remembering, from agonizing over what he could have been, in another life."
The earlier Zahru/Jet romance fell to the background, but I was okay with that. I actually really liked that Zahru questioned whether she would even care for him if it weren't for their shared experiences. It made her seem more human and understandable. A lot of people (and I do mean a LOT of people) really want a Zahru/Kasta romance, and I can see the pieces being laid out here *cough* epilogue *cough*. I am completely onboard with this ship for two reasons: Kasta sees Zahru as an equal, and villain romances are amazing.
"Like so many things in the palace, the map is deceptively beautiful."
Speaking of Kasta, he was certainly interesting. As I said in my Kinder Poison review, he's horrible but easy to understand. Rarely do "villains" have such detailed and complicated motivations. It was easy to see where Kasta was coming from and sympathize with him while also low key hating him. He is Zahru's mirror in more ways than one, and I am so excited for ahopeful romance between them.
"'Rule with me', he says, and my stomach drops. 'Fight beside me, and we will be unstoppable. I will do everything you ask.'"
This is truly Zahru's book, though the side characters do still play important roles. Hen adds humor to the story, Marcus and Melia pull Zahru back from the edge when she most needs them too, and Jet serves as a punching bag (that's how I saw him at least). The story--though high fantasy--uses modern language and speaking styles, so it is easy to follow: you never get lost in the layers of the dialogue. The writing is lyrical without being overpowering, something that made this book even better.
"I feel many things [...] but afraid is not one of them."
If you like...
-Fast paced fantasy
-Villain romances
-Questionable morality
-Characters going evil
-Court intrigue
-Manipulative magic
-Humor
-Royalty
-Slowburn romance (with crazy good tension)
-Large friend groups
Then this book is definitely for you.
First and foremost, more people need to read this series because IT IS SO GOOD! The plot is fast and addicting, the characters are unique, the world is super cool, and the writing is light and easy. This book in particular is the jaw dropping sequel to The Kinder Poison , picking up about a month after book one ends. The story gets started right away, and though I can't say much to exact plot events because it would massively spoil the first book, know that a hated enemy returns.
"Maybe this is the cruel mercy, to spare him from servitude only to chain him to me instead."
Zahru's morality is such a huge portion of the story, making this book a stand out amongst other YA novels. She tiptoes between good and bad constantly, and her choices make her perception of both sides fluid. She does what is right for her, not what is right for everyone else and GOODNESS DOES THAT MAKE THIS BOOK AMAZING. It is so so rare to see characters actually go evil, and even when it happens, it is never done as well as it was here. If you characters like Kaz Brekker (SoC), Rielle (Furyborn), Jude (Cruel Prince), or Julian (TDA), you'll probably love Zarhu.
“This was so much easier to handle when I thought he was dead. Then, I could rationalize that he got what he deserved and move on. I don’t know how to move on from this. From seeing him every day, from remembering, from agonizing over what he could have been, in another life."
The earlier Zahru/Jet romance fell to the background, but I was okay with that. I actually really liked that Zahru questioned whether she would even care for him if it weren't for their shared experiences. It made her seem more human and understandable. A lot of people (and I do mean a LOT of people) really want a Zahru/Kasta romance, and I can see the pieces being laid out here *cough* epilogue *cough*. I am completely onboard with this ship for two reasons: Kasta sees Zahru as an equal, and villain romances are amazing.
"Like so many things in the palace, the map is deceptively beautiful."
Speaking of Kasta, he was certainly interesting. As I said in my Kinder Poison review, he's horrible but easy to understand. Rarely do "villains" have such detailed and complicated motivations. It was easy to see where Kasta was coming from and sympathize with him while also low key hating him. He is Zahru's mirror in more ways than one, and I am so excited for a
"'Rule with me', he says, and my stomach drops. 'Fight beside me, and we will be unstoppable. I will do everything you ask.'"
This is truly Zahru's book, though the side characters do still play important roles. Hen adds humor to the story, Marcus and Melia pull Zahru back from the edge when she most needs them too, and Jet serves as a punching bag (that's how I saw him at least). The story--though high fantasy--uses modern language and speaking styles, so it is easy to follow: you never get lost in the layers of the dialogue. The writing is lyrical without being overpowering, something that made this book even better.
"I feel many things [...] but afraid is not one of them."
If you like...
-Fast paced fantasy
-Villain romances
-Questionable morality
-Characters going evil
-Court intrigue
-Manipulative magic
-Humor
-Royalty
-Slowburn romance (with crazy good tension)
-Large friend groups
Then this book is definitely for you.
June 15, 2021
1/04/21 ALRIGHT I'VE FINISHED! (Thank you to Edelweiss for the E-ARC).
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
EXACT RATING: 4.5 GLOWING STARS
The Cruelest Mercy was a much-awaited sequel for me; it was my most anticipated book of 2021, and it did NOT disappoint.
TCM dives right into the story with no wasted time (for which I was so grateful). I was quickly immersed in the beautiful relationships Zahru has with her family and friends, as we got to see many loved characters again (that's you, Hen, Melia *pulls out list*).
This book never fails at creating a strong atmosphere, the hilarious, yet beautiful writing had me hooked immediately, and I felt every emotion Zahru felt right along with her.
I completely loved the tension between Zahru and Kasta, and I may have screamed at some scenes (in a good or bad way? I guess you'll have to find out yourself).
Zahru's character took a very interesting turn, as she started levitating towards villain territory. This was super fun to read about, and some of her actions definitely caused a bit of a shock. However, although I loved this new Zahru, I felt as if the fluctuation between the 'good' and 'bad' parts of her were a little too fast. One second, she's ready to [REDACTED], and not long after, her morals seem to come back? I totally understand how people do not just 'turn evil/bad' all of a sudden, and there's a huge internal struggle within, but Zahru seemed to go back and forth a little unsmoothly. I also wished we got a little more romance, but that might be because I'm content-starved for my ship.
Overall, I loved all the characters and the plot had me very intrigued! There were so many funny moments that had me laughing, and there were moments that made me want to cry. This book definitely lived up to its expectations, although a few tweaks would make it even better!
Fingers crossed we get a third book, because, like, I NEED it. Like, the same way I NEED oxygen.
FINAL RATING: 4.5 STARS
__________________________________
KASTAZAHRU ENDGAME OR I'M CRYING.
Look me in the eye and tell me their chemistry doesn't LEAP off the page.
(Jet is alright too, but for me, he lacks that spark with Zahru)
Kasta, on the other hand.... ;)
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
EXACT RATING: 4.5 GLOWING STARS
The Cruelest Mercy was a much-awaited sequel for me; it was my most anticipated book of 2021, and it did NOT disappoint.
TCM dives right into the story with no wasted time (for which I was so grateful). I was quickly immersed in the beautiful relationships Zahru has with her family and friends, as we got to see many loved characters again (that's you, Hen, Melia *pulls out list*).
This book never fails at creating a strong atmosphere, the hilarious, yet beautiful writing had me hooked immediately, and I felt every emotion Zahru felt right along with her.
I completely loved the tension between Zahru and Kasta, and I may have screamed at some scenes (in a good or bad way? I guess you'll have to find out yourself).
Zahru's character took a very interesting turn, as she started levitating towards villain territory. This was super fun to read about, and some of her actions definitely caused a bit of a shock. However, although I loved this new Zahru, I felt as if the fluctuation between the 'good' and 'bad' parts of her were a little too fast. One second, she's ready to [REDACTED], and not long after, her morals seem to come back? I totally understand how people do not just 'turn evil/bad' all of a sudden, and there's a huge internal struggle within, but Zahru seemed to go back and forth a little unsmoothly. I also wished we got a little more romance, but that might be because I'm content-starved for my ship.
Overall, I loved all the characters and the plot had me very intrigued! There were so many funny moments that had me laughing, and there were moments that made me want to cry. This book definitely lived up to its expectations, although a few tweaks would make it even better!
Fingers crossed we get a third book, because, like, I NEED it. Like, the same way I NEED oxygen.
FINAL RATING: 4.5 STARS
__________________________________
KASTAZAHRU ENDGAME OR I'M CRYING.
Look me in the eye and tell me their chemistry doesn't LEAP off the page.
(Jet is alright too, but for me, he lacks that spark with Zahru)
Kasta, on the other hand.... ;)
April 13, 2023
i absolutely LOVED this. there was a point where i was wavering between loving it to just liking it but the 3rd half of the book was EVERYTHING. i really enjoyed the way the story progressed and the different route it took from book 1. it was a little slow around the middle but picked up towards the end as i just mentioned.
zahru became a whole different person like this girl was going into villian zone. she was constantly paranoid, suspicious and made some not-so-moral choices. i understand her, but at the same time i felt bad for kasta cause he was at the receiving end of her craziness.
also speaking of kasta? THATS MY BABY. my cinnamon roll. my chocolate muffin. is he trustworthy? maybe not! but i’ll always be on his side IDCC (also the epilogue was my favorite thing ever)
need more kastazahru to happen pls
zahru became a whole different person like this girl was going into villian zone. she was constantly paranoid, suspicious and made some not-so-moral choices. i understand her, but at the same time i felt bad for kasta cause he was at the receiving end of her craziness.
also speaking of kasta? THATS MY BABY. my cinnamon roll. my chocolate muffin. is he trustworthy? maybe not! but i’ll always be on his side IDCC (also the epilogue was my favorite thing ever)
need more kastazahru to happen pls
Want to read
July 2, 2021I’m fangirling over Kasta and everyone else can literally take a super expensive hike to Tartarus.
Taxes included.
Taxes included.
June 18, 2021
i- i did not expect that ending. i simply did not see it coming. its not often I'm surprised. I'm still a lil torn whether its a good surprise or something i should readily accept. idk. this book was written in a way there could've been a hundred possible endings. the most predictable and the one most used in ya media was not chosen and That surprised me. more than the ending itself.
the epilogue?? *****. he was simply obsessed. smitten. turned into eugenides. anyway! i want this to be spoiler free but i don't think it's possible tbh. we'll come to the characters later.
i cannot find anything wrong with this book and that is why I'm giving it 5 stars. did things go the way i wanted them to? no. was i still squealing like a school girl over twists and finished this book in two sittings? yes. that in itself is a sign of a good book. the writing flowed like water. not a single sentence was extra, or unnecessary. i saw a few reviews saying it got boring in the middle GIRL WHERE?? for a debut, this was solid writing. thoroughly impressed. I'm not the one to highlight quotes and get swayed by flowery prose. just give me direct, to-the-point flow.
Characters:
jet. I'm SO glad he wasn't mal-ified by the end. he stayed the flimsy, slightly helpless but eager to help self. he wasn't vilified or turned into a annoying, misogynistic character to progress the romance and for that, I'm so thankful. I liked him from day one. I just want the shippers to stay AWAY. he always tried his best but was done a lil dirty ngl. everything was taken away from so quick and we didn't really get to see him get angry or jealous. he moved on way too quickly. i would've liked if his feelings were acknowledged and wasn't cast away as a main character? he wasn't even there for most of the part. gotten rid of him too conveniently.... him being there would've complicated things but idc!
kasta. from my updates you would think i dislike him but i don't. it was hard to hate him because zahru was feeding off assumptions and so were we. to be honest, I wasn't sold on him because I liked jet lol. and i generally don't warm up to manipulative characters like him that may or may not be good people.
zahru. omg she went CRAZY in this one. the denial, the crazy nature she adopted, the STRESS. it was radiating off of her. I lowkey felt stressed too at some points. i was like imma take a break even if she doesn't want to or doesn't have the time. she was too quick to change her mind but that's to be expected because she's an amateur? so no problem detected.
hen. i loved her comedic, bold, savage character so much. i would love to read a spin off based on her.
though rest of the side characters weren't developed as much as i would've liked but i still loved them. considering the length of the duology, i grudgingly accept the drawback.
i am just Now realising it wasn't romance- focused at all. i was reading too much into it. now THAT is what i like. romance where the Reader has to dive deep in and look out for clues. keeps you on your toes. a blatant, laid out plan is boring. if you're looking for heavy smoldering and heart eyes, well, look away.
I've changed my mind! I like the ending. Shippers didn't exactly win so I'm happy. Reminds me of Warcross' ending.
for anyone looking for a reason to pick up this duology: do it if you're looking for some non- committal fun. ALSO good for getting out of reading slumps. trust me.
the epilogue?? *****. he was simply obsessed. smitten. turned into eugenides. anyway! i want this to be spoiler free but i don't think it's possible tbh. we'll come to the characters later.
i cannot find anything wrong with this book and that is why I'm giving it 5 stars. did things go the way i wanted them to? no. was i still squealing like a school girl over twists and finished this book in two sittings? yes. that in itself is a sign of a good book. the writing flowed like water. not a single sentence was extra, or unnecessary. i saw a few reviews saying it got boring in the middle GIRL WHERE?? for a debut, this was solid writing. thoroughly impressed. I'm not the one to highlight quotes and get swayed by flowery prose. just give me direct, to-the-point flow.
Characters:
jet. I'm SO glad he wasn't mal-ified by the end. he stayed the flimsy, slightly helpless but eager to help self. he wasn't vilified or turned into a annoying, misogynistic character to progress the romance and for that, I'm so thankful. I liked him from day one. I just want the shippers to stay AWAY. he always tried his best but was done a lil dirty ngl. everything was taken away from so quick and we didn't really get to see him get angry or jealous. he moved on way too quickly. i would've liked if his feelings were acknowledged and wasn't cast away as a main character? he wasn't even there for most of the part. gotten rid of him too conveniently.... him being there would've complicated things but idc!
kasta. from my updates you would think i dislike him but i don't. it was hard to hate him because zahru was feeding off assumptions and so were we. to be honest, I wasn't sold on him because I liked jet lol. and i generally don't warm up to manipulative characters like him that may or may not be good people.
zahru. omg she went CRAZY in this one. the denial, the crazy nature she adopted, the STRESS. it was radiating off of her. I lowkey felt stressed too at some points. i was like imma take a break even if she doesn't want to or doesn't have the time. she was too quick to change her mind but that's to be expected because she's an amateur? so no problem detected.
hen. i loved her comedic, bold, savage character so much. i would love to read a spin off based on her.
though rest of the side characters weren't developed as much as i would've liked but i still loved them. considering the length of the duology, i grudgingly accept the drawback.
i am just Now realising it wasn't romance- focused at all. i was reading too much into it. now THAT is what i like. romance where the Reader has to dive deep in and look out for clues. keeps you on your toes. a blatant, laid out plan is boring. if you're looking for heavy smoldering and heart eyes, well, look away.
I've changed my mind! I like the ending. Shippers didn't exactly win so I'm happy. Reminds me of Warcross' ending.
for anyone looking for a reason to pick up this duology: do it if you're looking for some non- committal fun. ALSO good for getting out of reading slumps. trust me.
Want to read
June 7, 2021I WASNT a huge fan of the first one.....but now I wanna read this
Why?
KASTA AND KASTA ALONE
Why?
KASTA AND KASTA ALONE
June 17, 2021
Congratulations, new favourite added to the list. From now on, you will be emotionally wrecked.
4,5/5 stars
THIS WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER.
Okay so, this book is really new, right? I am glad I started reading the second it was out. Everything about this book is so perfect. The only thing I disliked was the love triangle with two brothers in it... Anyway, everything else was too awesome for me to give it four stars.
Disclaimer: this is kind of really short..
I had many questions when I read The Kinder Poison, and I am happy to inform everyone reading this that all of them were answered.
The relationships became even better while staying realistic, the best part of it all being Zahru not forgetting her family out of nowhere. The love triangle was still weird, however, I found it tolerable because Zahru's relationship with Jet was not completely romantic.
The whole novel was 200% better than most thrillers -without being a thriller-, it kept me up at night, wondering what might happen. Another thing I loved was that the reader becomes Zahru, being suspicious about everything and finding it hard to trust ANY character.
Also, my favourite thing here was the Mestrah shipping Zahru and Kasta, assigning them to stay and work together. It felt like watching my shipper heart help these two beautifully paranoid characters get together. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Jet. He is my favourite, HOWEVER, I will not throw my beautiful ship away just for Jet's awesomeness. I think Kasta and Zahru really reflect each other's personalities and childhood lives. They belong together :)
THAT EPILOGUE THOUGH-
OH, GOD. OH MY GOD. OH, MY F*CKING GOD. I am so in love and this is the best epilogue in the hundreds of books I've read. The second I started reading, I prayed God for a chapter from Kasta's POV; and I got it. YES. I had many predictions for the end of this story but never expected this. It is far too good to be real.
Here is the sentence that gave my heart to this lovely author, Natalie Mae. NO, actually, I gave my heart to her skilful hands the SECOND I read it. Any time she writes a new book, I will be here to read it. And... Dear Natalie, if you are reading this, please, PLEASE, give me another masterpiece. It is my mission to force everyone I know -and don't know- to read the Kinder Poison duology and any other book you write. I love you and forgive you for this heartbreaking ending. Also, PLEASE I BEG YOU, write a novella about my lovely couple and how Jet ends up...
ANYWAY, the sentence we were saying. "She can feel the truth of it in my veins. Perhaps it took this long to work, that kindness she poisoned me with so long ago, when I told her I was nothing and she saw so much more."
In conclusion, please read this duology. The author and her work deserve more love... Also, the second book has two maps, they are both beautiful-
thank you for reading, I will be back at my miserable life, now containing a new trauma.
HERE'S ANOTHER HERE'S ANOTHER
"If she wants peace, I can't let her forget it. And if that means my only purpose from here forward is to sew her back together as she did for me, to remind her that good can come from even the most lost of causes... then I must do it."
PS: I love you Kasta.
4,5/5 stars
THIS WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER.
Okay so, this book is really new, right? I am glad I started reading the second it was out. Everything about this book is so perfect. The only thing I disliked was the love triangle with two brothers in it... Anyway, everything else was too awesome for me to give it four stars.
Disclaimer: this is kind of really short..
I had many questions when I read The Kinder Poison, and I am happy to inform everyone reading this that all of them were answered.
The relationships became even better while staying realistic, the best part of it all being Zahru not forgetting her family out of nowhere. The love triangle was still weird, however, I found it tolerable because Zahru's relationship with Jet was not completely romantic.
The whole novel was 200% better than most thrillers -without being a thriller-, it kept me up at night, wondering what might happen. Another thing I loved was that the reader becomes Zahru, being suspicious about everything and finding it hard to trust ANY character.
Also, my favourite thing here was the Mestrah shipping Zahru and Kasta, assigning them to stay and work together. It felt like watching my shipper heart help these two beautifully paranoid characters get together. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Jet. He is my favourite, HOWEVER, I will not throw my beautiful ship away just for Jet's awesomeness. I think Kasta and Zahru really reflect each other's personalities and childhood lives. They belong together :)
THAT EPILOGUE THOUGH-
OH, GOD. OH MY GOD. OH, MY F*CKING GOD. I am so in love and this is the best epilogue in the hundreds of books I've read. The second I started reading, I prayed God for a chapter from Kasta's POV; and I got it. YES. I had many predictions for the end of this story but never expected this. It is far too good to be real.
Here is the sentence that gave my heart to this lovely author, Natalie Mae. NO, actually, I gave my heart to her skilful hands the SECOND I read it. Any time she writes a new book, I will be here to read it. And... Dear Natalie, if you are reading this, please, PLEASE, give me another masterpiece. It is my mission to force everyone I know -and don't know- to read the Kinder Poison duology and any other book you write. I love you and forgive you for this heartbreaking ending. Also, PLEASE I BEG YOU, write a novella about my lovely couple and how Jet ends up...
ANYWAY, the sentence we were saying. "She can feel the truth of it in my veins. Perhaps it took this long to work, that kindness she poisoned me with so long ago, when I told her I was nothing and she saw so much more."
In conclusion, please read this duology. The author and her work deserve more love... Also, the second book has two maps, they are both beautiful-
thank you for reading, I will be back at my miserable life, now containing a new trauma.
HERE'S ANOTHER HERE'S ANOTHER
"If she wants peace, I can't let her forget it. And if that means my only purpose from here forward is to sew her back together as she did for me, to remind her that good can come from even the most lost of causes... then I must do it."
PS: I love you Kasta.
January 26, 2022
~3.5 star~
Overall, The Cruelest Mercy by Natalie Mae good sequel. Book 2 always brings feelings and problems to the surface to be solved in book 3 and this book did just that.
OK can I appropriate the map and the inspiration of this book(the fact that we soooo rarely, like basically never had a book from Egypt culture). it's so unique and neat.
The tone of this book was different than the first but it set up everything perfectly, wondering what was going to happen the whole way through. Even though I enjoyed this story thoroughly, it really are the characters that drive this book.
The fact that for most of the book, there’s basically no plot. Not until the final 20% is there even any major action. Political-intrigue novels are famously often considered slow and boring anyway.
✧──────✧
Zahru is absolutely amazing and I love her so much. While her character does drift a little darker in this one and paranoia creeps up on her, she still maintains her funny self that just wants to eat all the delicious food.which bring us to problem two:There’s very little Kasta in this book. In fact, there’s very little Hen, Jet, and Marcus too, for that matter. They pop in and out of Zahru’s narrative like fleeting birds, leaving barely an impression on the reader.
Kasta and Zahru are the mains in this one, so if you’re all about that ship, you’ll have a little boat to try to sail your dreams on — but I won’t give anything away. 😉 Jet is also involved, but by reasons of plot (which will be very clear within about the first chapter of the book) he’s a bit… put to the side.
credit
I am still holding out for Jet(There isn’t an iota of romance, even less than the first book. Not with Jet and certainly not with Kasta.), even though I know most people will drift even more towards Kasta but only time will tell!
✧──────✧
I’ll be reading the third book, because the final 20% was finally decent, and Mae is for sure a good writer. But I hope things pick up. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy and magic with characters that will keep you smiling the whole way through.
Overall, The Cruelest Mercy by Natalie Mae good sequel. Book 2 always brings feelings and problems to the surface to be solved in book 3 and this book did just that.
OK can I appropriate the map and the inspiration of this book(the fact that we soooo rarely, like basically never had a book from Egypt culture). it's so unique and neat.
The tone of this book was different than the first but it set up everything perfectly, wondering what was going to happen the whole way through. Even though I enjoyed this story thoroughly, it really are the characters that drive this book.
The fact that for most of the book, there’s basically no plot. Not until the final 20% is there even any major action. Political-intrigue novels are famously often considered slow and boring anyway.
✧──────✧
Zahru is absolutely amazing and I love her so much. While her character does drift a little darker in this one and paranoia creeps up on her, she still maintains her funny self that just wants to eat all the delicious food.which bring us to problem two:There’s very little Kasta in this book. In fact, there’s very little Hen, Jet, and Marcus too, for that matter. They pop in and out of Zahru’s narrative like fleeting birds, leaving barely an impression on the reader.
Kasta and Zahru are the mains in this one, so if you’re all about that ship, you’ll have a little boat to try to sail your dreams on — but I won’t give anything away. 😉 Jet is also involved, but by reasons of plot (which will be very clear within about the first chapter of the book) he’s a bit… put to the side.
credit
I am still holding out for Jet(There isn’t an iota of romance, even less than the first book. Not with Jet and certainly not with Kasta.), even though I know most people will drift even more towards Kasta but only time will tell!
✧──────✧
I’ll be reading the third book, because the final 20% was finally decent, and Mae is for sure a good writer. But I hope things pick up. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy and magic with characters that will keep you smiling the whole way through.
Read
December 6, 2020honestly im with everyone else
jet is a nice guy and all....but i cant help but feel like kasta needs zahru and her kindness and that somehow they PERFECTLY just go together. idk what screams that since all the things happened in book 1.. i just love kasta and i dont want him to be the villain we fall in love with just to end up hating. they NEED to be endgame.
if they are not end game, it will drastically change the read for me im so strongly set on this LOL
jet is a nice guy and all....but i cant help but feel like kasta needs zahru and her kindness and that somehow they PERFECTLY just go together. idk what screams that since all the things happened in book 1.. i just love kasta and i dont want him to be the villain we fall in love with just to end up hating. they NEED to be endgame.
if they are not end game, it will drastically change the read for me im so strongly set on this LOL
March 12, 2022
gaslight gatekeep girlboss x mansplain manipulate malewife
December 25, 2021
IF JET GETS IN THE WAY OF KASTA AND ZAHRU AGAIN SO HELP ME I WILL-
Anyways guys, that was a rollercoaster of emotions, and very much not the way I thought the book was going to end 🤠
This book is the morally gray book of my DREAMS. It’s like the author took my dream sequel for the first book and made it real. Natalie Mae, <3 <3 I love you for this book.
The Cruelest Mercy is the amazing sequel to the Kinder Poison, and takes place a couple of months after the events of the first book.
(HALT. THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS BOOK. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
Jet’s ready to become the king of the kingdom (heh) and was literally just about to be crowned until bombshell! 😦 Kasta comes back alive from the dead and makes his claim for the throne. I mean, as he should 🤪, but the problem is that he has a mystical mark on his chest, signifying him as the chosen heir to the throne by the gods.
It’s all pretty tame until Zahru (😮) reveals she has it too (don’t even blame her; she didn’t know what it was for and just kinda ignored it), making both her and Kasta the true heirs to the throne. And now they get to compete for the throne 😊 , and if Zahru doesn’t win that throne… they’re all pretty much done for ☺️
characters -
Zahru- THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND PLOT OF ZAHRU. The way her mindset and actions slowly change. Her descent into becoming morally gray. It’s so amazing and wonderfully written in a way that as she spirals, we still see the reasoning in what she’s doing.
Jet- All I have to say is, less Jet = happier me 😊😊 the only thing Jet is really helpful for is adding spice to that love triangle (team Kasta 4ever), tbh
Kasta- KING. MY KING. If I don’t see Kasta and Zahru on the throne together as the rulers (married, ofc-
they’re soulmates i will accept nothing less), I will be having WORDS. I love Kasta <3 i just know whatever’s gonna happen in the third book regarding him will be juicy so I am super pumped for it.
Mestrah- Honestly the only other really important character in the book other than the side characters, but I am very much anti-Mestrah. I cannot stand this man no matter what.
plot -
So while in theory not a lot happens during this book… a lot still happens. My favorite scene is the ball with all the world leaders, though. That scene is my lord, my savior, my everything. That and the public training scene, tbh.
I am a die hard stan of Kasta and Zahru scenes, and we better get more of them in the next book 😠
This book was much more character focused than the last book, which was much more plot focused, but that just makes it even better than the last book. All the plot twists! That ending had me GASPING, I was shell-shocked. The author really knows how to play with my emotions for real 😧.
So yeah, I think the plot of the last book was more… exciting, but I just found this book much easier to get through overall as the other elements made up for some of the more
boring stuff in the middle.
Needless to say, I would NOT make half the decisions Zahru makes in this book… but did she end up being right in the end? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.
world-building -
THE WORLD EXPANSION IN THIS BOOK 👏👏👏👏. THE POLITICS IN THIS BOOK 👏👏👏👏. Fantasy book politics can be a lot but I loved learning more about this world, especially through the kingdom and court politics.
It’s not the most unique but it is very well written in that I was never once bored or really ever confused. A lot of it was straightforward and actually interesting to read about. The magic system indefinitely got more fascinating, too.
The author really knows what she was doing by expanding on the world of this book series. The setting of the palace was just as cool as the setting of the crossing from the last book, too.
The dynamic of the third book in this sense will be even better than the first two, from what I’m expecting, because the world-building got much better in this book from the last!
writing -
Again, ZAHRU’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. It was so. well. written. You don’t even notice the changes until they’re drastic, just like Zahru herself. It was brilliantly written and not at all what I was expecting after reading the first book.
Secondly, Kasta’s entire character arc too? It doesn’t take much for me to fall in love with morally gray characters, but Kasta’s entire character! You feel bad for him, but you also know that he’s the bad guy and deserves what he gets. He and Zahru are very much the best written characters in the entire series.
In this book, you expect one thing to happen, but then another thing happens completely unexpectedly. I saw the ending coming but I also… didn’t??? It was wild.
overall -
brb, going to go cry over the fact that the third book will release an entire year from now 😭😭😭😭😭
Can I wait that long to know what happens next? No. But I CAN say that you should read this massively under hyped series right now. Like, right now. Just read it. It’s so wonderful, and if you weren’t convinced by the first book, then be convinced by this one.
They’re both so similar yet so different in their plots, settings, and just overall. I love this book to death and Mae really delivered with this second book. Completely worth reading this, even if you didn’t like the first book.
5 stars! Kasta x Zahru endgame for the next book fr
btw Sakira in this book = absolute mood, how I feel pretty much every day 💀💀💀💀💀
Anyways guys, that was a rollercoaster of emotions, and very much not the way I thought the book was going to end 🤠
This book is the morally gray book of my DREAMS. It’s like the author took my dream sequel for the first book and made it real. Natalie Mae, <3 <3 I love you for this book.
The Cruelest Mercy is the amazing sequel to the Kinder Poison, and takes place a couple of months after the events of the first book.
(HALT. THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS BOOK. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
Jet’s ready to become the king of the kingdom (heh) and was literally just about to be crowned until bombshell! 😦 Kasta comes back alive from the dead and makes his claim for the throne. I mean, as he should 🤪, but the problem is that he has a mystical mark on his chest, signifying him as the chosen heir to the throne by the gods.
It’s all pretty tame until Zahru (😮) reveals she has it too (don’t even blame her; she didn’t know what it was for and just kinda ignored it), making both her and Kasta the true heirs to the throne. And now they get to compete for the throne 😊 , and if Zahru doesn’t win that throne… they’re all pretty much done for ☺️
characters -
Zahru- THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND PLOT OF ZAHRU. The way her mindset and actions slowly change. Her descent into becoming morally gray. It’s so amazing and wonderfully written in a way that as she spirals, we still see the reasoning in what she’s doing.
Jet- All I have to say is, less Jet = happier me 😊😊 the only thing Jet is really helpful for is adding spice to that love triangle (team Kasta 4ever), tbh
Kasta- KING. MY KING. If I don’t see Kasta and Zahru on the throne together as the rulers (married, ofc-
they’re soulmates i will accept nothing less), I will be having WORDS. I love Kasta <3 i just know whatever’s gonna happen in the third book regarding him will be juicy so I am super pumped for it.
Mestrah- Honestly the only other really important character in the book other than the side characters, but I am very much anti-Mestrah. I cannot stand this man no matter what.
plot -
So while in theory not a lot happens during this book… a lot still happens. My favorite scene is the ball with all the world leaders, though. That scene is my lord, my savior, my everything. That and the public training scene, tbh.
I am a die hard stan of Kasta and Zahru scenes, and we better get more of them in the next book 😠
This book was much more character focused than the last book, which was much more plot focused, but that just makes it even better than the last book. All the plot twists! That ending had me GASPING, I was shell-shocked. The author really knows how to play with my emotions for real 😧.
So yeah, I think the plot of the last book was more… exciting, but I just found this book much easier to get through overall as the other elements made up for some of the more
boring stuff in the middle.
Needless to say, I would NOT make half the decisions Zahru makes in this book… but did she end up being right in the end? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes.
world-building -
THE WORLD EXPANSION IN THIS BOOK 👏👏👏👏. THE POLITICS IN THIS BOOK 👏👏👏👏. Fantasy book politics can be a lot but I loved learning more about this world, especially through the kingdom and court politics.
It’s not the most unique but it is very well written in that I was never once bored or really ever confused. A lot of it was straightforward and actually interesting to read about. The magic system indefinitely got more fascinating, too.
The author really knows what she was doing by expanding on the world of this book series. The setting of the palace was just as cool as the setting of the crossing from the last book, too.
The dynamic of the third book in this sense will be even better than the first two, from what I’m expecting, because the world-building got much better in this book from the last!
writing -
Again, ZAHRU’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. It was so. well. written. You don’t even notice the changes until they’re drastic, just like Zahru herself. It was brilliantly written and not at all what I was expecting after reading the first book.
Secondly, Kasta’s entire character arc too? It doesn’t take much for me to fall in love with morally gray characters, but Kasta’s entire character! You feel bad for him, but you also know that he’s the bad guy and deserves what he gets. He and Zahru are very much the best written characters in the entire series.
In this book, you expect one thing to happen, but then another thing happens completely unexpectedly. I saw the ending coming but I also… didn’t??? It was wild.
overall -
brb, going to go cry over the fact that the third book will release an entire year from now 😭😭😭😭😭
Can I wait that long to know what happens next? No. But I CAN say that you should read this massively under hyped series right now. Like, right now. Just read it. It’s so wonderful, and if you weren’t convinced by the first book, then be convinced by this one.
They’re both so similar yet so different in their plots, settings, and just overall. I love this book to death and Mae really delivered with this second book. Completely worth reading this, even if you didn’t like the first book.
5 stars! Kasta x Zahru endgame for the next book fr
btw Sakira in this book = absolute mood, how I feel pretty much every day 💀💀💀💀💀
August 6, 2021
Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
TW: violence, death, mentions of parental death, mentions of child neglect/emotional abuse
Rep: LGBTQ+ (side characters), racial diversity
I’m going to start by saying I wholeheartedly believed this was a duology, so you can imagine my confusion as I was reading and realized that there were still a lot of loose ends. Now, I thought the The Kinder Poison was a fun, quick read, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. I’d have to say that I felt similarly about The Cruelest Mercy, except some of the elements I actually enjoyed in book one were withered away here.
Truthfully, I was annoyed by a majority of this book - however, I do believe this was the author’s intent, so she actually did a good job writing the story. Zahru has a pretty major character shift, which ultimately is understandable as she is recovering from trauma. I did observe the lack of trauma attention in this book. We as the reader see how Zahru is coping, but no one around her really mentions it or checks in, besides to simply state “you’ve been through a lot.” This felt off. I actually had a lot of complaints with how the side characters were portrayed in this one. Especially considering Zahru’s friends and family are not very present in this book at all. I understand that part of this is because Zahru has pushed people away, but it felt really out of character for the others to not reach out and push and challenge her. There was a single attempt to aid her, however it was so lackluster and watered down it hardly counts. People were passively aggressively reacting to her but it was not helpful in the slightest.
I know there is a whole Team Jet versus Team Kasta conversation, which I am very neutral on. Katsa is probably one of the most interesting characters of the series, and although Zahru is our main protagonist and narrator, this also very much feels like Katsa’s story as well. I mean their fates are interwoven at this point. It feels like Jet is the obvious choice, the safe, good choice, but I believe he has a weak resolve and cowers away from confrontation. He really disappointed me in this novel, because it felt like, in many ways, he simply gave up. It didn’t align with his previous characterization and seemed unjustified. Kasta is always an enigma, making both Zahru and the reader unsure of his motives, leading one to question their own truths. There is so much to reconcile about this character, because he is past the point of being morally grey, but you can also understand his logic and his twisted manner of thinking.
What I Enjoyed:
1. Zahru came across as a semi-unreliable narrator, which created a lot of moments for me to ponder and try to piece together the truth.
2. Harsh experiences in life can leave lasting effects, Zahru does not come out unscathed. While I did not enjoy many of her choices, they made sense with her how she now viewed herself and others.
3. Several questions from The Kinder Poison are answered.
4. The romantic moments were not forced and were few, and far-between. I know many people will be disappointed by the reduction in romance, but forcing a romance with everything that was going on would have felt inauthentic to the storyline and the characters.
5. Similarly, to The Kinder Poison, the epilogue is engaging and leaves you curious for the next book.
What I Disliked:
1.Slow plot progression, we were primarily just in Zahru’s head and getting a new character study on her for about 80% of the novel. There was not a lot happening, just showing new dynamics. I don’t necessarily want to say this has middle book syndrome, because I see what the author was trying to do. However, she lingered too long in certain areas and didn’t explore others enough.
2. Unjustified characterization changes - why were Zahru’s friends giving countless furtive looks, but could never open their mouths and vocalize their true thoughts? They were not the outspoken, present bunch we have come to know. I say that it's unjustified because we get no real reason for why they act the way we do. We get some explanation for Jet, but as I stated it felt out of character making his actions feel questionable.
3. A few check-ins with characters that did not lead to anything, perhaps this will be explored in the third book?
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
TW: violence, death, mentions of parental death, mentions of child neglect/emotional abuse
Rep: LGBTQ+ (side characters), racial diversity
I’m going to start by saying I wholeheartedly believed this was a duology, so you can imagine my confusion as I was reading and realized that there were still a lot of loose ends. Now, I thought the The Kinder Poison was a fun, quick read, but it didn’t really bring anything new to the table. I’d have to say that I felt similarly about The Cruelest Mercy, except some of the elements I actually enjoyed in book one were withered away here.
Truthfully, I was annoyed by a majority of this book - however, I do believe this was the author’s intent, so she actually did a good job writing the story. Zahru has a pretty major character shift, which ultimately is understandable as she is recovering from trauma. I did observe the lack of trauma attention in this book. We as the reader see how Zahru is coping, but no one around her really mentions it or checks in, besides to simply state “you’ve been through a lot.” This felt off. I actually had a lot of complaints with how the side characters were portrayed in this one. Especially considering Zahru’s friends and family are not very present in this book at all. I understand that part of this is because Zahru has pushed people away, but it felt really out of character for the others to not reach out and push and challenge her. There was a single attempt to aid her, however it was so lackluster and watered down it hardly counts. People were passively aggressively reacting to her but it was not helpful in the slightest.
I know there is a whole Team Jet versus Team Kasta conversation, which I am very neutral on. Katsa is probably one of the most interesting characters of the series, and although Zahru is our main protagonist and narrator, this also very much feels like Katsa’s story as well. I mean their fates are interwoven at this point. It feels like Jet is the obvious choice, the safe, good choice, but I believe he has a weak resolve and cowers away from confrontation. He really disappointed me in this novel, because it felt like, in many ways, he simply gave up. It didn’t align with his previous characterization and seemed unjustified. Kasta is always an enigma, making both Zahru and the reader unsure of his motives, leading one to question their own truths. There is so much to reconcile about this character, because he is past the point of being morally grey, but you can also understand his logic and his twisted manner of thinking.
What I Enjoyed:
1. Zahru came across as a semi-unreliable narrator, which created a lot of moments for me to ponder and try to piece together the truth.
2. Harsh experiences in life can leave lasting effects, Zahru does not come out unscathed. While I did not enjoy many of her choices, they made sense with her how she now viewed herself and others.
3. Several questions from The Kinder Poison are answered.
4. The romantic moments were not forced and were few, and far-between. I know many people will be disappointed by the reduction in romance, but forcing a romance with everything that was going on would have felt inauthentic to the storyline and the characters.
5. Similarly, to The Kinder Poison, the epilogue is engaging and leaves you curious for the next book.
What I Disliked:
1.Slow plot progression, we were primarily just in Zahru’s head and getting a new character study on her for about 80% of the novel. There was not a lot happening, just showing new dynamics. I don’t necessarily want to say this has middle book syndrome, because I see what the author was trying to do. However, she lingered too long in certain areas and didn’t explore others enough.
2. Unjustified characterization changes - why were Zahru’s friends giving countless furtive looks, but could never open their mouths and vocalize their true thoughts? They were not the outspoken, present bunch we have come to know. I say that it's unjustified because we get no real reason for why they act the way we do. We get some explanation for Jet, but as I stated it felt out of character making his actions feel questionable.
3. A few check-ins with characters that did not lead to anything, perhaps this will be explored in the third book?
June 11, 2021
4 stars
Warning: this review contains a lot of run-on sentences and full-on fangirling. If you’re someone who facepalms every time someone else makes a big grammar mistake, you can expect your face to be red and stinging by the time you’ve finished reading my review.
Hi I’m back with another warning: this review will contain minor spoilers for the first book, The Kinder Poison.
okay GUYS. THIS WAS ONE OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES OF THE YEAR, AND I’M SO HAPPY BECAUSE I GOT MY COPY BEFORE THE BOOK EVEN CAME OUT (for clarification, you can see my status update here)!!! I have to say, though I really really really enjoyed the book, it was also kind of a mild case of Second Book Syndrome :/. I just feel like The Kinder Poison was a lot more action-packed and plot-twisty than this one, ya know?
So basically, there’s this gal named Zahru (our main character), and she’s trying to save the world from imminent doom (why does that sound familiar? Oh yeah, maybe because that’s basically the plot of every YA fantasy book ever. But whatever.). Sounds interesting, yes? Well, Zahru dearest doesn’t actually do much to try and stop the bad people. Instead, she kind of just wallows in self-pity and frustration because who-knows-why. We really only get action in small spurts, and it always comes out of nowhere. HOWEVER, whenever that action DOES show up, IT’S REALLY GOOD. Like, REALLY REALLY GOOD. Soooo….🤷♀️. I also thought that while certain scenes in the book were redundant, others were super super fascinating and absolutely amazing. So I guess the plot was kind of hit-or-miss? 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
As with the plot, the quality of the characters were inconsistent. For example, while Zahru and Kasta undergo a LOT of interesting development, some of my favorite characters from the previous book (like Marcus and Melia) kind of just sank into the background. We barely get any scenes with them, which was SO DISAPPOINTING. BUT. KASTA. HE IS SUCH A COMPLEX AND INTRICATE CHARACTER. WE GET SOOOO MUCH DEVELOPMENT FROM HIM, AND HIS MORALLY-GREYNESS IS PERFECT! I FEEL LIKE THAT KIND OF EVENS OUT THE LACK OF APPEARANCES FROM MARCUS AND MELIA (???). Aaand it was super interesting to watch as Zahru changed from a starry-eyed stable girl to a ruthless(ish) ruler. So like I said: the characters are pretty hit-or-miss.
Okay but the biggest sigh-inducer for me was that we got alllll this talk about a dangerous enemy, but we didn't even get to meet the enemy’s ruler. What’s up with that? I feel like we could’ve gotten much better character development for the antagonist.
OKAY SO SO FAR, I HAVEN’T SOUNDED VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS BOOK, BUT AS WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT COUPLE PARAGRAPHS, YOU WILL SEE WHY I RATED IT FOUR STARS. (grammar aficionados, get ready for a lot of cringing.)
SO SO SO SO SO. LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT KASTA AND ZAHRU FOR A SECONDDDD. THESE KIDS ARE PROBABLY MY OTP OF THE YEAR, EVEN THOUGH THEY ABSOLUTELY HATE EACH OTHER!!!! (I mean, come on - in the previous book, Kasta tried to kill Zahru. The hate’s pretty justified.). THEY ARE THE DEFINITION OF ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS (actually they aren’t even lovers but we’re gonna ignore that fact) AND I LOVE THEM TO THE END OF THE WORLDDD. WHY?? WELL. LET’S SEE.
-THEIR CHEMISTRY IS OFF THE CHARTS
-THEY ARE SOOO UNPREDICTABLE - WILL THEY STAB EACH OTHER? WILL THEY KISS? WHO KNOWS??? IT’D BE ENTERTAINING EITHER WAY!!
-DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DOWN, THEY KNOW THEY LOVE EACH OTHER AND IT’S SO CUTE
-THEIR BANTER-ISH TALK IS SOOOOO CUTEE AND I LOVE ITTT
-THE SLOW-BURN ROMANCE IS PERFECTLY EXECUTED!!!
JET HONEY, YOU BETTER BACK OFF BECAUSE YOU AIN’T GOT NOTHIN ON KASTA. (yes, there is kind of a love triangle. no, it is not childish or annoying.)
So BASICALLY, I’d say that although I liked The Kinder Poison more, The Cruelest Mercy wasn’t that bad either. But I’ll admit that Kasta gave this book half of its stars.
Warning: this review contains a lot of run-on sentences and full-on fangirling. If you’re someone who facepalms every time someone else makes a big grammar mistake, you can expect your face to be red and stinging by the time you’ve finished reading my review.
Hi I’m back with another warning: this review will contain minor spoilers for the first book, The Kinder Poison.
okay GUYS. THIS WAS ONE OF MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES OF THE YEAR, AND I’M SO HAPPY BECAUSE I GOT MY COPY BEFORE THE BOOK EVEN CAME OUT (for clarification, you can see my status update here)!!! I have to say, though I really really really enjoyed the book, it was also kind of a mild case of Second Book Syndrome :/. I just feel like The Kinder Poison was a lot more action-packed and plot-twisty than this one, ya know?
So basically, there’s this gal named Zahru (our main character), and she’s trying to save the world from imminent doom (why does that sound familiar? Oh yeah, maybe because that’s basically the plot of every YA fantasy book ever. But whatever.). Sounds interesting, yes? Well, Zahru dearest doesn’t actually do much to try and stop the bad people. Instead, she kind of just wallows in self-pity and frustration because who-knows-why. We really only get action in small spurts, and it always comes out of nowhere. HOWEVER, whenever that action DOES show up, IT’S REALLY GOOD. Like, REALLY REALLY GOOD. Soooo….🤷♀️. I also thought that while certain scenes in the book were redundant, others were super super fascinating and absolutely amazing. So I guess the plot was kind of hit-or-miss? 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️
As with the plot, the quality of the characters were inconsistent. For example, while Zahru and Kasta undergo a LOT of interesting development, some of my favorite characters from the previous book (like Marcus and Melia) kind of just sank into the background. We barely get any scenes with them, which was SO DISAPPOINTING. BUT. KASTA. HE IS SUCH A COMPLEX AND INTRICATE CHARACTER. WE GET SOOOO MUCH DEVELOPMENT FROM HIM, AND HIS MORALLY-GREYNESS IS PERFECT! I FEEL LIKE THAT KIND OF EVENS OUT THE LACK OF APPEARANCES FROM MARCUS AND MELIA (???). Aaand it was super interesting to watch as Zahru changed from a starry-eyed stable girl to a ruthless(ish) ruler. So like I said: the characters are pretty hit-or-miss.
Okay but the biggest sigh-inducer for me was that we got alllll this talk about a dangerous enemy, but we didn't even get to meet the enemy’s ruler. What’s up with that? I feel like we could’ve gotten much better character development for the antagonist.
OKAY SO SO FAR, I HAVEN’T SOUNDED VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS BOOK, BUT AS WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT COUPLE PARAGRAPHS, YOU WILL SEE WHY I RATED IT FOUR STARS. (grammar aficionados, get ready for a lot of cringing.)
SO SO SO SO SO. LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT KASTA AND ZAHRU FOR A SECONDDDD. THESE KIDS ARE PROBABLY MY OTP OF THE YEAR, EVEN THOUGH THEY ABSOLUTELY HATE EACH OTHER!!!! (I mean, come on - in the previous book, Kasta tried to kill Zahru. The hate’s pretty justified.). THEY ARE THE DEFINITION OF ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS (actually they aren’t even lovers but we’re gonna ignore that fact) AND I LOVE THEM TO THE END OF THE WORLDDD. WHY?? WELL. LET’S SEE.
-THEIR CHEMISTRY IS OFF THE CHARTS
-THEY ARE SOOO UNPREDICTABLE - WILL THEY STAB EACH OTHER? WILL THEY KISS? WHO KNOWS??? IT’D BE ENTERTAINING EITHER WAY!!
-DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DOWN, THEY KNOW THEY LOVE EACH OTHER AND IT’S SO CUTE
-THEIR BANTER-ISH TALK IS SOOOOO CUTEE AND I LOVE ITTT
-THE SLOW-BURN ROMANCE IS PERFECTLY EXECUTED!!!
JET HONEY, YOU BETTER BACK OFF BECAUSE YOU AIN’T GOT NOTHIN ON KASTA. (yes, there is kind of a love triangle. no, it is not childish or annoying.)
So BASICALLY, I’d say that although I liked The Kinder Poison more, The Cruelest Mercy wasn’t that bad either. But I’ll admit that Kasta gave this book half of its stars.
June 17, 2021
“Leave the monsters to monsters.”
There comes a moment when a morally grey character walks into your life and upends your sense of self goodness. Mae, you officially have me questioning my heart’s sanity after finishing this round. Book two picks up a moon or so after the closure of The Kinder Poison. Now anyone can read the synopsis of this second installment and have the mouth drop ending of book one blown, but I will skate around that portion for those who haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It really set the stage for how much I enjoyed this series. Skipping the plot line, I’ll go into my overall feelings which begin with the characters.
The characters… I love them. These are character driven novels and I appreciate the depth and emotion Mae puts into each one. Even down to the furry counterparts running amuck. Zahru may make some questionable life choices, but she is a character that has shown growth in every book so far. I even believe I saw an inkling of the morally grey streak her persona this round and I have to admit that I liked it. Still debating if I am a fan of Jet. You know those characters that seem just too good to be true?! Maybe I am just used to being blindsided by a dark side too often, but this is what makes these books so fun. Jet, I am keeping an eye on that one… you just never know what will happen next. Mae definitely keeps things on edge.
The magic system sticks to the same easy to follow level but with a few added twists that amp up the fantasy factor and really play into the climax well. There is still a simplistic worldbuilding too me since it is character driven, but I do love the vivid descriptions when they are present. If I had any qualms it tended toward the inner monologues of Zahru. Her inner mental battels made me want to shake her sometimes. Who doesn’t get that way though when the story is in the thick of it? There are some slower areas but overall, I loved getting back into this world.
If you’re a fan of The Kinder Poison, I am pretty sure you’ll enjoy where book two takes you. I’d also recommend this to YA fantasy lovers who enjoy a well-crafted character driven read. Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
There comes a moment when a morally grey character walks into your life and upends your sense of self goodness. Mae, you officially have me questioning my heart’s sanity after finishing this round. Book two picks up a moon or so after the closure of The Kinder Poison. Now anyone can read the synopsis of this second installment and have the mouth drop ending of book one blown, but I will skate around that portion for those who haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It really set the stage for how much I enjoyed this series. Skipping the plot line, I’ll go into my overall feelings which begin with the characters.
The characters… I love them. These are character driven novels and I appreciate the depth and emotion Mae puts into each one. Even down to the furry counterparts running amuck. Zahru may make some questionable life choices, but she is a character that has shown growth in every book so far. I even believe I saw an inkling of the morally grey streak her persona this round and I have to admit that I liked it. Still debating if I am a fan of Jet. You know those characters that seem just too good to be true?! Maybe I am just used to being blindsided by a dark side too often, but this is what makes these books so fun. Jet, I am keeping an eye on that one… you just never know what will happen next. Mae definitely keeps things on edge.
The magic system sticks to the same easy to follow level but with a few added twists that amp up the fantasy factor and really play into the climax well. There is still a simplistic worldbuilding too me since it is character driven, but I do love the vivid descriptions when they are present. If I had any qualms it tended toward the inner monologues of Zahru. Her inner mental battels made me want to shake her sometimes. Who doesn’t get that way though when the story is in the thick of it? There are some slower areas but overall, I loved getting back into this world.
If you’re a fan of The Kinder Poison, I am pretty sure you’ll enjoy where book two takes you. I’d also recommend this to YA fantasy lovers who enjoy a well-crafted character driven read. Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion.
February 19, 2023
I don't even know how to feel about this. Because that ending HURT. I love morally grey characters, don't get me wrong, but this was a completely different direction than I was expecting.
I gotta get this out of the way now, so I might as well say it. I hate Jet. He's the only thing standing in the way of a Zahru/Kasta endgame, and it's driving me crazy. I couldn't be happier if he just walked into a lake of lava. He plays like he's mister nice guy, but he's really a manipulative asshole.
Kasta on the other hand is my favorite. He's the perfect mix of sweet and vicious, of brooding and romantic. We got quite a bit of him in this one, but I still wanted more. I just knew that any scenes with him would be absolutely filled with tension, and they were.
And Zahru is the heroine we all want. She was willing to do anything for her beliefs. Sure, I got a bit tired of her jumping to conclusions and always assuming the worst, but I felt like her ultimate arc was done so well. I was in complete shock at the ending, as I had NO idea what was coming.
I'm not sure if I love this as a conclusion to the series, but considering the author has said there may be more books, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The epilogue wasn't enough, I need my ship set in stone. No arguments, I need them to survive and be a power couple together.
2/18/2023 Reread
I'd forgotten how much this ending HURT. Because every event in there was painful. While I took it all at face value on my first read-through, my current analysis is completely different. Despite the change, I still loved this just as much, if not more. It's amazing. I'm so happy that we get a third book despite this being dropped by the publisher. This series deserves all the hype and success in the world.
I gotta get this out of the way now, so I might as well say it. I hate Jet. He's the only thing standing in the way of a Zahru/Kasta endgame, and it's driving me crazy. I couldn't be happier if he just walked into a lake of lava. He plays like he's mister nice guy, but he's really a manipulative asshole.
Kasta on the other hand is my favorite. He's the perfect mix of sweet and vicious, of brooding and romantic. We got quite a bit of him in this one, but I still wanted more. I just knew that any scenes with him would be absolutely filled with tension, and they were.
And Zahru is the heroine we all want. She was willing to do anything for her beliefs. Sure, I got a bit tired of her jumping to conclusions and always assuming the worst, but I felt like her ultimate arc was done so well. I was in complete shock at the ending, as I had NO idea what was coming.
I'm not sure if I love this as a conclusion to the series, but considering the author has said there may be more books, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The epilogue wasn't enough, I need my ship set in stone. No arguments, I need them to survive and be a power couple together.
2/18/2023 Reread
I'd forgotten how much this ending HURT. Because every event in there was painful. While I took it all at face value on my first read-through, my current analysis is completely different. Despite the change, I still loved this just as much, if not more. It's amazing. I'm so happy that we get a third book despite this being dropped by the publisher. This series deserves all the hype and success in the world.
February 27, 2025
Reread: 6 stars
Blown away. This is a trueeee villain arc.
_____________
5 stars 🌟
Oh my goodness. How did book 2 beat book 1?!?! I was so scared for second book syndrome on this one but omg its stunning. 😍 I love Zahru more than ever, one of my fave mc's EVER. Also Jet goodbye. I knew there was something off about you. HELLLOOO KASTA!! ❤️🔥😍💞🥵 I sense a new fave morally prince coming up. PLEASE PLEASE ZAHRU CHOOSE KASTA. Dying for book 3.
Blown away. This is a trueeee villain arc.
_____________
5 stars 🌟
Oh my goodness. How did book 2 beat book 1?!?! I was so scared for second book syndrome on this one but omg its stunning. 😍 I love Zahru more than ever, one of my fave mc's EVER. Also Jet goodbye. I knew there was something off about you. HELLLOOO KASTA!! ❤️🔥😍💞🥵 I sense a new fave morally prince coming up. PLEASE PLEASE ZAHRU CHOOSE KASTA. Dying for book 3.
Read
June 26, 2021As much as the first book was about the power of Zahru’s kindness and the potential for redemption, this book was about the darkest parts of the characters and their willingness to make bad choices for what they think is the right reason. I need a third book in this series…I need redemption💚
July 31, 2021
this book would've been far better if not for the anticlimatic girlboss gatekeep gaslight ending.
January 20, 2023
Second reading, lowering rating to 4 stars.
July 31, 2021
zahru a loser i’m sorry no one’s believing that girl can rule a country. i hate feminism
Want to read
June 14, 2021Oh wait this comes out tomorrow??
July 15, 2021
Two-Crappy-Stars!!
In comparison to it's predecessor, this book is totally crap! I'm so so disappointing with this!!
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 . . . 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞."
The most disappointing thing was that there was no plot. Without a proper plot, the story rapidly went downhill right after its opening scene. Zahru just kept sneaking around to prove her theories right from beginning to end. It's main focus was on political intrigue which I found boring as hell. The writing was dull and ordinary as well. Old characters lost their touch entirely and the author didn't even try to insert some new characters to raise the stakes or excitement. Zahru was childish, snappy and disgruntled throughout this book for no good reason, therefore it is safe to say that she let the power rule over her rather than to rule with power. On the other hand, Kasta appeared right in his element with his calm demeanor and strategic political tactics. I was counting on romance (which we glimpsed in the first book) to save this sequel, but it was nowhere to be seen. Even though everything felt half-hearted, the end turned out to be satisfactory.
Overall, this sequel is really bad and nothing noteworthy happened in it. I won't recommend it to anybody!
In comparison to it's predecessor, this book is totally crap! I'm so so disappointing with this!!
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 . . . 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞."
The most disappointing thing was that there was no plot. Without a proper plot, the story rapidly went downhill right after its opening scene. Zahru just kept sneaking around to prove her theories right from beginning to end. It's main focus was on political intrigue which I found boring as hell. The writing was dull and ordinary as well. Old characters lost their touch entirely and the author didn't even try to insert some new characters to raise the stakes or excitement. Zahru was childish, snappy and disgruntled throughout this book for no good reason, therefore it is safe to say that she let the power rule over her rather than to rule with power. On the other hand, Kasta appeared right in his element with his calm demeanor and strategic political tactics. I was counting on romance (which we glimpsed in the first book) to save this sequel, but it was nowhere to be seen. Even though everything felt half-hearted, the end turned out to be satisfactory.
Overall, this sequel is really bad and nothing noteworthy happened in it. I won't recommend it to anybody!
December 28, 2021
I get that Kasta and Zahru had tension but does anyone remember when he tried to kill her on multiple occasions??? Even after they kissed, he was still planning on sacrificing her!!! And he wouldn’t have to choose between her or the throne if he hadn’t been the reason she was the sacrifice! Y’all are nuts.
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