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Books of the Sundered #3
Lady of Mercy
Part of the "Sundered" series - the heroine continues her struggle against the forces of evil. The harrowing tale of Erin Elliath, warrior and healer, continues in this episode of the battle between good and evil. When Erin rejects her position as Lady Sara, wife to the First Servant of the Dark Heart, she escapes from her husband's lands with the help of Darin, the Patriarch of Culverne and the last of his line. After combining forces with the deposed prince of Marantine and a mysterious old man - who has magic skills that neither Erin or Darin can identify - the foursome hatch a plan to wrestle control of the usurped kingdom of Marantine away from the priests of the Dark Heart. Meanwhile, Erin continues to struggle with her part in the betrayal of her people, the deaths of her most beloved friends, as well as her feelings for the man who doomed them for her sake.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
16 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Sagara West
84 books924 followersSee also:
Michelle Sagara
Michelle West
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
Michelle Sagara
Michelle West
She lives in Toronto with her long-suffering husband and her two children, and to her regret has no dogs.
Reading is one of her life-long passions, and she is sometimes paid for her opinions about what she’s read by the venerable Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. No matter how many bookshelves she buys, there is Never Enough Shelf space. Ever.
She has published as Michelle Sagara (her legal name), as Michelle West (her husband's surname), and as Michelle Sagara West (a combination of the two).
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 10, 2017
This was my least favourite of the series because the male lead was hardly in it and it was filled with too many people that just didn't matter! Really frustrating
October 10, 2023
I can't really pay attention to this series, it's not terribly interesting. I will give Michelle's other series a try, tho. This is a very early work of hers so I am hopeful
Series overview
The Sundered
1. Into the Dark Lands : 2/5 stars
2. Children of the Blood: 3/5 stars
3. Lady Mercy: 2/5 stars
4. Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light Not Reading
Series overview
The Sundered
1. Into the Dark Lands : 2/5 stars
2. Children of the Blood: 3/5 stars
3. Lady Mercy: 2/5 stars
4. Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light Not Reading
June 12, 2009
Genre: High Fantasy
This book was slow. The core of the story of the series (imo) is the relationship between Erin/Sara and Stefanos. The last time they interact in this book is about page 20, which I'm sure explains some of why the book was slow.
If the first book was Erin falling in love with Stefanos, and the second was Stefanos falling in love with Erin, then this book was Erin coming to accept that love alone is not enough. Of course, it's also about Stefanos, finally, centuries later, collecting his deserts for the actions he took at the end of the first book. But mostly it's about Erin/Sara. All Stefanos really gets to do for most of the book is wallow in misery (and be betrayed by his Dark Lord - but what else can you expect if the God you worship is into torture and destruction?)
I have hopes that the final book will be less plodding, but I'm starting to fear that the whole thing will end with a deus ex machina, which would be disappointing.
This book was slow. The core of the story of the series (imo) is the relationship between Erin/Sara and Stefanos. The last time they interact in this book is about page 20, which I'm sure explains some of why the book was slow.
If the first book was Erin falling in love with Stefanos, and the second was Stefanos falling in love with Erin, then this book was Erin coming to accept that love alone is not enough. Of course, it's also about Stefanos, finally, centuries later, collecting his deserts for the actions he took at the end of the first book. But mostly it's about Erin/Sara. All Stefanos really gets to do for most of the book is wallow in misery (and be betrayed by his Dark Lord - but what else can you expect if the God you worship is into torture and destruction?)
I have hopes that the final book will be less plodding, but I'm starting to fear that the whole thing will end with a deus ex machina, which would be disappointing.
September 2, 2013
Review first published at Fans of Michelle Sagara West
The eponymous Lady of Mercy is, of course, Erin. During the first book, Into the Dark Lands, Erin has ruled as an Empress at Stefanos' side, providing his people with a mercy unknown to them before, before mysteriously disappearing. Form that time, legends have been created, speaking of a time when the Lady of Mercy would come again to the Empire and free its people from the Dark Heart and its First Servant, Stefanos.
At the end of Children of the Blood, Erin has started to regain her memory, but she is still extremely vulnerable as she can't remember how to use her powers of the Light. In addition, she is more than a little disabused by all that happened and she may have lost her faith in the Bright Heart, a faith that has always been a little fragile. Stefanos's estate has been attacked by other Servants of the Dark Heart and he has barely managed to hold them back long enough to allow Erin and Darin to escape. A fact that was commented upon at length, as he should have had no problem to vanquish them all, but he had stop feeding on people's fear and blood for Erin sake and was left terribly weakened by that decision. Thus, he wasn't able to see what happened to Erin and the Second Servant take advantage of it by lying to him, saying that they have killed Erin. Stefanos is extremely hurt by this, to the great satisfaction of the Dark Heart. He thinks that he has only his Empire left now and decide to take the control of it back and to make the Priests pay for their betrayal.
During that time, Erin and Darin travel to Darin's former home, the last city to have fallen before Stefanos' power. Then, they meet local people and decide to take part in a rebellion aiming to taking back the control of the city as a first step toward defeating the Dark Heart and its Servants. Erin is also trying to decide what to do, go back to Stefanos? She is magical link to him and is feeling all his hurt (for some reasons I don't remember, Stefanos can't sense that she is still alive with the link) Or take part in the rebellion and reveal who she is to everyone, giving them a hope she thinks is false and risking to be judged for her betrayal and her love for Stefanos? She also must resolve her conflict with her faith and the Bright Heart. As for Darin, he too must learn how to control his power better and to accept his role of Patriarch of Culvern.
Lady of Mercy is my least favorite book of the series, principally because the principal focus of the series is the relationship between Erin and Stefanos and yet they spend all the book apart. This book is about Erin and Darin coming to term with their roles and responsibilities and about the rebellion. I don't really like Darin and I wasn't very interested in the new characters or the plot. As a result, I don't really remember any of the details, apart from what I've just said... It is a transition book, preparing the ground for the final climax, necessary but not really exceptional.
The eponymous Lady of Mercy is, of course, Erin. During the first book, Into the Dark Lands, Erin has ruled as an Empress at Stefanos' side, providing his people with a mercy unknown to them before, before mysteriously disappearing. Form that time, legends have been created, speaking of a time when the Lady of Mercy would come again to the Empire and free its people from the Dark Heart and its First Servant, Stefanos.
At the end of Children of the Blood, Erin has started to regain her memory, but she is still extremely vulnerable as she can't remember how to use her powers of the Light. In addition, she is more than a little disabused by all that happened and she may have lost her faith in the Bright Heart, a faith that has always been a little fragile. Stefanos's estate has been attacked by other Servants of the Dark Heart and he has barely managed to hold them back long enough to allow Erin and Darin to escape. A fact that was commented upon at length, as he should have had no problem to vanquish them all, but he had stop feeding on people's fear and blood for Erin sake and was left terribly weakened by that decision. Thus, he wasn't able to see what happened to Erin and the Second Servant take advantage of it by lying to him, saying that they have killed Erin. Stefanos is extremely hurt by this, to the great satisfaction of the Dark Heart. He thinks that he has only his Empire left now and decide to take the control of it back and to make the Priests pay for their betrayal.
During that time, Erin and Darin travel to Darin's former home, the last city to have fallen before Stefanos' power. Then, they meet local people and decide to take part in a rebellion aiming to taking back the control of the city as a first step toward defeating the Dark Heart and its Servants. Erin is also trying to decide what to do, go back to Stefanos? She is magical link to him and is feeling all his hurt (for some reasons I don't remember, Stefanos can't sense that she is still alive with the link) Or take part in the rebellion and reveal who she is to everyone, giving them a hope she thinks is false and risking to be judged for her betrayal and her love for Stefanos? She also must resolve her conflict with her faith and the Bright Heart. As for Darin, he too must learn how to control his power better and to accept his role of Patriarch of Culvern.
Lady of Mercy is my least favorite book of the series, principally because the principal focus of the series is the relationship between Erin and Stefanos and yet they spend all the book apart. This book is about Erin and Darin coming to term with their roles and responsibilities and about the rebellion. I don't really like Darin and I wasn't very interested in the new characters or the plot. As a result, I don't really remember any of the details, apart from what I've just said... It is a transition book, preparing the ground for the final climax, necessary but not really exceptional.
February 21, 2017
21.2.2017 - 3,5*
Stejně jako u dvojky - je tam hodně prvků, které mě iritovaly. Ironické je, že kdyby tam nebyly, tak by prostě... chyběly. Ve vývoji charakterů, v postupu dějové linie - a vykreslení a vysvětlení minulých událostí. Ale stejně jsem po celou dobu málem křičela frustrací - a při jedné určité scéně nejen křičela, ale i takřka brečela. Proč? Proč?
V tomto dílu se toho stalo hodě. Ale pro někoho, kdo je věčně za ten prvotní náznak v jedničce a kdo chce konečně vidět konec, trojka mi přišla jako dlouhý, dlouhý úvod k vyvrcholení, které se má rozehrát ve čtyřce. Nope, trojka nebyla nudná, naopak, představila nové charaktery, svět, vykreslila scénu s jasností a originalitou a umem dobrého spisovatele. Ale já čekala na jednu věc.
Pořád na ni čekám. A modlím se za ni.
Stejně jako u dvojky - je tam hodně prvků, které mě iritovaly. Ironické je, že kdyby tam nebyly, tak by prostě... chyběly. Ve vývoji charakterů, v postupu dějové linie - a vykreslení a vysvětlení minulých událostí. Ale stejně jsem po celou dobu málem křičela frustrací - a při jedné určité scéně nejen křičela, ale i takřka brečela. Proč? Proč?
V tomto dílu se toho stalo hodě. Ale pro někoho, kdo je věčně za ten prvotní náznak v jedničce a kdo chce konečně vidět konec, trojka mi přišla jako dlouhý, dlouhý úvod k vyvrcholení, které se má rozehrát ve čtyřce. Nope, trojka nebyla nudná, naopak, představila nové charaktery, svět, vykreslila scénu s jasností a originalitou a umem dobrého spisovatele. Ale já čekala na jednu věc.
Pořád na ni čekám. A modlím se za ni.
November 13, 2019
94 points, 4 ¾ stars!
Quote:
Review:
Lady of Mercy takes up immediately after the end of Children of the Blood....and then just kind of stops there for a while. Not a lot happens until the very end of the book. Which meant it was kind of boring. I really liked it, because I liked the characters, and I liked the overall story. I just felt something was missing overall, and I'm not exactly certain what it was.
There is a lot of travel in Lady of Mercy. Oh my, is there a lot of travelling. Then there is a lot of trying to figure out who the bad guys are. There are a few new characters, and you suspect all of them of betrayal because you don't know who they are, and you don't know what is up, but you know something is going to go down. It was definitely an interesting experience to read!
The thing I liked the most throughout Lady of Mercy was Erin, no longer 'Sara'. You feel a range of emotions with her. The betrayal from Stefanos. The depression from the loss of her people and that the person responsible was the person she loves. Even the loneliness, and the wish that she was with Stefanos, even though she hates him, and the guilt. This all swirls around inside her the entire time.
Plus, Erin learns what Sara means to the people. How much they revere her. How much of their hope is tangled in the tale. Lady of Mercy doesn't have a lot that happens. It was more a book of discovery. Erin figures out what she has to do, her fath forward. After that, it is just setting up the finale.
And all of this? All I've said? It's just a part of what makes everything so damn good.
Quote:
“It's always easier,' he offered at last, 'when you feel these things yourself; seeing them in other people reveals just how ugly they are.”
Review:
Lady of Mercy takes up immediately after the end of Children of the Blood....and then just kind of stops there for a while. Not a lot happens until the very end of the book. Which meant it was kind of boring. I really liked it, because I liked the characters, and I liked the overall story. I just felt something was missing overall, and I'm not exactly certain what it was.
There is a lot of travel in Lady of Mercy. Oh my, is there a lot of travelling. Then there is a lot of trying to figure out who the bad guys are. There are a few new characters, and you suspect all of them of betrayal because you don't know who they are, and you don't know what is up, but you know something is going to go down. It was definitely an interesting experience to read!
The thing I liked the most throughout Lady of Mercy was Erin, no longer 'Sara'. You feel a range of emotions with her. The betrayal from Stefanos. The depression from the loss of her people and that the person responsible was the person she loves. Even the loneliness, and the wish that she was with Stefanos, even though she hates him, and the guilt. This all swirls around inside her the entire time.
Plus, Erin learns what Sara means to the people. How much they revere her. How much of their hope is tangled in the tale. Lady of Mercy doesn't have a lot that happens. It was more a book of discovery. Erin figures out what she has to do, her fath forward. After that, it is just setting up the finale.
And all of this? All I've said? It's just a part of what makes everything so damn good.
September 16, 2020
You will be sorely disappointed if you're looking for more romance between Sara and Stefanos.
Sara and Darin run away and are almost immediately confronted by shields from one of the aspiring priests of the dark god. Two strangers come to their aid in the ensuing battle. The four of them team up and head for where the last stand of the Bright Heart had been held, coincidentally Darin's home.
I haven't gone back to verify but I think one of the newcomers is the character that Darin used to pretend to be when he playacted as a youngster.
Sara decides to put that identity behind her and resumes using the name Erin, confusing poor Darin mightily.
The four continue their quest, honing their skills along the way, until reaching their goal. Of course there is a battle of good against evil and a fairly surprising revelation of someone's true identity.
Ms. Sagara again jumps from scene to scene, character to character from one paragraph to the next with no warning, which is somewhat discomfiting but you get used to it after a while. You probably won't like it but you have to accept it since there's no alternative if you are as caught up in the story as I am.
Sara and Darin run away and are almost immediately confronted by shields from one of the aspiring priests of the dark god. Two strangers come to their aid in the ensuing battle. The four of them team up and head for where the last stand of the Bright Heart had been held, coincidentally Darin's home.
I haven't gone back to verify but I think one of the newcomers is the character that Darin used to pretend to be when he playacted as a youngster.
Sara decides to put that identity behind her and resumes using the name Erin, confusing poor Darin mightily.
The four continue their quest, honing their skills along the way, until reaching their goal. Of course there is a battle of good against evil and a fairly surprising revelation of someone's true identity.
Ms. Sagara again jumps from scene to scene, character to character from one paragraph to the next with no warning, which is somewhat discomfiting but you get used to it after a while. You probably won't like it but you have to accept it since there's no alternative if you are as caught up in the story as I am.
August 27, 2018
Umm what?!!!!!
I swear to God what happened at the end of that book better not be what I think is happening at the end of that book I cannot even, no no just no it's not right, it's just not allowed to happen I need my Erin/Sara- Stefanos fix. Fuck the prince/king off, he isn't allowed to ruin this!
I swear to God what happened at the end of that book better not be what I think is happening at the end of that book I cannot even, no no just no it's not right, it's just not allowed to happen I need my Erin/Sara- Stefanos fix. Fuck the prince/king off, he isn't allowed to ruin this!
September 5, 2019
I thought this was a trilogy. But from the ensuing it seems there might be more books to follow.
It was an ok read. During some of the conversations it was hard to track who was talking. And I wasn't took impressed by the ending. On second thought I should have given it three stars but I will leave it at four because for the most part I enjoyed the book.
It was an ok read. During some of the conversations it was hard to track who was talking. And I wasn't took impressed by the ending. On second thought I should have given it three stars but I will leave it at four because for the most part I enjoyed the book.
July 18, 2020
3.4
Not exactly my cup of tea but the end was worth it. ( review to come)
Not exactly my cup of tea but the end was worth it. ( review to come)
March 13, 2017
Despite the almost non-appearance of Stefanos, the story is still very much captivating to me as we explore the true skills of Erin, who has always seemed overshadowed by her lover in power. There is a lot more fighting and inner struggle in this book within our heroine and among other supporting characters, bringing the story a touch of high fantasy somehow diluted in the previous two books.
December 13, 2010
I would really choose 2.5 if there was such a choice. I've been looking to complete the series for ages, and had just re-read BK 2 in the series before this. I thought the second book was fine, but this book seemed to have pacing problems. Plus I didn't really care for the in-chapter jumps in POV, it felt a little scattered.
January 5, 2012
I still felt like we didn't have Erin as narrator often enough in this one, I like Darin well enough, but the first book was nothing but Erin, and that's who I want to hear about. There was definitely more going on in this one in comparison to the previous two and there was a nice little twist at the end.
February 9, 2012
I hadn't realized how good this writer is before being compelled to read The Sundered out of order (Lady of Mercy had no kindle edition).
I read Lady of Mercy a year after I finished the series. The writing was compelling, lyrical to the point that even if the events unfolds slowly and I knew what happened next I was riveted. Powerful.
I read Lady of Mercy a year after I finished the series. The writing was compelling, lyrical to the point that even if the events unfolds slowly and I knew what happened next I was riveted. Powerful.
September 6, 2010
Review of entire series posted under Chains of Darkness, Chains of Light.
July 19, 2011
This review applies to the Sundered Series as a whole.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
Clearly this is a beginning effort, but already, West shows the imagination that marks her later works. This is terrific stuff. Yes, it is dark, but even with the awkward writing style, it is very powerful.
February 13, 2012
I really liked this book. I would never have guessed who Trethar was in a million years. I didn't trust him at first, but after he was really helping Erin, Darin, and Renar to retake Dagothrin, I decided that I must have been wrong. Little did I know that he had his own agenda.
December 7, 2008
Predictable plot and character development. But, I was genuinely moved during certain scenes, which speaks to the strength of the writing.
Read
October 5, 2011Great ending!
February 17, 2014
This was a pretty weak entry into the saga, I think. It may have been necessary to the total story arc, but reading it was more chore than pleasure.
June 3, 2012
I gave this one four stars because it was the first of the Series where I actually felt like there was some real hope for the future LOL. The first two books I found pretty dark.
November 10, 2012
Slow start, and doesn't capture the tension of the attraction between Erin and the First that made the predecessors in this series interesting.
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January 8, 2021this whole series makes me cry repeatedly. it is very sad and depressing. yet i cant stop reading it.
September 11, 2014
I liked this one far better than the second book Children of the Blood and I'll gladly read get the last book from the library.
Read
April 16, 2014Amazing! Simply AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 24, 2015
A lot slower than the previous books. Stefanos wasn't in it much was was disappointing.
August 6, 2016
I liked this series more for the fact that I had the misfortune of seeing what it could have been with a lesser author writing it in the horrible Fallen World series by Laura Thalasssa.
October 7, 2016
More high fantasy and it was not to my taste, but that doesn't mean it was bad fantasy. It was a little slow-moving but there is a lot of world-building going on; it just didn't click for me.
October 27, 2011
A necessary continuance, but heart-wrenching! It was difficult to read after the first two books.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews