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Mercy's Quest
“Humans. We are all conditioned to think we come to earth to learn to be better, only to return to some origins rooted to a belief system that never stopped evolving. You cannot chase the meaning of a story that never ends.”
Mercy Stone comes from a long line of Blood Moon witches and, as such, is no stranger to coexisting alongside life’s great mysteries. Haunted by visions of a past life and the discovery of a gruesome family talisman, Mercy is led away from the hollows of Appalachia to New Orleans in search of answers. Along her path, Mercy re-encounters the magical beings she has known across her many lifetimes since time immemorial, including King Solomon, the Battle Crows of Carpathia and the Devil himself.
Mercy Stone comes from a long line of Blood Moon witches and, as such, is no stranger to coexisting alongside life’s great mysteries. Haunted by visions of a past life and the discovery of a gruesome family talisman, Mercy is led away from the hollows of Appalachia to New Orleans in search of answers. Along her path, Mercy re-encounters the magical beings she has known across her many lifetimes since time immemorial, including King Solomon, the Battle Crows of Carpathia and the Devil himself.
Paperback
Published June 21, 2022
4 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
East S.M.
1 book6 followersEast S. M. is an Appalachian Occultist, Diviner, educator, artist, performer, and now author. A cosmic being in her own right, she was born in a small Kentucky town that sits inside a meteorite crater. She spent her childhood studying under a strong matriarchal family that imparted its intuitive gifts and Appalachian Spirit practices from prior generations. East is continuously inspired by music and the power of myth. She enjoys reading paranormal, adventure, and occult fantasy fiction works. One of her highest callings and greatest gifts in life is to share her divinity and intuition through teaching and facilitating sacred ritual spaces. A wild past of wonderful and sometimes unspeakable experiences, and decades of empowering others to seek their own quests, has called East to share Mercy's story in the esoteric genre of Occult fiction. Her debut novel is the first in an anthology that reimagines the Spirit world, the human condition, and the necessity of both evolution and devolution within our lifetimes.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 11, 2022
I’ll jump straight into the blurb: Mercy is the youngest in a line of Appalachian Blood Stone witches. Already in touch with her powers, she knows more is waiting for her evolution. After unlocking a disconcerting family talisman, Mercy goes to New Orleans to visit her great aunt, a powerful witch in her own right. There, she follows the lead of a white crow and other guides and begins a journey to uncover her true self, a being more powerful than she could have imagined. However, there are enemies who would not only stand in her way, but also threaten humanity’s soul.
I’m going to be honest, the cover of this book creeped me out a little bit. But still, I liked the back cover blurb so I gave it a shot. The first thing that stood out is that this isn’t my typical Witchlit fare. You won’t get a cozy mystery where the author may or may not know much about the Craft other than a few spells. It’s obvious from the start that the author is a practitioner (even without reading her bio.). It was refreshing and I loved it.
However, soon after the story really took off, I started noticing that the dialogue and prose felt a little stilted and incorporated a lot of unmarked scene jumps. It was as if the plot outweighed the characterization, something I didn’t notice at the beginning of the book. After a bit of thought, I realized the style was reminiscent of The Celestine Prophecy by Jame Redfield. I read that book years ago and found it a remarkable story, but very high concept, which is an apt description for this novel as well. The plot of Mercy’s Quest is imaginative and detailed and maybe even possible on some level, but since I could never fully wrap my head around it, I felt removed from what was happening to the main character. And reading at a remove makes it hard for me to maintain a strong interest in the book.
Last words - I’m beginning to believe that lighter fare is better suited for me. Most of what I read on the occult is non-fiction, and nothing as deep as what was presented in this novel. If you liked a novel that deep dives into the occult like The Celestine Prophecy, you’ll probably also like this one. I’m impressed with the author’s knowledge, but I don’t think this was the best fit for me.
Thank you to Books Forward for providing the ARC of this book. I’ve left my review honestly and voluntarily.
I’m going to be honest, the cover of this book creeped me out a little bit. But still, I liked the back cover blurb so I gave it a shot. The first thing that stood out is that this isn’t my typical Witchlit fare. You won’t get a cozy mystery where the author may or may not know much about the Craft other than a few spells. It’s obvious from the start that the author is a practitioner (even without reading her bio.). It was refreshing and I loved it.
However, soon after the story really took off, I started noticing that the dialogue and prose felt a little stilted and incorporated a lot of unmarked scene jumps. It was as if the plot outweighed the characterization, something I didn’t notice at the beginning of the book. After a bit of thought, I realized the style was reminiscent of The Celestine Prophecy by Jame Redfield. I read that book years ago and found it a remarkable story, but very high concept, which is an apt description for this novel as well. The plot of Mercy’s Quest is imaginative and detailed and maybe even possible on some level, but since I could never fully wrap my head around it, I felt removed from what was happening to the main character. And reading at a remove makes it hard for me to maintain a strong interest in the book.
Last words - I’m beginning to believe that lighter fare is better suited for me. Most of what I read on the occult is non-fiction, and nothing as deep as what was presented in this novel. If you liked a novel that deep dives into the occult like The Celestine Prophecy, you’ll probably also like this one. I’m impressed with the author’s knowledge, but I don’t think this was the best fit for me.
Thank you to Books Forward for providing the ARC of this book. I’ve left my review honestly and voluntarily.
November 17, 2022
I finally finished this book. I really connected with many of the characters. The ending was a solid foundation for future books (hopefully). I loved hearing about mercy's life in Appalachia, and absorbing myself into the fantasy. My sincere and only critique is that I was confused during the parts where mercy was becoming her ascended self. I felt like there was back story that I was missing. However, I also feel like if the author had taken the time for the backstory it would have been an extremely long book. I look forward to more books from East in the future. The quest has only begun. ✨
July 9, 2022
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed and part that I'm still not sure how I feel. Mercy and her family have powers and are open to the universes magic and whatever their destiny might be. I enjoyed Mercy's interactions with her grandmother and great aunt. I also enjoyed her meeting the other's she had to meet on her quest to become whoever/whatever it is that she truly is meant to be.
The book is heavy on the occult and past lives. Many of the characters have multiple names and forms, which can be a little difficult to follow at times. Some of the more magical grander being have verbiage that is a bit grandiose and pretentious and those were the parts that lost me a bit but the main story was interesting enough to bring me back.
Overall if you like an occult story with a rich backstory that unfolds with the current timeline, this is a great book to read. The cover is slightly off-putting but the more I look at it the more it really does get the vibe of the story right.
The book is heavy on the occult and past lives. Many of the characters have multiple names and forms, which can be a little difficult to follow at times. Some of the more magical grander being have verbiage that is a bit grandiose and pretentious and those were the parts that lost me a bit but the main story was interesting enough to bring me back.
Overall if you like an occult story with a rich backstory that unfolds with the current timeline, this is a great book to read. The cover is slightly off-putting but the more I look at it the more it really does get the vibe of the story right.
July 6, 2022
This is a lovely younique debut novel for this author. I am intrigued to see more from her. Lots of blood and gore and I just loved it. Its rare to find that in a novel unless its horror nowadays.
If you love occult fiction, you will find enjoyment in this. Additional points for your interests if you love Romance. The author’s knowledge about Occult clearly shows in their world .
Mercy's journey is filled with visions and amazing characters sure to keep any reader of occult fantasy engaged. The author really shines in her descriptions of Mercy's visions.
This first of the series takes us from Appalachia to New Orleans to magical landscapes where we engage her allies and enemies in a pursuit of knowledge and power. East S. M. draws the reader through a young woman’s journey of claiming her magical inheritance as she is forced to make heartbreaking decisions to right a path gone wrong.
If you love occult fiction, you will find enjoyment in this. Additional points for your interests if you love Romance. The author’s knowledge about Occult clearly shows in their world .
Mercy's journey is filled with visions and amazing characters sure to keep any reader of occult fantasy engaged. The author really shines in her descriptions of Mercy's visions.
This first of the series takes us from Appalachia to New Orleans to magical landscapes where we engage her allies and enemies in a pursuit of knowledge and power. East S. M. draws the reader through a young woman’s journey of claiming her magical inheritance as she is forced to make heartbreaking decisions to right a path gone wrong.
June 21, 2022
Thank you Books Forward for sending me an ARC to read, share, and review!
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CW: Hanging, Blood, Severed Finger, Mentions Of Animal Slaughter, Image/Art Involving Animal Slaughter
.
This novel has really good writing that I have a few quotes I have noted myself. Although there were that I have been confused with what was going on and, going back to the writing, I think it was one of the reasons why I was left confused with the setting and time stamp of the story and there was a lot going on but maybe it was just me.
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The book was not for me as I thought it would be, but if you love occult fiction, you will find enjoyment in this. Additional points for your interests if you love Romance (as it, I can say, predominantly exists). And the author’s knowledge about Occult that clearly shows in their world and writing is also worth commending!
.
CW: Hanging, Blood, Severed Finger, Mentions Of Animal Slaughter, Image/Art Involving Animal Slaughter
.
This novel has really good writing that I have a few quotes I have noted myself. Although there were that I have been confused with what was going on and, going back to the writing, I think it was one of the reasons why I was left confused with the setting and time stamp of the story and there was a lot going on but maybe it was just me.
.
The book was not for me as I thought it would be, but if you love occult fiction, you will find enjoyment in this. Additional points for your interests if you love Romance (as it, I can say, predominantly exists). And the author’s knowledge about Occult that clearly shows in their world and writing is also worth commending!
October 25, 2022
Anticipating the next in the series! The last few chapters are gripping. Mercy is a delightful quest with a little fantasy feel. The main character is on an adventure of discovery that moves her through earthly and spiritual realms to make whole the deeds of the past, and of course, to put an end to a really villainous organization. Beautiful artwork accompanied the story. Fun tie into tarot and the occult as well as herbology. Many of the characters could have side stories all their own. The only reason for not giving it a 5 star was there are a few disjointed aspects to the story I'm hoping will be ironed out in the following books.
May 12, 2022
A Blood Moon Witch is in the room. Move over Mayfairs.
East S. M.’s debut novel, Mercy’s Quest is a solid debut in the occult fiction genre. This first of the series takes us from Appalachia to New Orleans to magical landscapes where we engage her allies and enemies in a pursuit of knowledge and power. Told with the proficiency of metaphysician and the heart of a storyteller, East S. M. draws the reader through a young woman’s journey of claiming her magical inheritance as she is forced to make heartbreaking decisions to right a path gone wrong.
East S. M.’s debut novel, Mercy’s Quest is a solid debut in the occult fiction genre. This first of the series takes us from Appalachia to New Orleans to magical landscapes where we engage her allies and enemies in a pursuit of knowledge and power. Told with the proficiency of metaphysician and the heart of a storyteller, East S. M. draws the reader through a young woman’s journey of claiming her magical inheritance as she is forced to make heartbreaking decisions to right a path gone wrong.
May 12, 2022
Loved this book! I haven't read an occult fiction book in a long time, but I'll be picking up this genre more often again thanks to this book! It follows Mercy, who comes from a line of Blood Moon witches, as she heads into New Orleans on a quest. I'm a big fan of the world East creates, and the characters Mercy encounters!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews