3.5 stars

I don't read Fantasy-- ever really. Just wanted you to know that because it probably makes my review less reliable?? I don't know what interested me about this particular Fantasy. Maybe it was because it's a standalone? Maybe it was because the synopsis says it's "A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory."?? Either way, it wound up being the first Fantasy book I've read this year.

Because I don't read a ton of Fantasy, it's hard for me to wrap my head around having to learn about a new world. When I read Contemporary, I just have to worry about what the characters are up to-- I understand how 20-21st Century planet Earth works. In Fantasy, I have to spend a lot of the beginnings of the books THINKING and UNDERSTANDING-- and apparently, I've become lazy when it comes to braining.

So, because of all that stuff, and because of the way this book starts, I almost DNF'd. The beginning is SLOW and not because I'm not a Fantasy-pro. I feel like most people will find the beginning of this a tad boring. It takes a while before the general action picks up & waiting for that had me thinking I wouldn't be able to finish this book.

I'm happy to say I stuck it out and this book got good!!! It's total girl-power, boss-bitch stuff. There's a gang of 4 females (and one dude, but he knows his role) who decide to journey to fight a beast and there is ZERO question that they wouldn't be able to do it because they're women.

I definitely got into this book and the friendship in the group had me totally attached to all the characters. It also had me TERRIFIED because I was so attached to these characters!! I didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them!!

The storytelling in this book is what really got me. I knew the author was good at telling a tale-- it was sort of one of my complaints about [b:Wink Poppy Midnight|23203106|Wink Poppy Midnight|April Genevieve Tucholke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1456506698s/23203106.jpg|42747167], it felt too much like a fairy tale to be real. But here it TOTALLY worked. This feels like a real fairy tale... if there was a fairy tale about bad-ass warrior girls on a journey to slay a beast and save their world.

OVERALL: Cheers to my first Fantasy book in FOREVERRRRR. Once this story got going, I really liked the storytelling and the way this group was a family to each other. If you like adventure and mythology/fairy tales/folklore, this should totally go on your TBR!

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A thrilling story set (vaguely) in the world of Norse mythology - giants, trolls, and witches (both good and bad) abound.

Frey and her band of Boneless Mercies travel around, meeting various groups and getting themselves involved in enough future quests to last them for the rest of their lives. I truly felt what it was like to travel around fighting and surviving in a cold, unforgiving winter, living for companionship and glory. ( )

This is a dark YA fantasy based on the poem Beowulf. I have some knowledge of the poem and this was an interesting take on it. The group of Boneless Mercies are a tough group of ladies and it is was nice to read about kickass females not beholding to men. But for me I found I would have liked to have seen more world building and more knowledge about the magic system that is portrayed by characters in the story. It was okay but I did wish for more. I may pick up book two when it’s released.

This is great if you love dark, brutal YA fantasies.

PS The UK cover for this book is stunning.
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I loved this book!! The writing was gorgeously descriptive and the bond between the characters felt real and true. I loved how the author took traditional Norse lore and twisted it a bit to make it into something else. It’s true fantasy and epic adventure! There were a few flaws, most notably the fight scenes felt sparse, but I loved the characters and the story arc and the idea of it so much that I don’t care. The camaraderie and love these four badass women felt for each other made this book shine. It is one of my favorite books of the year for sure!! ( )

Too high fantasy and world building for my taste.