Darkly funny, they'll love the wicked sense of humour about death.

A cupful of (appropriate) gallows humour. A pinch of Alice in Wonderland. A drop of self-righteousness. A dusting of self-referential-ness. Some carrots.

A mixture that bakes nicely to a short but very funny pacifist-turned-executioner story. I was highly entertained throughout and was almost disappointed when this ended. But it's a great length, and the story was just right.

Mort is his kingdom's only pacifist. Not easy when your monarch is a raving psycho who might throw you under the executioner's axe for baking too much bread. And his deeply held beliefs are severely strained when he finds himself in the spotlight and having to perform Brutalia's beastly punishments. And the next victim is his best friend.

Brutalia has suffered under its Queen for a long time, its people are either cowed or enjoy a bit of blood before lunch. Especially Mort's twin siblings, who knock each other's teeth out for fun.

Buying time, Mort has one week to come up with an especially nasty death for Weed. Or, as he hopes, to concoct some plan to save him, even with Brutalia's sinister ravens all watching... waiting for a meal.
They "were circling and dreaming of brains. Or, more specifically, parts of the brain that were especially flavoursome. 'Oi,' said one raven, 'Wouldn't you just die for an amygdala?'"

I loved the very chummy and natural way the narrator addresses the readers: "This sets the scene nicely, don't you think? The Queen and King were horrible. The people were violent. And the ravens were ravenous."

They will just love it when convention is broken and narrative walls broken through: "Mort began to think the writer of his story had it in for him." What a fabulous style to choose, opens so many imaginative streams to the young future writer.

Oh and I saw several references (or I thought I did) to films - Pretty Woman, The Sixth Sense, even Life of Brian - tell me I'm wrong!

This impressed me greatly. I'd happily recommend it to readers who enjoy something quirky, a little gory, with a wicked sense of humour and plenty of originality.

For ages 8-12.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

A witty, unique middle-grade book goes such a long way when you need a pick-me-up and I’m so glad I discovered this little gem.

Mort lives in Brutalia, a land where everyone is obsessed with violence, death and general nastiness. Mort is a pacifist, hell-bent on not succumbing to the ways of his society. However, when his uncle, the Royal Executioner is put to death, Mort finds himself next in line to play this role. But Mort can’t kill anyone, let alone his best friend who is next on the chopping block. So, how can he possibly get out of this?

The story is accompanied by some beautiful illustrations from the very talented George Ermos. The quirky style fits the text perfectly and they paint such a vivid picture of Brutalia and its inhabitants. The ravens are a constant in Brutalia and they feature at the start of every chapter with a hilarious little exchange between themselves. I almost started to think of them as tiny narrators with a wicked sense of humour.

I feel that Delahaye’s writing style has essences of Roald Dahl in it. That dark, cutting edge to the humour really reminds me of passages from The Witches and The Twits. Although it gave me a nostalgia hit, I could still appreciate it for its uniqueness, as the world of Brutalia was so well-developed.

Mort is a fantastic, relatable character and I wanted nothing but the best for him. He is very much a 21st century hero and I know that a lot of kids will see themselves in him. Like many of the characters, we only get to see this one side of him and I did wonder if there is any hidden urge for violence in the right circumstances within him. It’s in his genes after all!

I would have loved to spend more time with Ono. Ono is a young Body Lugger (a person whose job it is to throw bodies into the sea) who Mort befriends and who shows him a whole new side to the island. Ono is sassy, smart and most definitely unique. I’m hoping there is more of her in future Mort the Meek books!
The story of Mags is reflective of real history and I loved how Delahaye employed it in her silly story about a ruthless, violent society. Although she is dead before the action of the book happens, her legacy appears to still be present in Brutalia. Kids will be able to read Mags’ punishment as ridiculous especially when backed up with the ‘evidence’ and this is exactly how we should all feel about the witch trials and the continuing mistreatment of women.

The book is very aware that it’s a book and I loved the experience of being taken out of the story like this. Some readers may find this jarring but I think Delahaye does it in a way that makes sense. It adds to the humour and speaks directly to the book’s target audience. Kids aged 8-10 know the characters are fictional, so acknowledging that via the story engages them in a very unique way.

I don’t think I’ve ever read descriptions of geographical features quite like the first glimpse of Dead Man's Island and have it somehow make perfect sense! Dead Man’s Island is a paradise compared to Brutalia and this beautiful, delicious first impression of it immediately made me want to stay there forever. I have no idea how it has managed to stay hidden and somewhat independent from the tyranny of Brutalia but I was able to abandon those questions very easily, once I was there!

Mort the Meek is ultimately about a young hero who has a mountainous task to overcome with the very real stakes of violent death, should he fail. He also learns about the things that really matter in life and discovers that his inner strength comes from his kindness and quest for real justice. This is a story that I know will resonate with so many young readers and inspire them to challenge unfairness.

This quirky, pun-filled middle-grade story is a fast read with a unique concept and plenty of slapstick humour. The perfect light-hearted escape!

Mort the Meek and the Ravens’ Revenge is set in Brutalia, ruled by a Queen and King who delight in giving out punishments so much that the Queen even created the motto ‘Live or Die’ for the island!

Mort is an aspiring pacifist who finds himself made the Royal Executioner by the Queen. The first execution he is ordered to carry out is that of his best friend! Mort must find a way to save his friend but how will he outwit the Queen?

Rachel Delahaye has combined gruesome punishments with laugh-out-loud, slapstick comedy and created hilarious middle grade fiction!

Thank you to Little Tiger Group Stripes Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Mort the Meek and the Ravens’ Revenge in exchange for a review.

Such a fun middle grade read. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Lots of life lessons hidden amongst the pages

3.5 stars
Mort is a pacifist. He may be the only pacifist in Brutalia. His city is exactly what it sounds like, brutal. People fight all the time, the Queen has people killed for minor crimes, it's just an unhappy place.
When Mort's best friend is sentenced to death, Mort vows to find a way to save him, but he's running out of time.

This is a funny story. The characters are great. I would like to know more about how the Queen got to be so horrible. I just felt it could've been a little bit longer.

Wow! This book is super funny, really entertaining and just a pure joy to read! It’s amazingly clever because the actual subject matter, is quite horrific! Mort is given the job of Royal Executioner in a city called Brutalia! Eek! But the humour is such that this really, really works!

From the outset, I was hooked and laughing at the Queens remarks as the story set itself up. I wanted to read and read to find out what was going to happen to the characters. This story is never boring! There are fantastic pictures, different font sizes and types of words to engage the reader. I can see this book being a hit with reluctant readers, because it’s just so appealing.

I loved the quirky crows at the beginning of each chapter, with their jokes and quips! They provide such a fun introduction to each chapter and I found myself looking forward to starting a new chapter so I could see them again.

The characters are well developed and so fun and interesting. I’ve got more good news too because this is the first in a series of adventures with Mort! At the end of the book we are introduced to a new story. I can’t wait to read this one too.

I would throughly recommend this read to everyone for some lighthearted entertainment! It’s absolutely great! Treat yourself for world book day!

Mort the Meek and the Ravens Revenge by Rachel Delahaye will have you wincing and laughing at the same time. A fantastic gruesomely hilarious fantasy.

3 words to describe this book…

Brutalia / Ravens / Mort

Brutalia – LIVE OR DIE

This is the Brutalia way. A harsh and violent island ruled by a vicious queen who would sentence you to a gruesome death (beaten with a knuckle stick) in the blink of an eye… and where that eye will be devoured by ravens.

“Brutalia was nothing but a cruel master that extracted life, love and hope like a terrible dentist extracts teeth with no painkillers.” Put it this way, it certainly wouldn’t get 5 stars on TripAdvisor.

Ravens

I love these guys. They’re hilarious! Easily my favourite characters in the book, largely because they start off every chapter with some hilarious gag, usually about waiting for the inhabitants of Brutalia to die so they can eat the remains.

“We could always attack the humans. No way! They’d give us a knuckle sandwich. Yum… knuckle sandwich…”

Mort

This is who we follow through the book. He is different from the others on the island as he is the only pacifist – meaning he doesn’t like violence! But that may have to change as he somehow becomes the official Royal Executioner and has been ordered to kill his best friend Weed.

How is he supposed to do that?! He must find a way to save his friend and himself from certain death. Mort just wanted to live a life of peace without the fear of getting his head smashed in or being put in a bath of wasps! He doubts himself, is he really ‘meek’ as he was so lovingly labelled by his twin brothers? What it comes down to though is a strong will, courageous heart and strong friendships. Particularly with Ono… wait till you read how she got her name!

Brutalia may sound awful, and it is! But maybe there is beauty if you look hard enough. This wonderfully vile and ghastly island is really brought to life by some fantastic illustrations by George Ermos. And yes this book may sound grim, but trust me when I say it is hilarious, gruesome but hilarious. I can’t wait to read the next instalment ‘Mort the Meek. The Monstrous Quest’!

You absolutely must feast your eyeballs on this marvel, before the ravens get them! It is deliciously gross, delightfully horrific and utterly hilarious. Did I say I LOVED it?
As its name so aptly hammers home, the island of Brutalia is not a place for the meek and mild. Its succinct motto is: LIVE OR DIE. Unfortunately, the Queen is much keener on the DIE part of the motto! So keen in fact that she condemns a twelve-year-old-boy to death (mistaking him for thirteen and a half because, you know, that’s old enough for a brutal execution) for trapping a raven and, under duress, agreeing that it might make a rather tasty raven pie! Just as the Royal Executioner is about to announce Weed’s method of execution, he goes and lets everyone down – by dying! Not ideal timing! The line of succession to this prestigious and important position is passed down through relatives, so the honour goes to Mort. Perfect: power and position! Except it isn’t as Mort could not be less suited to his new role. Firstly, he is Weed’s friend and would rather not be responsible for executing him and secondly, he is the founding, and sole, member of The Pacifist Society of Brutalia. Mort is determined to save his friend without resorting to the brutality so encouraged on the island, and so begins a brilliantly inventive, hilarious and exciting adventure as Mort endeavours to outfox the cruel Queen with a little help from a new friend, Ono. Will Mort be able to prove that peaceful means win the day, or will he end up with his eyeballs plucked out by the hungry ravens?
Ravens! Oh my! The ravens of Brutalia rather enjoy conversing and introduce every chapter with their keen observations and food cravings which is pure comedy genius! The playful use of language and commentary is such a joy from the interfering helpful narrator to use of homophones and palindromes.
Mort is an adorable vegetarian, family-loving, pacifist, and what’s not to love about that? He is a quick-thinking rule breaker who uses ingenuity and intelligence rather than fists to win a challenge. He is also an amazing friend, even if his friend might not always think the same.
The partial and whole page illustrations throughout are absolutely perfect, and complement the story-telling brilliantly. I especially loved the emotions expressed through the illustrations.
Mort the Meek and the Raven’s Revenge is a fantastically funny book which made me giggle at things I really shouldn’t be giggling at (sorry!). It is also a story about having the strength to stand up for what you believe in, being true to yourself and facing challenges with courage. Humour with heart – my favourite kind of funny, and this delivers both. It’s definitely a story that I know my class are going to adore, and I can’t wait to introduce Mort to them.

Brutalia lives up to its name: the citizens have a hard time surviving, the Queen is a power crazed maniac who dreams up new crimes and punishments on a whim, and the ravens hang around waiting for to tidy up after the frequent executions. When Mort’s best friend, Weed Millet is sentenced to death for capturing a raven, he feels completely helpless. Moreover, his uncle is the executioner, and to his dismay, according to the traditions of Brutalia, he inherits the job on his uncle’s untimely death. Faced with executing Weed himself, Mort, a fully signed up member of the Pacifist Society of Brutalia, needs to come up with a plan to avert disaster.
Peopled by extreme characters with very apt names, this is a novel full of verbal and visual humour that cries out to be animated. Short and pithy and interspersed with characterful illustrations, this will appeal to a wide readership, and will encourage readers who are daunted by longer novels. I look forward to Mort’s next adventure!

Hands down the funniest book I have read in a long time! I absolutely ADORED Mort the Meek and the Ravens' Revenge. It's got a brilliant plot, great storytelling and a fantastic cast of characters. This is one I will definitely be recommending to lots of young readers!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in March 2021.

"Mort the Meek and the Ravens' Revenge" by Rachel Delahaye is a hilarious adventure novel packed with action, dark humour jokes and puns.
With very short chapters, plenty of pictures and the author playfully addressing the reader directly on more than one occasion, it's clear this book is aimed towards the younger side of the middle-grade audience--which was a bit of a disappointment for me, as I was hoping for something a bit more mature and fleshed out. Nonetheless, this book made for a highly entertaining read. I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading it, and I'm sure children will love it.
The characters are a bit one-dimensional, but an audience of 8-10 years old shouldn't mind, so I guess that's okay.
The only thing I really could have done without is the fat-shaming comments that intersperse the text when referring to the - admittedly awful - Queen and King of Brutalia. I really wish the author had found other ways of pointing out their awfulness, without ridiculing their body shape. In a novel filled with such important messages as pacifism, the value of friendship and standing up for your ideals, body-shaming of any kind is very out of place (although I understand that it makes sense, in-story, that the Queen and King would be the only overweight people in the country, since everybody else was starving half to death and had been for their whole life).

A funny, action-packed read that's great for reluctant readers. Cleverly written, with a nice twist and characters that kids will both love and love to hate! The narrator directly addresses the reader quite a lot, which I don't like, but I'm sure it works for others (and kids might love it!). At its heart is a message of kindness, and we need our kids to learn that now more than ever. Highly enjoyable.

In Brutalia everyone is brutally violent—everyone is always getting into fights with each other and the bloodthirsty Queen is always threating to execute everyone. Mort, however, is a pacifist. But when Mort’s best friend is sentenced to death and Mort is appointed the new Royal Executioner, he has to find a way to save his friend—in a non-violent manner. But what if he’s not really a pacifist? What if he’s just gutless?

This is a series that kids will love—a laugh-out-loud hilarious and disgustingly gruesome story, with a relatable protagonist. My favourite part was the Greek Chorus of ravens making silly puns about the various human body parts they want to eat.

We thought we (kiddo, age 9) might enjoy this book as it didn't seem to have too much of a fantasy element to it. And we were also looking for forward to reading the first in a new series. However it failed to resonate with us as a bedtime story.

I feel that all the characters were a bit one dimensional. I suppose this fits with the black-and-white "live or die" motto of Brutalia itself. We learn a lot about each character's eye colour... and that's about it (Weed, beautiful chocolate brown; Mort, an average green; Ono, cloud grey etc etc)

Every morning Mort makes his Pacifist Promise to himself. The book sees him grappling with this aspect - rather than a pacifist maybe he's just gutless?

The book features the opening chapter of the next in the series "Mort the Meek The Monstrous Quest". It seems that Brutalia slips back to its old grotty ways?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a eBook in exchange for review.

It's rare that a book makes me laugh out
loud, but I giggled & snorted my way through this lil wonder. Loved Mort, the illustrations & loved the ravens even more! The clever humour, wordplay & subtle challenging of stereotypes in this book will make it a firm favourite for MG reluctant readers. Horrible history fans must-read! Children aged 8+ sure to enjoy this.

I heard this book was hilarious, so when I received it through Netgalley I was over the moon. And what they said was right… this book is Great Fun!

We follow Mort, who is the only pacifist living on Brutalia. Like the name suggests, the island is filled with violence, with at its head the Queen and King… who are against everything that is beautiful, and like their horrible punishments. Mort cannot hurt a fly, so you can imagine his distress when he is made royal executioner and has to kill his best friend.

This is definitely a book you need to be in the mood for to read. It is very silly and doesn’t take itself serious whatsoever. It reminded me a lot of the Wizards of Once books, not only in tone but also in formatting of the text. There is also a very present narrator who constantly takes the reader aside and talks directly to us. And then there are the illustrations which are great!

There is a lot of violence in this book, obviously, but combined with the humour it becomes very slapstick. Each chapter starts with a conversation between the ravens, which often includes some bad puns. And all of it comes together in about 200 pages (with large font and plenty of illustrations, making this for me a 2hr read). The characters aren’t very well developed, and I would have liked the plot to have a bit more substance… but I don’t think the target audience would have any issues with that.

Overall, this is perfect for if you want a quick and very fun read, and I had a great time with it. I am very curious to where the sequel would take us (as this book has very satisfying ending and can stand perfectly fine on its own), and will certainly be continuing the series.

Here we are in Brutalia, where there are two towers, both of which look like they could come crashing down into the Salty Sea at any moment.

“The Queen and King were horrible.
The people were violent.
And the ravens were ravenous.”

You are not welcome here. Not that it’s a place you’d want to go on vacation; the people are perpetually hungry, rule breakers suffer unimaginable punishments (like wasp baths) and then there’s Brutalia’s motto:

“LIVE OR DIE”

Trust me when I say you’re more likely to die than live if you’re foolish enough to visit. There’s so much death here that there’s an official Body Carrier. And a Body Lugger. I doubt you would want either job.

So why do we want to hear any more about this horrific place? Well, because it’s where Mort lives. He’s got a lot on his mind this week. Mort is a pacifist, which is sort of inconvenient, especially considering he’s Brutalia’s new Royal Executioner. His first job is to execute his “most delicious-smelling friend”, Weed.

“And so the plot thickens.”

This was a delightful story. Well, as delightful as it could be with everyone hungry and fearing for their lives, and the ravens hoping that someone will give them some eyeballs for dinner.

This is a place where a misunderstood homonym can kill you, where there’s battle cutlery and you need to be extremely careful if you encounter a Grot Bear. It’s also a place where a pacifist will try to save his best friend (and himself) from a death most brutal. Mort is an underdog I believe in and want to spend more time with.

The ravens stoles the best lines, although I’m sure they would have much preferred to have stolen some food. Their chats at the beginning of each chapter were something I quickly looked forward to.

“I’ve got an idea.”
“Can I have some of your eye, dear?”
“What? No! I said an IDEA.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve forgotten it now.”

Sometimes I find it annoying when the narrator randomly addresses the reader throughout the story but it wasn’t overdone here and it even managed to elicit some smiles from me.

“Doesn’t time go fast when you’re watching other people struggle with a difficult plot!”

I loved George Ermos’ illustrations. They were dark when they needed to be (they wouldn’t have scared me if I’d read this book as a kid). They also incorporated some humour, particularly when the ravens, who were my favourite characters, were featured. I thought using feathers as page breaks was a really nice touch.

There’s going to be a sequel, The Monstrous Quest.

“Well, thank the gallows for that!”

It has tentacles and it looks as though Ono, Mort’s new friend who I haven’t had anywhere near enough page time with yet, is going to be involved in the quest. I can’t wait!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Stripes Publishing, an imprint of Little Tiger Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

I must admit that I requested this book because of the cover. I just loved it and I was hoping that illustrations would be great. And I really was not disappointed.
The story is so cute, but for me illustrations do it.
Really lovely.

Mort is a pacifist, the only one living on the island of Brutalia where violence reigns supreme. The Queen has quite the temper and is glad to declare executions for any reason at all, twisting any defense into "evidence" they deserve the punishment. When 12 year old Weed is trialed as an adult (13 and a half in Brutalia!) , his best friend Mort couldn't be more unhappy. Except Mort finds out he definitely can feel more despair when the executioner suddenly dies and he is named the replacement. Quick on his feet he declares the execution will be held off for a week so he can think of a truly brutish death to deliver... can he find a way to save his friend and himself from the Queen's fowl temper?

Mort the Meek and the Ravens Revenge is a young reader filled with dark humour where there's play between the text of the book and the characters. Each chapter begins with a bad joke between ravens that keeps the mood perfectly while providing a little break between sections.. There really is a strong sense of fun had by the author, sometimes feeling as the author is having a good time creating it in front of your eyes. If not opposed to violence, this is a title that its target audience should enjoy. The chapters are quick, the stakes are high, and the author is quite engaging making it feel like you're in on the happenings. I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately found it was not for me. While I wouldn't pick up the rest of the series myself, I do know a few kids in the target audience who would think it fantastic.

This was such a fun read. Refreshing and original. Great illustrations and excellent world building.