𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5)
⠀
“Mercurial” is set in the Alloyed Empire, a magical world where metal runs in the veins of the Smiths, gifting them with divine magics from the Unforged God.
⠀
Tal trusts in his god completely. So when he is asked to pledge the rest of his life to the Destroyer, the most feared person in the entire Alloyed Empire, Tal does so without reserve. Tal must find a way to look past the Destroyer’s destructive incendiary powers to save her, and through her, save the entire Alloyed Empire.
⠀
The 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 of “Mercurial” is brilliant. I love this twists and turns. Every time you think you know what is going on in this book, or what is going to happen, a new plot element is introduced! There are visions and foresight in this book, and yet I was still unable to predict what was going to happen, which I loved.
⠀
The 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 is fabulous. This world is unique and unlike any other story I’ve read.
⠀
The 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 in this story are extremely complex and intriguing. I loved the character building and weaving in this book. Plus it had one of my favorite book tropes, but you’ll have to read the book to find out which one that is. 😉
⠀
The only reason I rated this as 4.5 stars instead of 5 stars, is because for me the writing seemed a geared a bit more towards middle schooler age as opposed to YA or adult. In this same sense, the writing was slightly less articulate than I would have liked.
⠀
This is Naomi Hughes’ only self-published book, but she has two more published books that I can’t wait to read!
⠀
Thank you Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for providing me with a eARC copy!

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Mercurial is just good, old-fashioned fun. Yes, there are some somewhat overused YA tropes, and yes, sometimes it didn't feel the most polished. But I don't <i> care <i/> because I enjoyed reading it so much.

I got very attached to both Tal and Elodie/the Destroyer from pretty much the first page. There's something about their dynamic that captured me - I especially enjoyed that the dark, ruthless one was the girl. I also adored Nyx and Helenia - they felt like real people that I would be friends with- and I appreciated the complexity of how both Saasha and the Iron Empress were portrayed. In fact, aside from Albinus I think I liked all the characters. I also enjoyed the worldbuilding and magic system.

The story is fast-paced; if I had any criticisms, it would be that at times, Mercurial is a little too fast-paced for its own good. This is exacerbated by quite a few instances of telling rather than showing. I do try not to be a stickler about that kind of technical detail, but in the case of this book, there were moments where it was really noticeable, and as a reader I was left wishing I'd been allowed to gradually figure out the characters' emotions myself, instead of being told what they were feeling at several key moments.

That said... I don't really mind any of it too much, because again, Mercurial was fun! I even enjoyed the representation of faith/religion and the ending, despite feeling that I really shouldn't have liked either, just because of who I am as a person - no criticism of this book, I swear, I'm just difficult like that. And anyway it doesn't matter, because I did like them in spite of myself. It even made me a little emotional at the end, which is a true achievement.

1st of all i just loved this book

Mercurial really is a gem of a novel.

While nothing about most of the tropes it uses are unique (blood based magic, enemies to lovers, enemies have to rely on each other to survive, Big Bad with secret tragic past, over protective misinformed siblings. the list really goes on and on)

I don't think I've really seen any of them (especially an enemies to lovers standalone) handled this expertly before.

let me tell you enemies to lovers is my all time fav trope

but all 3 characters are believable and complex and every single chapter here adds to the narrative.

I'm absolutely obsessed and hopefully, you will be too.

read it already

•Character development- 4☆
• Story Plot- 4☆
• Side characters- 4.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 4.5☆

I got to read the NetGalley ARC. This is my honest review:

This is a fantastic fantasy. Great world, intriguing magic system, harrowing situations, terrible choices, an actual god, oaths that stick, and amazingly well-done characters to struggle with it all. Not only all that, but the end is incredibly satisfying. Plus, the assassin-sister has a girlfriend. What an amazing book.

Author: Naomi Hudges
Recommended Age: +14
SYNOPSIS:
Everyone in the Alloy Empire fears the Destroyer. The metal in her blood gives her incendiary powers, and the coldness in her heart makes her the empress's perfect weapon ... until a rebel attack leaves her without magic or memories.
His bodyguard, Tal, has long lamented his idealistic hope of saving the Destroyer. Now that she is powerless, he can finally end his reign of terror, if he can avoid falling in love with the evil, funny, and completely unknown girl he has become.
Nyx was furious when her brother, Tal, abandoned her to protect a tyrant. Now, she is honed as a rogue assassin until she can kill the Destroyer and rescue Tal. But the closer he gets, the more he realizes that the entire empire depends on the decisions the three of them will make ...

REVIEW:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
I did not know anything about this book and thanks to Netgalley who approved my application I was able to delve into the history and I want to say that the synopsis is not enough to describe how incredible this world is. We find a dark kingdom where a girl is lethal and dangerous and on the other hand we meet a boy who believes and goes in search of his destiny. The first pages seemed slow to me as up to 20% of the book began to hook me and I want to say that in my opinion the book focuses a lot on the characters and their relationship but like the world and the plot are good, they follow a line temporary but on certain occasions it goes back to the past so that you better understand what is happening. And in this book is my favorite cliché which is Enemies to Lovers and although I feel that something unfolds suddenly it is the most beautiful thing in the world and I wanted his feelings to be digested.
There is an LGTB + couple in the book and I love it because you see a strong relationship that would do anything to save itself and although they are not the main characters, more than one will like their scenes.
And the book itself touches on the subject of knowing yourself better, facing traumas and problems and even if you do not forget everything, it can be transformed into a teaching.
Do I recommend the book?
Of course, it has romance, action, LGTB +, etc ... And the world that Naomi built with beautiful landscapes, a dark palace full of secrets, caves, etc ... make you travel and feel that you are there. Be encouraged to read it so that it will not disappoint you.

This book was a fun enjoyable read! The world building wasn’t there too much but it didn’t detract from the plot line or make things hard to understand! The magic system was new and cool, i’d never read about one like it before and I really enjoyed it! The are people who have certain metals in there blood and have different magic depending on what metal it is! The romance was kind of odd because it didn’t have much substance, it began out of nowhere and while I love enemies to lovers, it was just kind of bland. The ending was really good and it fit well but it lacked the big bang I thought there would be because I felt that not too much happened in the climax either. I really liked this though and would definitely reread and recommend to those I think would enjoy it!

An enticing story forged with power, blood, and love.

My Rating: 3.3 Stars

Mercurial is a fast-paced fantasy with a straightforward plot. The metallurgy class was a novel concept to me. The story also felt like watching Frozen but with different power and magic in play here. Sarai and Elodie were mostly like Elsa and Anna but were unnerving with their bloodlust. This book left an impression on me with its simple plot and the characters. Once I was done reading it, I immediately added it to my neutral-pile (neither hated or loved), which I didn't mind reading. If you're looking for YA fantasy with strong female characters, I'd highly recommend this book.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC.

Tal is a really interesting character and brought a lot to the table with his faith and oath that he made. I really liked the relationship and interaction between Tal and Elodie but was left feeling very bleh about Nyx. No real strong feelings either way.

Pacing was a little bit off, either too action packed or too slow and dragging, would have loved an in between. I loved the ending and it definitely left me satisfied.

Mercurial is one of those books that throws you in - a good feature in a book with a different class/magic/world than we’re used to - as you want to know more rather than being faced with a wall of backstory; desperate for the action to begin. The magic itself intrigued me from the start. Metal based magic isn’t new, I, like everyone I know love the Mistborn series - but in this one it’s very different. Mercury equals flames, silver, prophecy. I liked the twist, the simplicity of it that was sorely lacking in Mistborn.

It’s a plot that unravels at a glorious pace, just quick enough to feel pacey but slow enough to make the surprises shocking. It mixes royal intrigue with revolution and assassins and magic and blood oaths - and doesn’t feel too much.

I found myself very torn by the amnesia plot - I knew about it going in, so it wasn’t a surprise, but...

“Her cruel air had been replaced by an oddly innocent ferocity”

She suddenly has no powers, and is innocent as a babe - unable to even light a fire without the help of Tal. And, almost instantly, he becomes conflicted as her jokes and smiles bring emotions up within him. I’m aware The Destroyer is the villain in this book, and as I was reading I found myself desperate to know more about her, but having her suddenly infantilised was a bit disappointing.

I can’t say too much without spoiling the story, something I only do when truly necessary, but whilst I loved the revelation and surprise the royal story gave; having accountability taken from The Destroyer really disappointed me. I was glad to have a conflicted female lead who’s a villain - and having her become yet another innocent romantic figure in need of rescue did ensure I felt rather whelmed by the romance element of this book.

The ending...

On the lead up it had the perfect pacing- rushed in the right way. You felt the drive of the characters, the panic and desperation to speed towards what needed to be done. But...that quickly devolved into a sudden tying up of loose ends and decisions that had my eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. Sudden offers of crowns and truces and marriage and it just felt...sudden.

And convenient

I can’t say more without spoiling the book which again, I don’t want to do, but people find each other at the perfect times, turn up at the exact right moment, know what’s going to happen, and I think it’s powerful once or twice but Tal’s visions end up being such a convenient plot point that leads the story on so well that it didn’t feel satisfying almost.

This book had so much promise, but the combination of everything above just wasn't enough to bring it to a 4 out of 5. I would have loved to see an unapologetic mean streak in her, unforgiving without playing a role. Tal should have been more conflicted; and the ending...if it was going to play out that way then there needed to be more set up in my opinion. But I do recommend the book - it was enjoyable throughout; and really, isn't that the main point of a book?

The Destroyer, with mercury flowing in her blood, is feared by everyone. She’s taken countless lives with her incendiary powers, lives which were avenged and led to her losing her memory and her power. Her bodyguard, Tal, who’s sworn on metal to protect her and to not harm her himself. And who now has the chance to end the Destroyer after she lost her memory and her power. Tal’s sister, Nyx, who would do anything to free her brother from his oath, even if it means sacrificing her own life.

Mercurial have such an interesting and unique magic system. Yes, it has the usual division and different kinds of magic assigned to each division, but magic based on what the color of your blood is? UNIQUE. (well, I haven’t read anything like that so it’s unique to me) I love reading parts where the power of each color was being used and described. I only hope we also got to read more about the others aside from silver, mercury, and copper.

There are more twists in this book than there is usually in books like this one. They were done so well that they didn’t feel too much. Some books tend to overdo plot twists and end up in a bad way but not Mercurial! It is fast-paced and it is the good kind! It might feel slow at first but, I swear, it’ll be worth it to stick around.

I can only name one or two characters who I would definitely punch in the face, the rest are super likeable. The characteristics of the main lead are different from the usual, the usual being the character starting as a regular person and being a superhero or something in the end. I really liked the Destroyer’s character, I liked how powerful she is but also how she is without her power.

Overall, I absolutely loved how everything went. From how the main plot played out to the character development and the ROMANCE—which I would just keep in my heart because words are not enough to express my love for the romance in this book. With that, I NEED MORE PLEASE. Don’t leave me hanging like this because I will cry and wait forever!

An interesting story about religion, oaths and family.
Something about the writing and general plot really reminded me of V. E. Schwab which was a pleasant surprise.

I felt very mixed about both Elodie and Nyx, I didn’t hate them, didn’t love them. I did like Tal as a character though, I really enjoyed reading about his faith, his relationship with his god, and his oath. The relationship between Tal and Elodie was interesting as well.
Helenia deserved better, that’s all I have to say about her lol.

There were times where I struggled just a bit with the pacing, times were I felt the story was slowly dragging along and I just wanted the characters to get on with it. But in saying that, it wasn’t a huge problem.

The ending was quite satisfying. I have been thinking about certain scenes toward the ending since I finished the book a few days ago and I’m still in awe of them.

I can really see this becoming a book that a lot of fantasy readers will enjoy. Naomi Hughes did a great job in creating an engaging story with deep feeling characters you just can’t help but feel for.

First thoughts
This was AMAZING. Loved it. Devoured it. Want more. I love the cover, I loved the characters, I loved the setting, I loved all the stabby-ness. So much angst. So much action. Many dogs (that I imagined were huskies). An addictive and fun read for all you lovers of fantasy that has a heavy dose of assassins!

What’s it about?
Mercurial is a YA fantasy with MAGIC. We have two main characters, the Destroyer and Tal. In this world, magic is dictated by metals – some people have different metals (gold, iron, mercury, etc) in their blood and that gives them different kinds of magic. Only in the palace and its surrounding establishments do you find people with significant power, and a rebellion is trying to overthrow the current Empress because of a cruel and dictatorial rule.

The Destroyer is the Empress’ younger sister and she got her nickname from being cruel and merciless. Her metal is mercury and she creates fire. Tal is pledged to her, after having a vision from his god to do so, and he is secretly a silver smith. Silver smiths are illegal and as far as we know, Tal is the only one alive.

The blood of anyone with this magic in them is tainted the colour of their metal. So this means Tal bleeds silver. You can imagine then, that it’s very important no-one sees him bleeding. A tricky predicament for the bodyguard of a frequently targeted person of assassinations.

This is the story of Tal and the Destroyer. After an event leaves the Destroyer with no magic and no memories, the dynamics shift and morals become seriously blurred. It is a tale of enemies to lovers, of strong friendships and the impossibilities of family.

Why I enjoyed this
Ummmm – IT WAS SO GOOD. I was tearing through the pages of this and enjoying every moment. The story is breezy and not too complicated – it’s great to sink your teeth into and get a healthy dose of teenage angst and fiery (literally) magic.

I found the dynamics between the Destroyer and Tal delectable. As much as they were entertaining enough when the Destroyer was a total nutcase-evil-queen-overlord-pooh, once Tal was dealing with her when she had no memories, and was actually being nice, stuff got COMPLICATED.

Nothing delights me more than throwing endless moral challenges at characters to see how they’ll react, and to watch them learn and understand that sometimes the world isn’t as black and white as it first appears.

The world
I wanted to take a second to talk about how much I loved the setting of this book too. It is largely set in a wintery landscape around some harsh mountains. The snow and bitterness of the landscape really added some delightful tension to the overall chaos of the story.

I found it really easy to picture – and I loved imagining the animal called the Mooncat – and I’d love to see some artwork for this setting. I think it would be utterly captivating.

Diversity
I also really loved the diverseness of the characters. Not only am I talking skin colour here, but religion. I thought that was an interesting addition to a fantasy book that you don’t always see present in this conflicted manner as you do here.

With one of the main motivations of Tal, being the main character, to do what he’s doing through the whole book having come from a divine vision, religion plays a central role in this story. I really enjoyed how religion played with the motives of a lot of the characters involved and how differently they each interpreted it.

Whilst it’s not largely explored, Hughes also touches on the idea of contrasting faiths and religions causing conflict in the story too. It makes me really curious about what the rest of this world would look like if this story was expanded into an epic series – though as a standalone it is quite sufficient.

Summary
This is a fantasy you simply need to read if you want something quick and exciting with some great characters. I really enjoyed this and I was so pleased I did! The cover is simply gorgeous and I will be obsessing over these characters for a long time to come.

3.5 stars

I liked this book eventho it took me a bit to fully engaged with the story, I still liked it.
The main characters, Tal and Elodie, I really liked them and their journey. I didn't get bored or skimmed in any chapter and overall this was a fun reading experience.
That being said... The start felt a little slow (even though it was a fast paced book) and between catching up with the magic system and world building you start to drift away from the story itself. And I think that's my biggest issue with the book and why I couldn't fully enjoy it. because it took me about half the book to understand what was going on and how (some) of the magic worked and the basic built up in this society because although we know who the characters are, that's all we know. I feel like this needs a companion novel or a prequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Mercurial" was an interesting fantasy book! I enjoyed the universe & worldbuilding which were very well fleshed out! The concept of the world was very intriguing, especially the religion part. The characters on the other hand, however memorable, could have been more developed throughout the story. As I saw it, it was more about following the story than learning more about the characters' personalities, since they definitely had a past but not necessarily distinguishable character traits. Therefore I feel like this book would definitely be a better option for people who prefer plot-based stories!
I loved the sapphic romance as well & very much appreciated how the main romance was a slow burn and not "all over your face", since I prefer discreet romances in fantasy books.
An overall enjoyable fantasy book from an author I'd gladly check out more of since the writing was quite nice!

I MEAN..... first: THE COVER!!!!!!!! AMAZINGGGG!

The story as well!!! I absolutely loved it! I am a sucker for these kind of stories so I was so excited to read this one!
It did not disappoint! I felt very connected with the characters and the storyline is just amazing.

Never have I ever changed my mind so many times over the course of a book. I loved the prologue, the blood pact tying the main characters, the metal-based magic. I liked Tal and tolerated Elodie, then the princess lost her memories and my feelings completely flipped. Awesome moments faded into lazy reveals. Often, something interesting would happen, only to fall into predictable patterns faster than Elodie’s runaway sled down a steep snowy hill.

And this story really had the chance to do something interesting. In the prologue, Tal reluctantly listens to the message the Unforged God gives him in his dreams to become the sworn guard of the powerful sorceress responsible for murdering many of his people. Tal is dismayed, yet still hopeful that his faith will bring about a greater purpose, that the Unforged God will share a reason for putting Tal in this situation. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Existential wrestling, there was none.

There's no doubt Naomi Hughes can tell a good story. This book just didn't capitalize on its best moments.

**Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC**

AMAZING.
Complex, magical, intriguing, page turning!

Reluctant servant bound by an oath. Tyrannical protagonist who looses her memory. Somehow they must band together to survive both the elements and each other.

This book got me out of a 1 month reading slump, and if that isn't going to sell you on in I don't know what will!

Thank you so much to the Author and Netgalley for allowing me a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book was SO WORTH IT.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for providing me with an Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! I enjoyed the characters and the overall grey morality behind their motivations. They were realistically conflicted with hard decisions and none of them was really good. It was interesting to have multiple points of views that drastically affect how the character feels and approached the conflict. This story is definitely character-driven complemented by a uniquely fascinating magic system.

This book is one that deserves much more attention than it'll probably get. It truly delivers when it promises a story for fans of the Grishaverse, and sets the foundations for a series with the potential to be as successful.

There's a lot happening in this book, even though it was fairly short. There are three main characters: Tal, Elodie, and Nyx, and they're all connected. Tal is a teenaged boy when he pledges himself to The Destroyer (real name Elodie, the younger sister of the Empress Sarai, and a sorceress with mercury in her blood). Tal does this because he had visions from his god that told him to, and his older half-sister Nyx has been furious with him every since. Tal grows to hate The Destroyer and to question his god's plan, particularly when he is forced to kill and harm in her name and also to watch her destroy whole villages and populations. Early in the book, The Destroyer is ordered by her sister to destroy another village, but they run into the rebellious Saints and one of them (who turns out to be Nyx) manages to poison the Destroyer, causing a catastrophic accident. The three main characters all survive the accident, but The Destroyer has amnesia and knows herself only as Elodie, much to Tal's confusion. As they work together to survive a blizzard, their relationship shifts, and Tal begins to know the real Elodie, without her powers and the constant orders from her sister to destroy. There's a bit of a romance that didn't ring very true for me, but I really liked the religion/myth/world-building here, as well as the character development. I would definitely read more about these characters or others in this world.

I love book with a good magic system and this one has it. The Magic described here comes from the type of metal present in the blood, like mercury gives fire power, silver gives the power of premonitions, etc.

This book is narrated by 3 different POVs, The Destroyer aka Elodie, Tal and Nyx.
The Destroyer is known to be cruel, violent and merciless. She is the “leveller of cities” and the empress’s favourite weapon. Everyone in the Alloyed Kingdom fears her. She is so cold that sometimes she does not even feel any emotions other than anger and rage.

Tal is the Destroyer’s bodyguard. His also a silver smith, the ones who have silver in their blood. He had vison that showed him pledging to be the Destroyers bodyguard, his mortal enemy. Her sister the empress Sarai had every silver smith she could find killed because of a coup. Tal’s parents were killed because of it. Due to his undying faith in his God, he accepted the vision and went to the alloyed Empire and pledged his oath to protect and to never harm the Destroyer himself. In the two years that he was with the Destroyer, he hunted and killed every threat his oath made him feel. He witnessed every violent act the Destroyer did, starting from interrogating prisoners to burning down cities and his anger, his desperation to kill her grew.

In the beginning of the book, I felt that the Destroyer had some feelings for Tal but couldn’t understand them until after she lost her powers and her memories, and she became Elodie and not the Destroyer. She did of course get her memories back. Her change to Elodie was a big shock to Tal. He had always known her to be unsympathetic and inhumane, this change where she shows feelings and instead of him protecting her, she protects him and helps him when he was injured. After she found out that Tal was a silver smith, she defended him rather than sentencing him to death.

The Destroyer’s development from the hated character to a loved one is so good. When she regained her memories, I thought that was it she would go back to being her old self, but she was just the opposite, she felt remorse for all the pain she had caused especially to that one person she loved the most, Tal.

Tal’s development was so admirable. His conflict with his God making him serve someone like the Destroyer and then expecting the vision he saw coming true. He could never imagine the Destroyer saving the empire. He felt betrayed. His hate for the Destroyer was immense. The Destroyers change had rattled him and did the unexpected, he saved her, his feelings grew for her. Due to this he was always in a battle with himself because he was torn between Elodie and his people. At one point he did choose his people however in the end he also chose Elodie and the Destroyer he loved them both.

I loved Nyx’s character. She is bold, fierce, would do anything to save her brother, Tal from the hands of the Destroyer. She, with the help of a rebellion group called the Saints, is hell bent to kill the Destroyer and free Tal of his oath.

One thing that I really loved about the book was the relationship between siblings show her. The relationship between Elodie and her sister Sarai and the relationship between Tal and Nyx is so powerful. Each would kill and be killed for them.

The plot is fast paced and there is so much happening in every chapter that I just couldn’t put it down. The author has done an amazing job in writing this book. It is so engaging as well as riveting. This book pulled me out of my four month long reading slump. The world building is good, the religion mentioned here could have been described a little more. This has a no matter how bad it gets it will be better in the end vibe which just fits this story beautifully. This book ended with a bang which was wow. My only complaint is that I wanted to know what happened to everyone afterwards. Now I need to get a physical copy of this book, I need to add it my collection.