I really like how this book is no the basic YA story. Though. I would like to mention that this book has a younger in tone prose though the plot is a bit more YA so it creates a strange dichotomy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.


This had such high potential but it didn’t really land for me. I really did enjoy Tal, he was a great main character. I wish the world was a little more fleshed out but I suppose as a standalone it wasn’t going to get more detailed. The magic system was very interesting (I always enjoy blood-type magic), but I wish we could have see more. Other types were mentioned but you didn’t really see them. Also the religious parts went completely over my head but maybe that’s just me. Overall this was an okay read. Not bad but not amazing.

This book was un-put-down-able! Such a wonderful gender-bent inversion of Beauty and the Beast trope! The story completely ensnares you, and soon you find yourself musing "I wonder how's the author going to pull this plot twist off... oh wow, amazing how she's done it!". None of the characters seems to be out of place and all of them are well-thought-out and full-fledged (I love it in a book!). And the setting... lush, unique and utterly captivating! I would love to see more stories set in the same world, but, unfortunately, author stated that this would be a standalone.

“she was fire, she was mercury, she was death. she was a weapon in the hands of her empress.”

okay okay, lets talk mercurial. when i started this, i was reading possibly my worst read series in the world, so my hopes for this were not that high, i just needed something simple to read. but holy, did i enjoy this book. there are a few trigger warnings, such as poisonings, torture, stabbings, religious martyrdom, vivid descriptions of blood and a few more (you can find those on the authors review of this book). but lets get onto the review (it wont be much indepth as ill rather not give out spoils)

my favorite thing to talk about: the characters

“once, there was a boy who believed”
tal. i loved tal. i love his arc, i love who he is, i love what he stands for, although he is mostly confused throughout the entire book (does he trust the destroyer, does he not? who knows? certainly not him). the man made the dumbest decisions at times but i love him so its fine.

“once. there was a girl who was afraid”
the destroyer was OMG. thats it. thats how i would describe her. she has possibly my favorite character growth and is just full of surprises. she went from heartless warrior to understanding people AH, it was so good to read about. she was so flawed, so violent, such a mess, but so interesting to read about.

“nyx believed in exactly one thing, and that was her brother tal”
now onto my absolute favorite character who i would die for, nyx. nyx is so powerful, so overprotective, and has killer vibes. she, frankly, will kill anyone who hurts her family, and actually said she would (scary stuff). her trust in tal throughout the entire book was fantastic. her character had the most personality and the most attitude for sure. she made reading this book so much fun.

lets talk plot:

this story surrounds a character called the destroyer, who everyone fears in alloyed empire. tal is a royal guard who has to protect the destroyer, who wants to take advantage of the fact she is now powerless to, more or less, destroyer the destroyer (see what i did there). however, what is a fantasy without love right? so of course, tal has to stop himself from falling. and we cannot forget nyx, who is angry that her brother is protecting said destroyer, and plans on killing the destroyer to get tall back. the story follows the journey of these three unique, but not all that different characters.

not once in this entire book was i sure about where we were going with this plot. its full of twists and extremely fast paced ( although it does have a rough and slow start). it has vengeance and fantasy, it's the perfect recipe for a great book. i do have to say though, its not a perfect book, which any book rarely is. i felt we could have had more information of what happened in the two year jump from the prologue to chapter one. however, for what i read, it was super interesting and really well developed.

the world building was outstanding. usually, standalones either have great world building or the trashiest one. but i'm glad to say, i loved this world. also, religion does play a part in here, but it was mostly seen around tal and him coming to terms with the fact that his life is not to be determined by god, but by his own choices (which i think was done wonderfully, it does not throw religion on you at all).

ofc there was romance in this, which i very much enjoyed. i would call it kind of an enemies to lovers, although the destroyer never really hated tal, just would not think about her feelings. but tal definitely hated the destroyer in the beginning.

would i recommend this? yes
will i shove it down everyone's throat? yes
will i make this book my personality for the next two weeks? yes

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Mercurial follows the Destroyer, a cold-hearted weapon of the Empress, Tal, her reluctant bodyguard sworn to protect her, and Nyx, Tal's sister and would-be assassin of the Destroyer. All three perspectives were a joy to read. Hughes does a great job showing instead of telling, and many subtle things are revealed from the very beginning in each POV that you only see at the end of the book.

Okay, first of all, I ADORED this book. Seriously. I started reading it and couldn't put it down until I finished it a few hours later. I can't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a novel that I read it in a day. If you like enemies to lovers, you will enjoy this story. The romance is so complex and real. It's not perfect – it's messy and human and all over the place. It's such a great story about redemption and forgiveness. Who deserves it? Can it happen for everyone?

And the worldbuilding is fantastic as well. The magic system is unlike one I've ever read about before and it's so thoughtfully combined with science/metallurgy. And as the story progresses, it only becomes more and more interesting.

5/5 stars from me. This was truly a pleasure to read and I cannot wait to buy my own physical copy when it comes out in March.

I was provided with an eARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think we can all agree that nowadays plots are all kinda similar, but when I found this book I was like “yes, finally something NEW”.
It’s got a magic system connected to metals, memory loss, a bodyguard love interest who actually doesn’t want to protect the person he’s supposed to protect (or does he?), betrayal, deceit and a cute lesbian side couple.
For most of the book I wasn’t sure if they were going to actually hurt each other or not, and THAT’s when you know a book is good.
I also really enjoyed the religious talks and differences in theories and beliefs inside the same religion. I have never seen something so real and close to everyday life inside a fantasy book.

I have received an ARC from Mercurial in exchange for a totally honest review.

Let's be honest, when I read the synopsis I saw that it promised me an enemies to lovers and magic; what does that mean? That the book had me deep inside without thinking twice. And okay, it is true that there are several clichés that the author has exploited: visions, enemies to lovers, blood magic, differences between silver blood (magic) and red blood - hello, The Red Queen.

But don't panic because I really liked this story and I have enjoyed it. So I start at the beginning: Tal takes an iron oath to The Destroyer guided by his visions from his god, and after two years, everything changes in the wake of an assassination attempt. Nyx, Tal's sister, has created a plan to free her brother and take down The Destroyer but… at what cost?

Well, I could go a little further as the synopsis tells it but… I'm going to stay there. I want to talk to you about the GOOD points of the story and for that I have to talk about Elodie (The Destroyer, although now I will use her name); she is the sister of the empress, she can control fire and together with Tal she feels safe. She has been a strong protagonist, with an evolution throughout history that I have believed and with a past that, although somewhat predictable, continues to touch.

Regarding Tal, his charisma and duality have enchanted me, seeing how he ends up questioning what his god asked him, how those doubts affect his decisions throughout the book, is the key to a plot with twists that leave you with your mouth open. . Yes, it is true that I would have liked to see more about her powers, to have exploited that part more ...

Last character I want to talk about is Nyx, also important and who has given me the sapphic representation of the book that she did not expect and that I have been grateful for, but the chapters of her have sometimes seemed useless in terms of the plot. It is true that her relationship with certain characters makes us see other points of view, but sometimes it felt that it was more filling than anything else.

I can’t finish the review without saying that I wish Naomi would exploited more the religion in this book — It is something I always enjoy in the stories and seeing how heavy it was here, I expected more. But this part is just about myself and the things I expect sometimes, some of them not even being necessary to understand the plot.

At the end, I would like to emphasize that I appreciate that it is a standalone book. Usually, these types of stories tend to develop over several books and sometimes they even lose the thread. This is not the case with Mercurial, here we have a beginning and an end that has been well developed and has left me with a very good taste in my mouth.

ARC provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Genres: Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA

I found Mercurial through NetGalley's "Available Now" section and it was a hidden gem of a find. Having only read the brief premise I wasn't exactly sure what to expect going into this book but it ended up being one of my favourite reads of 2021.

It jumps straight into the action with the first sentence: “Once there was a boy who believed.” This had me hooked straight away, quickly becoming obsessed with Hughes' beautiful descriptive language but also the characters. Each of the three characters have depth and flaws, which allows for an amazing, believable character development arc.

One of my favourite things about this book was the plot, which contains one of my favourite tropes (enemies to lovers) and is so well done. The narrative is fast paced and intriguing at every page, the twists and turns immerse you into a magical story.

Overall, I would give this book 5 stars. I loved it wholly! The strong representation within the characters amongst the story, the plot, writing style, all of it made this book a truly magical read.

Would I recommend it?
Yes, I loved every part of this book.

Mercurial by Naomi Hughes
*Thank you to Naomi Hughes and NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review*
3/5 stars - Spoilers ahead and as always check trigger warnings before reading.

Read this book if you want enemies to lovers, ‘I have to protect you but I hate you’ trope, morally grey and diverse characters!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me a little bit longer than it usually does to read a book, I think because the beginning was a bit slow and I would have liked more world-building but I think the gradual explanation is intentional. I enjoyed this book and I found myself hooked towards the end.

Let’s start at the beginning. We’re introduced to our two main characters: Tal, a silver Smith who is able to see the future, and The Destroyer, a powerful girl who is the executioner of her sister, the Empress’s, will. Tal swears an oath to The Destroyer at the urging of his God; however, he quickly comes to realise The Destroyer has earned her name and that he will have to serve her in ways that won’t be pleasant. We follow along as an assassination attempt is made against The Destroyer, whose magic source subsequently runs out. We’re introduced to Nyx, Tal’s sister, who is determined to save her brother. As we read, we come to see who The Destroyer is without her magic, the lengths Nyx will go to in order to save her brother and how Tal feels in relation to his God and to The Destroyer.

Like I said, the beginning felt a little bit slow, despite the plot being quite fast-paced overall, and I think this could have been addressed by more world building taking place at the start (and throughout now that I think about it). Whilst we’re introduced to the characters, we don’t actually know how society works or what the town they live in is like or the details of their magic. I understand there are some specific plot points which are left until later on in the book for a reason, but I really feel like the concepts needed to be fleshed out more in this book. The idea behind this book was brilliant! The plot had me hooked, despite being a little bit lost at the beginning. I would have liked more of a resolution at the end, for example when happened with Nyx’s mom? But I believe there is a novella attached to this series so maybe that will answer my questions.

There’s a bit of blind worship towards a God which takes place that makes me uncomfortable, so I won’t go into much detail but if you’re not a fan of plots that do have an element of religion in it, then this isn’t for you.

I liked the characters! The main characters, Tal and Elodie were nicely fleshed out. Their relationship felt a little bit rushed in some places, but I liked them together. I liked Helenia as she was consistent in her beliefs and her point of view was clear to see. On the other hand, I wasn’t a massive fan of Nyx’s narrative. I disliked reading how jealous she was that her brother had chosen Elodie over her.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fast-paced, easy to read, YA fantasy book with enemies to lovers, wlw, poc, morally grey characters and an interesting plot then this is for you.

Eternally grateful to Netgalley and Naomi Hughes for providing me an ARC of Mercurial in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to finish this book, but unfortunately, I couldn't, I got to chapter ten and realized it is not the kind of book that I like, it is a good book, but it's just not for me, but I would seriously recommend that you give it a shot when it comes out in March.

My only problem with this story is that I now want a squeal instantly and this one is not even out yet! Every single one of the main characters has so much depth, character development and flaws that it was impossible to not love them all and hate them all when they made less then great, but very human choices. I loved the entire idea of powers coming from metals and this story executed it so flawlessly! The world building is fantastic and the pace is just right! It has some fantastic banter dialog and follows some common tropes like enemies to lovers but in a new refreshing way. This is a book I will not stop talking about for a while!

Looking back on this entire story, I'm surprised at how much world-building the author fit into it without it feeling forced. Like, I now have an idea of their magic system, their political system, the feel of the world, without there ever having been sections of the book where I, as a reader, thought, "Ah yes, here's that break from the story to fill me in on how this world works." I also really appreciated the fluid writing style, sometimes straight to the point, sometimes very funny, and sometimes nearly poetic.

I liked how the characters were fleshed out. I empathized with Tal and his struggle with faith. I felt like I should like Nyx more than I did, but her character was a little too...abrasive? overly violent?...for me to really like her. I did like Helenia - a sweetheart, but strong. The Destroyer was a very complex character and it was interesting and kind of heart-breaking to watch her story play out.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and I think further stories in this world would be interesting, although I understand that so far, the author plans for this to be a stand-alone novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fantasy super-fan, this is what I like to see! A great plot, great characters, great writing! Don’t be put off by the cover, this is an amazing story that kept me at the edge of my seat and reading all the way through. Brilliant, Naomi Hughes! Brilliant!

Many thanks to NetGalley, IBPA and the author for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I picked MERCURIAL simply because I love this genre. I have been deeply entrenched in stories of fantasy, rebellions and romance the past few months, so this story just checked all the boxes! Also, I love the cover art!

THE STORY:

MERCURIAL is centred around three main characters: the Destroyer; her bodyguard, Tal; and Tal's sister, Nyx. Tal swears a super-strong oath to protect the fearsome Destroyer because his God asks him to in a vision. But the kind and gentle Tal soon regrets it when he gets front row seats to every horrible thing the Destroyer does. Meanwhile, Nyx is dead-set on getting her brother back, so she trains to be a badass rebel assassin.


Then two years later, these three cross paths when Nyx tries to assassinate the Destroyer. The Destroyer ends up with her memories wiped out and her powers go poof! Tal is left with Elodie, the girl who's the Destroyer but she's not. LOL! Now Tal has to figure out what exactly he feels towards Elodie AND keep his sister from killing this memory-less version of the Destroyer! Trust me, this story is just starting!

THE CHARACTERS:

I think it is fair to say that Elodie and Nyx are antiheroines. And OH MY GOD I LOVE IT! I love this story mostly because the gals take on stronger, more powerful roles than the hero, and it. Is. So. Refreshing!

Tal was such a sweetheart and my heart goes out to this fella who is trying to figure out himself, his God, his life's purpose and how to keep his sister from the girl he might like.

Elodie is by far my favourite character, whether she's being the Destroyer or not. I love her twisted relationship with her sister, the Iron Empress, and her journey throughout the book just kept me on my toes the whole time.

Now, Nyx is a super badass character... but she can be so stubborn that it kept getting on my nerves! Going deeper into the book, I started to understand a lot more about her and she grew on me, she really did, but I just can't forgive her for some of the things she did. Also, I wish there had been more scenes with Nyx and Helenia; they're such a cute couple and I love their dynamic!

THE PLOT:

How can I even talk about the plot without spewing spoilers? I don't know but let me try!

The plot was deceptively more complicated than I could have ever imagined! Some really well-placed plot twists were just chef's kiss! I cannot stress enough how well-structured this story was!

Also, I love how Hughes took the time to explore the main characters' backgrounds and help us understand their actions, even the fearful Destroyer. This did slow down the story in the beginning but I think it adds the crucial bits to the characterisation that really gets the story going later.

And that last few chapters! I cannot describe the suspense without swearing a bit, so that's how good it was. I had to keep taking breaks because I felt like I was living the story! However, I was left in almost tears when I finished the last bit because I just wanted more! (P.S. Hughes did announce on her Twitter that she'll be releasing a short story set 15 years later AND I WANNA SCREAM!)

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

MERCURIAL has such an interesting and unique magic system. I am just blown away by Hughes' concepts of metal magic! It. Is. So. Good! I wish I lived in the Alloyed Empire and had all these powers! It was pretty fun to try and guess what powers each metal magic might be!

The politics in MERCURIAL is another plus point. To my non-political mind, this story had a very good system of politics. It plays such an important role in the whole plot, so I was worried about plot holes popping up, but Hughes really nailed it! Everything just fell together flawlessly!

THE THEMES:

I wanna really talk about the spiritual themes in this book! Normally I wouldn't touch on a topic that can get controversial so fast, but I am so impressed by how Mercurial handled it. My favourite bit was about how interpreting scriptures doesn't mean taking them literally but looking at what is underneath all of it. This was also a reason why I love Helenia's character; I just loved her outlook on her religion.

MERCURIAL also discussed many other heavy themes, like family, love, and retribution. I love how Hughes tackled these themes.

Like when it comes to family, it wasn't about trying to live happily as a family, but more of what does family mean to you? Would you do so and so for your sister or brother?

Even love didn't necessarily mean a typical love story; there was a lot of soul-searching and self-reflection for both parties before much romance really happens.

FINAL VERDICT:

MERCURIAL is a definite five star read! I am just so happy I picked this book and it is one of my best reads this year! Definitely re-read worthy as well, so I'm gonna give this one another go later this year maybe. I am in love with this whole book! How did Naomi Hughes write this perfection?!?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Independent Book Publishers Association for providing me this arc via Netgalley!
I'm not usually a fan of standalone fantasy novels, but this was amazing. The plot kept me hooked, the characters were all super complex and interesting and the magic system and world building were so innovative. The romance was perfect as well, on both couples.

An interesting read. I found the characters interesting and enjoyable, a bit of fantasy with a splash of the old and a bit of new. There were some occassions where I felt the flow and the quickness of the read, however, did a disservice to the book. For instance, I would have liked to know a bit more about the metal bloodlines and how that made unique powers. This didn't come fully into light until towards the end when a gold blood person with sleeping powers came up. It would be nice to see this world built just a little more.

MERCURIAL is a YA fantasy centered on three interconnected teens and the lengths they’ll go to save the ones they love. Set in the Alloyed Empire, a country where the noblest of blood also possess the power of Metals, Tal is a bodyguard who possesses the dangerous power of Silver. Driven by visions from his God, Tal swears an oath to protect the Destroyer, the heir to the Alloyed Empire, sister to the Empress, and the Empire’s sword against all enemies. In response, Tal’s sister, Nyx, sets in motion a plan to save her brother no matter the cost.

I actually sped through this book and finished it in just two sittings. Overall, while I thought the beginning was a little oddly paced, it made more sense once I got to the real plot of the story and past the first set up the story felt compulsively readable. I thought the writing was polished and at times downright beautiful, and there were quite a few passages I found myself highlighting just because of the beauty of the prose.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the deep and nuanced discussion of religion, which isn’t exactly surprising seeing as the author specifically mentioned that being a motivator in writing the book in the first place. I thought the discussion of translation and interpretation refreshing and much appreciated as someone who has struggled against their own religious upbringing and what they were raised to believe.

However, discussion of the religion aspect of the story brings me to the one thing I did have a problem with. Warning for slight spoilers below.

Full disclosure: I have not yet read WINTERKEEP, by Kristen Cashore, however while reading MERCURIAL, I kept coming back to discussions I’ve seen play out online in the weeks since Winterkeep’s release. In particular, regarding the relationship between Nyx (who is biracial) and her mother Saasha (who is Black).

As a white reader, it’s not my place to speak to the representation of a Black or biracial character. However I will say that there was something that felt a bit … weird to me about a Black woman (and the only living parent in the story) being made out as willing to sacrifice anything and everything-including her daughter-to achieve her goals. I think the story attempts to pin it on her beliefs but to be honest, I just don’t think that makes it better, even with Helenia there to provide a foil.

I looked around a bit but so far haven’t seen any reviews by Black readers, so I’m going to be keeping my eyes out for those, as I definitely want to see if this was just a me problem or if its something others noticed while reading as well. (If you know of any/have written one, please drop them in the comments!)

Overall, I thought this was a fast paced, well written read that definitely provoked a lot of thought on my end. Ultimately, though, I think it ended up falling short in a few places.

**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a strong biblical theme and I would recommend it to those looking for something like that, but would be hesitant to suggest it generally.
The magic was really interesting and well developed.

Honestly I adored this. Tal was one of the best characters I've ever read about in a YA. One of my favourite reads of 2021.

"Once, there was a boy who believed. Once, there was a girl who was afraid."

The Destroyer is the sister to the Iron Empress and also her weapon against all who stand against the empire. Tal swears a metal oath to the Destroyer to protect her at all costs, but in doing so he is turned into the Destroyer's personal assassin. Until there is an explosion that takes away the Destroyer's powers and robs her of her memories. As she learns who she is and remembers her past, Tal and The Destroyer must make the decision to save themselves or save the empire. Meanwhile, Nyx, Tal's sister has sworn to be The Destroyer's undoing, adding complications at every turn.

The magic system is very unique with powers coming from different types of metals being present in a person's blood. Metals are also powerful and respected, an oath sworn while touching metal is binding for life.

Mercurial gripped me from the first chapter and held my attention to the end. It is fast paced with a lot of action but a short enough novel that I could sit and read it in one day. There is some romance, also with some LBGTQIA representation, but isn't explicit. Definitely a feel good fantasy read everyone should check out!