I found this far too wordy - i tried and gave up around 30% of the way in.

It was very dialogue heavy, and it felt really jarring almost like I was reading a screenplay, or someone's school project they ran through a thesaurus.

I LOVE their premise but the style wasn't for me.

Thank you for the opportunity

This book already had me at the bees.

As I am sitting here, writing this review, I am still in awe that this is a debut story. Ever since I finished it, 2 days ago, I caught myself going back to The Serpent Called Mercy and its clever quotes, amazing action scenes, and thought-provoking characters. Because those are the best books, the ones that stick with you, that permanently carve a place for themselves in your brain and refuse to ever leave your memory again.

"The serpent you call mercy is nothing more than a fairytale notion that sinks its venomous fangs into the young, weakening them to the brutality of the world."

I was 10% into the story when I decided “Yes, this is it, this is gonna be the book”, and I was right. Was it a perfect book? No books ever are, and that’s what makes them all the more lovable. But instead of wasting time on criticisms, I am going to tell you all the reasons why you should read this:

I’m gonna start with an easy one, worldbuilding. When it comes to fantasy, I adore books with intricate worldbuilding, and Serpent Called Mercy didn’t disappoint in that regard. The real magic of the story comes, however, from the masterful layering of said worldbuilding: we have the sun-cursed beasts our heroes fight in the arena, a magical system strongly tied to religion, the social tensions of the political parties in the city-state of Setgad; and then, more, a mysterious Phantom that stalks the city at night and steals from the rich, an underground city below the city proper, the origins of the Aderi people, fuzzy bees that serve as the city’s illumination system, teahouse dogs. I could go on and on. All these carefully crafted details, both big and small, combine to create a vast world that extends beyond our protagonist’s limited point of view.

Lythlet is a compelling main character,and her battling the creatures in the arena as well as her own inner demons is the backbone on which the story is built. I also felt that the lack of romance (besides setting the book apart from most fantasy these days) left room for more developed relationships between characters. The friendship between Desil and Lythlet is, of course, central to the story, but all the other characters' stories interweave to create a complex narrative. Forget morally gray, all the characters felt real, raw, and their needs and ambitions made them all the more intriguing. I also need to mention the found family, a trope I dearly love, that is marvellously done in this book.

Lastly, I have only words of praise for the beautiful writing. It’s rare I find a book so quotable, a book where I underlined and marked entire paragraphs to reread and love again. The social commentary is perfectly interwoven in the plot and doesn’t feel forced, and the entire book has an almost philosophical feel to it, with a strangely poetic quality. It is safe to say that this is one book I will be rereading for years to come.

"It struck her hard then, that emblems of her hardships could be easily reduced into tokens of amusement for the highborn."



5 stars. 10 stars. All the stars




PS. If you can, do try the audiobook. The narrator is simply amazing.

This book sucked me in from the very beginning, but I wish it had been a duology so some of the sub plots could have been fleshed out much more. Despite having an excellent protagonist, some of the plot felt more passive than driven by her choices. Overall, a VERY FUN read that I enjoyed immensely!

My thanks to Rebellion and Net Galley for a free DRC of "The Serpent Called Mercy" by Roanne Lau.
What a great debut in Adult High Fantasy!
I loved this tale of ride or die friendship, monster fighting with social and political undertones.
It was so refreshing to get away from the current trends of perfect looking main characters and Romantasy.
The fact that the main female character has a facial deformity and a stutter were a breath of fresh air after the dozens of Fantasy tomes where everyone is ridiculously and inhumanly handsome.
I have been craving for a true friendship where a female and a male protagonists can be as sworn brother and sister, genuine friends without the need for romance.
Also please go into this debut without the expectations of "The Witcher" or "Squid Games". It is its own narrative and while it has monster fighting in an arena, it is more about the journeys of the characters.
So if you enjoy great character development, underdog stories, some captivating actions, flawed characters that feel real, please give this debut a try.
I truly hope the author will revisit this world as I wanted just a touch more worldbuilding.

A superb fantasy action adventure that will have you on the edge of the seat right from page one. A must read that is highly recommended.

An exciting and enjoyable read. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is an action-packed fantasy centred around a gladiatorial style arena where paired fighters do battle with horrific beasts and monsters. Expect epic fight scenes, curious and unusual monsters with terrifying powers and fighting styles. The author built something really interesting here and one of the best parts of the book is the creativity and deduction the main character Lythlet has to use to overcome these challenges. Brute strength will not be enough to defeat them but cunning and adaptability are essential.

While the book centres around this tournament, it’s also about social division. The characters are risking their lives in this horrific battle because they have no other politics. They live in a society rife with corruption where they are exploited through unscrupulous lenders, excessive health centre fees, cruel and unfair employers and a rich elite that barely considers them as human. The book explores the society that has created the situation that forces young people to risk their lives for the entertainment of the rich.

I found this book thrilling and fascinating. I was drawn into the world, the author’s creativity with the beasts imagined for the arena, the desire of the main character for a better life while balancing her desire to help her loved ones. This was a fantastic read.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

This book took me a little while to warm up to. It is a fast paced story about two friends in the slums trying to find a way to survive with crippling debt in a world that is designed to keep them at the bottom of society. They end up becoming contestants in a gladiator style arena in an attempt to better their lives.
What follows is some great monster battles, a real look at character motivations and the ties of friendship.
I thought this book was great in portraying a great, solid, platonic relationship in the explosion of romantasy that is occuring at the moment. It was refreshing to find a duo that don't fall in love but still have such a strong bond.
The characters were great, it read a little on the YA side to me but not in determinate to the book, I would have liked to see a little more complexity to the story but I really enjoyed what I read and would be keen to read more from the author.

t's definitely fast paced, but there's some lulls and unnecessarily long bits of dialogue that stopped this from having a higher rating. There's also some info dumping I definitely didn't like, which felt bulky compared to the rich world-building that gave such a great insight into the world of the characters and what they were struggling with, and desperate to get out of.

I'm loving the surge of non-western based fantasy books lately.  This book is steeped in Malaysian culture and the depictions are vibrant and refreshing.  The characters are also flawed and fractured and make for interesting reading - they are not your average cookie cutter MC's.

Our story is chock full of love between best friends (there is zero spice), rebellion, rising up against oppression and navigating a world where corruption is rife. Our MC's are the complete opposite of the usual MC's - they are poor, poverty stricken and on the edge of desperation.  No secret powers, hidden ties to royalty or Fae for them.  They need to scrap their way out of everything.

Lythlet is a great FMC.  She is strong, tough, determined and has overcome abuse by her former "masters".  She would do anything for her bestie Desil, even sell their souls to a fight-master.  I really empathised with Lythlet - she's plain, ordinary and unremarkable in many ways but she is a whizz at organisation, which has been exploited by others in the past.  She does get lost along the way, making her all the more believable as a character.  She gets side-tracked and consumed by petty things before she finally gets back on to her true path.

Desil and his medical debt are at the core of every decision that Lythlet makes and there are some really emotional scenes between them as the storyline develops. There are some very strong real-world parallels depicted in the story and it blended into the fantasy world seamlessly.

I'm a bit peeved at the lack of world building outside the MC's direct environment.  I wanted to know more about the sub-blest, the workings of the fights/arenas/match masters. There were a few scenes of info-dumping and some of the longer monologues could have been edited down a bit but otherwise I really enjoyed both the storyline and the development of the characters.

This is a friendship/platonic love coded fantasy and I'm here for more!

I'm in love.

This story and world is so beautifully rich and layered, yet is so very easy to get into (right before it puts you in a chokehold and doesn't let go). This book had me reading in the afternoon and I only read at night.

Why did I love it so much? I can't resist a well done found family trope and friendship stories. And I have a major soft spot for books that focus on platonic rather than romantic love. It really does make you reflect on friendships at the end. A book that keeps me gripped but makes me reflect at the end is top tier. The trials are awesome too.

There is plenty of action and I found Lythlet in particular so believable in it all, as an underdog. The whole story has heart and I just had to admire it.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this lovely book.

A really intriguing story about love, loss and relationships in times of difficulty. This is set in a world with incredibly rich world building. The discussion of Gods and the sunbeasts that our main characters interact with was so unique it kept me hooked. Would recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

And this is a debut?! I’m mesmerised by it! The entire book gives a new perspective of the arena games! I fell right away from the storyline of the main character, plus i loved all the references and inspiration from the other cultures!

There was something about The Serpent Called Mercy by Roanne Lau that made me really want to read it! There’s something about Lythlet that drew me to her, her background and past history were hard and harsh, her relationship with her parents is distant and as she describes it, more evident in the negative space between them. I also really felt for her relationship with Desil, founded in friendship from childhood and how this developed into their partnership as fighters in the arena.

There’s a lot about Lythlet that totally pulled me in, she most definitely isn’t your insta-FMC hero, her skills and capabilities have strong foundations in her past. She is flawed and seen as physically unattractive, not beautiful and her social skills most definitely aren’t those of the most popular girl in the room. She struggles with crowds but, develops relationships with those who are important to her. And I have to say that I totally followed her arc and growth throughout this book with interest.

I also really enjoyed the world-building in this book, cities founded and developed on top of the ruins of previous cities, the religion that most definitely took aspects and inspiration from a range of religions but, at its centre had core moral values. I actually really enjoyed that this book was set in a world that I could take in and consequently engage with the more detailed layers of society, politics, religion, economics, fashions and clothing, and peoples, rather than a huge epic world where it’s often not possible to explore so much. I must admit I would have loved to have had a little more precis about the Gods and their stories but, there’s always the opportunity for a spin off book of their stories.

I must say that I totally devoured the arena matches, from start to end. The action and pace was totally explosive and I was blown away by the amazing and strange beasts and their skills and abilities. All brought together as part of the fighters’ trials! It was here that Lythlet’s skills and religious beliefs truly came to the fore but, also put her in such danger.

I have to admit I love a story about an underdog, so there was no way I wasn’t going to enjoy this one but, I must admit that I was surprised and delighted by the less than expected ending. Thank you so much Rebellion, Solaris and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

3.5 stars

This was an interesting and action-packed fantasy following tow childhood friends who, in order to claw their way out of their debts, find themselves fighting against sun-cursed beasts in an underground fighting arena.

I really liked the friendship between our two main characters. Lythlet and Desil's bond is ride or die, and I loved that we got to see a fantasy that was more focused on friendship and not romance. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romantasy, but there is something about a book that just focuses on friendships that get me. Both characters are flawed and have their own inner demons and it was so interesting to see how they balanced one another put, especially when it came to fighting the beasts, who were intriguing in their own right.

I will admit that the middle chunk of this book felt a bit lacklustre to me. I really enjoyed the beginning third and as soon as it hit the 70% mark, the book really picked up, and I found myself fully engaged in the story and politics again. I also would have liked to have seen more world-building. While we know about the sun-cursed beasts, we don't get much more information on how they came to be, and I just felt like I was missing something. I definitely think this one could have benefited from being a duology rather than a standalone.

Overall, this was a good debut fantasy, with a compelling premise and fantastic characters. I'm intrigued to see what Lau writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read! I enjoyed the conquessor battle scenes in particular, and found Lythlet to be an engaging MC - she's definitely not a hero, and I found her character flaws made for a compelling arc

While I was excited for this book because of the comp titles, it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations. The premise was wonderful and I enjoyed the characters but the storyline was a bit of a drag and I think more world-building would've helped.

The Serpent Called Mercy is an epic fantasy inspired by Malaysian Chinese culture, weaving a gripping tale of ambition, survival, and deception. The story follows Lythlet and her closest friend, Desil, as they struggle with debt and poverty, forcing them into a brutal underground world where they battle monstrous creatures for survival. Lythlet’s intelligence and cunning soon attract the attention of a powerful figure, drawing her into a dangerous game of power and politics.

The novel shines with its engaging character development, particularly in Lythlet’s journey as a resilient underdog. Her friendship with Desil adds emotional depth, offering a rare and refreshing portrayal of male-female friendship. While some readers may wish for deeper exploration of certain character dynamics, the narrative remains compelling and immersive.

Though comparisons have been made to other well-known fantasy and dystopian stories, this book carves out its own unique identity, delivering a thrilling and culturally rich adventure. With its fast-paced action, morally complex themes, and intricate world-building, this is a strong debut that leaves a lasting impression.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This has been on my radar for so long that once I finally read it, I couldn't put it down. This was sheer brilliance.

3.5 stars 🌟

This one started as a really great book, with intrigue and wonderful characters. It just, for me, lost pacing as time went on and I think the author did herself a disservice with so many creature battles.

PROS:
- I loved the FMC, I loved her strength and her tenancy. I loved that she wasn’t the usual pretty damsel in distress. That she was strong willed, driven and motivated by friendships and loyalty.
- I enjoyed the friendship over romance troupe, and liked how it was developed and explored with the main characters.
- I loved the bees, I don’t know why but I loved the first part of the book with these creatures and wished we had spent more time with them. Rather than them being a side plot support.
- Initially loved the monster battles.
- The concept of being trapped in a political mind game without the autonomy to get out.

CONS:
- The magic? I found the strangely random addition of the cosmosphere and jumping from the sacred plant to be wholly random. The FMC only used it again in practicing (from memory) and it seemed like a really out of the blue concept.
- The monster battles. They became, samey? And I think the author agreed because she missed out a lot of battles in order to save time and push the plot forward. The issue for me was there was nothing extra each time, the addition of the area change was a really positive one, but it only happened once.
- The plot drivers. Initially to get out of debt, but once that was achieved it got a little convoluted. With helping her parents, or having a more secured life. Then there was a plot twist on her parents and then more political intrigue which unfortunately fell a little flat for me.
- The last quarter of the book felt strangely…rushed? Suddenly issues arose, but then the hero’s found ways out, fairly painlessly. I almost wish there had been more peril or negative outcomes despite having attachment to all the main characters.

Overall I did enjoy the book, I just wish perhaps it had been a duology to bring out more of the world building and political system. And I wish there had been more to the monsters angle. What makes the Hunger Games intriguing is the arenas, full of traps and unknowns and monsters and alliances etc. There’s more than just fighting in a pit, and I think an additional angle would have given the 12 games more of a hook to look forward to.
However, I loved the characters and their relationships. This was the real gem in the novel, and I loved how this played out.

I really enjoyed this book!

I felt immediately drawn into the underdog story of the FMC. She's extremely smart and goes on quite the journey of self growth. She has her main friendship put into question, her mortality, her relationship with her parents and her self worth too. I loved the lessons she learned along the way, even when gained because of mistakes. I actually enjoyed that she had flaws and wasn't your typical beauty (or even a beauty at all on the outside). Her relationships with herself and people close to her as well as "above" her are dynamic and go through growth too.

I thoroughly enjoyed the inspiration from various cultures like the celebrations, god's, the way you show respect for your parents and make sacred vows.

I didn't mind that the world wasn't vast, it was interesting, unique and the strong political story and intrigue was enough for me. There was some history built into the story as you went which I appreciated. I would say I feel like it could be fleshed out more, there were lots of gods of various things and clearly different races within the world but only spatterings of information to set them apart rather than a more obvious explanation which made conjuring up images a bit difficult. There was definitely an eye for detail around lots of things like the clothing and the emotions/expressions of the characters and immediate surroundings but less so the way characters really looked and the marked differences between the races that occupy this world together. There were different names for days and months and seasons etc which could have added to the story if they were explained a bit better. Or a glossary.

The matches in the book were great, the beasts well thought out and all something new to me. I enjoyed the thoughts and trials they went through.

Overall I loved the journey, it was refreshing for it to be about a genuine underdog with a want to do more for herself and the world in which she inhabits. The ending wasn't your typical one either in that it was bittersweet leaving you satisfied but feeling the emotions of the characters well.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.