There just were no rules for the magic system, so any character could get these random epic powers at any time. We don't even know. Magic doors. Magic artefacts. New gods. Whatever. No parameters to work with. This doesn't make the plot twists feel big and powerful -- it makes them feel convenient because there's no ability to foreshadow changes because there are no rules. Even Deka kept being like "oh i just didn't know this was possible earlier" which felt like this thin excuse for the book to be like: eh just didn't think of it in book one. SUMMARY: The Merciless Ones is the second thrilling instalment of the epic fantasy series in which a young heroine fights against a world that would dare tame her.

Deka and her friends grow as the story goes on, some mentally and others physically (like in Ixa's case). Ixa is just as adorable as he was, maybe even more so. Discover the gripping sequel to Namina Forna's New York Times bestselling YA fantasy, The Gilded Ones. A poignant examination of patriarchal oppression that ensnares its reader and doesn’t let go. With a compelling main character and fresh magic system, it takes you on a journey of self-discovery through a fantastically built world with a burning mystery at its heart.”—Kalyn Josephson, author of The Storm Crow

Deka has taken her place as the Nuru, the chosen one of the Gilded Ones, the four goddesses who have promised to overthrow the misogynistic priests and bring peace to Otera. But if this is a step toward peace in Otera, then why does everything feel wrong to Deka? Her divine powers set her farther and farther away from her friends, women and girls across Otera are being killed in response to the revolution she started, and the Firstborn seem outright dismissive of anyone who isn’t alaki. Even worse, a dark force is at work to oppose the goddesses, and it seems like only Deka and her friends can stop it. But nothing is as it seems, and Deka will be faced with one impossible decision after another. There is a saying, Deka: when gods dance, humanity trembles. And a lot of dancing is happening these days. Thankfully, as the Nuru, you have a say in the direction of the dance.” There is also so much talk of memories and how pain and trauma molds and shapes us, so again, it’s an interesting and almost strange choice the way the alaki and other supporting characters are seemingly forced aside like Deka no longer needs them or is too important for them, even though that shared trauma and healing was pivotal for all of them in the previous book. Sadly, this really didn’t live up to its predecessor and falls into several of the traps and issues that second books in a trilogy suffer from: super powered MC, contrived plotting meant to force a turning point in the series, large info dumps for a super expanded world, slow pacing.

First, some of the things I liked. I've enjoyed watching Deka grow in her confidence. I really loved the friendships that have evolved and the trust and loyalty that have developed between the characters. I also enjoyed learning more about the relationships between the gods. The queer rep just felt so off to me because one of my biggest complaints in book 1 was the extraordinarily binary world, and then suddenly there's a ton of queer characters, and of course they all are horrifically abused for their queerness. The Merciless Ones is the second in Namina Forna’s “Deathless” series. For a follow-up novel, I thought The Merciless Ones did a decent job in furthering worldbuilding and character development. It took me a bit to get into, but once it got going, the book had me hooked! (Of course, spoiler warnings for the content ahead if you haven’t read the first book, The Gilded Ones.) With an opening that couldn’t be more arresting – “Corpses. Each one female and young…They’re mounted on stakes at the mouth of the jungle”– Namina Forna's The Merciless Ones, sequel to her powerful patriarchy-confronting debut, The Gilded Ones, presents a thrilling return to the richly-evoked kingdom of Otera. This isn’t a standalone. The story is complex and very much carries on from the events that took place in The Gilded Ones. Deka and her friends face newer, more ruthless challenges, questioning their missions and the truth of what they’ve been told, when one reveal after another puts everything they think they know into question.The lgbt characters are featured a lot more too. As well as slightly different but no less important themes.