Today, I’m excited to review this thrilling young adult fantasy. The Faithless Hawk, written by Margaret Owen, is the second installment in The Merciful Crow duology. I absolutely adored the first book, The Merciful Crow, and this sequel is no different. Released on August 18, 2020, this story ripped out my heart and pieced it back together.
Thank you so much, MacMillan, for gifting me the print copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Synopsis – The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen
Kings become outcasts and lovers become foes in the thrilling sequel to Margaret Owen’s The Merciful Crow.
As the new chieftain of the Crows, Fie knows better than to expect a royal to keep his word. Still she’s hopeful that Prince Jasimir will fulfill his oath to protect her fellow Crows. But then black smoke fills the sky, signaling the death of King Surimir and the beginning of Queen Rhusana’s merciless bid for the throne.
With the witch queen using the deadly plague to unite the nation of Sabor against Crows—and add numbers to her monstrous army—Fie and her band are forced to go into hiding, leaving the country to be ravaged by the plague. However, they’re all running out of time before the Crows starve in exile and Sabor is lost forever.
A desperate Fie calls on old allies to help take Rhusana down from within her own walls. But inside the royal palace, the only difference between a conqueror and a thief is an army. To survive, Fie must unravel not only Rhusana’s plot, but ancient secrets of the Crows—secrets that could save her people, or set the world ablaze.
PURCHASE LINKS | GOODREADS | AMAZON
THE MERCIFUL CROW #1 – CLICK HERE
Book Review
The Faithless Hawk by Margaret Owen was one of my anticipated reads in 2020. I’ve loved The Merciful Crow so much that I couldn’t wait to wait what would happen next. Book 2 was such a wonderful read, even better than the first book. I enjoyed reading it so much – the perfect conclusion to this duology. It did not disappoint and the stakes are higher.
This book set Fie up for new adventures pretty fast. There are still some of the same plots as in book 1, but more is added to it, which I found fantastic. This addition raises the stakes to a whole new level. Because of that, I found the world-building more developed. I learned more about the Crows and their history.
This book does take quite some unexpected turns that kept me going. I wanted to turn the pages faster than I could read because I really wanted to know what would happen next. The author’s writing is simply amazing. I can easily say that this book broke my heart and then pieced it back together.
The cast of characters is as wonderful as it was before. One of my favorites remains Barf LOL. This cat is just perfect for Fie. As for Fie, her journey is one I very much enjoyed reading about. Her hopes, struggles, and anger made my heart bleed for her. The other characters are also all well crafted and it’s always a pleasure to read about them – The entire group of Crows and Hawks, Little Witness, Jas, Tavin, and many more.
This story is fast-paced. I went through the book pretty fast. The bumps in the road for Fie are endless. She goes through so much in this book – Her character arc is wonderful. I couldn’t help but love her. It’s always hard to write a review for a second book because there is so much I want to say but doing so would be spoiling the book. I will say this – if you loved book 1, pick up this book. I highly recommend it.
Sources for material and content: Goodreads and Amazon
About the author: Margaret Owen
Born and raised at the end of the Oregon Trail, Margaret Owen spent her childhood haunting the halls of Powell’s Books. After earning her degree in Japanese, her love of espresso called her north to Seattle, where she worked in everything from thrift stores to presidential campaigns. The common thread between every job can be summed up as: lessons were learned.
She now spends her days wrestling disgruntled characters onto the page, and negotiating a long-term hostage situation with her two monstrous cats. (There is surprisingly little difference between the two.)
Whyyyyy have I waited to start this series? I think because I’m nuts. Definitely will be on my fall TBR.
I hope you enjoy it! I absolutely adored this duology.