My rating:

add to my books

Havemercy (Havemercy #1)

by Jaida Jones, Danielle Bennett

3.65 · rating details · 767 ratings · 108 reviews

This stunning epic fantasy debut introduces two exciting new authors—and a world brimming with natural and man-made wonders, extraordinary events, and a crisis that will test the mettle of men, the boundaries of magic, and the heart and soul of a kingdom.

Thanks to its elite Dragon Corps, the capital city of Volstov has all but won the hundred years’ war with it...more

Hardcover, 388 pages

Published June 24th 2008 by Spectra

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Fantasy Books with Gay Main Characters

24th out of 251 books — 401 voters

Top 100 Gay Novels of the XXI century

56th out of 249 books — 160 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,466)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 11, 2008

Sarah rated it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

Okay. Here it goes. I wanted to care for this book. I really did. But it turned out to be a big disappointment.

First of all, I could not stand "the society's" (Volstov's) view of women. Granted, I've read what Jaida and Danielle had to say about this and what they've said makes sense. The book is told from a patriarchal perspective and four MALE characters. None of them have the need to comment on the role of women. But it bothered me SO MUCH. Simply, I just did not, could ...moreOkay. Here it goes. I wanted to care for this book. I really did. But it turned out to be a big disappointment.

First of all, I could not stand "the society's" (Volstov's) view of women. Granted, I've read what Jaida and Danielle had to say about this and what they've said makes sense. The book is told from a patriarchal perspective and four MALE characters. None of them have the need to comment on the role of women. But it bothered me SO MUCH. Simply, I just did not, could not, enjoy reading about a society where women were portrayed as cows, whores or shrill, overbearing mothers.

Although my biggest problem was that I never got the sense that the Ke-Han were actually a real threat. Ever. Sure, Volstov and their dragon riders were fighting the Ke-Han but...it never felt like anything was really at stake.
The final battle was cool though. But that's the thing! There were no real action or tension anywhere. Not that a good book requires action scenes. Quite the contrary sometimes. But what was missing from this book was SUSPENCE. I just didn't care if Volstov lived or died. I never came to love the world that had been created in this book. That, with any fantasy book, is a big problem.

Now for the characters. I have to admit some of the Royston/Hal scenes... just get ON WITH STORY. PLEASE. Some of it, particularly when they were walking in the park, felt like badly written fan fiction. But their relationship was cute. Whatever. I still don't care about Volstov. Rook was badass (but all the cursing did grate on my nerves a lot). I liked him at times. Other times I wanted to punch him in the mouth. Or the balls. I liked all the characters, I guess...but never grew to love them.

That being said, the dragon riders were awesome but NEVER used to their full potential. The metals dragons were what saved me from giving this book two stars. Their brotherhood and what they were capable could have been explored so much more. I think if we'd been given some quality time with the dragon riders as opposed to Thom's inner angst, I would have enjoyed this book a lot more. The problem there is that the narrative style of Havemercy doesn't facilitate that - unless Rook was the one narrating. The dragons and their riders were so cool but the main focus was on Thom. Meh.

Also, the title of the book is Havemercy. Havemercy herself was only in four scenes.

There were moments that got me to laugh out loud however. Rook screaming that they had to "haul ass" to the palace made me laugh.

I wanted to care about this book. But it feels like what could have potentially been great material was handled in the wrong way. I wish whoever edited this book had told these two brilliant young writers what was missing.(less)

like 14 likes

· see review

Dec 04, 2008

Clay rated it

“Havemercy” (Bantam Spectra, $22, 388 pages) is puzzling from the title to the conclusion – so puzzling, in fact, that I had trouble deciding if I liked it. On reflection, I didn’t, because in the end co-authors Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett spent too much time on one problematic, improbable relationship that they resolve with a deus ex machina.

The setup is interesting: It’s an unnamed world populated by humans living along what is pretty recognizably the border between Russia and...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Aug 16, 2010

Eden rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The first book of a fantasy series (the third recently published) set in an Empire called Volstov, this book follows four separate characters: Royson, a Margrave (or wizard) in exile; Hal, a clever young country bumpkin; Rook, the loud and antisocial rider of Havemercy, a mechanical dragon; and Thom, a 'Versity student charged with teaching the dragon riders manners.

I've been aware of this book since before it was published, as these authors did the impossible - they were picked up b...moreThe first book of a fantasy series (the third recently published) set in an Empire called Volstov, this book follows four separate characters: Royson, a Margrave (or wizard) in exile; Hal, a clever young country bumpkin; Rook, the loud and antisocial rider of Havemercy, a mechanical dragon; and Thom, a 'Versity student charged with teaching the dragon riders manners.

I've been aware of this book since before it was published, as these authors did the impossible - they were picked up by a publisher because they wrote fanfiction. They created The Shoebox Project, a Harry Potter fanfic that had a huge following. I've wanted to read their published work for years but I don't think it ever came to print in the UK. As it was, I only go hold of a copy this summer, and I started reading eagerly.

Is was surprising how much I struggled to get into it. The book starts off on the wrong foot, with a pages-long info dump that was gruelling to get through, let alone understand. It didn't help very much that the POV changed every half-dozen pages, with a new info-dump to get through. The one character I liked from the off was Rook. His dialogue, his thoughts, his actions were all so vibrant and strong. The other three characters seemed to blur somewhat here-and-there, but Rook was unique and always interesting.

As a whole, I feel it failed to deliver any real satisfaction. The relationship that blooms between Royson and Hal feels fake and is the most tedious thing I've read since Twilight. There is a lot of 'I think only of you, I adore you, I must have you - but no! It is forbidden and we must not!' happening. Not even hot-and-cold, just tepid-and-lukewarm. It is like that until the last three chapters. It really pissed me off that so much time/space was dedicated to this and their wooden dialogue. In retrospect, the relationship between Rook and Thom is a lot more dynamic - and a hell of a lot more sexual, but that aspect is apparently accidental on the author's behalf as [spoiler:] they are brothers[/spoiler:].

Relationships are the meat of the book. Some are interesting, some are not. The characters are very well developed and I found myself half in love with some of the side characters (Greylace - unf) but the true thing the book is in dire need of is action. There are nearly no scenes where magic is seen used - I think the most we get is a table exploding. There are some good parts where Rook is flying Havemercy in battle but otherwise there is little violence. Royson spends most of his time in bed, with Hal fluttering over him, in the most dull hurt/comfort scenarios I've come across. The way Hal saves the day is really, really pathetic. I don't think a book has annoyed me this book in a very long time. I don't know if I'm going to pick up the second in the series, Shadow Magic. There are four different characters in that one, so I won't have to suffer through Royson/Hal - but saying that, Rook will be absent. It was a good concept, but it just failed to deliver any satisfaction for me.

Characters: 7/10
Setting: 4:10
Plot: 3/10
Dialogue: 6/10
Overall: 4/10(less)

like 4 likes

· see review

Mar 12, 2009

Erika rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Havemercy (one word) is the joint effort of debut authors Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett. Normally, this would be really cool, but the execution left something to be desired. The book opens with four different points of view: Royston, Rook, Hal, and Thom. Royston is a Margrave, a title never explained but presumed to have something to do with being a magician, and his scene opens on the eve of his banishment from the bustling city of Thremedon after a lukewarm scandal sends ripples of anger...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 02, 2008

Wealhtheow rated it

Shelves: fantasy, mannerpunk, queer-characters, urban-fantasy

This is an unholy cross between Sorcery and Cecilia and The Mirador, with little of the charm of either. The metal dragons of Volstov are on the cusp of victory in the generations long battle against the Ke-Han. During a lull in the war, the magician Royston is exciled to his family's country estates, where he falls in love with the young tutor there. Their slow building romance was quite sweet, and I actually cared about it. Not so with the relationship between Rook, a dragon jockey, and ...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Aug 17, 2008

Chelle rated it

Recommends it for: steampunk/fantasy lovers, gay romance, dragon enthusiasts

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've been waiting for a book like this for years now. Blindly I groped, searching through page after page of cliche fantasy only to find myself disappointed. I will admit to being a very picky reader with strange tastes, and Havemercy almost nailed it. Warning, spoilers present :)

Jaida Jones is well known in the online artist community for working on a collaborative illustration/book series called Pie-IX and I will admit to being a fan. I highly enjoyed her writing skills of the firs...moreI've been waiting for a book like this for years now. Blindly I groped, searching through page after page of cliche fantasy only to find myself disappointed. I will admit to being a very picky reader with strange tastes, and Havemercy almost nailed it. Warning, spoilers present :)

Jaida Jones is well known in the online artist community for working on a collaborative illustration/book series called Pie-IX and I will admit to being a fan. I highly enjoyed her writing skills of the first installation and I am still waiting for the next installment later on this year. So it would be only natural that I heard about her collaborative work with Danielle Bennett on Havemercy the day it got taken in by Bantam; I didn't hear much about it but other than it was steampunk (a personal favorite sub-genre of mine ) and about metal dragons (as I had seen the front cover). I was sold.

To be perfectly honest--whether out of personal bias or just out of pure love for homoeroticism present--I loved this book. The characters were engaging and intriguing and I'll keep a special place in my heart for every one of them. However, when I first started reading and switched viewpoints for the second time (from Royston to Rook to Hal), I started to feel a little nervous, that too much was going on for me to take in properly. By the time I reached Thom I was nearly having a panic attack. So many names in so little pages, how was I to remember them all? Four main characters, all seemingly little to have to do with one another (save Rook and Thom).

From the beginning I knew Royston and Hal would become lovers. Perhaps it's from Ms. Jones' previous work with Pie-IX, but it seemed rather obvious from page one that Royston had loved and lost and would find love again. I knew that to be with none other than the naive, brilliant country boy, Hal. Hal was an adorable character, almost too adorable. Their growing relationship at Castle Nevers was what really kept me going for the first fourth of the book, while I would skip greedily ahead during Thom and Rook's parts to see when Royston or Hal would next speak. To be honest, I didn't like Rook in the beginning. Sure, he's gorgeous and loud and obnoxious; what's not to love, right? I had a real issue with the way he treated women, but as the story trudged forward, my sympathy for him really strengthened. I didn't skip through pages to see when Hal or Royston spoke after a while because each character became interesting (and very important) in their own way. I enjoyed the voice of each character and the way they spoke, and I can only wonder about how Ms. Jones and Ms. Bennett split up their parts. The action parts were interesting and well written; I do wish there had been more of them. I also wish there had been more at the final battle, for most of it took place off-screen. It frustrated me a little that the entire novel was working up to this final push to make things right, and it was skirted around and left for the characters to explain in aftermath.

I hadn't expected Rook and Thom to be brothers (for all I knew I thought they'd end up as lovers as well, seeing no female main character come to the surface!) but I guess I should have expected as much. Rule number one about character deaths: if the surmised death of a character is not seen, then they might as well still be alive. I should have seen this yet I didn't. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it along with Thom, and his struggle to divulge it to his newly discovered brother, Rook. Rook's reaction was fantastic, real, sympathetic.

Other than this fact I didn't find much of the book surprising. I knew there would be obvious import to the story Hal read in the beginning and pieced the puzzle together far before Hal did. That's not to say I found the book incredibly predictable and boring. On the contrary, the relationships woven between these characters were fabulous; I am a much more character driven writer myself, as opposed to plot driven, so this was right up my alley. I'm a huge sucker for gay romance, especially between such lovable characters as Royston and Hal.

This book was a breath of fresh air for me. It provided me with joy and inspiration, which is more than I can say for most of the books I've been reading recently. I will say that Antoinette was a shining gem in this book and I do expect her to be in any planned installations of Havemercy. Such a very limited part for played, and yet she made my heart glow.

This book is not for everyone and the demographic is a bit confusing to me (as well as to other readers, as I can see). However, I think it fits nicely into the young adult category; I've read much edgier young adult than this. Much edgier. If you are not particularly fond of homosexual romance I would steer clear as well, for it's a difficult thing to avoid when it's being told by two of the main characters.

Overall, fantastic job, ladies. I look forward to the next one!(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Dec 02, 2008

Tortla rated it

Shelves: dragons, dragony-dragons

It definitely wasn't my favorite book (the whole switching narrations took a while to get used to, and the language sometimes offended my delicate sensibilities, and it often felt like the characterization was playing up stereotypes/typical masculine and feminine roles too much). All that aside, though, it was really amusing. And it definitely made me chortle to myself a few times and had me for quite a long time assuming something about the plot which later turned out to make me feel quite gros...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 11, 2008

Liviu rated it

Shelves: genre-fantasy, 2008_release_read, review_fbc

While it was not quite the book I was expecting, I enjoyed it a lot, maybe more than if it were a standard human/dragon book. Despite being a 400 page book, it's a very fast read and I almost did not put it down.

This book is much closer to Sarah Monette's Mirador series, though it's not as dark and explicit, and there are four main characters, rather than two, but there are similar kind of emotional undercurrents, and ultimately this is where the book succeeds very well - in the rela...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 23, 2009

Molly (Surrounded By Words) rated it

Shelves: 2009-books, all-time-favs

What impressed me the most was Jaida and Danielle's ability to move flawlessly between characters. Each personality was beautifully developed. Watching the subtle similarities between the character pairs develop added so much to the plot and story development. I will forever be in love with Royston and Hal, and wishing for more of their relationship. Thom's anguish over the situation with Rook broke my heart every time.

My one criticism is that I was about halfway through the book befor...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 20, 2012

Lauren rated it

Shelves: female-author, lgbt, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed this book, but I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. The idea of mechanical dragons is a cool bit of steampunk fantasy, and the idea of a world in which these mechanical dragons fly is even cooler— I love worldbuilding. Unfortunately, neither of these ideas were very fleshed out: the mechanical dragons were birthed as a product of magic, but we were never given any insight into how they were created, and the universe, a sort of Russian-inspired kingdom, gets very little developmen...moreI enjoyed this book, but I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. The idea of mechanical dragons is a cool bit of steampunk fantasy, and the idea of a world in which these mechanical dragons fly is even cooler— I love worldbuilding. Unfortunately, neither of these ideas were very fleshed out: the mechanical dragons were birthed as a product of magic, but we were never given any insight into how they were created, and the universe, a sort of Russian-inspired kingdom, gets very little development or exposition about the politics or populace of the location.

The characters were somewhat more well-developed (although out of the four POV characters, only one had a particularly distinctive voice, which was frustrating given their first-person perspectives), and I particularly liked the storyline involving Rook, one of the Dragon Corps, and Thom, a professor sent to make the dragon riders act more like gentlemen. One of the best scenes in the book was when Thom attempted to have the Dragon Corps roleplay as other people in order to teach empathy. I would have liked one or two female characters, instead of women being barely mentioned except in a fairly sexist manner (which was entirely understandable and didn’t bother me considering it was usually from men in the Dragon Corps; respect for women was surely one of the things that Thom was attempting to teach them), and I would have liked to learn more about the Dragon Corps than just Rook (Balfour particularly interested me).

In terms of the other two POV characters, Royston the magician and Hal his love interest/assistant, I found myself confused by their storyline. At the start of the book, I was under the impression that Royston was sent away from the city for being gay, but soon after he returns to the city with Hal, in a relationship that he makes very little effort to hide from anyone else (so perhaps the previous incident was due more to who he was with as it seemed to be a member of royalty, but this was unclear). I also felt that the plot was not well-resolved, although the threads of storyline that seem to be setting up the sequel (I believe there are four books in the series?) intrigue me.

The best part of the story, in my opinion, is the writing itself. When I began the book I was steeling myself for an overload of banter (If you’ve read that other story co-author Jaida Jones co-wrote, you understand my trepidation), but it was toned down just enough that it was witty and entertaining, but not overwhelming. Also, although I would have loved everything in the story, from plot to setting to character, to be more fleshed out, the writing was definitely enjoyable in the details we do get. I’m not sure if I’m going to read the sequel to this book, but I think that I might at least give it a try.
(less)

· see review

Jan 13, 2012

E rated it

Shelves: action-adventure, books-i-own, fantasy, lgbt

Decent fantasy story with mecha dragons, which should have been a winning formula in my book, but the writing is sub-standard and there are too many characters with far too little characterization. I saw the twist at the end coming from a mile away, and the rest of the book lacked suspense. The gay characters seemed very seme/uke to me, and not engaging at all.

Furthermore I was incensed at the portrayal of female characters. Once again you get this bizarre apologist internalized misogy...more

· see review

Jan 09, 2012

Yvonne Boag rated it

Shelves: fantasy

Havemercy is told from the view point of four different characters. Rook is an airman who rides a mechanical dragon, Havemercy, the newest and biggest of the dragons. He is rude, sleeps around and has no respect for anyone, especially women. Thom is a scholar who is called in to teach the dragon riders some manners after Rook almost causes an international incident. Royston is banished to the country after sleeping with the wrong person, while there he meets Hal, who is his nephews' tutor. Their...more

· see review

Jun 09, 2011

Nastasha LaBrake rated it

Shelves: read-in-11

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book. I thought the plot was fantastic and the characters were interesting. I enjoyed the fact that the characters tell the story from their different points of view, because it allows the reader to really hear their individual voices.

I thought the relationship between Hal and Royston, though fairly slow to progress and very chastely described, was beautiful in an old-fashion-romance sort of way. I don't know how else to describe it, because it made me think of courtly r...more

· see review

May 03, 2010

Jain rated it

Shelves: 2010-reads, american-literature, fantasy, fiction, glbt, northamerican, canadian-literature

The good: I loved the premise of steampunk dragonriders in a magical Eurasia; I found several of the characters very engaging; and the story is exciting, with a great mix of action, drama, humor, and romance.

The bad: The worldbuilding is incredibly sloppy. The two major countries in the book are Volstov, which reads as a Russian-English hybrid, and Xi'an, a Chinese-Japanese hybrid, with no attempt made to explain how and why those nations/cultures would have intermingled. And this can'...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 03, 2010

Lawrence Kapture rated it

Shelves: fantasy-new-weird

Fun soap opera about four characters caught in the endgame of a magical war.

Titled for a character's flying mechanical dragon, the book has little to do with the dragons, but alot to do with their riders, the "airmen".

The first 50 pages were a bit of a slog, but after the tension ratchets up between two of the main characters, an airman and a sensitivity trainer who is tasked to teach the valuable airmen manners after a diplomatic incident, it begins to roll a...more

· see review

Aug 27, 2009

Zen rated it

Shelves: sff, slashy

Wow, this was bad. I was finding it really difficult to keep reading anyway -- the fact that there were four different narrators, each of whose voices I bounced off, didn't help with sustaining momentum -- but I decided to stop trying and just skim to the ending at this point:

"Your Majesty," Jeannot spoke up ... , "allow me to presume so much as to see if I am completely clear as to your royal plan."

What an appalling sentence. I thought the characters ...more

like 7 likes

· see review

Jan 21, 2012

Ann rated it

Shelves: steampunk, favorites

Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett's Havemercy is an entirely unique take on dragons in fantastic literature with "fantasy, dragons, war, magicians, political intrigue, steampunk, alternate history, Russia, China/Japan, and shonen ai" being my list of tags for it.
Havemercy is a fast paced direct narrative told from four distinctly different voices based on an in-depth, complex world building full of unique elements. The book is highly complex, with even small details from the beginnin...more

· see review

Sep 23, 2008

Baco rated it

Shelves: glbt, magic, airships

Well-written, unusual, and entertaining, with a really well-fleshed out world and some really neat POVs and writing styles. On occasion the writing style sort of ran away with itseld, but overall this was really well done.

I have an issue the lack of female characters, and I found the big gap between the two main storylines kind of perplexing. They just seemed really disconnected, and never quite meshed the way I thought they should.

like 2 likes

· see review

Oct 08, 2011

Althea Ann rated it

The latest I've read in The Series I've Been Reading Mostly Backwards, for Unknown Reasons.
After reading #4, and then #3, I suspected that I really should have read #1 first, in order to be properly introduced to the characters.
After reading it, I was correct.
Many vaguenesses are now explained. I do feel much more familiar with the characters.
However, while the book was entertaining and fun, it still wasn't great. Perhaps as a result of having two separate authors, I felt...more

· see review

Dec 16, 2009

Amanda rated it

So, i'm going through a fantasy phase. I just want to be dazzled by an epic story of magic right now. This book, however, was not a big hit. It was okay, not bad, but not great. The homosexual subplot was weird and didn't really jibe with the entire premise. Actually, the whole book was a dozen mini subplots, none of which were really cohesive at all, which is the main problem I had with it. Separately, the characters were solid, even somewhat interesting and I think Royston and Hal's little lov...more

· see review

Sep 05, 2009

Alicia rated it

Shelves: library, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Jul 31, 2011

Ryn rated it

Shelves: adult-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. OH, how I wish I could give this 5 stars.

The reason I can't?

I've read Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series.

The character development is spectacular, and the emotions each character feels and the tension between them seems to just leap off the page. But felt like the whole novel was just Monette's series... slightly sqashed and then straightened out.

Margrave Royston (aka Felix Harrowgate) is a gay, exiled magician. Felix was the more vib...moreOH, how I wish I could give this 5 stars.

The reason I can't?

I've read Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series.

The character development is spectacular, and the emotions each character feels and the tension between them seems to just leap off the page. But felt like the whole novel was just Monette's series... slightly sqashed and then straightened out.

Margrave Royston (aka Felix Harrowgate) is a gay, exiled magician. Felix was the more vibrant, memorable character - so Monette: 1, Jones/Bennett:0. Rook (a mashup of both Felix and Mildmay Foxe in that he talks like a guttersnipe and is as predictable and violent as a tsunami) is, eerily enough, brother to Thom (again, a mashup of Felix and Mildmay in that he is ever so calm and stable, and has crawled his way from the gutter to rubbing elbows with intellectuals), in a sweet twist that I really enjoyed. Though I will admit that I love Rook slightly more than sanity should allow, I ADORED Mildmay and the juxtaposition of his and Felix's personalities better than Rook's and Thom's. But I guess Monette and Jones/Bennett are tied on that one.

I liked Hal and the tension between him and the Royston in the beginning, but by the end he just seemed like a useless, weepy sod and I didn't really understand how Royston put up with him (he reminded me of Monette's Gideon, although hers was much more believable/selfish/human). So Monette wins on that score again.

Even the settings of the books were so similar that it was easy to imagine that it was just a different set of characters in Monette's Melusine. One thing I would commend these authors on is that they kept it simple and still managed to produce great characters - Monette's writing is a quite a bit more complicated, which is not always necessary. The plot of Havemercy was lacking too, but the characters were so lovely that I could overlook it.

I will *definitely* check out the rest of this series because I lovelovelove the way these women write, I just wish they would... go for more originality? More of a plotline? The metal dragons made an appearance for what felt like a total of 5 pages in the whole book (but they were fairly boring, so that was no great loss for me), which made the title of the novel a little strange... However, I could honestly have read an entire novel about Thom and Rook and the other airmen, so that itself made this an amazing read. (less)

· see review

Mar 06, 2010

Brownbetty rated it

I really enjoyed this book, and it really irritated me. I'm going to air my grievances first, as they are the sort of thing that may or may not apply to you, and you can decide weather or not to discount them.

First: The most important plot-role played by a woman in this book is when one is slapped on the ass and called a whore, and a diplomatic incident is instigated. The incident in question is related, and the woman does not appear. Other women do appear in order to be, variousl...more

like 3 likes

· see review

May 14, 2009

Joan rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So, metal dragons. This is told from four different character's point of views and the chapter divisions bugged for some reason. Anyway, the characters were immensely likable, from the Dragon Corps. airmen to the bookish lads Thom and Hal. Royston is magnificently introduced as a disgraced magician who nearly caused a scandal/war due to... ahem, relations with a prince. His and Hal's relationship is sweet and touching, though at times maddening because how many pages can you go on and on about w...more

· see review

Apr 12, 2010

Jet rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: female-author, fantasy, 2010, glbti

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I was so disappointed with this book. I wanted to love it. I've very much enjoyed the authors' previous work, and the concept of Havemercy was so interesting.

But not one female character. Not one. There's a woman who is either raped or wasn't, and is slut shamed and harassed either way - all offstage; it's just a plot point. There's a shrew mother-in-law who faints a lot. There's a little girl for a couple of paragraphs, who cries a lot. There's someone's ex girlfriend, who shows a ...moreI was so disappointed with this book. I wanted to love it. I've very much enjoyed the authors' previous work, and the concept of Havemercy was so interesting.

But not one female character. Not one. There's a woman who is either raped or wasn't, and is slut shamed and harassed either way - all offstage; it's just a plot point. There's a shrew mother-in-law who faints a lot. There's a little girl for a couple of paragraphs, who cries a lot. There's someone's ex girlfriend, who shows a little promise by having a name, being on the page, and speaking a few lines, but she dies in the next scene. There's the Mysterious Mindreader, who Mysteriously speaks a few lines in one scene and is never heard from again, either. There's the misnamed woman at a palace party who is there to be the 'sluts totally ask to get raped by the rapist character' stand-in, and that scene is all about the two men in it anyway. That's all.

Oh, and the three kindly prostitutes who raised one of the main characters. They don't have names, either.

The metal dragons are called 'girls'. But beast-machines, while cool, do not count as representations of women, and besides which none of them speak more than a few lines either. And then they all sacrifice themselves for their country.

All other references to women are derogatory. Sluts, whores, and shews, and when a male character wants to insult another it's by comparing him to a woman.

This from two women writers who I've liked in the past was incredibly disappointing. One of the protagonists that we're supposed to like is almost definitely a rapist, and is without question an out and out misogynist. That could have been forgivable if there was a foil to him. There wasn't. By having no female characters, and only the one ineffectual other character who's supposed to teach him to 'respect women' - why would he do that, in this imagined world where apparently there aren't any? - his attitudes stand unchallenged.

I really couldn't get past this. I would have liked to see more of the dragons, as well. And rather less of what looked like racial stereotyping of the enemy state.

Two stars because the characters were interesting, when they weren't awful.(less)

· see review

Jun 04, 2011

ayanami rated it

Shelves: fantasy, 2011, glbt-fiction

This was a rather disappointing read. The synopsis on the inner flap of the book suggested a gripping adventure; instead the authors chose to focus on developing the relationships between the characters. I don't mind character-driven books, when the characters are interesting. Unfortunately, out of the four main characters, only Rook really stood out. Thom grew on me a little, by way of his interactions with Rook. They had a really interesting dynamic and lots of sexual tension between them; the...moreThis was a rather disappointing read. The synopsis on the inner flap of the book suggested a gripping adventure; instead the authors chose to focus on developing the relationships between the characters. I don't mind character-driven books, when the characters are interesting. Unfortunately, out of the four main characters, only Rook really stood out. Thom grew on me a little, by way of his interactions with Rook. They had a really interesting dynamic and lots of sexual tension between them; they, along with the Dragon Corps, were my favourite part of the book. (view spoiler).

Meanwhile, Royston and Hal had no real chemistry and yet the authors spent so long detailing their nauseatingly sweet, and ultimately tedious, romance. It also didn't help that the character of Royston seemed only to be there to provide exposition. I basically skimmed most of their parts so I could get to Rook and Thom. There were some interesting minor characters that I thought the authors could have dedicated more time to rather than to the boring Royston/Hal scenes, like the other members of the Dragon Corps who had some very funny scenes and proved that at least the authors could write some witty banter.

The plot itself, the bit in the synopsis about four different men coming together to save their country in one final battle, doesn't really come in until the last 80 pages or so. And when it did happen, it didn't have any real sense of urgency. The book takes place in a setting where two great empires are at war, yet there was never a sense of real danger in the book so the climax (the final and only real battle scene) fell a little flat.

Also, some things were just really farfetched, like a university student being sent to teach what is basically manners to a group of elite soldiers or Hal's ridiculously simple and obvious solution to the magicians' crisis. I got the impression that the authors had a lot of ideas for this book (giant metal dragons! young student vs. dangerous soldiers! gay magicians! war and intrigue!) but didn't know how to put them all together in a way that made sense. The result is a very uneven book that has a lot of wasted potential.(less)

· see review

Feb 16, 2009

Merrin rated it

Shelves: came-recommended, sciencefiction, read-in-09

So. This book has a fascinating concept. I love the idea of metal dragons, even though the mechanics of them flying the way that dragons do and not, say, planes makes me slightly crazy. Still an awesome idea, and a very original world, even if the war with the neighboring country is a tried and true formula, I don't necessarily find that problematic.

What IS problematic is the manner they chose to tell the story in. First person pov isn't my favorite, but I'll deal if the story is a...more

· see review

Sep 29, 2011

Joanne rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone who loves steampunk/metal dragons/badass characters/amazing plots

Recommended to Joanne by: Hannah

Shelves: books-i-absolutely-adored, sci-fi-fantasy, epicbooks

Havemercy by Danielle Bennett and Jaida Jones was, to be quite honest, one of the best books I've read in a while. Their method of telling the story through four different narrators, in first person, was extremely insightful. These ladies know how to create some dramatic irony. I have to admit, it was a little difficult legitimately warming up to Rook, and I had my moments where I was absolutely upset with him, but we got along by the end. I loved all the men of Havemercy, but my favourite chara...more

· see review

Jan 16, 2010

Constanze rated it

Shelves: fantasy, dragons, 2010, romance, queer-interest

This was a big disappointment. Four (!) different first-person narrators (only one of whom has something approaching a distinct voice) and a plot that felt like the authors would rather not have bothered. There was nothing holding it together! The dragons, while intriguing, hardly featured at all. The character relationships that might have been interesting (Dragon Corps, anyone?) were passed over; instead we got ENDLESS Hal/Royston scenes. (Where, much like the plot, there was no conflict and n...more

like 1 like

· see review

May 17, 2010

Matthew rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: gay-sff, fantasy

This is an odd little book. Not only is it co-authored, it's also told through the voices of four primary characters, and so in a way the book is schizophrenic on several levels. Jones and Bennett work hard -- too hard -- to distinguish between the characters' voices, and so most of these voices take on a caricature-like tone -- Rook, the angry, cruel, crude rebel who swears too much and uses bad grammar (but knows that he uses bad grammar, as he comments on it all the time); Thom, the bookish s...moreThis is an odd little book. Not only is it co-authored, it's also told through the voices of four primary characters, and so in a way the book is schizophrenic on several levels. Jones and Bennett work hard -- too hard -- to distinguish between the characters' voices, and so most of these voices take on a caricature-like tone -- Rook, the angry, cruel, crude rebel who swears too much and uses bad grammar (but knows that he uses bad grammar, as he comments on it all the time); Thom, the bookish scholar with a large vocabulary and convoluted syntax; and Hal, the innocent and naive yet surprisingly intelligent country bumpkin. The only character whose voice doesn't seem tinted by caricature is Royston, a magician who gets exiled from his beloved city for being a bit too friendly with a foreign diplomat.

So now we have two sets of characters -- Royston/Hal and Rook/Thom -- and they rarely interact. Tie that to the fact that there's very little plot in this book -- things happen, of course, but the only thread weaving the characters together and unifying the start and end of the book is war -- and it's rather amazing that I managed to finish the novel. The allure here is, obviously, not in the plot or the way in which Jones and Bennett deliver the story. Rather, the characters themselves -- once you get past their caricatured voices -- and the world of Volstov are what draw the readers into this novel and keep them there. This is a great example of world-building and the power a new world can have over an audience. So for that alone it's worth the read.

Random Thoughts:

A lot of the stuff here, particularly the budding romance between Hal and Royston, seems a bit slashy, almost like fanfic, but in a way, that's what makes it so enjoyable. A guilty pleasure, if you will.

The relationship between Rook and Thom is a bit odd, bordering on creepy by the end, but I'll let it slide. (If you've already read this and know what I'm talking about, I'd love to hear what you think about it.)

I wish they'd have employed the dragons more. Havemercy is such a great character, and we see so little of her. I almost wish that they'd have included her as a speaking character, as a fifth narrator, because she seems so alluring and well-done in the brief appearances she makes.(less)

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 48 49 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

168 users

Fantasy > Dragons

38 users

Science Fiction > Steampunk

35 users

Romance > M M Romance

16 users

Glbt

12 users

Glbt > Gay

9 users

Romance

9 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

7 users

Fantasy > Magic

7 users

Adult

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Jaida Jones

Jaida Jones is a graduate of Barnard College, where she wrote her thesis on monsters in Japanese literature and film. A poet and native New Yorker, she had her first collection of poetry, Cinquefoil published by New Babel Books in 2006. she also writes the Shoebox Project - a Harry Potter fan website with more than five thousand subscribed members.

- From the back flap of Shadow Magic

More about Jaida Jones...

Books by Jaida Jones

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Havemercy

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Havemercy

“What I caught that winter was a memory of a purpose.” — 3 people liked it

“The Kiril Islands had changed hands more times than a good coin in a whorehouse.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved Havemercy

Fantasy Aficionados

1422 members

last activity 9 minutes ago

shelf: read

The Mortal Instruments

1046 members

last activity Feb 04, 2012 08:10pm

shelf: read

Challenge Overload (PNR a...

88 members

last activity Feb 04, 2012 05:21pm

shelf: read

title link	preview: Havemercy
avg rating	preview: Havemercy Goodreads rating: 3.65 (767 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2305862.Havemercy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400450m/2305862.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2305862.Havemercy?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Havemercy by Jaida Jones[/url]

Havemercy (Havemercy #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website