This stunning epic fantasy debut introduces two exciting new authors—and a world brimming with natural and man-made wonders, extraordinary events, ...
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Jul 11, 2008
Sarah
rated it: 
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 More...
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 More...
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Dec 04, 2008
Clay
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“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...
The setup is interesting: It’s an unnamed world populated by humans living along what is pretty recognizably the border between Russia and More...
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Aug 16, 2010
Eden
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May 31, 2010
Erika
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Sep 02, 2008
Wealhtheow
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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
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Aug 17, 2008
Chelle
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Dec 02, 2008
Tortla
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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
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Jun 11, 2008
Liviu
rated it: 
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...
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...
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Feb 23, 2009
Molly (Surrounded By Words)
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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...
My one criticism is that I was about halfway through the book befor More...
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Jan 20, 2012
Lauren
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Jan 13, 2012
E
rated it: 
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...
Furthermore I was incensed at the portrayal of female characters. Once again you get this bizarre apologist internalized misogy More...
Jan 09, 2012
Yvonne
rated it:
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
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Jun 09, 2011
Nastasha
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May 03, 2010
Jain
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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...
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...
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Feb 03, 2010
Lawrence
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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...
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...
Aug 27, 2009
Zen
rated it:
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...
"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...
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Jan 21, 2012
Ann
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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...
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...
Sep 23, 2008
Baco
rated it:
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.
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.
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Oct 08, 2011
Althea
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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...
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...
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
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Sep 05, 2009
Alicia
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Jul 31, 2011
Ryn
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Mar 06, 2010
Brownbetty
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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...
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...
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May 14, 2009
Joan
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Apr 12, 2010
Jet
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Jun 04, 2011
ayanami
rated it:
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
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Feb 16, 2009
Merrin
rated it:
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...
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...
Sep 29, 2011
Joanne
rated it:
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
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Jan 16, 2010
Constanze
rated it:
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
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May 17, 2010
Matthew
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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
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