The Procrastinators Book Club discussion
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★Buddy/Group Read Retirement★
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Merciful Crow (May 2022) Buddy Read Nominations - Mina & Amanda
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hi, and i hope you are having a good day. i just saw this thread and i really would like to attend this buddy read. 👋👋
Mod
The more the merrier 😄
Hello guys, are we starting the book today?
Mod
Yes, we are starting the book today, I'll start it tonight.
Chapter 1-4: so I just read the first set and woah, it was alittle dlow but very intresting. I like the caste of races. I only just took a quiz and I got pigeon haha
so far there's a A guilded palace infected by a deadly plague. A “quarantine hut” (A LITTLE CLOSE TO HOME THESE DAYS AM I RIGHT? *SOBS*). The only people who can eradicate the plague wherever it pops up are the Crows.
Crows have no magic of their own, but through tooth magic( nice!) they can temporarily access the birthrights of other castes. They're also immune to the Sinner's Plague and are therefore required to handle the outbreak.(well, at least they should be having luck on sth, right?)
I liked it that the story started right off thr bat with our main characters. fie seems very badass. and tavin is funny. can't wait for the next set and your thoughts!
I'm sorry I didn't get around to posting yesterday; life got in the way. But I'm all caught up now!I will admit that chapters 1-4 were a bit slow for me. I found the idea of castes interesting, but I didn't feel like there was enough information for me to really fall into the book or get too interested. I liked what I was reading, but I felt it started off too slow and with too little background. I will acknowledge that I was a bit impatient; things did get fleshed out.
I liked chapters 5-8 a lot better. I really got into the story and the I felt like I really got a feel for the characters. It really picked up for me. Fie is the perfect mix of dutiful and emotional; she is not too strictly controlled but not too emotional from what I can tell which makes her feel real and gives her some depth.
I like Fie so far and am looking forward to getting to know her better. Tavin is really interesting; he's tough and clearly capable as the prince's guard, but he has a good sense of humor and seems more worldly than the prince. I'm not sure how I feel about Jasimire yet; he is still too blue-blooded for my taste.
I'm optimistic about this book and look forward to continuing onto the next few chapters soon!
Mod
This is a reread for me... but since I don't remember a thing it may even be a normal read 😂
So... chapters 1-4
🤣 Fie punched the dude.. I mean if that isn't the best meet I don't know.
I agree, the castes are an interesting thing. Other than that.. it's too soon to say anything.
Today's chapters didn't keep me as interested as I expected they would. With Pa and the others held hostage and that burst of excitement over, I feel like the story is kind of in a holding pattern. Interesting things are happening, but it isn't like I'm dying to know what happens next. It's not bad, but I'm not feeling as excited as I was about yesterday's chapters for some reason.The last bit of chapter 12 did pick up again with Fie really starting to step into her role as chief, and I liked how it ended with the plague victim still being alive (it added a quick jolt of excitement). So, I would say that overall I'm still liking the book, but I've kind of hit a point where I'm missing that feeling of an immediate need to keep reading.
Mod
Gosh, Jas.. I remember his attitude that I didn't like when I first read the book, and what a surprise I still don't like it. But I liked that he and Fie had one or two conversations, and even though he's ignorant about anything outside of the palace, I think and hope they bond and become friends.
So the teeth thing.. A tooth has limited power and it runs out, right? That's why they take teeth, and carry a bunch with them. That would make the special teeth extra rare.. like how to you know to use them, that it's worth wasting it.
whoops i just got behind but I will catch up now.chapter 5-8:
so my problem for now is the writing of this book and the pace (which is naturally caused by the writing). I also find some of this books words new and not recognizable ( I googled them because I'm not English fluent and seems like some of them were old English words?) so there's that. it would be good if a glossary was added.
Things with characters are interesting but none of them have piqued my attention so far. so i just have to carry on with the story to see where that settles me.
Fie, Jas, Tavin, Barf, and the rest of the Crows finally make it to the Cheparok to meet Jas’s cousin, and woah I didn't see fie's ex coming. handog has sold out babies and everything gone to hell! gross.
chapter 9-12: nice to teaching how to read to fie i guess. I mean is this sort of love triangle?? I see some relationship growing between tavin and fie as well (it's soon but whatever)
crows job is quite horrifying to be honest but it's the way they survive. also another betrayal??? nice!
so far the book is solid, I think the biggest thing that makes it interesting for me so far is the caste and magic system, and some of this betrayals.
mina wrote: "Chapter 5-8Gosh, Jas.. I remember his attitude that I didn't like when I first read the book, and what a surprise I still don't like it. But I liked that he and Fie had one or two conversations, ..."
to answer your question, I'm not exactly sure but crow witches are able to harness the latent magic within the teeth or bones of other caste members and make use of the birthright abilities from other caste members.
so I feel like when they saw the prince and guard they somehow were ran out if tooth and they wanted to use theirs.
also, the queen being a swan and tavin and jas are half brothers?? that's fun!
chapter 13-16:tavin and fie are hitting it on and i think i like them more than jas and fie(I dunno why I was under the impression that jas would be the love interest, or maybe he will be??)
hmm tavin just got himself killed, i'm pretty sure he's not Dead dead. so I guess he will come back. jas's emotion's and motives are really off to me. He is really 1Dimentional and I can't care about him.
I have no idea what to expect for next so I just have to wait and see.
Mod
I don't care about any of the characters. I'm rooting a bit for Fie and Tavin. I remember liking it the first time I read it, but also I don't care much about it.
😂😂 @Yeganeh Maybe you thought Jas and Fie will be together because they despised each other at the beginning and that's a common trope, plus the prince and the MC ending together is also a cliche. I actually like that it's the bodyguard and not the prince that get's the girl.. or at least it looks like he'll get the girl.
I have to agree with Mina; I'm finding the story interesting but not all that enjoyable. I'm not hating the book, but I'm not loving it either. The magic system is interesting though.I do like Tavin and Fie as a pairing, but I'm not all that invested in them.
The end of today's chapters did have me curious as to what will happen next, but it didn't give me that craving to keep reading like a really good read does.
I finished the reading for today, and I'm feeling kind of neutral about the book. The story is interesting, but I'm not really feeling a spark with it.I am kind of disappointed that Tavin's role (or lack thereof) in this section; I'll admit that I don't particularly like and haven't gotten invested in any of the characters, but he's probably the one I find most interesting. Jas annoys me, and Fie... well, I just can't get into her character.
I will say, the sections we are reading are well divided. They always seem to end on a scene that gets me interested enough in seeing what happens next to make me want to keep turning the page. I'm not enjoying the book per se, but it isn't bad.
I'll probably try to finish the book tonight, but I'll either wait until tomorrow to post about it or I'll hide any spoilers.
Mod
It's already 9pm here which is already too late for me to start reading more stuff. So I'm going to skip reading it today, it'll make me even more behind on the reading but I really don't care. I'll try reading something else, maybe it'll bring me back a bit of will to read.
Okay, so I finished it. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. The magic system was cool and interesting, but I just couldn't get invested really.(view spoiler)
I guess I'll have to look into picking up the next book just so I know how the story was intended to end; hopefully, I can gather up the motivation to do that.
@mina, I wish you luck!
Mod
Wanna read the sequel together? But at a bit later time.. The sequel is the reason I'm reading this again.
@mina, sure. Just let me know when and I'll find a copy.
Mod
Mayb next month, but we'll talk about it next month when it's closer.
hey girls, I finished the book as well. I tried to update as i went and this time i just wanted to get done with this book because just like you I couldn't feel anything. i agree with everything you said @amanda, no attachment to any character, not a good villian, the magic system was cool and i loved the caste but not defined well, the worldbulding was lackluster and the ending didn't left me intrigued for nexr book.
also i will read the next book only if @mina holds the buddy read just so at least i can see what comes next. i'm not satisfied with the book. hope next book gets better
thanks for having me even thought not official as you two, i had this on my tbr for quite a while at least i could read it eventually and sorry it didn't work out for any of us.
Mod
I'm a little sad that by rereading this I'm going to change my thoughts about it.. I was pretty sure I enjoyed it to some extent the first time I read it, but now i'm just a flat line of emotions. I really don't care about anyone and anything. First time I rooted for Fie and Tavin.. now I am not, but also I'm cringing a bit at their romance.
@Y
Hey, at least we all survived this meh book. And we'll continue reading it. If I didn't already have the second book close to hand.. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even consider the sequel.
Mod
Somewhere half-way through I just wanted it to be over. It was feeling flat, nothing interesting was happening.. and Fie started annoying me...great.
I still want to give the second book a try, but also if it makes me slumply again like this book did I'm gonna dnf it.
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Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:
Week of 05/06
May 6: Chapters 1-4
May 7: Chapters 5-8
May 8: Chapters 9-12
Week of 05/09
May 9: Chapters 13-16
May 10: Chapters 17-20
May 11: Chapters 21-end
PARTICIPANTS
~ Mina
~ Amanda