Review: The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna

Having read the first book, The Gilded Ones, in this two-part series (and I believe a third is on the way), I was excited about returning to the fantasy land of Otera. We reencounter Deka and her female warrior friends on a mission to raise the four mother goddesses back to their rightful position of power. For centuries, emperors and priests have ruled the lands, and women and girls have lived as second-class citizens, while the goddesses have been shackled and rendered powerless. Now, the patriarchal, imperial society is more dangerous for women and girls than ever, as sinister whispers of a new god, a male god, begin to surface.

Namina Forna’s world-building is wonderfully vivid, complex, and captivating. I was immediately transported back to Otera. However, this is not a sequel you can pick up without having read the first book, so get your hands on The Gilded Ones.

The Merciless Ones delves deeper into this society. Forna explores questions about power, gender, and identity, and plays out these ideas through her diverse cast of characters, successfully avoiding any cliches or tropes. Of course, there has to be a love story too, and the reader is treated to several, including a surprising platonic and polyamorous one. A fast-paced, page-turning adventure, this book is a feast for the imagination.

Grace Kelley