Kings become outcasts and lovers become foes in The Faithless Hawk, 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 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.
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This was so good! I read 2/3 in one sitting and only put it down because it was 3 in the morning and I had to go to bed. It was completely unputdownable. I was 100% invested in Fie’s quest and kept rooting for her and her friends until the end. It was exactly the kind of conclusion to this duology that I was looking for, although I would like an epilogue or short story follow-up to give us a little bit more on Jas and a certain someone 🙂
Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost from the publisher/author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I am leaving a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.
This book really impressed me. I really enjoyed the first book in this series but I think that Margaret Owen really kicked things up a notch in the sequel.
One of the things that I love most about this series is the excellent and unique world-building. The world that Owen has created is exceptionally crafted and detailed. The entire premise for this series is so original and intriguing. The plot really thickens in the second book of this duology. I really appreciated the depth of the plot. The plot really tied into the world-building in this one and it was a brilliant evolution. I did find it hard to follow at times but everything comes together in the end. Owen’s writing voice is one that I struggled with in the first book but I didn’t find it as detrimental to my reading experience this time around. I definitely think that her writing style is uniquely her own and while I don’t mesh with it fully I can still appreciate her crafting prowess.
There is a lot of character development in this book. The characters are hard to talk about without getting spoilery, but a lot happens to make these characters grow. Jasimir is a character that really blossomed in this book. I honestly didn’t like him much in the first book but he really shines in this one. I’ve always admired Fie’s character. She is strong and capable and we learn so much about her in this book. Tavin’s character may surprise you in this book but, in the end, he ends up right where he belongs. I really like how the main characters in this series have clear-cut personalities, but I always had trouble differentiating between Fie’s band of crows and some of the other secondary characters.
The romance in the book was satisfying. Again, I can’t say much because it would be too spoilery but generally speaking, you can expect the unexpected in this book. The feelings that Fie and Tavin have for each other are not hard to pin down. They both act in the name of these feelings in different ways throughout the book. In the end, I was very happy with the conclusion.
And this is totally random thought, but the covers of the books in this series are absolutely gorgeous!
Overall, this is a creative story full of rich world-building, a twisty plot that will make you want more, and characters that will keep surprising you. This book series is an adventure that you don’t want to miss out on!
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An amazing book!
Really, I loved this book…but I would suggest reading the first book first. LOL. I got this book from the library, and it didn’t say it was the second book, or it did, and the library sticker was just covering it.
Besides that, a really good read, I couldn’t put down!
I absolutely loved this duology! It’s probably my new favorite fantasy series. The world building is so original and characters are just plain awesome. It’s one of those series that’s completely relevant to what’s going on in the world. However, l will admit, I am very sad that there are only two books because there are so many more stories in the world of Sabor just waiting to be told… hint, hint!! I can’t recommend this series enough!