Boneless Mercies

*A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year* The Boneless Mercies feels like a cathartic war cry advocating for the power of girls and women. [...] A dynamic critique of the hero's journey: Who is granted honor and glory, and at what cost does it come? --The New York Times Book Review Tucholke injects close intimacy into her lush saga, interweaving love and murder, mercy and glory into her portrayal of life and death. It is a beautiful, haunting modern-day epic that stars a bold and resourceful sisterhood of heroines unafraid to claim agency. --Publishers Weekly, starred review Frey embodies the pursuit of glory through quest to become a hero remembered in story and myth. Fans of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings will find similar themes and elements. This is a must-have for avid fantasy readers who enjoy action-packed plots. VERDICT An excellent choice for any YA fantasy collections. --School Library Journal, starred review Narrator and protagonist Frey is quite unusual among female heroes: hungry for glory -- bloodthirsty, even . . . These fierce, honorable adolescent female warriors hold their own and break all the rules. Marked by flawless worldbuilding. Wow. --Kirkus Reviews, starred review It's easy to call this a gender-swapped retelling of the epic Beowulf, but that fails to convey its true charm . . . There is room in this world for more than one epic, and we can hope that Tucholke will return to it to tell us more about this ongoing feud. --NPR.org [T]his story heroically contemplates female strength and agency, compassion versus vengeance, and the value of glory. --Booklist Frey's earnest narrative voice creates a strong sense of the center of this fantasy: female solidarity. Bodily closeness, a shared quest for justice, and sheer joy in physical capacity are only part of it: collaboration and attentive respect are the true underpinning of Tucholke's creation. This is the quiet force behind a plot of conquest and adventure, and of the diverse religions, cultures, terrains, and tales that make up Tucholke's invented world. A dark and vivid story, with what-happens-next? momentum. --The Horn Book April Genevieve Tucholke's genderbent Beowulf is as dark and quietly mysterious as the fantastical winter in which it takes place. Her alternate Scandinavia is a land of powerful magics and eerie landscapes, bloodlust and genuine, deep friendships, that is full of foreboding, menace and eventual (though not unfettered) glory. --Shelf Awareness Fierce and glorious, this story of outcast girls defying fate utterly bewitched me. Tucholke is a gorgeous writer. --Laini Taylor, New York Times-bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer The Boneless Mercies maintains the mystical, haunting flavor of an ancient ballad across the length of a novel. Its every page hints at a deeper magic at work; it contains a whole world and all its myths and histories within its skin. --Melissa Albert, New York Times-bestselling author of The Hazel Wood Ruthless and lyrical, heart-warming and blood-chilling, and beautifully redolent of ancient tales and history. It will sing to a new generation of heroes. --Samantha Shannon, New York Times-bestselling author of The Bone Season