Book Review: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
The Details
Media Type: Kindle Book
Title: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Author(s): Megan Bannen
Publisher: Orbit
Pages/Length: Kindle, 453
Release Date: August 23, 2022
Source: Purchased
Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop
Hart Ralston is a demigod and a marshal, tasked with patrolling the wasteland of Tanria. The realm the exiled old gods once called home is now a forsaken place where humans with no better options or no better sense come seeking adventure or spoils, but more often end up as drudges: reanimated corpses inhabited by the souls of those who’ve died in Tanria before. Hart tells himself that his job is simple: neutralize the drudges with a quick zap to the appendix and deliver them back to polite society at the nearest undertaker’s, leaving the whys and hows of the drudge problem for men without the complexities of a god in their family tree. But working alone, Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder exactly those questions he’d most like to avoid.
Too much time alone is the opposite of Mercy Birdsall’s problem. Since her father’s decline, she’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son undertakers afloat in small-town Eternity—despite definitely not being a son, and in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart Ralston, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. The work’s not the problem—Mercy’s good at it, better than any other Birdsall—but keeping all her family’s plates spinning singlehandedly, forever, isn’t how Mercy envisioned her future.
After yet another run-in with the sharp-tongued Mercy, Hart considers she might have a point about his utter loneliness being a bit of a liability. In a moment of sentimentality, he pens a letter addressed simply to “A Friend,” and entrusts it to a nimkilim, an anthropomorphic animal messenger with an uncanny connection to the gods, (and in Hart’s case, a bit of a drinking problem). Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.
If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most–Mercy. As the two unlikely pen pals grow closer, the truth about Hart’s parentage and the nature of the drudges creeps in. And suddenly their old animosity seems so small in comparison to what they might be able to do: end the drudges forever. But at what cost?
The Review
Okay, so let’s talk The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy shall we? Because this book made me squeal in delight multiple times. I love a good enemies to lovers story. Or, in this case, a misunderstood acquaintances to lovers, shall we say? Either way, this book was so much fun. It was one of those reads where I simply couldn’t wait to pick it back up. This book falls somewhere between Fantasy and Romance, which are my two favorite genres! So it’s not hard to understand why it would be for me.
Now, to be fair, I should let you all know that this book basically assumes that you have zero problem diving straight into Hart and Mercy’s weird world. If you’re willing to let yourself be swept up, and simply accept that there is a world with Old Gods and New Gods, a world where autoducks and drudges exist? You’ll be just fine. If you’re the type of reader who needs the entire world laid out ahead of time? You might be frustrated. This isn’t to say that Bannen leaves the reader hanging indefinitely. As the story progresses, the world is laid out in front of the reader in fits and starts. It really depends on how much you’re willing to be patient.
For me, the real star of this book was the characters though. Truly, that is what kept me reading on. Hart was so cranky, yet so lovable and charming. The type of character who honestly has no idea what a blessing he really is. Mercy was equally as lovely, exuding charm and poise while being a delightful spitfire. I adored her. The two of them dancing around one another, and constantly being frustrated with one another, was an odd kind of serotonin to me. At any point they could have been together if they simply stopped being so stubborn. And yet. They kept me reading like mad. Even the side characters are wonderfully written, and the icing on this cake.
I couldn’t give this book a full five stars, because there were a few things I had issues with. Overall though? It was just a relaxing read that had me equal parts teary eyed and giggling with glee. It’s a little bit of fluffy romance, but wrapped up in a Fantasy story bow. This is my kind of book. If you’re in agreement, then pick this up! The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy might just be your kind of book too.
