Format Read: eARC received from NetGalley
Release Date: 6 September 2010
Publisher: Carina Press
Formats Available: eBook
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Carina Press, Amazon,
Book Blurb:
To the Yaguara, an ancient jaguar shape-shifting people living deep in the Amazon jungle, nothing matters more than strength. Iada is their champion; genetically pure, she has been trained since birth to fight. Her destiny is to become the next Queen of the Yaguara by winning the tournament of succession-a battle to the death.
Her opponent is Gabriel, a half-blooded outcast whose mother was human. To everyone’s shock, he defeats Iada but does not strike the death blow-instead, he extends mercy, thereby claiming her as his mate.
Despite their enmity, the attraction between them is powerful, and soon they are mates in more than name only. Their mutual distrust serves only to fuel their passion-two champions bested only by their overpowering desire for each other.
But Gabriel has an agenda that threatens the most basic tenets of Yaguara society-and that will force Iada to choose between her people or her King.
My Thoughts:
I picked up Mercy (besides its gorgeous and alluring cover) because the premise sounded interesting, and true to that promise, it was a good story with complex, layered characters. Both the main characters (Iada and Gabriel) as well as some supporting characters are interesting and 3D characters, showing great potential and depth, that unfortunately was not exploited as well as it could have been due to length limitations.
Maybe right now I’m critical with Mercy, but only because after the first few paragraphs I expected the best of Eleri Stone’s story. Her writing style did not disappoint, she proves that she is a great new author, whose writing style is fantastic: descriptive yet enthralling, the story had a few “holes” in it but I think most of them would be resolved by the opportunity of more length.
Eleri Stone shows great promise as her writing is fluent and entrancing. However, due to the shortness or rather length limitations of a novella, unfortunately neither the story nor the characters are developed in enough depth, but I have every confidence that with more length, Eleri Stone will iron out the smaller perplexing/confusing details and she will prove she is an author to watch.
I only give Mercy 3.5 bookies because I see the potential that it could have been were it a regular length novel, so that Eleri Stone could have dwelt more on her story and characters and given them more substance.
I give this book 3.5 bookies!
***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.
About Stella
Stella is a proud bookaholic and a self-taught multilinguist in training. Besides reading, her other great passions are travelling and baking. When she is not globetrotting she lives in sunny Budapest, where she loves to spend her free time preparing (and feasting on) delicious cookies or devouring equally yummy books. Her favourite genres are urban fantasy and romance and she couldn't live without her daily dose of sunshine. Besides being the Latin Lover on BLI Stella also blogs about books and a bookish life on Ex Libris.