April Genevieve Tucholke is the author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Between the Spark and the Burn, and Wink Poppy Midnight. She currently lives in Oregon with her husband.
*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
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