The Mercy Makers

“Sinking into the pages of The Mercy Makers is like being immersed in a wondrous lucid dream. The atmosphere is a tantalizing blend of the familiar and the strange, laced with a vivid sensuality that invites the reader to forge new connections at every turn.” 
 —Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Kushiel's Dart

"The Mercy Makers manages to be both lush and tight, with characters who are strange and original, sexy and intriguing, plus an amazingly detailed and precise world. Tessa Gratton can basically do anything!"—Ellen Kushner, author of Swordspoint

"Gratton’s novels have both style and substance, pure delight and profound depths. This new work is no exception. Taut with barely-balanced tensions, and alight with glorious epiphanies, every part of The Mercy Makers shows that God is in the detail.”—Karen Lord, author of The Blue, Beautiful World

"A lush story of dangerous intrigue in an intricate and utterly unique world."   —C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise

"Gratton always writes with such marvelous intention. The Mercy Makers is a must read for fantasy fans who love expansive worlds crafted with care and precision."—Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

"Tessa Gratton has crafted a most elegant design in The Mercy Makers. The intricate world, the uniquely original magic system, a turbulent history, and a flawed but deeply sympathetic protagonist—Gratton weaves them all together, and you can't help but watch in awe as all the threads all unravel."—C. L. Clark, author of The Unbroken

"Simultaneously intricate and emotional, The Mercy Makers is a deeply intriguing story that highlights Gratton's exceptional talent for world building. I fell in love with Iriset and her complexities, and I can't wait for the next installment in this epic romantasy trilogy!" —Rebecca Robinson, author of The Serpent and the Wolf

"The Mercy Makers is a beautiful, elegant, passionate novel—as intricate and beguiling as a spider’s web. And just like a spider’s web, I was trapped in its immaculate design—happily so. Tessa Gratton kept me guessing, kept me hooked… and kept me wanting more. I can’t wait for book two! A triumph and a delight from start to finish." —Antonia Hodgson, author of The Raven Scholar

“The Mercy Makers is a glorious web of political intrigue, stunning world building, and sharp plotting that combines a merciless empire built upon the pain of the prisoned, love, ambition, sacrifice, truth, and magic—the start of a series truly intricate in its design and meticulously woven.” —Ai Jiang, author of A Palace Near the Wind

“With deftness, nuance, and sensuality, The Mercy Makers unfolds the vast intricate structures that uphold religion and empire—expertly balancing one of the coolest magic systems of the decade, twists that had me gasping out loud, gloriously messy relationships, and the soaring ambition of the architectural genius at its heart. Immersive, riveting, and sexy as hell.” —P. H. Low, Locus- and Rhysling-nominated author of These Deathless Shores

"Luminous, sexy, and delicately imagined." —Jared Pechacek, author of The West Passage

"In this sensual and suspenseful fantasy, Gratton spins a web of intrigue, mistaken identity, and simmering sexual tension from which the reader will not want to escape. With a beautifully constructed world and enthralling characters, this is sure to appeal to fans of Hannah Whitten’s The Foxglove King."—Publishers Weekly

"The novel’s intriguing plot twists will appeal to fans of Game of Thrones who crave that same epic, sprawling sense of story, betrayal, sex, and politics, but Gratton more closely examines the effects of imperialism." —Library Journal

"Well-constructed, with compelling characters, interesting worldbuilding, and a strong voice. It creates atmosphere through deliberate, bodily sensuality...A fascinating novel." —Locus