Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Quill Tree Books
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
This second book in Russian folklore–based YA fantasy duology The Bright & the Pale follows Valeria as she works to truly free her people from the Czar and the Bright God—at whatever the cost.
Surviving
the ill-fated expedition to Knnot, Valeria, Alik, and the others have
found refuge in Valeria’s village. With her family at long last released
from the curse that trapped them in ice for a decade, Valeria should
find comfort in their reunion. But everything has changed—including
herself. For now, Valeria is the Pale God’s chosen champion. And she is
ready for revenge on the Czar.
With the power gifted to her by
the Pale God, she will do whatever it takes to liberate her people. Even
if that means stealing the Czar’s son away from the safety of the
Winter Palace. As Alik watches Valeria struggle to maintain control over
the god she holds captive, he begs her to sever the connection. For it
is clear the Pale God plans a revenge of his own.
The inevitable is coming—one final battle. And Valeria must be ready to sacrifice everything—even her love for Alik—to win.
Wrath & Mercy is the second and final installment in author Jessica Rubinkowski's The Bright & The Pale duology. 17-year-old Valeria lost her whole family 10 years ago when a dark magical hold on Knnot Mountain unleashed over her village of Ludminka. Even though everyone else was trapped in an unbreakable sheet of ice, Val was able to walk away unscathed, escape for her white hair, and was taken in and raised by Luiza and the Thieves Guild.
For 10 years, Valeria hid who she was from the Czar Ladislaw, finding a home in the Assassin Guild under the watchful eyes of Luiza who has had an agenda of her own. After her best friend Alik was used against her in a black mail scheme that send Val, Alik and other on an expedition to Knnot, Valeria made a bargain with the Pale God Kosci to become his champion. A champion that comes with the ability to wake up Ludminka and free her family.
So, as the story begins, Val, Chinua, Serafima, and Alik now have to focus on the other imprisoned Zladonians trapped by the Czar. With her parents and brothers at long last released from the curse that trapped them in ice for a decade, Valeria should find comfort in their reunion. But everything has changed, including Val herself. Valeria is the Pale God’s chosen champion but what she really wants is revenge on the Czar. Val also knows that she need allies if she is going to be tear down the throne, and rid the country from the cruelness of the Czar.
With the power gifted to her by the Pale God, she will do whatever it takes to liberate her people. Even if that means stealing the Czar's son away from the safety of the Winter Palace. But Val soon discovers that she has abilities and powers that rival the Bright God Zoltay. As Alik watches Valeria struggle to maintain control over the god she holds captive, he begs her to sever the connection. For it is clear the Pale God plans a revenge of his own. Stranger is that Val slowly finds that she not afraid of allowing Bataar get close to her, which puts this on the brink of being a love triangle.
While Val explores the dark side of humanity and gets pushed more and more by Kosci, it is Arik who remains focused on saving Val before she loses herself forever. Will Valeria be able to save her people with the
Pale God’s power and save herself too? Or will the power of the Pale
God overwhelm her and the centuries long battle between the Bright God
and the Pale God continue? I have no disagreements with how the book wraps up. There is plenty of action, and fighting, and it's not like everything happens over the course of a few days.
Russian culture isn’t often explored in teen fantasies, and the author has
created a world like no other. Set in a rich, vivid world where a group
of people are unjustly persecuted for a magical evil curse bringing
despair and poverty to the entire empire, this story features several
Slavic elements, including the idea of cosmic duality, polytheism, and a
history of brother gods.
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