Book: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Author: Megan Bannen
Publisher: Orbit Books
Release Date: August 23, 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Summary: Hart is lonely. Pretty basic start, but that's the crux of it. He's a lonely marshal, patrolling Tanria to prevent attacks from drudges (a.k.a. corpses reanimated by lost souls). After slaying drudges, he's tasked with bringing the bodies to an undertaker — one of whom is the annoying (and annoyingly attractive, but he's ignoring that) Mercy, who hates Hart as much as he hates her. After a particularly frustrating interaction with Mercy, Hart writes about his loneliness in a letter, addressed only to "a friend." By the magic of magical mail, it finds its way to Mercy, and they begin a correspondence — without knowing that they're each writing to the person they hate most in the world. Will discovering each other's identities ruin their burgeoning friendship, or will it lead to something beautiful? And can Mercy save her family's undertaking business? Find out in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.
My Thoughts: Listen, this book is like You've Got Mail with demigods and zombies, and it shouldn't work nearly as well as it does. The whole thing is imbued with a sense of humor that almost acknowledges the absurdity of the concept and says "just go with it." The characters are the heart (hehe, Hart) of this book: Mercy and her family is zany and delightful, Hart is a soft center with rough edges, and the relationship develops showcases all the hopes and dreams and baggage that you want from a small-town enemies-to-lovers romance. But did I mention there are also zombies? I was confused by the world at first, as I often tend to be in a fantasy, but Bannen unravels her setting in such a way that your questions are answered right before you ask them. By the end of the story, it seems perfectly normal that the appendix is the seat of the human soul (guess I'm soulless) and that demigods make good law enforcement officers.
In terms of plot and pacing, I wish that some of the significant plot points had been more evenly distributed. At the midpoint, I found myself wondering how I had half the book left because it seemed like things were wrapping up. I loved both the relationship development of the first half and the action of the second half, but I wish that they could have felt a bit more intertwined.
However, all that being said, I really enjoyed this book. It's warm and cozy and macabre in a lighthearted way(?), and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to romance fans, cozy fantasy fans, or fans of a wacky combination of things like zombie hunting, undertaking, immortal beings, and a little bit of mystery. Other notable things I loved about this book: a loyal dog, a smart-ass rookie marshal with a heart of gold, queer relationships, lots of food, and talking animal mail carriers.
Rating: 4.25/5 stars
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