The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Name of Book: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Author: Megan Bannen 

ISBN: 9780316394215

Publisher: Orbit 

Type of book: Light cozy fantasy, death, old gods, new gods, penpals, mail, Undertakers, marshall, partnership, family, desire, rescue, zombies 

Year it was published: 2022

Summary:

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?

Characters:

Main characters include Hart Ralston and Mercy Birdsall. Hart Ralston is best described as a dedicated and closed off  marshal who only desires to keep everybody safe. But then Hart has begun to deal with a lot of changes in his life, namely a new partner and then a mysterious pen pal who seems to understand his troubles and problems and is very supportive of him. Hart will also have to face his heritage and admiration for a former mentor who may not have been as good as he appeared. Mercy Birdsall is a talented and dedicated young woman who loves doing her job despite what her family thinks and encourages her to explore her life more. She is also tasked at keeping secrets from different family members and then of course there is the matter of the secret penpal that seems to understand her and encourages her to speak up for herself. The secondary characters are also well written and are truly a delight to meet and be with, in particular the talking animals and Mercy's family as well as Hart's new partner. 

Theme:

Friends are worth gold and rubies

Plot:

The story is told in third person narrative from Hart Ralston's and Mercy Birdsall's points of views. But in addition to strong main characters, there are plenty of secondary characters and plenty of hijinks and surprises along the way. I think my favorite parts of the story were the letters which were definitely heartwarming and I also loved the talking animals as well as Mercy's family and friends. I also loved being in this world and the slow chemistry between Hart and Mercy as well as the focus on their problems and how they solved them. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

​​Megan Bannen is a former public librarian whose YA debut The Bird and the Blade was an Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2018 pick, a Summer 2018 Kids’ Indie Next List pick, and a Kirkus Best YA Historical Fiction of 2018 pick. While most of her professional career has been spent behind the reference desk, she has also sold luggage, written grants, collected a few graduate degrees from various Kansas universities, and taught English at home and abroad. She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and their two sons. She can be found online at meganbannen.com.

Opinion:

Definitely a 4.5 star read for me with plenty of things to love such as well fleshed out characters, the fantasy world, the exploration of death, and did I mention talking animals who act as postmen? I also loved the focus on family and friends as well as community connections and the fact it was definitely a slow burn. There are definitely parts where I thought I would cry because the parts were so emotional, but overall a wonderful and unforgettable read. The story is also a cozy fantasy of sorts and its not a typical medieval fantasy but instead its a modern day fantasy that anyone can read it. 

This was given for review

5 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)