A group of defiant young women pursue a destructive monster in a dark world in this epic young adult fantasy.

“These fierce, honorable adolescent female warriors hold their own and break all the rules. Marked by flawless worldbuilding. Wow.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

A Barnes & Noble Best YA Book of the Year

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life.

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies’ one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the fate of women everywhere.

Full of fierce girls, bloodlust, tenuous alliances, and unapologetic quests for glory, this elegantly spun tale challenges the power of storytelling—and who gets to be the storyteller . . .

Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, V.E. Schwab, and Heidi Heilig.

“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

“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