A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, April Genevieve Tucholke's The Boneless Mercies is a dark and gorgeously drawn standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory. 

 

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 story arc 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.

 

'The Boneless Mercies feels like a cathartic war cry advocating for the power of girls and women. [ … ] A dynamic critique of the hero's journey: Who is granted honor and glory, and at what cost does it come?'—The New York Times Book Review