TITLE: GRAVE MERCY
AUTHOR: Robin LaFevers
SYNOPSIS: Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
LINKS: Robin LaFever's Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
REVIEW: From the first page, from the first few words, I was at the mercy of the book. It captured me in a way that not many books can. The book starts off in such a way, that by the first page, there was already a couple of questions swirling around my head. Those questions made me want to keep reading. I wasn’t satisfied until I finished the book. By then, I was already looking forward to the next book, DARK TRIUMPH.
GRAVE MERCY is about a girl named Ismae. We first meet her when she is desperately trying escape her arranged marriage. Some special people help her and take her to convent of St. Mortain, the saint of death. There she is taught how to take the lives of others and how to survive among other things she needs to know to become an assassin. She goes on a mission originally for the convent along with a young man. This is the beginning of a long path where she begins to truly discover herself and her values. Along the way, she finds information about who she really is (her heritage) and her feelings and views.
GRAVE MERCY is about a girl named Ismae. We first meet her when she is desperately trying escape her arranged marriage. Some special people help her and take her to convent of St. Mortain, the saint of death. There she is taught how to take the lives of others and how to survive among other things she needs to know to become an assassin. She goes on a mission originally for the convent along with a young man. This is the beginning of a long path where she begins to truly discover herself and her values. Along the way, she finds information about who she really is (her heritage) and her feelings and views.
From the very beginning it was obvious to me that GRAVE MERCY was different from other YA books. First, there was no stupid and unnecessary love triangle. Ismae is not a love sick or helpless damsel in distress who needs a knight in shining armor to save her. No, she is a heroine, and she proves it over and over again in the book. GRAVE MERCY blends the concepts of mythology and historical fiction. Not only is it one or the other, it is both. GRAVE MERCY is an extremely well written book by Robin LaFevers. Ismae’s journey is one that I enjoyed reading, and even though the book is thick, I will be willing to read it again. I hope you enjoy this book about assassins trained by nuns as much as I do!
RATING: EXTREMELY ICY
RECOMMENDATION: For fans of Katsa and Po of the Graceling Realms/The Seven Kingdoms Series by Kristin Cashore
NOTE: The sequel DARK TRIUMPH comes out on April 2, 2013.
UPDATE: DARK TRIUMPH is now out in book stores near you! (Or online...)
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Ooohhh I love assassins! This sounds like an amazing book! Great review. :)
ReplyDeleteDaphne @ Reading Until Dawn
Thanks! :) It's a really good book. You should read it if you haven't already.
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