Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers


Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Series: His Fair Assassin, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Buy: Amazon ❘ The Book Depository
Goodreads ◆ Website

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?

Handmaidens of Death, seeking vengeance upon males? Oh, yes please!

After taking a closer look at the gorgeous cover, I saw the crossbow. I didn't see it there before and immediately I was intrigued. Then thank the heavens above, NetGalley offered this one for review! I was ecstatic. This book did not let me down.
Grave Mercy is a historical paranormal novel which features assassin nuns, betrayals and secrets, and a totally hot guy. I'm glad to say I enjoyed this book so much, I read it in one sitting, and completely devoured it. I loved the writing, and the historical elements combined with the paranormal works out so well!

I love Ismae, she reminds me of Finley from The Girl in the Steel Corset. They both are strong-willed, they don't succumb to what women were expected to be back then, and they have totally bad-ass fighting skills. You definitely would not want to meet Ismae in a dark alley... if you're a guy that is. What I definitely enjoyed reading about was her struggle. Her emotions really brought the writing to life.
Oh. My. Gods. Duval! Okay, I know I say this entirely too much, but seriously? One of the best guy love interests ev-er! I don't wanna go on and on with my fangirling, but really swoon-worthy, strong, brave, heroic, and oh did I mention swoon-worthy? *swoons and collapses in a heap*
All the supporting characters were great as well. I really enjoyed Anna (The Duchess). She was really an interesting character and was delighted to see that she was really a historical figure (what? I don't take history so don't blame me if I don't know this). Beast was also another character I enjoyed. Instead of the sassy best friend, he was definitely a better alternative!

There are a ton of twists in this story. Every time the plot ends up winding into a web of betrayal, mistrust and mystery. You seriously don't know who to trust. The main mystery however, I did guess before (and was glad to see I was right!) as it seemed a little predictable. I think the length of the book was perfectly fit for this though– it allowed everything in without any dry spots.
One really cool thing (well, at least I thought it was cool) was the "Dramatis Personae" at the beginning. It's basically like a list of characters, and I thought it was a really different element to put inside a book and reminded me of Shakespeare.

Robin LaFevers' Grave Mercy is marvelous, delightfully deadly and totally kicks butt. It's a fantastic debut, and I am without a doubt looking forward to clawing through the second book, Dark Triumph.

If you like this, try...

• The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross ◆ Goodreads
• The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman ◆ Goodreads
• The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell ◆ Goodreads

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