Saturday, January 26, 2013

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
Book One of the His Fair Assasin Trilogy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: April 3, 2012
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Sent from the author

(Old review; originally posted HERE on May 5, 2012)

Summary (from Goodreads):

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?
What I Liked:

First? The little catch-phrase on the cover. "Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?" drew me in from the start. I saw that and immediately thought, there is going to be some high action. And there was.

I loved the assassin aspect of the 15th century to this book. I love historical fiction, but what's even better is the addition of a strong-willed, kick-butt heroine. Ismae's choices aren't just for herself. She thinks of Mortain, the convent, the duchess, and Duval, the man placed with her in Brittany.

Second? I loved the style of this book. The flow of the story and the words is beautiful. Ms. LaFevers create a world of mystery and beauty with her rich words and articulate setting. Everything is so well placed!

Third? The characters. Not just Ismae. I love Duval, for his high sense of duty, of love, or honesty. I love Beast and De Lornay for their humor and wit. The political figures of the book were enjoyable to read, even if I didn't like some of them.
Ms. LaFevers had me guessing up until the last chapter, when everything finally wrapped up. I like how this book is a standalone, even though there are two other books about other characters. This takes out part of the agonizing wait for more. And there is so much more that I loved about this book, but I don't want to bore anyone and gush too much :)

What I Did Not Like:



I am not sure if there was anything that I really did not like. Everything was so well put-together. This is exactly the type of book that I would read, and it met any and every standard that I had. A note, however: this book is about 560 pages. While this didn't bother me, it might be bothersome to someone. But if you start getting into the story, you won't notice the length.

Would I Recommend It:



Oh my gosh YES! I can't think of a better young adult, historical romance-ish book right now that is this good. A good range of readers is probably 14 and up. The romance is straightforward. Scenes of any sort of intimacy are very, very clean.

Rating:


Five, ten, a thousand stars. I finished this book in a couple of hours straight. It was that good.

I anxiously await the next book by Ms. LaFevers!


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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

32 comments:

  1. A thousand stars, huh?! that good?! ;)haha! I've been looking at this one for quite sometime now... i think i'll have to check it out for myself. Thanks for sharing<3

    Diana

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    1. It's SOOOOO good!!! Definitely check it out!!! :D

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  2. You really like this book! I must check this out. A kick-ass sister of a convent. Very intriguing! :)

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    1. Definitely is! Have fun reading, if you get it! :)

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  3. Sounds like i need to dig this one out. Thanks for reminding me why I wanted to read it.

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  4. Five, ten, a thousand stars? WOW! I must read this book! I love the blurb on the front "Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf" too. Plus, the cover is gorgeous.

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  5. I'm so looking forward to reading this one. I love assassin stories and strong female characters. Thanks for the review!

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    1. That's great! This is definitely one to read fyou like that kind of thing. Thank YOU! :)

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  6. Thanks for reviewing this...I've had it in my To Read pile, but was procrastinating because of the length. It sounds like the story is good enough that it'll fly by, though, so I'll pick it up soon!

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    1. My pleasure, Megan! And trust me, once you get into the book, it gets more and more interesting, and less of a long book :D

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  7. I absolutely loved this book! And I completely agree on the flying right through it. This was definitely one of those books where I'd be reading it look at the clock as go 'Gee, I have to wake up in 3 hours. Maybe I should go to bed. Nahh! One more chapter.'

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    1. It was amazing, right?! I'm glad you stayed up to finish it. Thanks, RIN! :)

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  8. This sounds likea book that I need to be on lookout for I wouldlike o follo Isme and her life at the convent and her decisions regarding folling her God Of Death or following herheart. Thank you for this review

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  9. After reading your glowing review of this book I really have to get this and read it. It sounds like it is going to be a great read. Thank you for your honest review.

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    1. I hope you do! It is such a great book. My pleasure, Tina!

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  10. This is a great review. I have been wanting to read this book for some time! I must go and get it.

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    1. Thanks! And you should definitely pick this one up :D

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  11. AHHHHH! I have been dying to read this book and reading your review only makes me want to read it more! (: I have heard so much about this series and hardly any of it is negative. I def need to get my hands on this one! haha 1000 stars sounds pretty legit!

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    1. You NEED to read this book!!! THERE CAN BE NO NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF THIS BOOK! And the 1000 stars is a ringing endorsement :D

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  12. Wow awesome review you know once upon a time I have been thinking that I will love to become a sister and to joined an convent but I heard that it was really hard to do my parents were the one's that change my mind but I been dying to get my hands on this book because of that and I heard a lot of great reviews about it! most definitely have to grab this book soon thanks for sharing!

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    1. Woahhh, that's interesting! Well, then you could probably relate to this book! There are so many awesome, positive reviews of this book. READ IT!

      Thank you, Katiria!

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  13. I picked this book awhile back and when i had seen the pages i was like woah...I put off reading it because i got wrapped up in trying to finish the goodreads goal in 2013.. So this year i made it less book (less stress to complete it) that way i can start on some thicker books that i had put aside but been wanting to read!!! Great review on this book--it does sound like it would be good and your like list is bigger than your dislike!!!!

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    1. Ooo, there is nothing wrong with reading longer books, even if you don't reach your Goodreads goal. This book was long but EPIC! I hope you read and enjoy it, Sarah.

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  14. It sounds like you really loved it! ;) I'm glad to hear that since I just got it and hope to start it soon. The length is a bit daunting but I love historical fiction so if it is good it should fly by!

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    1. Indeed I did! I hope you really enjoy this one, Susan! Don't worry about the length - it really does just go, as you are reading.

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  15. I've had this book on my Kindle for some time and I don't know why I haven't read it yet. It sounds awesome!

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  16. I love this series so much! The words are beautiful. I bought the audiobooks so I could listen to it read out loud. I'm a nerd I know. Can't wait for Mortal Heart to come out in November!!!!

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    1. Excellent! I'm glad that you are such a fan - these books are really great. I hope you love Mortal Heart (when you read it)!

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