Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book I (1) Paperback – March 5, 2013

Originally reviewed at http://www.shaelit.com/my-reviews/2012/04/review-grave-mercy-by-robin-lafevers/Thwarted arranged marriages, female assassins, life-or-death stakes, a reeeeeeally awesome love interest, AND a killer dress-and-crossbow combo on the cover? Great heavens to Betsy, I’m in love.Ismae is one genuine kick-butt female. She has to be, really. Her mother tried to abort her, and though Ismae survived, she was left with a hideous scar that runs diagonally across her back from shoulder blade to hip, marking her as a daughter of Death. No, literally, a daughter of Death. This makes her a freak, and a scary one at that, a fact that her father and other townspeople use to make her life a living hell. Her father even tries to marry her off to a loathsome, brutish pig farmer at the age of fourteen, which is when she is rescued by a local herbwitch and taken to the convent of St. Mortain.Of course, that’s when LaFevers makes a three year leap in time, because what’s cooler than watching a girl go from awkward, scared teenie-bopper to fearsome assassin? Skipping the in-between time to get to the big reveal.Ismae is wicked fierce. She can kill a man in countless ways, from using a thin cord to garrot him, to a crossbow bolt to the forehead, to a knife to the heart. She’s pretty handy with poisons, too, seeing as one of her gifts is that she cannot be poisoned. Oh, and she can sense when a person will die by seeing (or sometimes smelling) them, and she can often tell how a person will die, thanks to the black smudge of death St. Mortain leaves on the body.No wonder she’s chosen to take part in protecting the young Duchess Anne against both the invading French army and overbearing suitors intent on stealing her duchy. Given her own background, protecting a girl against being traded like a piece of meat is right up Ismae’s alley. Unfortunately, her ticket of entry into court is by posing as the duchess’s brother’s mistress, a prospect that does not thrill Ismae in the slightest, given that the art of seduction was one course that she barely passed and that said brother, Gavriel Duval, might himself be a traitor.Where to begin… First, the characters. Wow! Usually, when I read a book, any hint that said book might only be the first in a series makes me cranky. I want a completed story, beginning, middle, and satisfying end. Books that stop half-finished in a blatant ploy to garner interest in a coming sequel irritate me. Yes, even Hunger Games got my goat a bit. But thanks to the characters Robin LaFevers created, I was inwardly begging for a continuation halfway through the book.Ismae can be a teensy bit flat at times (yes, dear, you hate men, we got it), but I loved her nonetheless. Gavriel Duval is my new YA fiction crush (more on that in a few). And those supporting characters! Magnificent. Their personalities and characteristics were not overemphasized or overlabored in an attempt to hold our interest. They just stepped on the page and could be. Duchess Anne reminded me of Bitterblue from Graceling – older than her years, tough, wise, but still hopeful. Crunard, Rieux, Sybella, and Madame Hivern were satisfyingly three-dimensional. I fell in love with Beast from his first introduction (really, in his own, supporting-character way, he even beats out Ismae for my affections).All the characters were great because they weren’t stereotypes or stock characters, even the ones who only appeared for a few pages here and there. They had secrets and motives and desires and dreams and stories, and I wanted to learn so much more about each and every one of them. And, given that this book is all about treachery and intrigue, I loved that I truly believed that I couldn’t fully trust a single soul.The plot was good and fairly crawling with loathsome baddies. Well, mostly loathsome (see what I said about characters not being stock). The big baddie reveal wasn’t quite as unexpected as I had hoped, but I appreciated the tension leading up to the revelation, as well as the motives behind the baddie’s actions. I did have two notes of disappointment, but I’ll get to that in my paragraph of caveats near the end of my post.Oh, and the romance! Swoon! Ismae and Duval have that delicious love/hate/I-don’t-trust-you-as-far-as-I-can-throw-you thing going on, and it so works. After all, Ismae isn’t sure Duval isn’t really working against his sister the duchess, and Duval can’t be sure that Ismae isn’t really on orders from the convent to kill him and/or someone he loves. Yummy, yummy tension. What I like most, though, is that they clearly have reasons to fall in love, reasons that have nothing to do with looks. Ismae mentions Duval’s grey eyes a few times, but I honestly couldn’t tell you other distinguishing features, or even how old he is. His looks aren’t the point. His character and integrity are. Same for Duval’s attraction to Ismae. She’s smokin’ hot, but that wasn’t the point. There was no lust at first sight. There was love over months.I do have a few, teeny caveats. First, the whole Death as a god/saint thing. I understand the appeal of twisting convention on its head here, but I personally was uneasy with the death-worshipping. Part of it is because of my own personal beliefs (“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”), part might because of the timing (Easter week is an awkward time to be reading about Death as a good guy). I was expecting some big twist regarding the very nature of Death/St. Mortain, and there was a twist, just not the one I was hoping for. Again, my personal hangup. It’s likely that this will not bother most people.Second, there’s a moment near the end of the book where Ismae (rollover to see spoilers) has to save Duval from being poisoned. Again, expecting some wow twist, and what do I get? Sex is the answer! Kiss the man, he gets a little better; give up your virginity and give him a roll in the hay, miracle cure! Lame.Sorry for the super-long review, but this book was so freaking exciting!Points Added For: Nun assassins, poisons (love me some poisons), detailed characters, crossbows, Beast, believable and swoon-worthy romance, intricate and unexpected motivations.Points Subtracted For: De Lornay (both his lack of depth, comparatively speaking, and his duration), certain twists not living up to my expectations, that really lame moment that I mentioned in the spoiler.Good For Fans Of: Graceling by Kristin Cashore; Terrier (and subsequent sequels) by Tamora Pierce.Notes For Parents: No language that I can recall (the word “bastard” is used multiple times, but only in the literal, illegitimate sense); several squeamish seductive encounters; at least two attempted rapes (both not graphic and ultimately unsuccessful); one non-explicit sex scene (tasteful fade-to-black employed); violence (not Hunger Games level, but still); a few blush-worthy conversations (who knew French women were known to rogue their nipples?).

Ismae is a daughter of Death himself, forever scarred by the herbwitch's poison her mother used in her futile attempt to end her pregnancy. Branded with a scarlet scar, feared and shunned for a parentage over which she had no control, Ismae's hopes of escaping her brutal father are crushed when the man he sold her to at the age of fourteen proves just as monstrous. But help arrives from an unexpected quarter when the selfsame herbwitch whose poison left her forever marked as Death's daughter spirits Ismae away on her wedding night, sending her to the legendary convent of St. Mortain. At St. Mortain the gods of old still hold sway, especially Master Death, with every member of the female-only sanctuary dedicated to execute Death's bidding. Ismae embraces the refuge the convent offers, and dedicates herself to her studies, determined to prove worthy of the reprieve she's been granted, vowing to never disappoint Death or her abbess.Three years pass, and at long last Ismae is ready to put her training as one of Death's assassins into practice. Having successfully completed her first two missions, Ismae is positive her future at the convent is all but assured -- until the enigmatic Gavriel Duval arrives, throwing everything Ismae's been taught to believe about the convent and her calling into question. Duval serves Anne, heiress to the duchy of Brittany, a would-be leader under siege as forces from within and without her kingdom seek to control the young ruler through marriage. But Anne is loathe to cede control of her destiny, an aim Duval has sworn to uphold -- a vow he'll do anything to keep, even if it means reluctantly allying himself with one of the assassins of St. Mortain. Ismae is equally reluctant to trust Duval, as the man is the physical embodiment of everything she's hates about her pre-convent life. But amid the glitter of Brittany's court, the assassin and the warrior find themselves drawn ever closer as the dangers threatening Brittany's sovereignty seek to destroy its young ruler. And when those Ismae serves calls Duval's loyalty into question, she's faced with an unthinkable choice -- serving her god or saving the man who has won her heart.Grave Mercy has been on my radar for a while now, mostly thanks to its gorgeous cover image and fascinating premise. Going into the novel I assumed it was a fantasy, given the concept of women meting out Death's justice, so I was surprised by the novel's almost straight historical tone. LaFevers weaves the lore and machinations of the convent into the history of Anne of Brittany's struggle to maintain a free and independent duchy. As such this is a surprisingly gritty depiction of the lives of women in the Middle Ages -- whereas much fiction set during this time period (i.e. romances), particularly one classified as young adult, might choose to gloss over the sexual politics of the time period, Grave Mercy confronts those issues head-on. Though of vastly different social backgrounds, both Ismae and Anne are pawns to be bartered in marriage upon barely reaching puberty -- a reality that uncomfortable and shocking by today's norms. Seeing these young women fight for the right to some measure of self-determination is an extraordinarily gripping journey, one that feels both wholly organic to the fifteenth-century time period and contemporary with its vibrantly-penned characters and their life-and-death struggles.Love story spoilers: Ismae and Duval's love story is simply one of the best I've ever read, in or out of this genre. Each is in their own way damaged by the accident of birth -- Ismae as one of Death's daughters, Duval as one of the illegitimate sons of the late duke's much-loathed French mistress. There is the inevitable clash of personalities -- the Darcy/Elizabeth spark, if you will, where each is completely convinced of the rightness of their cause and doubts the trustworthiness of the other. And, given Ismae's horrifically abusive upbringing and short marriage, she has every reason to be wary of men's motives. The manner in which Duval comes to earn Ismae's trust, proving his honorable character, while she in turn learns think for herself, to examine the longings of her heart and question the dictates of her convent, thereby opening herself to the possibility of a relationship, is gorgeously rendered on the page. The tension between the pair is electric, the restrained passion positively, deliciously breathtaking. This, this is how you pen a memorable romance -- a meeting of two equally powerful, passionate personalities who respect each other enough to work through their issues before committing to each other. Easily one of my favorite literary couples of the year.I was fascinated by the tension between the gods acknowledged by the convent and the rest of the world, particularly in how Ismae accepts the convent's definition of faith and devotion, thereby dictating her role in the world. But as the novel progresses, and Ismae realizes that her only hope of truly serving her god, of succeeding in a relationship with him lies in a personal relationship and understanding of her calling, I couldn't help but relate her awakening to my own spiritual journey. There's a passage towards the end of the novel that I found extraordinarily moving, when Ismae meets her father face-to-face: "He has given me life, and all I must do to serve Him is to live. Fully and with my whole heart" -- the social conventions of belief must follow a personal relationship in order to reach its full potential.Grave Mercy is a rich, meaty historical with an unforgettable heroine and a fascinating premise. The first quarter of the novel is bogged down by some uneven pacing as LaFevers establishes her world -- the narrative can't seem to land on whether it wants to focus on the world of the convent or the historical realities facing Brittany in the late fifteenth-century. But once Ismae's initial training period is over and she joins Duval in the glittering Breton court, every aspect of the story begins to click, from Ismae's struggles to the intrigue facing Anne, and the pages positively flew as I found myself immersed in Ismae and Duval's world. This is a gorgeous, captivating novel, with a heart-stopping romance, gorgeously-rendered characters and an engrossing blend of fact and fiction. I cannot wait to visit this world again -- this one's a keeper.

Like most people, I was initially attracted to this book by its unique and intriguing premise of Assassin Nuns. In a world where far too many books have a bit of a "seen it all before" feel to them, the author deserves full marks for trying something different. Far too often however, a great premise fails to translate into a great book, so I wasn't sure what to expect of this one. Happily however, I felt that it lived up to its promise.The main character, Ismae, manages to be both sympathetic and strong. With her determination to maintain her independence and her ability to stand up for herself, she's something of a feminist heroine, but at the same time, she manages to be just about believable for her fifteenth century setting and does have her weaknesses and uncertainties.Speaking of the setting, it's fantastic. Some historical periods and geographical areas get all the attention, but I don't think I've ever read a novel set in fifteenth century Brittany before. The author conjures up a great sense of place and time and puts in just enough historical detail to make the book feel intelligent and well researched, but not so much that the plot drowns in names of treaties and battles. There are lots are twisty plots and conspiracies and betrayals. Despite having a degree in history, it's not a period I'm hugely familiar with, but it seemed reasonably accurate and has left me with an urge to find out much about medieval Brittany.The author has neatly blended her own world-building into the authentic history. Although the assassin nuns themselves seemed a bit far-fetched, the author describes their rituals and traditions so well that it's easy to suspend your disbelief. All of the folklore about the Nine Saints of Brittany was so well done that I can't have been the only person who ended up googling them to find out if they were real (sadly the answer is no). The book is mostly quite realistic, but there is a touch of the mystical/paranormal. Personally, I'd like to see more of that in later books.Finally, there's a fairly large romantic element to the plot. This was perfectly well handled, though didn't catch my attention quite as much as some of the other aspects.I read this quickly and immediately downloaded book two. I'd wholeheartedly recommend this and I expect it's the sort of series that will only get better now the initial scene setting is done.

I like urban fantasy - the creation of a different reality set in recognisable, modern times. Similarly I like steam punk, again the creation of a different reality, this time in Victorian times. And I like classical fantasy - a different reality somewhere different. But what I don't like is the insertion of magic into "real" times - so the world, or historical world as we know it, but with some weirdness slotted in. Also, given the social rank of some of the main protagonists, I just couldn't suspend reality and believe there were happy endings for them all. Royal princesses were pawns to be bartered by men, and real-life history from this period was dark and violent.My bad I know, and knowing this, I usually avoid such, but this isn't particularly described as a historical novel, set in the real world with magic. The penny dropped slowly, and by the time I realised I was into the story, so I kept going. For a bit...This start well, setting the heroine up well and setting you firmly on her side, but once the action moves away from the convent, it degenerates into a totally signposted romance, with our apparently super trained killer nun relying mostly on her looks and curves, as well as managing some pretty preposterous snooping and eavesdropping. She's the focus of mass attention for heavens sake. Everyone is interested in her and her apparent affair with wossisname - of course she can't pop along to the castle, find the room the meeting is happening in, overhear the essential bits, then casually waft around as though she was meant to be wherever she gets spotted - in the end the shrieks of "No, no, no" from my inner realist got too deafening, so I gave up. Read the last few pages, thought "Yep, what I thought", and won't return to it.Shame, it was a brilliant idea, killer nuns, but she wasn't exactly the kick-ass heroine I'd been anticipating, and the tortured, brooding, handsome, dark hero was sooooooo stereotypical!

I do not often write book reviews as no book has really compelled me to write one before. This time however, I felt I must comment on this amazing masterpiece.First I must say that the book is written in the present tense and before I read this book, i would always say that i despised books written in such a tense (as was shown to me by books such as 'divergent' and 'the immortals', that although their plots are gripping, the fact that they are written as they are spoils the books for me). I have to say, it was not such a case with this book. The author has such a way with words that if the book was not written as such, i would find it odd. Robin LeFevers's way with words is something else, flowing smoothly throughout the book and with such plot twists that leave you hanging on the edge of your seat.(spoilers alert)The story follows the heroine Ismae, a peasant girl who's father is thought to be the saint of death, after the failure of the attempt to abort her from her mothers womb. Sold to a cruel man to be his wife, she is rescued and sent to the abbey of St Mortan, the saint of death. There, she is taught the ways of an assassin an her devotion for her father and saint grows. After a series of events, she is sent to the court of Brittany, to serve the ways of Mortan and the duchess. The plot twists and turns with unpredictable betrayals and backstabbing schemes as well as portraying a growing love between her and a member of court.This historical fiction transports you back to the late 15th century in France and all its glory. The plot is historically accurate to the events at the time (not including the abbey of St Mortan), with occurrences and many of the characters in the book being real. Its a fantastic read, one that has an Shakespearean feel to it, without the burden of the overly heavy language of the time. The language however, is suiting of the period, although simplified and slightly modernized.overall, its a captivating book that you cannot put down until you finish it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering reading it.

I was a little unsure of this book by reading the blurb but it turned out to be pretty good. The start was absolutely fantastic; intrigue, mystery, the thrills and games of court life. The highlight for me was the relationship between the two main characters; how their romance blossomed and developed gradually was fantastic, one of the best I've read. What ruined this book for me was the ending, the whole plot and storyline was rushed, not well explained and did not compare in the slightest to the first 2/3s of the book. I felt this especially in the romance; which initially was deliciously drawn out and well written and which left me completely confused. The whole ending I'm afraid to say didn't live up to the brilliance of the beginning, as I turned the last page it was almost like saying "well...what? Is that it?!?"

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?When I first encountered this book, I have the admit the idea of assassin nuns working for the god of death intrigued me. So, tentatively, I bought the book, ignored it for a few days, and then came back to read it. That was this morning. And now I've finished. Frankly, I loved it. The whole idea of the book - nuns, death, the 15th century - was amazing. A YA book that wasn't all about vampires or angels or anything was refreshing, and that alone, if not for the teasing synopsis, made me want to read it.The setting was very well created, and definately felt realistic, though despite the fact that the author could have had some difficulties setting the book back a few centuries, she made it work. The introduction - learning how Ismae joined the convent, and how she came to be on the mission the majority of the book revolved around - was a good length, as it was long enough to give enough detail, and ensure we didn't miss anything vital, and yet was short enough that it didn't retract from the main plotline.The story itself was riviting and well paced. I didn't feel I had to rush through it all at once - though truth be told I did devour it in large sittings throughout the day - and there was no point that I felt that the story was dragging or where I wished for more action because the plot was getting dull. The book felt complete and well-rounded, like the author never once rushed to get through part of it, or struggled and said "that'll do". I believe a lot of love and hard work went into this book, and you can tell. The 'love-story' was subtle, and it was pleasant that it didn't get in the way of the rest of the plot line, and that it wasn't put in there just to be a love-story, but to add more complexity and depth to the book overall.Now, I'm slightly at a loss as I've run out of adjectives to describe how awesome this book truly is. Now I've finished it, though I of course want to hear more, I'm not desperate for it as the whole book is completed nicely, with most of the strings tied up. Most. There's still the issues of Sybella and the rest of the nuns at the convent. But that's for the next book, which, thankfully, has already been released, and is downloading as we speak!TL;DR - amazing story, loved it, will definitely read it again (already have in fact).