Review: Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers

Grave Mercy  by R.L. LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Genre: Historical fiction, Romance
Release: April 3rd 2012
My copy: Special reader's edition from NetGalley
Buy Link
Indie Bound
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Book synopsis 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?

In my head

I had this since the end of February. Sadly my lack of reading time kept me away from the awesomeness that is Grave Mercy. Grave Mercy is under YA genre but for me I felt the book was a combination between adult and young-adult genre.

The book is set around the time of late 1400's when Anne of Brittany was straggling to get her duchy. My European history is not that good but I do remember a little bit about Anne of Brittany. The author put in a lot of historical information of that period. Sticking with the story line of Anne's marriage so some of the names of the Dukes who intended to have her hand for marriage were familiar.

The story in told in Ismae's point of view, with a very little about her past and the three years she spent in the convent learning the secrets of assassination. She sets of with Lord Duval, Anne's stepbrother to find the traitor in her court. Ismae had me hooked from the very beginning, and the most important part about her that made me I fall in love with was that she can take care of herself! Yes, no kidnapping or holding her for ransom if you want to have your throat slit or be poisoned by this lithe assassin.

Ismae and Duval's banter and the slow built up romance was just cherry on top with my chocolate sundae. 

I can sit here and tell you how awesome this book is but it's better if you just go ahead and read the book. And be awesomified (is that a word!)

I give this

Epic

About The Author 

R.L. LaFevers (Robin Lorraine when she’s in really big trouble) grew up surrounded by shelves of old dusty books and a passel of brothers. She has also spent a large portion of her life being told she was making up things that weren’t there, which only proves she was destined to write fiction. She is the author of over fourteen books for young readers, including THEODOSIA AND THE SERPENTS OF CHAOS, (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) which received starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Booksense Summer Pick, and nominated for the Malice Domestic’s Agatha Award, and the NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST series. Her first young adult novel, GRAVE MERCY, will be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Spring of 2012. She currently lives with her husband and a demonic cat in Southern California and spends her days gazing longingly at ancient artifacts or wallowing in old forgotten texts.

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