I love historical fiction and I love fantasy, and Grave Mercy is both. The concept is thrilling: an assassin nun who is immune to poisons and knows how to kill people hundreds of different ways, old saints (gods), political intrigue surrounding the betrothal of Duchess Anne of Brittany to several different candidates, and conniving advisors and siblings that weave in subterfuge and plots. I’m sorry to say, it kind of fell short. First of all, the book needed a map. I was so confused with the fusion of English and French last names. Were they supposed to be French? But they belonged to Britain . . . Okay, so some background to what Brittany is (because I just thought that just meant Britain); it was actually a kingdom, then a duchy, and then a province in the North-West of France (Wikipedia). I had no idea. Maybe I’m just a dummy, but I was pretty confused. Once that’s cleared up by research (and not by descriptions in the book, which it sorely needs), you have to familiarize yourself with the history slowly over the course of the book. I didn’t want to read any of the history to see what was actually going on because I didn’t want it to spoil the ending. I shouldn’t have worried. The ending is pretty much spelt out. It was kind of obvious who the conniving ones were and towards the ending there are so many hints. Okay, onto the gods. This I was really disappointed in. If the old gods and saints were supposed to be these ancient Celtic deities, why did they have so many correlations with Roman gods and goddesses? Maybe they weren’t as old as the people thought they were? But Romans generally didn’t enforce their beliefs on others, rather adopting other beliefs into their own. However, the mythic stories about Mortain and Amourna that Ismae talked about have very strong similarities to the myths about Hades and Persephone. Amourna’s mother is supposed to be Dea Matrona, who mourns for her daughter once a year, which makes it winter. Sound familiar to Demeter? And Arduinna, Amourna’s sister, is exactly like Artemis. I would have preferred gods that had more ties to Celtic or indigenous forms of worship rather than borrowing from a mythology that has already been exhausted. I think what happened in this story is this: the history Robin LaFevers is using is fixed; she can’t change events, which limits Ismae’s agency. She can only kill small, meaningless people like assassins and servants rather than doing what would be rational. Her type of character was really never meant to exist in this type of setting, so yes, she comes across as helpless. Ismae is carried on the whims of history, so instead the only change she can enact is change within herself. This was the one aspect of the book that yielded positive results for me. Her character is very dynamic and she comes to some very powerful conclusions near the end about her place in the convent and with Duval.

Grave Mercy has reached the top ten of my favourite books. I am completely astounded by how much research, planning and thought went into Grave Mercy. If you don't like reading anything in old English (even if it's not difficult, using normal sentence structure just older words) I wouldn't recommend this book to you. The story takes place in the late 1400's in a country called Brittany which is now North-West France. The way the author wrote it takes you back to that Era. She gives you a great view into their politics, religion and culture. She talks about the changing of times when the Old Gods started to be referred to as Saints with the rise of Christianity. There's plenty of murder, backstabbing, plotting, assasins and human error. But the main reason why this book ranks so high on my favourites list is because of the lack of a love triangle! The main character Ismae is introduced to a guy named Duval and throughout the book they get to know each other. They build up trust, push each others limits, help each other out none of that "love at first sight" mush. It's real and it is absolutely beautiful. I find Lafevers created characters you can connect to and love. She has built up a lost world from the ashes and breathed new life in it for the people of the present to see what it was like in its days of glory. There is heartbreak, questioning of loyalty and during the entire book the country is on the brink of war. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out! I highly recommend this book.

Review originally posted at: litupymworld.wordpress.com Also more notes + information of the novel can be found there! Overall rating: 5/5 stars! Due to my undying curiosity, I asked LaFevers on my personal Twitter about Gavriel Duval’s age and to let you all know he’s “24-ish” while Ismae is 17. “Good intentions are only lies the weak tell themselves. I will not be caged.” Grave Mercy has about 500 (+more) pages, give or take. My reading pace doesn’t matter on how many pages it has but on the content of the plot and Grave Mercy took me almost the longest to read it because it is just filled with all these heavy politics, religion and history and some terms thrown here and there that I just had to do a bit of research to understand it further. By saying that, I rate Grave Mercy a five out of five stars because of many factors of the novel. One is that I truly admire the amount of research Ms. LaFevers has applied to her first Young Adult genre novel. The plot itself, I find is something beautifully new. Secondly, the plot progression: the readers witness word per word the maturing of Ismae. The story begins when she’s fourteen then she’s taken by the convent that serves St. Mortain (don’t worry, this isn’t spoilery—it’s actually found on the book jacket cover) and then by chapter five or six we are fast-forwarded three years later. My sympathy fell on Ismae on the very first chapters. It makes her understandable in the matter why she so easily gained strong faith for the convent of St. Mortain. You couldn’t blame her, joining the convent was something she could think of to pay her gratitude to the people who have saved her lives. However, the beautiful plot growth shows that her undying faith bows to the wrong people. Also, the story progression is admirable because we also see the bond between her and Gavriel Duval grow stronger each time, rather than a Romeo and Juliet gig of I love you overnight, therefore I will take my life for you (especially because the story is set in the time, somewhat, of Romeo and Juliet). I also appreciated the fact that Gavriel Duval isn’t the “hottest” boy in the story. Also, after finishing Grave Mercy, I laughed to myself because I was so surprised how many times I felt tears on my eyes and I actually wept like a heartbroken teenager that my mom had to ask me what’s wrong for about an hour or two (slight spoiler, sorry… but it is hinted on the book jacket!) “Remember, true faith never comes without anguish” Although the novel is mostly a serious tone kind of story, I found myself laughing frequently because I just love, love, love the chemistry between Duval and Ismae and having to witness each chapter the growth of their relationship really tugged at my heartstrings, therefore, it wasn’t difficult to have Duval and Ismae close to my heart. “Hurry back down to Hervé when you are done, eh?” Just reading that line again makes me laugh hysterically and make my stomach filled with an insane amount of butterflies. “What is my fair assassin so afraid of?” ‘My Fair Assassin’ the series’ title is probably the one that captured my interest as I was book shopping. I loved it so much I changed my personal URL on Tumblr to that. Harhar. So irrelevant. But c’mon, who doesn’t find that such a nice line? Happy Reading Everybody!

An excellent story and I look forward to the next installment.

I love a good historical ficition novel and I will climb mountains for an enchanting fantasy novel, so when they expertely combine into the unique genre of historical-fantasy, as is the case with Grave Mercy, I couldn't be happier. Grave Mercy is based on a thrilling and bizarrely unique premise. Assassin nuns. Who has ever heard of such a thing? But it works and it works well. Dedicated to the (fictional) St Mortain - the covenant acts as the messengers of death, stealing out into the night to finish off their next victims. It hooked me right from the beginning. I kind of wish a little more time was spent on their training. They have all these classes involving weaponry, poison, "womanly arts" etc. I wanted more time to learn what they learn. Maybe I'm a little bit morbid... The reader follows this crazy story through the perspective of Ismae. Now this is one kick ass heroine. And I mean literally. She knows ten different ways to kill you before you even have time to blink. I like a girl who can fend for herself. She has to face a number of difficult decisions and for the most part she stays remarkably level headed. It's something to admire. There's also a romance of a star-crossed lover variety. An assassin and the man she is sent to spy on. What's particularly nice about this romance was that it wasn't shoved down your throat. I hate when you're reading a really good YA fantasy/dystopia/sci-fi etc and then the romance takes over the entire story. The romance here is gradually developed and slow burning in the background. It doesn't distract from the much more serious matters at play. Finally I have a little tiny design critique (which is not at all a reflection on the writing). This book is a brick! It's 549 pages. Which would be fine except that the margins were ridiculously wide and the spacing between lines was huge. This means that this book was made to look a whole lot longer than it actually was. I'm not sure why they went this route as it made the book bulky, heavy and difficult to hold. A poor design choice. Final recommendations: An amazing book that can be enjoyed by fantasy fans, historical fiction fans or anyone looking for a really well crafted story. I also think this is a great book for both YA and adult readers.

It's books like Grave Mercy that have me asking myself why don't I like historical fiction novels. I'm still not sure why I'm so wary about reading them but coming across a book like this one and being totally enraptured definitely makes me want to try reading more of the genre! Grave Mercy takes place in 15th century England, a time of royalty and courtly intrigue. Ismae has been inducted into the convent of St. Mortain, nuns who follow the orders of death himself. She's intrigued and eager to learn how to defend herself and prove her worth after the horrible childhood she had and the people who teased her constantly. Her first real mission has her sent to the high courts of Brittany to protect the duchess Ann and find the traitor in their midst. Problem is she's been assigned a babysitter of sorts, and he's proving to be a bothersome, but exciting, distraction. First off, this book was completely awesome. The summary alone piqued my interest, what with a girl assassin and this "target who's stolen her heart". It's gold! Then I go and fall in love with everything about the book. Ismae was amazing. She's had a crappy childhood to say the least, so to become an assassin and possibly take vengeance on the men that have hurt her sends her spirit soaring. But even though she does kill people, she isn't by any means cold or spiteful. She's still a young woman trying to find her place in the world. She was tough yet still vulnerable, and it was a joy to read about her. Then there's Duval, the aforementioned babysitter of sorts. Oh Duval, you *giggle* He is the epitome of a man of the times, brave, strong and incredibly loyal. Clothed in armor, riding a horse, brandishing a SWORD *cough*. He admires Ismae's fondness for battle and they go from annoying each other to a mutual respect to something more. I loved that the romance wasn't the forefront of the novel but it was steady and in the background just waiting to show itself. And they were pretty darn perfect for each other, though I wished they had come to that conclusion sooner ;D Their bantering was super amusing though. Pent up sexual tension makes for great scenes. As an aside, even though Ismae is seventeen, and Duval nineteen (I thiiink), they definitely seem older, perhaps as a result of the times they're in and that they were forced to grow up quickly. It sort of reminded me of the Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder--another series I love! They are similar in some ways but the strong characters definitely stand out. And I especially love strong heroines! This isn't by any means a short book but for the most part I flew through the pages. Learning about Ismae's inductance into the convent and what she learned there was fascinating, and all the sneaking around the courts and murder mystery that was going on kept the drama and anticipation high. The only parts I tended to lose myself were when court politics came up. I sort of floated through those scenes but everything else was fantastic! Apparently I need to give more historical novels a chance! Ismae is a handmaiden of Death, sent to the courts of Brittany to protect the young duchess long enough to get her in the throne. Things aren't as easy as they seem and Ismae isn't the only assassin in the castle. Throw in the determined and handsome Duval and things get even more interesting. Grave Mercy is a must read for sure! Review from my blog: http://allofeverythingforyou.blogspot.ca/2012/04/review-grave-mercy-by-robin-lafevers.html

This and other reviews can be found on http://readingbetweenclasses.blogspot.com/ Cover Impressions: Pretty girl in a pretty dress, but wait! What's this? A MASSIVE CROSSBOW?! This just got much more interesting! I love the look on the model's face and the hair and makeup are well done (though I do wish it had featured Ismae's fancy poison pearl hairnet.) I particularly enjoyed the tagline "why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?". The Gist: Ismae has been sired by death. At the hands of the Sisters of the convent of St. Mortain, she learns the art of dispatching a man from this earth and finally finds the strength to stand against the men that have filled her life with cruelty. Sent to on assignment to the court of Brittany, she must wade into a world of secrets and intrigue and follow her own guidance about who to trust, and who to kill. Review: This book gets an A+ for the originality of the idea. A convent of nuns trained in the deadly arts and willing to assassinate based on the will of their God - now that is something I have not read before. In fact, I so loved this idea that I am a little disappointed that LaFevers did not spend more time describing Ismae's training. The opening was incredibly strong, but then instead of watching Ismae learn the skills that will allow her to kill a man in seconds (or stretch his agony out for days), we get a three year time jump which was more than a little unsatisfying. I enjoyed most of the characters (and the glimpses of Sybella made me long for the next installment in this series). Ismae is strong willed, though young and inexperienced. I loved her cold hearted certainty and willingness to follow her convent's orders without question. However, I found her less enjoyable as she developed a conscience. I was also thrilled to read descriptions of the weapons that she carried rather than the diatribes about sumptuous gowns that one often finds in period novels. Despite the strong opening and a very interesting premise, the plot had a tendency to lag. For a book about an assassin, it was sorely lacking in assassinations. I like politic intrigue as much as the next reader, but after pages and pages of political maneuvering I was practically foaming at the mouth for some bloodshed! As for the mystery element, it is laughably transparent who is to blame for the current state of affairs and I kept waiting for some plot twist because surely it couldn't be this obvious, alas - it was. I will be back for the second book in this trilogy, mostly because I am intrigued by Sybella but also because I am too in love with the concept of deadly nuns to give up hope for a dark and compelling sequel. Stay Tuned. Teaching/Parental Notes: Age: 15 and up Gender: Female Sex: One instance, tastefully written Violence: Domestic abuse, garotting, poisoning, shooting with arrow, knife play Inappropriate Language: None Substance Abuse: Drinking of wine Additional Notes: This is a decent introduction into historical fiction

Well, I expected a mediocre book about a simpering young girl who finds refuge within a strange convent that practices dark magic. I was very suprised. the main character, Ismae, is understandable and strong and believable. the story is also one of complications and dark medieval politics. Many times she is unsure of what to think and who to believe and who to trust but she handles it well. It was also interesting to watch her slowly come to love Gavriel Duval. It was much more realistic than in many novels. I also greatly enjoyed that the book was written in first person perspective. It gives us a personal connection with Ismae's character, views, and thoughts. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't wait for the next one,"Dark triumph" It was well written, well described and was a story of adventure, mystery, history, dark magic, trust, loyalty and a little romance. I recommend it definitively.

I have to admit, I was intrigued when I read the tag line for this book: Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? And then to see the book was about assassin nuns... well, I knew I had to see what this was about. The book has an explosive start and certainly captures the attention. The setting is the late fourteen hundreds and there is huge amounts of political intrigue and rules about how people act at court. It is a time when women don't have much power over their own lives and Ismae takes the only option available to her that would lead her from her traditional, expected life. It is obvious the author has done a lot of research because the politics and backstabbing at court was so crazy and convoluted, it is nearly impossible to keep track of it. For the most part, I really liked Ismae. She had a certain realism to her. She was tough and ready to take action, passionate in her beliefs. But she was also conflicted and imperfect, which is something I love. I also like how she grew in the book to make decisions for herself rather than always following orders. However, I did find her a bit repetitive in some of her concerns. The romance part of the book isn't bad, though it is pretty obvious. I am happy that she got to stay strong and didn't have to give up who she was through the romance. It is a big part of the book, but there are also so many other parts, which all add to the richness of the book - the mystery, adventure, history and the paranormal aspects. I have to admit, I really liked the paranormal part and all of the parts about the god of Death. Disclosure: I received an egalley of this book for review from NetGalley.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is extraordinary in every sense. It is a brilliant and captivating story with highly well developed characters and plot. It is a story where war, love, justice, free-will, trust and loyalty intertwines in an exquisite and completely seductive medieval adventure that can easily become one of the 2012 favorite reads of teens and adults alike. The original concept of Death handmaidens (assassin nuns) has certainly created one of the most kick-butt heroines in the YA world. In Grave Mercy, gifted girls are trained in a convent to server their God -Death himself- by obeying his word and bring death to those who deserve it (or so they think). Ismae is one of those girls, but her second and first big assignment turns her entire world completely upside-down. Grave mercy is full of complex politics of the 15th century France. I loved the historical background LaFevers used to set this story and I loved the intrusion of the convent into this world as well. In addition, the characters are excellent. In Grave Mercy, Ismae is placed in a very complicate situation between her loyalty and heart, and even though she is grateful and loyal to the convent, she is not blinded by her devotion nor by her heart. Ismae is extremely brave, intelligent and sensitive enough to know what is right from wrong. Then, there is Duval. He is one of the most loyal characters I have come across in a long time. I really tried to find something negative about this character but I couldn't. However, this perfect image of a man doesn't disturb the credibility of this character. Actually, Duval has no powers, nor he posses the face of a fallen angel. He is just a very honorable man whose values excel among those of most man. In other words, Duval's soul is a diamond. A diamond that exist thanks to the infinite love he feels for his little sister. Robin LaFevers has a marvelous way to build-up the atmosphere of the story. It is so powerful and bewitching that you can easily be transported into the 15th century. In addition, I think that LaFevers' exquisite prose makes of Grave Mercy a true gem among YA books! I can't express enough how much I love this book. Romance, intrigue, politics, action, drama, free-will, justice vs. vengeance, and women's right are some of the topics and themes you can find in this book. Grave Mercy really has it all! LaFevers really surprised me with an excellent and well portrayed historical novel with a strong scent of fantasy that will forever remain as one of my favorites reads. Grave Mercy certainly deserve to be UP-THERE along with Poison Study, Finnikin of the Rock, Graceling and The Demon King! This one is a must-read that you will entirely devour in just one seat!