{Review} Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 3rd, 2013
Finished Date: April , 2015

Publishers: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 405
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

The Review: I loved Grave Mercy when I listened to the audiobook verison last year. I was hoping that Dark Triumph would become available in the UK as well but so far, I've not seen it and this was the reason for not reading this sooner. In the end, I just decided to read it because I just couldn't wait any longer and I'm so glad I finally did because Sybella & Beast's story is amazing! 

At the age of fourteen Sybella arrived at the doorsteps of St Mortain half mad after escaping the evil clutches of her family. In return for taking her in and training her to become a deadly assassin, Sybella now owes a debt to the convent and it's time to put her training to work where she will carry out assignments in Mortain's name. But when the convent return her back to the one place she hates - her family's home, it's there Sybella finds an unexpected ally and starts questioning all she's been trained to do. 

Dark Triumph is a fantastic addition to the His Fair Assassin's series. Although you could probably read this as a stand alone because it's not the same characters from the first story, but I'd highly recommend you don't because you'll miss out on the beauty of this story from the beginning. 

I wasn't sure how I would get on with Sybella because from what I read of her in Grave Mercy she came across quite mad and unpredictable, but as soon as I started her story in Dark Triumph all my worries went away because Sybella is completely likeable. She's had the worst things done to her by her family because of how mean her father is and always hides it away from people. The fact that even her closest friends don't know who she really is, is a hint of how private Sybella is. What I loved about her though was even though she had this terrible past, she doesn't let it drag her down now. She's determined to achieve her goals for the greater good and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. 

The romance part of the story is really loved - I think even a little more than Grave Mercy just because this had so many little moments along the way of the story which made it feel like there was much more romance in it. Sybella and Beast's relationship starts off slowly but you can see from the start something is there. They make a great duo! 

As for the plot of the story, I did like that it wasn't so political based and more about Sybella's story but then I loved that the plot thickens and thickens at every turn. It'll be exciting to see what comes next and how this series will come to and end. And hopefully I'll get a chance to read it soon! 

Thank you to  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.