{Review} Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3) by Robin LaFevers

Posted by Donna
Release Date: November 14th, 2014
Finished Date: July 19th, 2015

Publishers: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Kindle

Pages: 464
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. 
But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. 

Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has. 

The Review: This book….this book is amazing! I’m so glad I decided to carry on with this series because then I would have missed out on the beauty that is Mortal Heart and, it has an amazing conclusion to this fantastic series. 

Annith is a daughter of St Mortain and has been at the convent ever since she was a baby. She has trained and excelled in every task and test that she has been given but, for some reason, she has had to watch her sisters go out on assignments to carry out St Mortain work and she still remains at the convent. When Annith discovers that the abbess has plans for her to become the convent’s next seeress, Annith does everything in her power to change the plans and leaves the convent to confront the abbess about the secrets she that is hiding. And as Annith embarks on her journey she discovers more than she originally thought she would…

Wow! I’ll be honest right now when I say I totally did not expect the amaziness that came from this book. I adored both of the other books in the series and while Grave Mercy was my favourite out of the two, I wasn’t expecting Mortal Heart to be better but it was. It really was! 

Annith’s story captured me from the very first page. I’ve always liked her from her times I’ve seen her in the other stories so, I’ve always been interested to see her own story and it was such a good story. Annith is such a strong character whom has gone through so much from such a young age. This makes her the person she is today. She’s stronger and braver for it. She has such a strong will and she’s determined to the right thing, even if that means being torn by her beliefs. Her dedication to Mortain is just as strong as her other sisters and I loved how much she relied on his strengths to guide her. 

While Annith’s story isn’t as action packed as the previous stories, it does offer a very a satisfying conclusion and where we see all of the other stories tied up nicely. More importantly it brings in new characters that were impossible not to love. Balthazaar is definitely one of them. Aw, why wasn’t he in this series more? I feel cheated. There simply wasn’t enough time with him. But he really made this story. He and Annith were such a great match and the romance between was a slow burning one. And there were times throughout this book where my jaw literally hit the table. I wasn’t expecting some of the events that happened but the main secret – which I’m keep quiet about because otherwise it will spoil it for you – it’s simply stunning. It’s such a good twist and I can only applaud LaFevers for it! Bravo. 

In all, Mortal Heart is easily my favourite out of this trilogy and it’s safe to say that LaFevers definitely saves the best until last. I’m only disappointed that there isn’t more to come. I’m sad to leave these characters goodbye! 

{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. 

A Review for Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 6th, 2012
Finished Date: October 20th, 2013

Publishers: Audio Go
Genre: YA Historical, Fantasy
Source: For Review

Format: Audiobook
Time: 11 hours and 51 minutes

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / AudioGo

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?

The Review: "Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours, until Death do us part. Whatever that may mean when consorting with one of Death’s handmaidens.”

Grave Mercy was my first audio book that I received for review, and I have to admit I was a little bit worried by receiving it for review that it would affect my listening experience, however that was totally not the case. I love audio books and I love reviewing books, so combining the two really worked for me. Grave Mercy had been on my radar for some time however; it’s always been one of them books that I’ve never got around too. I’ve heard so many great things about this book and I’m pleased to say it lived up to its expectations – if anything more because it’s definitely the best audio book I’ve ever listened too.

 

The story starts with a young Ismae being rescued by convent of St. Mortain after her father forced her into a brutal arranged marriage. It is at the convent that Ismae learns that she has been blessed with gifts that are dangerous and violent, and it is her destiny to take down the people who are betraying the high court of Brittany. But once there, Ismae isn’t prepared for the games and mystery that everyone seems to be playing, and most of all, she isn’t prepared for Duval – the one person who has captured her heart ....that she potentially has to kill.

 

As soon as I started listening to Grave Mercy I was captivated and intrigued, there’s just something about it that draws you in and leaves you wanting more of this marvellous story. I thought Caroline Ramsay as the narrator did an amazing job, not only did she give off Ismae’s voice but, she had so many more different accents that I thought she did very well. She got the tones just right to give you the listeners the right feelings and reactions.

 

The plot of the story was evenly paced with enough mystery and excitement to keep you entertained. The story was heavily politically based, however that’s to be expected with the plot being set in 1485, but at no point was it overwhelming or confusing. It was easy to follow along and had such a great back story.

 

Ismae was a fantastic lead and a great hand maiden of death. Even during her first outings she did make errors but, she quickly corrected them.  She was feisty and although she didn’t always feel comfortable in her role....like when she had to try and seduce someone, she always tried to make the best of it and work with her heart. She gave  everything she had into being a hand maiden because the convent saved her from a life that she would have hated, and because she gives everything, she has she becomes a better person. It’s not really until she meets Gavriel Duval that she finally starts to care about other people....other than the ones she met at the convent. Duval opens her up to so many possibilities ,with love and friendship on top of that list. I adored Duval. He comes across cold and mean to start with but as he works closely with Ismae, something changes in him....and her.  Their relationship is one that doesn't need to be discussed......it's just there. It's one that is a slow burning one, full of anticipation, love, and hope and when something does finally happen, it feels right. I prefer stories where the romance is at the front of the story, but for some reason it wasn't needed in this one. Ismae and Duval's story was a very lovable and touching one.

 

So it's safe to say Robin LaFevers definitely won me over with Grave Mercy, it hit all the right spots and I'm eagerly wanting more. I can't wait until I get my hands on Dark Triumph.