4/30/2013

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers


Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers.

Published April 3, 2012.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Source: Won.

Goodreads Blurb:
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?


My Review:

This novel got off to a quick start and kept my attention from then right through to the end. I loved the idea of assassin nuns and was really pleased with how it played out. There was intrigue and excitement, I had questions and suspicions, and by the end, I really liked the characters. I will say that I wished there had been a little more action over some of the political scheming and trouble, but I still enjoyed that part.

For the most part, I enjoyed Ismae. I liked that she was strong and determined to prove herself when given a chance in life. I also really liked that she grew throughout the novel, especially to question her previously blind faith so she could see what was truly going on around her. I will say that I didn't like her much when she had her moments of harshness, but I do understand why she was written that way because it fits well with her story. I have to mention as well that I, like Ismae, took an immediate liking to Beast. He was such a lovable character who made me smile during what was overall a pretty serious book.

I also really enjoyed how the relationship worked between her and Gavriel. The introduction to his character was fantastic and unexpected for me. It provided a great start point and even though I could tell there was going to be romance there, it made me very curious as to how it was going to come about. The build up of their relationship was perfect for their situation. It fit with how they were interacting and under their circumstances and so I was definitely invested in them as a couple because I saw the growth. I love seeing the relationship develop, so that was great.

In all, it was an enjoyable novel with different aspects that each contributed to a pretty kick-butt assassin story with a great relationship and a lot of political turmoil at its center.
4 stars.

16 comments:

  1. I have this one on my Kindle and I can't wait to dig into it one day. Seriously, I have so many books to read and it never seems to stop. But this one is near the top of my list! Loved your review!

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    1. It is definitely worth the spot near the top! And now that the sequel is out, you have even more reason to read it :)

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  2. I have been looking forward to this one for a LONG time. Glad you liked it!!! This may go on my summer reading list :)

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    1. Megan, it totally should. I thought it was great and I loved the idea of assassin nuns. It was very cool!

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  3. Great review! I have this on my Kindle, but haven't had a chance to start it. I'm hoping to get around it sometime this summer.

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    1. I support that idea :) It's definitely worth reading, especially if you already have it!

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  4. I would love a kick ass assassin story. I need to look for this the next time I'm at the library.

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    1. Kick-ass assassin story is just what you'll get with this one, so keep your eye out for it, for sure!

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  5. This was a great read!! I absolutely love reading about assassins. I'm glad they're coming in YA fiction. I'm really eager to read Dark Triumph!

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    1. I thought it was such a cool topic to bring to YA fiction, so it was awesome to read about them! I'm excited to read Dark Triumph too :)

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  6. This sounds like a great read! It's about assassins, and has a guy named Beast, it can't get much better than that haha

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    1. Haha very true! I loved both of those parts of the book, so it was definitely a cool read!

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  7. I've been hearing so many great things about this book! I had the same thing: from the moment I saw the cover and the blurb, I decided that I must read this book. After seeing your positive review, I'm even more excited :D

    Micky Johnson (Colorado Springs SEO)

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    1. I'm glad! I mean, how can your turn down assassin nuns? It was definitely a cool story and great historical fiction :)

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  8. I just finished reading Grave Mercy a couple of days ago and posted a review of it on my book blog today. I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit and actually look forward to reading the next book in 'His Fair Assassin' trilogy this summary on my Kindle.

    I liked the storyline and characters in Grave Mercy too... Especially, Ismae's character. The only complaint I had about this novel is that I felt it was a bit slow in the middle.

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    1. I'm really looking forward to reading the second one as well, especially now with the third coming out this fall.

      I'm so glad you enjoyed this one; I think it has such a great concept and was executed well. I do see what you mean about it feeling slow in the middle. Hopefully the next two have the same great character establishment and development but are paced a little better!

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I'd love to hear what you think!