Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Title: Grave Mercy

Series: His Fair Assassin, Book 1

Author: Robin LaFevers

Page Count: 576

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

     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 Thoughts

     This book was actually recommended to me by one of my 8th grade students...and while I think it may be more appropriate for high school students than for middle schoolers, I am definitely glad she brought the book to my attention! The description on the back cover grabbed my attention, and the first review I read online referred to the book as the story of NINJA-NUNS! Who wouldn't want to read a book about ninja-nuns!

     Overall, I liked Grave Mercy a lot. It was fun to read, and I was eager to find out what would happen next. I found the book difficult to put down. I liked Ismae, the main character, and I enjoyed the extent of her thoughts that were shared with us. Her train of thought was always present, almost to the point where her actions became easy to predict. I liked the storyline, even though the initial 'historical' components could have been explained a little more clearly. We are introduced to a lot of characters who play important but intermittent roles, and I found myself getting them a little confused as the book went on. 

     I did not like the speed with which the "love connection" showed up in the story. Ismae went from being suspicious of Duval to gushing about how in love with him she was. There was very little in-between and I found that odd. For as long as the story was and as much detail as the author went into on other parts of the story, I thought the love story could have been developed a little better. The relationship between Duval and his siblings was also weird to me. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go into detail, but based on family history I found the closeness of the siblings a little unrealistic.

     The historical aspects of the story were what I really loved. I was so thrilled by the idea of these super secret ninja nuns who kept the country of Brittany safe from evil. The espionage and plotting and secrecy and assassinations were worth putting up with the other not-so-great parts. In fact, by the time I got to the end of the book I loved the story so much that I temporarily forgot that there were parts I didn't like. In the interest of an honest review, I forced myself to remember them, but the good definitely outweighs the bad in my opinion! I am looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy (although I'm hoping the relationships are developed a little better in future books!).