Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

“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?”

(Goodreads)

 

This book was ultimately a little disappointing. The synopsis makes it seem like it will be a tale of forbidden love and death. And while it is these things, it is unfortunately dry and has very little emotion. The emotions that the characters are feeling just don’t seem to be realistic enough. It is like you are experiencing the book through a pane of glass. You can see it clearly enough, but you have no other connection to it. I did enjoy that the book was set in an older time period and I also liked the fact that Ismae had a distinct personality.

Overall, I was give this book a 3 out of 5.

Pros: time period setting, Ismae’s wit

Cons: not enough world building, flimsy characters, no emotional connections

 

***Spoilers Ahead***

 

Even more reasons I didn’t really like this book:

• Ismae was a little too naive for an assassin
• the relationship between Ismae and Duval developed in an odd way
• the plot was pretty simple, no real twists or surprises
• Crunard was the obvious villain from the beginning (that might just be me, but it seemed glaringly obvious)
• the whole thing with Hivern and the plot to deplace Anne was not really important or needed
• the politics of the court are poorly explained
• Ismae’s desperation to find Duval as he is dying was sudden and shocking

Things I liked:

• Anne was smart and cunning, but you could still tell she was a child
• The allusion to Hades and Persephone when Ismae tells Isabeau the story of Mortain and Arduinna’s sister
• Ismae was actually skilled as an assassin: she knew poisons and weapons well and explained their use pretty well
• Duval’s devotion to his family
• The part when Ismae meets Mortain and finds that she does not have to kill just for vengeance, she can kill for mercy too