Book Review: “Grave Mercy” (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

Back again with another book review! Let’s begin….

“Grave Mercy” by Robin LaFevers (2012)

Genre: YA, Fiction, Fantasy

Page Length: 549 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

“Grave Mercy” by Robin LaFevers is book #1 in the His Fair Assassins series. It tells the story of seventeen year old Ismae who finds refuge at the convent of St.Mortain, the God of Death, after escaping from a brutal arranged marriage. It is at the convent of St.Mortain where Ismae seems to have finally found a place in life. She soon learns that Death himself has given her very powerful and dangerous gifts. She decides to become a handmaiden of Death and is trained to be an assassin.

After training and acquiring her new skills, she is given a very important assignment. The assignment leads her to the court of Brittany where she disguises herself as the mistress of Gabriel Duval. Upon arriving at Brittany, Ismae finds herself falling into a world of royals, treachery, politics, and danger. What will happen?

Review:

This is a really great book! I was really intrigued to pick this book up at the library as the cover caught my eye and the storyline seemed really interesting. Ismae, is a girl who has been through a lot, and going to the convent at St.Mortain toughens her and makes a stronger person. The convent is a secret, mysterious place where the girls/young women all receive gifts from Death and obtain deadly skills; whether it’s learning about potions or being trained as ultra cool snipers.

I like the setup of the story and I think its unique among other novels. I also love that it’s set in a historical setting. The royal court and assassin nuns, how much cooler can it get? The pace of the story went smoothly and I think the characters were written well. I am probably going to read the second book in this series (currently out right now).

Final verdict: 4 out of 5 stars!