Published by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 3rd 2012
Genre: YA, Historical
Pages: 549
Format: Ebook
Source: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, via Netgalley
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?
This book has been on my tbr list for years. Two years, in fact. So I heaped a lot of expectations on this book, and it more than satisfied my hopes. I got it into my head that it was high fantasy, but it turned out to be historical, set in Brittany, and I couldn't have been happier about that.
The world building is flawless, the details and lush backdrop bring the book to life and give Ismae's story a sharp, real feeling. I fell pretty hard for this book from the get go. The story is dark and unforgiving, and the hint of magic lured me in while still feeling true to the period. I especially loved how St. Mortain is prominent through the whole book, an omniscient being always mentioned and there, a guide of actions and motives. It's nice, also, to see religion treated with an honest eye, instead of the villainy of so many books.
There are so many things about Grave Mercy that impressed me. The integrity and bravery of Ismae, along with her sensibleness and how lethal she was. The allure of Gaval, and how very unique a love interest he was. He felt like a genuine, real person, neither the brooding asshole or the sexy alpha stereotypes that occur so often. He's complex and genuine and I wish there was more of this book so I could see where his life, and Ismae's, goes. I was especially impressed by how dire and stern the court politics felt, and how none of the period drama, the betrayals, and the grittiness of it was tamed for a YA audience.
Robin LaFevers has stolen a great piece of my heart with this book, and I expect more pieces will be stolen by the following books in the His Fair Assassin series.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world building ★★★★★
Writing ★★★★☆
