Twerp by Mark Goldblatt 
Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
…and while I am Death’s daughter and walk in His dark shadow, surely the darkness can give way to light sometimes.
This book was released shortly after I started book blogging and I seemed to see rave reviews for it everywhere. I desperately wanted to read it and while it took me nearly 3 months to get onto it, it was worth the wait – the book really does live up to the hype!
The only real negative I have for this book was that the opening couple of chapters didn’t really pull me in, I found the scenes with her father and arranged marriage a little confusing and at the time I started to already file the book into the “average” category. Thankfully these are very quick and short lived chapters with the majority of the story being about Ismae’s journey after she discovers her life as a daughter of death and things become very interesting very quickly.
Ismae is a wonderful character, after coming from such a rough background of fear, ridicule and physical abuse she takes to her role as an assassain or “daughter of death” quite well. The introductory segment of her life in the convent isn’t long but gives you the distinct impression of a kinder time in her life that cultivates her thirst for veageance and distrust of men.
During her time at the convent you meet her 2 friends – Sybella and Annith who I’m assuming we’ll see more of in the remainder of the trilogy as they are given a fair bit of air time but don’t seem that important to the plot of Grave Mercy.
The real heart and soul of this novel however is the time spent on the road and in court with Duval. This is where the sheltered Ismae really begins to understand the impact of death and the complexity of guilt, innoncence, right and wrong and it really makes this a stand out piece of literature.
The political intrigue and plot twists in this book are thoroughly enjoyable and while not at the level of complexity that some high fantasy series manage to excel at, still brilliantly executed considering the book’s length.
The romance between Duval and Ismae is carefully drawn out and incredibly believable in the storytelling. There is no love at first sight though chemistry is definitely sparking off the pages early on. I really enjoy books that don’t hurry the romance and instead let it come to life on its own throughout the story and this book delivers exactly that.
I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this book and can not wait until the sequel comes out. Anyone who enjoys traditional fantasy novels but wants something a little less intense and slightly more Young Adult should give this book a go.
Grave Mercy is my new go to book now when people ask me for book recommendations!
Rating 
| Author | Robin LaFevers |
|---|---|
| Book series | His Fair Assassin: Book #1 |
| Genre | Fantasy / Young Adult |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Published | April 2012 |
| Source | Purchased for Kindle |
| More |
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers at Goodreads Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers at Amazon Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers at The Book Depository |
36 Comments:
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Jessie Marie says:
Wow, great review. I can definitely tell you enjoyed it. I purchased this one after reading several reviews with similar remarks that you have. Fortunately, all the reviews I’ve read hint at no more plot development than the cover reveals so I don’t think I’ll be spoiled by it.
I have been trying to find time in my reading schedule for this one but I think moving it up to read sooner. I gotta get on this bandwagon.
Thanks for a great review. To this day, I’m still stunned at how elegant your blog is. ; )
Philippa says:
Thank you! I have read a heap of fantastic books I feel this month but this one was just brilliant, I really hope you get a chance to squeeze it in between review books!
Leila | The Fiction Pixie says:
Wow, I hadn’t really even given this book a look yet. I noticed it was everywhere with reviews and things but you, my dear, have changed this
<3
Philippa says:
There are just so many good books it’s so hard to pick which ones to read! I really do recommend this one though – it is great fun I think you’ll love it!
Lynn K says:
Great review.
The development between Ismae and Duval is one of my favorite parts of the book so I’m a little sad the next book will no longer be told in Ismae’s voice but I’m rather looking forward to Sybella’s tale.
Philippa says:
I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens from Sybella’s sides of things – I hope it all intertwines well!
Stephanie W. says:
Great review! I’m glad that you loved this book – so did I! I can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out.
Philippa says:
Thanks
It will be interesting to hear Sybella’s side of the story!
Mel@thedailyprophecy says:
What a wonderful review! I’m glad that you loved it so much! The characters in this book sound great and I love the cover! The blurb still fascinates me, so I’ll give this one a try as soon as possible!
Philippa says:
It was a fabulous book – I’ve been lucky and read quite a few great reads lately
Hope you get a chance to read it soon!
Xia T. says:
I love Grave Mercy! It’s one of my favorite reads so far this year. I can’t wait for the next book. Great review by the way! Glad you loved it too!
Philippa says:
Thank you – I glad you enjoyed it as well
Maneesha Haroon says:
I have had this on my TBR for a loooooooooong while now. And everyone seems to absolutely love it. I can’t wait to get my hands on this one! Great review!
Philippa says:
I feel silly that I didn’t read it earlier – it was so good! Definitely read it as soon as you get the chance
Katie McCurdy says:
I’ve seen this around, and have been VERY intrigued! I really love books with strong heroines that wields some sort of weapon… preferably the bow
so you can understand why this book intrigued me.
And after your review I am DEFINITELY going to have to get my hand on a copy sometime in the near future. Thank you for such a thorough review!
Philippa says:
It is a fantastic book – I think you’ll love it if you like strong heroines
Danielle D says:
Great Review, I have this one in my pile to be read, I grabbed it shortly after it hit shelves too, I saw the ratings and reviews and had to have it. I love the strong heroines also
Philippa says:
Definitely worth reading if you get a chance soon – you’ll love it
miki says:
at first i was a bit afraid it would be too dark or too sad for me but after your review and others i really want to try it
Philippa says:
It’s definitely not too dark or too sad though there are some elements of both, its worth picking up if you have the time!
D (@TheBookRogue) says:
Nice review. This was the first book I pre-ordered EVER, so it’s a little special to me
, and really, I couldn’t put it down. I loved Ismae and Duval, and even more so the concept of Mortain. Loved the supporting characters, too, and can’t wait for Dark Triumph to come out!
Philippa says:
It was well done – Mortain was very interesting, I really liked how humans managed use him for their political advantage too, the whole premise was fantastic!
Melissa says:
I agree. This book is definitely in my Top 5 of the year. I loved it. I thought that the lines from Duval at the end were some of the most romantic in YA literature and it wouldn’t have come off near as romantic if the author didn’t taken her time building up the romance.
Philippa says:
completely agree – understated romance is totally underrated in my opinion!
LisaILJ says:
I totally agree with your review. This book remains one of the best books I have read this year.
Philippa says:
Thanks – I agree it’s probably in my top 5 for the year so far!
Isa says:
I’ve seen so much good reviews on this book but I haven’t gotten around to getting it. I like the way you describe the relationship of Duval and Ismae, I’m not a fan of instant love either. Great review! I’ll try to get this book soon.
Philippa says:
It’s really worth reading – hope you get a chance to read it soon!
Stephanie says:
Thanks for the review! I’ve been seeing such amazing reviews for this book and I just heard about it a week ago! I want to read it so bad now! I like that you give us insight to the books and introduce us to the characters without giving away too many spoilers.
Philippa says:
Cheers – its a wonderful book, hope you get your hands on it soon!
Jennifer says:
Great review!! I’m currently reading this and although it’s kind of hard to get into, I have my hopes it will get better, especially after this review
Hopefully, it will be one of my faves!
Philippa says:
Ooooh I hope you do enjoy it – I really found it got better after the initial part!
Cricket says:
Great review! I’ve red this one and loved it! I can’t wait for the next book in this series.
Philippa says:
Me too!
Jaime Lester says:
Thanks for your great review. I love your blog, by the way. It is probably one of my faves. Like you, with Grave Mercy, the first couple of chapters were a little bit dragging, but once it got to the point of Ismae really becoming involved with the sisters, I was hooked and I literally could not put this book down unless absolutely necessary. It went everywhere with me. Even the shower sometimes. I cannot wait for the next book in this series, and I am betting it is just going to get better and better.
Philippa says:
Awww thank you for the compliments
I can’t wait for the sequel as well, it was an addictive read!