Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Publication Date: April 3rd 2012
Genre: YA, Adventure, Romance
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Synopsis: 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?

My Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: Ismae is one of Death's daughters. She has a large red scar on her back to prove it. When Ismae's father gladly gets rid of her to an arranged marriage with a nasty old man, Ismae escapes to St. Mortain's convent where Death is their god and all are trained to be assassins to carry out deaths wish. 

When Ismae is sent on a new assignment, not only does she have to protect the Duchess of Brittany at all costs, but she also has to pretend to be the mistress of the king's bastard son.

Grave Mercy is one of my new favorite books. I instantly fell in love with the wonderful world the author has created. Everything about this book is perfect.

I love Ismae so much as a character. She goes from being a little girl who everyone hates and is afraid of, to one of the most skilled assassins that's incredibly intelligent and brave. She is so relatable to everyone I'm sure you will all fall in love with her right from the start.
Duval is another fantastic character, he is so smart and so passionate. I love how much he cares for his sisters and that he always does the right thing in the end. Even though I felt like I couldn't trust him throughout the book, I never stopped loving him, and hoping that he was one of the good guys.

The world building in this story is absolutely fantastic. The author provides a map for you before the story begins. You get to see that they land they are talking about is in between France and Great Britain, and all the cities that the characters talk about are labeled. Not only that, but the description words of when the characters traveled and the castle and houses are just wonderful, they definitely help you picture the scene. 

I recommend this book to everyone! Especially if you're a fan of Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass! Even if you're not a big fan of Fantasy, you will still love it. This story appeals to most genres.

I was so excited to read the next book, until I realized that the next one is about Ismae's friend Sybella. I was really hoping that the next book would be a continuation of Ismae's adventures, but knowing how good this book was, I can already tell that the next one about Sybella will be just as good or better. Hopefully there is some little parts about what happens to Ismae in the story.

Thanks so much for reading.

-Aneta