Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: April 3rd 2012
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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?
I fought reading Grave Mercy. I wasn’t sold on the concept of historical fiction and assassin nuns. I kept saying, maybe someday, thinking probably never. But my plans were foiled. About 17 people told me to read it and it was gifted to me at Christmas leaving me with little to no argument. So what did I do? I read it. And what did I think about it? I loved it. Grave Mercy is an excellent book and those 17 people knew what they were talking about.
Grave Mercy is about Ismae, a girl that has been treated as property by men her whole life. She has never been able to make her own choices. And then on the night of her betrothal to a vile man in her village she is saved and whisked away to a convent. But this convent serves the Saint of Death. Ismae has a choice to pledge her alliance to Death and learn how to kill people that are marked. Ismae agrees and is trained as an assassin. And then she is given her first big assignment. She is sent to act as the mistress for Duval, the confidant of the duchess. And to see if he is actually a traitor. As Ismae and Duval get closer Ismae’s orders starts to make her question who she is really aligned with, death or her heart.
When I started Grave Mercy I wasn’t sold off the bat. To be honest it was pretty slow in the start. But with a book being over 500 pages I guess that is a given. I didn’t give up though. I kept reading and then I hit my stride and I was hooked. The story took on an air of urgency as the mystery of who was working against who, who was on who’s side, and who was a traitor really took shape. Along with the budding relationship between Ismae and Duval.
Duval and Ismae were probably the perfect pair for one another. They were closed off and grumpy. They were untrusting and wary of one another and everyone else. Yet as they worked together they grew an admiration for each other which turned to more. It was a struggle for Ismae to see the good in any man, but it was truly amazing to see her grow and find that goodness inside Duval as she started to not only trust him but her instincts and her heart.
Truly Grave Mercy was the great reading experience that almost wasn’t. It was a great book rich in intrigue, mystery, politics and the slow burn romance. It was a fabulous look at how black and white isn’t always as simple as it looks. There are always shades of grey. Definitely, a series that will be continued by me.
I really love this book!I like the politics and the romance .Ismae and Duval have a beautiful relationship,and I loved the slow burn of their love.
I am glad you gave this a chance,Andi!
I really loved this one! I thought it was so unique when I first read it. I think you’re going to love book 2! It’s so much more romance-driven and the couple was amazing!
Great review!
So glad you loved this one! I know I’m in the minority but this is my favorite of the three (but I LOVE all three) because of Duval and Ismae. I love Ismae, I love the cover, and to be honest this was my first historical fiction read! I want to reread the series by print + audio now. This review makes me so happy!! (:
I’m so glad you liked this one! You put it very well when you talk about shades of grey. I got so sucked into this atmosphere of this one that I didn’t find it as slow, but I understand how you could feel that way. Lovely review!
Yay! I’m so happy you read this one at last and really enjoyed it! I agree that it’s a dense book. I love the series and was sold almost immediately on the premise but still found it hard to get into. It’s always a hard choice but I think my favorite in the series is Dark Triumph so I’ll be excited to see your thoughts if/when you continue with the series.
Ahhh this book! I finished it last weekend and I was hooked the entire time <3 I didn't mind that the start was a bit slow, since it gave me time to adjust to the new setting and ideas. I swooned so hard for Duval and Ismae though – one of the best romances I've read in a while!
I also really need to read this. I have heard such amazing things, and I keep saying I’m going to read this next, but then I end up changing my mind. I’m so glad that you ended up really enjoying Grave Mercy. I am also glad to hear that even though the beginning was slow, things picked up and you were engrossed in the story.
HOORAYYYYY I’m so glad you really enjoyed it! I forgot it was a bit slow in the beginning, but totally worth it. It’s hard to get all of that set up but I think everything — including the rest of the companions — flow right into that. YAY!
I’m so glad you gave Grave Mercy a shot – and discovered that you liked it! It’s seriously such a phenomenal series, a very unique one too. Even though the concept also threw me for a loop (and prevented from reading it for a while), I’m so glad I took the plunge! Can’t wait for you to read my favorite in the series, Dark Triumph 😉
OK, so first of all Happy Birthday!
Secondly, this was so hard to choose! It was a toss-up between A Thousand Pieces of You, Grave Mercy and The Winner’s Curse, but I finally went for this one because I’ve heard great things and a couple of bloggers have even recommended it to me! R x