Grave Mercy, Robin LaFevers

I'm reading this book for the 2012 YA Historical Fiction Challenge, hosted by YA Bliss.

Description

My thoughts: Wow, what a shining star this was, on a particularly busy and tiresome week. Despite that, I found myself stealing time to keep reading Grave Mercy, and after I had finished it, I couldn't quite start another book before writing my opinion, because I really didn't want to taint my thoughts with another story.

First things first, how awesome is this book's premise? A girl assassin, trained by nuns, ready to do her god's bidding? Thankfully it lived up to my expectations, and I found myself very satisfied with it, Maybe it has sometihng to do with the fact that Ismae and her world reminded me a bit of a YA version of Phèdre and the Kushiel series. Both are set on an alternate version of Europe, both have the girls being groomed to serve her god, and both end up tangled up in politics and intrigue.

Ismae was a great character. She was fierce and brave, and ready to kill at order. She hides a ton of weapons on her person, and she knows how to pretend and deceive to kill her target. She would walk on a window ledge to eavesdrop on someone, and she would sneak out anytime she wasn't supposed to. Her sense of humor towards killing (and sometimes towards men) was so funny. She was naturally suspicious of anyone outside the convent, but as things progressed, she started to question them, and whether she was following her god's will.

I just was a bit disappointed with her that she had missed so many of her "Womanly Arts" classes, because given her line of work they would be absolutely necessary (and would make for some hilarious scenes with Duval as well, methinks). But I understand, given her past, her contempt of it. Besides, it ended up being funny to watch her being completely clueless with Duval Gavriel (I love his first name, and I wish that Ismae used it more). I think they make a great couple, all so obssessed with honor and following orders and spying and killing people. I wonder how their babies would turn out. They were so cute, running around trying to save their country and avoiding each other and their feelings.

The way the convent worked, and their link to the god saint of Death was interesting, and I liked to watch several aspects of the god himself. The intrigue at court was absolutely captivating, and I was rooting for Brittany to remain free of France's rule, and Anne to become her country's ruler and get her happy ending. She was so young but so smart and managed to deal with people much older than her, that would manipulate her if they could. The mystery of the traitor behind the scenes was pretty easy to guess, but the ending compensated that. I was freaking out that so many things were happening to people I liked, and not enough things happening to people I disliked. But it was the feeling of everything being at stake that made me like it so much.

I am already pining for the next book by this author. There is a small description at the end of this one, and it makes me excited to be able to read Sybella's story. I am wondering about this mysterious "wounded knight" she has to rescue, and rooting that it is who I think it is. And I am rooting that the third book is Annith's, as she so deserves her story.

Pages: 560

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt