Review: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Published April 3rd, 2013
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
385 pages (Hardcover)

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Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for? (From Goodreads)

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I love this book!  I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I love the setting.  15th century Brittany is a nice change for someone who doesn't usually do historical.  The writing is that strong!  I mean, my knowledge of 15th century Brittany is pretty much non-existent, but I was instantly drawn in and embracing it!  I felt like I was there!  The conflict is awesome.  I loved the battle and the strategy and alliances and twists and turns!

I love the characters!  Sybella is a badass who's been through some serious shit.  She has some suicidal tendencies, and it was a joy to see her progression!  Then there is Beast, who is a f**king beast!  Again, badassery.  In Samantha's world, this instantly meant *swoon*!  The character development was amazing.  Every single character has depth and complexity that comes out through the story.

I love the plot!  Dark Triumph starts part way through the events of Grave Mercy (check out my review here), and explains what Sybella was up to during the first book.  Sybella's progression in dealing with her past while battling the political turmoil of the novel intertwined beautifully.  I also like that this book highlights more of a personal side to the series.  Grave Mercy focused more on the politics and history, but this time round we see more romance and personal relationships.  Robin LaFevers actually addresses this in an Author's Note at the end of the novel.  I'm glad that she does, because it was what I was thinking the whole time!  Dark Triumph was a perfect balance.

Dark Triumph is amazing and gorgeous and spectacular.  It will draw you in and tear your soul apart!  So, you know, go buy this book immediately!

June Recap and Happy Canada Day!

To all my fellow Canadians, I just want to wish you all a Happy Canada Day!  Have a drink for me while I work a 9-hour shift!

June has come and gone.  Guys, 2013 is half done!  This just seems like madness to me.  June was another month of summer courses and working.  My hours at work will likely be going down for July, which means more time to spend with you guys!  I hope that excites at least one of you as much as it does me.

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The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (action-packed awesome)

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout (excellent adult addition)

Dare You To by Katie McGarry (Bring me Ryan)

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (great character development)

Until I Die by Amy Plum (original, but lacking)

If I Should Die by Amy Plum (felt Breaking Dawn-esque)

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (kind of predictable)

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (too many hormones)

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood (F**k you Maura)

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (tears falling everywhere)

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--- June brought my 21st birthday, filled with good times and delicious waffles.  My coworkers even bought me flowers!

--- June meant lots of working and more summer school.  I finished my first class of the summer, and stared my second (still not exciting).  Goodbye Child Development, Hello Family Development...

--- June actually saw an impressive amount of reading!

--- June rained.  Our real summer can start any time now.

--- June brought good and bad, but I still love you.

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 In all honesty, I have no idea what I'm actually going to read this month...  (More coming about this on Saturday, if you happen to be that curious.)

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That's all for June.  Happy July everyone!

Much love, Samantha

Book Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Published April 3rd, 2012
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
484 pages (Paperback Ed.)

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? (From Goodreads)

When I first heard about this book, I was sold with these two words: "assassin nuns".  I mean, that idea has epic written all over it.  Ultimately, I would not call Grave Mercy epic, but it did prove to be a great read.

The story starts quite slow, as they are establishing the convent and how Ismae got involved.  I started to get worried that our main character was going to be 14 years old for the whole thing.  Quickly though, we flash ahead three years to the present day, and Ismae's first kill.  If that's not a scrapbook worthy moment, I don't know what is.  The plot slowly starts to pick up from there, but really didn't get going until about half way through.  From that point on, I had a hard time putting the book down.

The characters were well written, while being not overly complicated.  They foster a lot of secrets, that are revealed throughout the book.  Not going to lie, I may have had some serious "insta-love" for Duval.  His dedication and perseverance to what he believes in were extremely attractive, but I am glad Ismae does not experience the same "insta-love" I do.  Their relationship develops throughout the book, which makes a much, much better story.

While I have no clue how historically accurate any of the world is, I feel like having of an explanation of Brittany, or perhaps a map, would have been a benefit.  Eventually, I had to ask my history major roommate where Brittany was, and she had to google it.  I did enjoy the historical nature though, and was able to kind of picture myself in the 1400s.  Again, who knows how historically accurate my vision was, but it worked for me.

I really enjoyed Grave Mercy, which played out in my head like a movie.  The next in the series, Dark Triumph, is about Sybella, another of the assassins, and is due for release April 2nd, 2013.  While I'm upset that there is the potential for less Duval, I am excited for the story to continue!

Much love, Samantha