Review: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers

Goodreads Synopsis; When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

My Review

Loved it even more than the first! Another fantastic historical fantasy read! Sybella's story was just as awesome as Ismae's!

Sybella was definitely a much more complex main character than Isame. She's also had a very hard life and things have definitely not gone easy for her. Understandably, she doesn't trust people easily, but she does start to trust Beast once he's entered the picture. I absolutely loved Beast. I loved him in Grave Mercy and loved him even more in Dark Triumph. He's just as loveable. The romance between them was so sweet and I was rooting for them to have a happy end so bad! 

Again, like Grave Mercy the plot was a bit slow in this one because it's a very political time period, there's not a whole lot of action (but there is some!). There's a lot going on in the book, so if you try to read it took quickly, you could miss something important to the plot. My only disappointment of this book was the ending was pretty abrupt. It ended too soon in my opinion but it just makes me even more eager to read the 3rd book! 

Overall, Dark Triumph was a great companion sequel! I totally loved the characters, the romance, the setting, the plot! If you liked Grave Mercy, definitely give this one a shot!

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Goodreads 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 Review

So, I used to really dislike historical novels, I found them to be boring but I think I just wasn't giving them a fair chance because I've been loving historical novels lately, including this one! This takes place in 1400 France, I loved the setting. Castles, cloaks, assassins, hot dukes! 

Grave Mercy is a fairly big novel, about 550 pages and it's not exactly action packed. There is some action in it, but it's not what I would call a fast paced novel at all. It has quite a bit to do with politics, but while there are a few slow points, it's never dull! It kept me intrigued and interested as to what was going to happen next. More betrayls and deceits were revealed in every chapter, it made you want to keep reading and find out what's what!

Ismae was a great main character. She was kind and brave, it was easy to connect with her! I liked that she had her own mind and was willing to do whatever it took to discover the truth and to follow her heart. Her and Duval were perfect for each other, they complimented each other so well and I loved their interactions. 

Overall, this was a beautiful historical fantasy! I fell in love with the writing, the story, the characters. I definitely look forward to continuing on with this series.

Rating: 4/5

Review: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Goodreads Synopsis; The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people's minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was a bit skeptical because it's an adult SciFi/Fantasy and I've never really read any adult Science Fiction or Fantasy, but I really loved it! The world was so complex but so fresh, I was totally enthralled by it.

I had planned to take my time with this book, read it slowly so I could fully immerse into the story and the world, because I'd heard the beginning was quite slow but I ended up finishing this book in just 2 days... It was so good and I was so hooked, I just couldn't stop reading it! 

I absolutely loved the world building in this book. I agree with everyone else that the beginning was quite slow, but it does pick up around 70-100 pages in. There's a lot of world building in this book, I feel like it was definitely a first book for setting up the world, but even though it had it's slow points it kept me intrigued and kept me turning the pages quickly, needing to know what was going to happen next! Although I thought the focus of clairvoyance was extremely cool, it was a bit confusing at times and I found myself a bit lost at points, but I'm hoping more will be explained about it in the sequel!

I loved the main character Paige. She was a badass, but also such a honest and real character. I really connected to her and loved her. I found Warden to be mysterious and I'm very interested to learn more about him in the books to come, because we didn't learn too much about him. 

This world is so unique and complex, and I absolutely loved it! It was very refreshing to me, I'm totally hooked on it and I can't wait to read the sequel and continue with this series!