Review of Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by R.L. LaFevers

Goodreads:
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 Thoughts: 

( I waited forever to write this, so please forgive me if it is all over the place)

Ismae had a hard life. Her father- the human guy. Not her real father- made her life miserable. He sells her off to a husband as cruel as he is, but she escapes. Her past however left her with a dislike of men. So when she is offered a chance to learn the art of death, she jumps at the chance, willing to do anything to please her real father and have a place in the world, a task to do. She becomes a handmaiden to death.

Now I love a good assassin book, especially when the assassin is a chick who is all BA and ninja. Ismae, however is not BA and ninja. She is actually kind of adorable in her naive bloodthirstiness. (is that a word?)  She skips her seduction lessons because she is not at all comfortable with the idea of seduction. I think that this character trait added a different depth to her character. She was a naive, sweet, impatient, sheltered girl. But she wanted to do Death's bidding. She was not so much bloodthirsty as she was just eager to please the people who took her in and gave her a purpose. 

This book is full of palace intrigue and spying. Ismae is sent along with Duval, a man who hates her, in order to better help protect her Queen (who just so happens to be the man's younger sister) 

Ismae is forced to question all that she was taught in her three years training as an assassin. Is she doing the right thing? She is forced to think for herself instead of relying on her superiors to tell her what to do. When the queens life is in danger, she has a decision to make. Keep to the order and possibly wrongly kill? Or side with her new friends, defy direct orders and abandon everything she has been taught. 

I also like how the story and the Saints element are worked together. This Author can really tell a story. 

The love story in this read is really quite different. i love how it develops first into gradual trust...then friendship......then maybe a little something more. 

I will not tell you what happened, but s certain event in this book made me nearly cry. I was like NO! I will tell you it was near the end and while it was daring one the Author's part to do this....it still broke my heart. It helped make the story and was important in the overall conclusion...but it still broke my heart. 

If you like intrigue, naive assassins, brave knights, poison, knife fights, and Castle Politics, then this is what you need. I loved it. 

I cannot wait for companion books. 

I want to know what happens to her friends! :)