Book Review: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
509 Pages

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?

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Review:

Grave Mercy sucked me in from the very first page. I wasn't surprised how much I loved it. The cover alone had me. It's gorgeous and I think that it really captures Ismae's character. From the cover you can see a strong, elegant, deadly woman and that's exactly how I would describe Ismae.

I didn't think that this novel should be a young-adult. There were some parts in this book that if I had children, I wouldn't let them read. Because it's a historical romance, I can understand that the author thought it would be okay to put a lot of violence and some sexual content in the novel. I think at some points, the story went a bit far in it for younger teenagers to read. (When I say younger teenagers, I mean 13-16 year-olds.) For 17+ year-olds, I think it is a great novel that will have you hooked from the beginning.

I love the romance between Duval and Ismae. They are so sweet together and so evenly matched. He meets her in wit, intelligence and strength. As a couple, they really complement each other and I was attached to them from the first time they met. I would've loved to see more into their future, but I think that as the series develops, we will see more of the past characters and how they have wound up. 

The action in this novel made me wish that I could be in it. The missions and ideas that these woman believed in were amazing. I know it's not real, but it was so cool to read about female characters with so much faith and that were so educated. And they weren't just educated in the Gods or schooling, but in self-defense, poisons, weapons and strategy. It made me feel like a total wimp. The most I can do is point and spray my mace! These women were unbelievable. I wish I could see something like this in action.

The minor characters in this novel were also very interesting. Duval's family had so many problems, but overall, they really just wanted the best for each other and I think that was obvious in their actions. I never guessed the actual traitor and couldn't believe it until Ismae found it out and then it all made sense. He played them, and me, so well! There were a lot of twists and turns in this novel and they were executed so well because Ms. LaFevers wrote her characters brilliantly.

I really loved this book and I'm happy that I was able to get a ARC (Advance Reader's Copy) from Netgalley. I can't wait until the second book is released in 2013!

I received and e-copy of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.