The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
385 Pages
Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.
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?
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
385 Pages
Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.
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?
Last year when I read Grave Mercy, I was absolutely blown away. An action-packed historical for young adults, where the protagonist was female and an assassin nun? There was no way it could be anything but amazing. Of course, when the opportunity to read the sequel, Dark Triumph, was given to me, I jumped at the chance. I was just as enthralled by the second installment as I was the first. In fact, I may have loved Sybella's story even more. It was even darker than it predecessor and just as captivating, if not more so. Sybella's history was extremely depressing and would soften even the coldest heart. She suffered so much in her young life, that through the entirety of the story, all I hoped for was a happy ending.
Dark Triumph begins a bit before the end of Grave Mercy, Sybella is spying on the household of her sadistic father for the covenant. She is waiting for the day that she can kill the man who destroyed her and drove her to the brink of madness. Sybella may have been trained to be a skilled assassin, but dealing with the cruelty and vileness of the man who raised her is beyond her. She finds herself a saving grace half-dead in the dungeons. With the help of this unexpected ally, Sybella will begin to find peace with her past and look for a better future.
While I found the writing to be a bit dense, it fit perfectly with the characters, the plot and the historical setting. The language was gorgeous and descriptive. LaFevers is excellent at world-building and characterizations. Her characters, especially Sybella, were raw and felt emotions that many of us feel every day. Unlike what I've seen in many books, the emotional aspects were not downplayed, nor were they overplayed. The author gives each character their own personality and they reacted and grew based on who they were from the very beginning. It was so wonderful to read.
The pacing of the novel was pretty good. There were some parts that I struggled with, but some of the key scenes more than made up for it. Overall, I was deeply immersed in this story. I loved the way LaFevers handled the plot and where she led it. I never knew exactly what was going to happen next and that's always a good thing. The plot was very action-focused, though romance was a big theme, and that worked for the novel.
The romance in this one was even more enjoyable than that of the previous book. Where the relationship doesn't begin immediately, the connection that develops between the two characters is amazing to watch. It unfolds realistically as trust builds and they learn all about each other. In more ways than one, the bond that grows between these two saves them. What may be my favorite part of this romance is the male love interest is often described as ugly and scarred. It makes me smile when books show that love doesn't only fall upon beautiful people. Anyone can fall in love and Sybella's book portrays that beautifully.
Waiting for the third book in the series is killing me. I know that the author will blow away my expectations because this is a series that just keeps getting better and better. I would recommend this series to anyone. It's phenomenal and I think anyone would reads it can find something in the story to connect to, something that will hook them and make them fall in love. So read it, you won't regret it.
I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher for my honest opinion and review via Netgalley.
