Mortal Heart Review

I was able to get an e-copy of this book through NetGalley when I was at the Book Expo, and after devouring the first two books in the series, was finally able to get to this third book in the series, and it was well worth the wait. This third installment in the series follows Annith, another initiate at the convent of Mortain, and offers readers a few glimpses into Ismae and Sybella's stories following Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph.


Mortal Heart Summary:
In the powerful conclusion to Robin LaFever's New York Times bestselling His Fair Assassins trilogy, Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind, doesn’t mean she has.

Mortal Heart Review:
You don't really learn much about Annith during the first two installments of the series, so it's exciting to have the chance to learn so much about her character in Mortal Heart. Unlike most of the girls at the convent, Annith has no idea who her mother was, or any idea how she got to the convent when she was an infant. She's been raised by the convent, and has done everything the Abbess and the convent have asked of her. Until one day the Abbess tells her she must serve as the convent's Seeress and spend the rest of her days locked up in the convent, never able to leave.

Annith struggles with the idea of her new future, and ultimately decides to rebel against it by sneaking out of the convent in search for answers. Along the way she quickly meets the Hellequin--the lost souls who must earn their penance by serving Mortain and guiding lost souls to the Underworld. And of course, in true YA fashion, Annith begins to fall in love with Balthazar, one of the Hellequin. Which in a weird way, feels perfect for her character.

But being delayed long enough, Annith sneaks out during a skirmish and sets out to find the Duchess. Along the way, she encounters a group of Adruinna's followers, who help her escape the Hellequin, and ultimately help her find the Duchess. Once at court, Annith must deal with the Abess's wrath for sneaking out of the convent, and do her best to help the Duchess out of her predicament with the French troops invading the small country of Brittany. And all the while, she's able to sneak out at night to have romantic rendezvous with Balthazar.

While I was reading the novel, I had a few guesses as to Annith's true parentage, so the surprise of who her mother was didn't come as a super huge shock. But I was blown away by Balthazar's true identity. I probably should have seen it coming, but I didn't. Looking back on it, the author hinted at his true identity, but having missed the hint, I wasn't expecting it at all. It changed everything in their world.

This novel wraps the series up neatly, but leaves it open to the possibility of another spin-off series, which the author alludes to in her author's note at the end of the book (or maybe that's just my wishful thinking reading too much into it). Everything ends happily for Annith, Ismae, and Sybella, and even the Duchess. It's been a long journey since the beginning of Grave Mercy, and I've loved every minute of it.

Dark Triumph Review

I never had the chance to review Grave Mercy  by Robin LaFevers on my blog, so let me preface this review by saying that I loved Grave Mercy. Ismae, the protagonist, is strong and sensible, and very well developed. The romance that buds between her and Duval is cute and intriguing, and I couldn't wait to read Dark Triumph to continue on with the story line. At first I was a little disappointed to learn that Dark Triumph would be following a different character's storyline, but in the end it didn't really matter, because Sybella's story was equally good..

Dark Triumph Summary:
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 home to the 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?

Dark Triumph Review:
If you've read Grave Mercy and loved it, you'll love this new installment in the series. If you haven't read Grave Mercy yet, while it's not entirely necessary, I would highly recommend reading it first. It sets the stage for the entire series and provides you with insight into the characters that you'll need before jumping into this second book. Overall, I thought it was a strong addition to the series, but there was something about it that didn't make me love it as much as Grave Mercy did. Still good though, don't get me wrong.

Dark Triump follows Sybella's story, and begins right where Grave Mercy left off, at her father, D'Albert's, estate. Sybella warns Ismae of what her father is about to do, and gives Ismae's army the fighting chance they need to get the Duchess to safety. The story then begins with her brother Julian's suspicions of Sybella's loyalty. Her back story then unfolds and readers have the opportunity to see into Sybella's past, and what it was like to grow up with D'Albert as a father, and Julian as a brother. (Not fun, to say the least.) I thought LaFevers did a really excellent job with this.

The story then leads to Sybella reaching her breaking point, and breaking one of the prisoners out of her father's dungeon and helping him escape back to the duchess. She ends up being pulled along for the ride, and a budding romance begins between Sybella and the Beast of Waroch, who is ugly and large, but one of the fiercest warriors ever seen. And if you've read Grave Mercy, you may remember him as one of Duval's friends.

Once the two finally reach the duchess, Sybella is forced to question the motives of the convent, and ultimately her religion, her family, and herself. Her character was exceptionally well-developed, and I really loved reading her tale, and being able to get a glimpse of how things were working out for Ismae. A gripping and worthwhile installment in this historical action-packed series.