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.

The 100 Review

A teen at the library recently picked a book up off the shelf called The 100 by Kass Morgan, and she loved it. She was really excited about it, so I decided to read it, and was lucky enough to get an e-book copy of it through NetGalley. Some of you may have heard of the new TV show on the CW that is based on the book, and although I haven't seen the TV show yet, it's on my list of shows to watch after reading this book.

The 100 Summary:
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

The 100 Review:
This book reminded me a lot of Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan in a few different ways, with a little bit of Lost mixed into it. I love worlds where civilization is living on space stations, so right away this book appealed to me. The plot itself is a little formulaic with 100 teenagers being sent down to Earth to see if they can survive, but I thought the novel overall was very well done. Background information was revealed at exactly the right time in the story, and the characters were very well developed.

There are four main characters that the book follows, and each character brings something different to the table. Each character was hiding a large secret, not only from everyone else, but from the readers as well. Although those secrets were hinted at throughout the book, they weren't revealed until the end, which could be frustrating for some, but overall I would say was very well done. And not only that, but the book itself kept secrets from not only the readers, but the characters too, and left the story open to a highly anticipated sequel.

Out of the four characters, I would definitely say I enjoyed Glass's story the most. She's a rich Phoenix girl, who falls in love with a poor Walden soldier. But their story is much more complex than that, and I loved it. And just when you think you've finally uncovered the characters' secrets, you get hit with another one. The same can be said for Wells, Clarke, and Bellamy's stories, which were also enticing reads.

If you're looking for a gripping read, a book based in space, or a book about survival, then this is the book for you. If you get the chance, pick this book up, it's well worth the read.

Anna and the French Kiss

I finally got around to reading Stephanie Perkins, and I'm glad I did. Sometimes it's really nice to be able to read a cute romantic story, and get a break from the suspense and action of many of the other books I read.

Anna and the French Kiss Summary:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.


But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Anna and the French Kiss Review:
I really enjoyed this book. It had a fun, sometimes sarcastic voice, which I loved, and was overall, a really cute story. If you're looking for a super serious novel with lots of heavy thinking, or action, this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for a sweet, fun, love story, I definitely recommend picking it up. Anna has a great voice, and each of the characters were all well-developed and added their own flare to the story.

My only complaint about it is that Anna was stuck on her crush back home for way too long. He was a musician who you could tell didn't care about her at all, and she spent the whole book fighting what she had with St. Clair, because she was trying to convince herself she was still into the musician back home. And all the while, St. Clair is doing the same thing. You can tell they're both really into each other, and have a strong connection, but for some reason they're both stuck on other people who are clearly wrong for them.

But then again, what kind of a plot would it be if there weren't any problems, or tension? I also happened to be reading this book while I was in Europe, so it coincided nicely with my trip to Paris. Overall a fun, sweet romance that I would highly recommend picking up.