The Assassin (Graves Justice Horror Series Book 7)

Wild Justice

---

She is trained as an assassin, taught how to fight, how to create complicated poisons to kill instantly or drag out a death for days. She is the ultimate weapon and she uses her abilities to serve the convent and Death. I cannot deny that this is a wonderful, kickass idea. The problem was that this part at the beginning is the most action-packed of the entire novel.

After this, Ismae doesn't use her abilities that much beyond flashing her "womanly charms" at the men of court in order to find out information about who Brittany can really trust in these dangerous times when France is out for everything she can get. This book needed a serious injection of badassery. The politics surrounding the issues of Brittany and France in the s could have been much more interesting than it was, except for the fact that it was used as a platform for Ismae and Duval's budding romance.

There was too much talking and eaves-dropping on conversations that didn't matter, too much family drama with characters I couldn't give a damn about, too much of all the wrong stuff. Not enough conspiracies, plotting, assassinations she is an assassin, for pity's sake, was it too much to expect a little more of it? As much as I like this idea and part of me would like to know how this series progresses, I cannot imagine wanting to put myself through another pages of boredom to find out.

And one last thing, I'm sure some of the phrases used in this book weren't around one hundred years ago, never mind six hundred years ago View all 39 comments. Oct 02, Wendy Darling rated it it was amazing Shelves: Nov 15, Catie rated it really liked it Recommended to Catie by: Do you love historical mysteries? Do you love Juliet Marillier? Then this book is absolutely for you. He is less than pleased read: Mortain, the god of death. Soon she is in training to be a handmaiden of death, skilled in espionage and murder.

This book reads a lot like a romance novel, but I really enjoyed that about it. The romance between Ismae and Duval is slow-building, believable, and pretty smoldering. Apparently this is a young adult novel! Which is unfortunate because it reads so much like an adult romance, and I think that it would be better if it embraced that a bit more. Why is my heart pounding? Why are my loins quivering? Not to mention…she has a giant SCAR. Still, Ismae completely charmed me. I love her snap decision making and wild leaps of tangled logic.

I love her awakening and growth as a person. I also really love the mythology: Finally, a book that actually warrants this song or at least, that's what I inferred was happening behind the closed curtains. This almost makes up for the complete lack of visible sexytime. Also seen on The Readventurer. View all 59 comments. Mar 19, Steph Sinclair rated it liked it Recommends it for: Those who enjoy YA Historic Romance with a twist.

I instantly loved Ismae and could empathize with her bleak outlook on life. The novel had strong characters, a good plot, and political intrigue. A badass premise like that is just begging to be read and loved. So what in heaven's name went wrong for me?

Why am I only giving this book 2. Well, I'll start with what I actually liked first. I did like all the charact Actual rating 2. I did like all the characters, especially Ismae. It's a big deal for me to like the heroine since I usually hate them due to their inability to use their brains. But not Ismae, she's a smart cookie.

This isn't shocking since I'd wager it does require a certain amount of neurons to assassinate someone. And while she does carry prejudices against men due to her harsh childhood, there is a good amount of character growth for her. So, gold star for her. Duval, the love interest, while initially not appealing to my co-blogger, won me over fairly easily. It refers to Ismae's god, Mortain. At least, I'm pretty sure. I also really liked the plot and the historic features. I can tell LaFevers did lot of research and it truly does show.

Many of the characters in the novel are real people and the events occurring, real events. I felt it was a nice change in pace to the usual YA books I've read. But the good points just weren't enough for me to love this book. Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives. First of all, I probably would never have picked up this book on my own if Kennedy hadn't suggested a read-a-long. I choose to avoid historic fiction for a myriad of reasons, the most important being: It's just not my cup of tea. When I have to sit down and think about the setting, time period, a huge cast of characters I have to keep up with, political talk, yada, yada, yada And I don't like having to concentrate while reading for enjoyment.

In this case, I liked it, but then, I didn't like it. Personally, I cannot sit back and enjoy a novel if it feels like I'm missing a crucial part of the story. And the time period was important for me. European history is just not my forte, so I took to Wikipedia looking for answers. Unfortunately for me, I now knew how the story would eventually end unless Levers decided to deviate from history.

But at least I knew the time period is the late s. Boo that I had to work so hard to find the answer. Anyway, that was the first strike. Ismae is a trained killer, but there wasn't much killing going on. In fact, there was mostly too much talking about the political plans being made to ward of the French from invasion. Honestly, I couldn't care less about any of that.

Then it got boring. Ismae spent more time talking about all her cool weapons, than using them. She'd go on and on about her poisons and how she could kill someone with this weapon or that poison. I wanted her to take a page from Nike. But, I was still interested enough to continue on and I'm glad I did, because it started getting interesting. However, that leads me to my forth point This book was entirely too predictable.

Could the bad guy be anymore obvious? LaFevers pretty much dangled him in front of us the entire novel like a carrot, so by the time the main characters goes, "It was you! It's just too easy. There has to be one last plot twist.

Speaking of the ending, it felt incredibly rushed to me. All conflicts came to a more or less, hurried happy ending. As soon as the baddie is caught the book has nothing more to do then fall back on its underdeveloped romance between Ismae and Duval. That's not to say I disliked Duval and Ismae. I actually liked both characters a great deal, but together? Grave Mercy spent entirely too much time revolving around the mystery and not much time developing the relationship. I think the book needed to make its mind up: It couldn't have both believably, in this case.

I was relatively enjoying the book up until that point. When I read that scene I rolled my eyes so hard. She is a nun assassin and the biggest gift Mortain gives her involves her sexuality? She becomes a human bezoar! Would ya look at that? A woman's body really can be objectified in almost any profession! The mystery surrounding the girl was thrown at the reader several times and we are given no information about her assignment. Same goes for Annith's story. I found that incredibly frustrating. I realize this is supposed to be a series and perhaps their stories will be told in the sequels, but leaving those gaps made Grave Mercy seem incomplete.

I can't help to think the book would have been stronger as a stand alone novel instead of stretching their stories out over three books. So, will I continue on with this series? At this time, probably not. But I would still recommend it to others looking for a change-up in their usual YA readings, especially those who enjoy historic fiction with romance and a pleasant splash of paranormal. More reviews and other fantastically awesome things at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog Aug 30, Jo rated it really liked it Shelves: Well, I thought I was going to hate that The coolest convent EVER.

A kiss can be deadlier if you mean it. Chess games that could give Ingmar Bergman a run for his money. More on this later. And in regards to this… situation … there was a lot of unnecessary boy-induced angst. But again… more on this later. Soooo much elbow grabbing. Is this a new thing? Do men really have a thing about elbows? OK, I loved Ismae. She was such a fantastic and original character and a fabulous narrator. She is definitely the kind of girl you would ring up if you were in the depths of boy despair and needed someone to shake you out of it because she has these dry observations that were absolutely hilarious.

And a headband full of poisonous pearls? AND a knife that fits into her corset?! The only thing that annoyed me about Ismae was the way she suddenly forgot that she was amazing whenever Gavriel loped onto the page. Issy can I call you Issy? She has a dagger in her booties that can kill a man with a single touch but she turns into a quivering lamb when he grabs her elbow or looks at her in a smouldering way? BUT it did get better…and there were a few scenes that made my Northern heart thaw a little. There has to be moments where the reader is chomping on their nails to find out whether they will get together or not.

It was so very obvious that these two would get together and it seemed everyone in Brittany and probably France could see this, except the two of them. And they are both supposed to intelligent and fiery… but they sometimes came across as quite dim. But like I said, it got there eventually. Whatever shall we do now? Because if you do. Gavriel laughs too…as he wets himself. You come up with a song that is relevant to a story set in the courts of Brittany in the 13th century. There is a lot of simpering moments that seem completely out of character for both of them.

Just a little bit disappointed. But I guess that just shows how much I love Ismae when she was brilliant. People who like historical and fantasy fiction. People who are proud of their scars. People who wish they could have had a thin wire hidden in their bracelet. People who think more men should wear armour and joust. People who would like a sassypants crow to deliver their messages for them. People who think religion needs more gadgets. People who would like to learn how to gavotte.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers. You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here. View all 35 comments. An instrument of mercy, not vengeance. View all 36 comments. I tried and tried so far but eventually the inevitable happened. And it felt so damn good! I was fair though.

Imagine how much left until it was done. Why did I hate it? I have two big-assed reasons. And a really bad and boring did I mention boring? Now let me expand my hatred a bit. My relationship with historical books is amazing. So amazing that I tend to spill acid on them each time I play mad scientist dress-up. Then why choose a historical book in the first place? I fell straight into the trap. It was the fucking cover. Does that look like a Historical Romance to you? Thank you guys, you rock. But back to my covers. Just look at it. Does this resemble any of the following? I read the Grave Mercy ebook and I see bullshit.

The silence feels thick and awkward to me, but any attempt to make small talk seems equally so. Wondering if he feels it too, I sneak a glance in his direction and am appalled to find him watching me. We both wrench our eyes away, and even though I am no longer looking at him, every part of me is aware of his proximity, of the faint heat coming off his body in the damp autumn air, of the scent- This woman is killing me.

How can she be so lifeless?? Does it have action? Throw it to the pigs. Put it in the damn book. Make it more difficult for Anzu to finish the damn thing. But of course Anzu is an idiot and will try her best to read it. A huge surprise there, is it not? So as I was saying, before I rudely interrupted myself, assassins. An assassin is a wicked cool person with amazing murder, stealth and weapon skills who uses them in order to remove certain obstacles that get in the way of their happiness.

At least in my opinion. It was logical that I would expect this from title. Why it was filled with boring details and lacked action? I have no clue. Am I the only one who smells the theft of many elements from the game? The Tears of Mortain have done their job well, for I am certain there is no spark of life burning behind that door. Ugh I so much wish the cover had a shirtless dude on it!!

View all 56 comments. Feb 02, Kat Kennedy rated it liked it Shelves: Grave Mercy is the improbable tale of an assassin-y murder-nun, Ismae, on a mission to rescue the Duchess of Brittany from a fate worse than death — a really disgusting old, pervert man. And given those facts, you would be forgiven for Grave Mercy is the improbable tale of an assassin-y murder-nun, Ismae, on a mission to rescue the Duchess of Brittany from a fate worse than death — a really disgusting old, pervert man.

But this is actually a YA novel, which makes it awkward because it actually reads far more like it should have this cover: They tried to do that with that Pirates porn movie. The director loved it so much he cut out the sex and rereleased it as a feature movie. The premise was very interesting and I think the idea was most noteworthy. Certainly, both characters are likable and work well together as a team.

But the actual romance is never particularly breathtaking or impassioned. Which would be fine if the movie had more throat-cutting and less awkward moments where the two main characters almost kiss. The mystery is laughably easy to deduce which, for me, just added to a rather average reading fare. I recommend this book to those that like the idea of assassin-nuns without dealing with the mess and teenagers who want a gateway book to the historical romance genre. Check out our joint review of this book on Cuddlebuggery View all 16 comments. What a pleasant surprise this was!

Grave Mercy won me over in chapter one and I was unable to put down Ferguson, my Kindle, until I finished it. I always have troubles getting through the middle part of a book, but that was not the case here at all. After being abused for her entire life by her vicious father and then married off at fourteen to an equally vicious husband, Ismae is saved by a hedge priest on her wedding night What a pleasant surprise this was!

After being abused for her entire life by her vicious father and then married off at fourteen to an equally vicious husband, Ismae is saved by a hedge priest on her wedding night and taken to a convent where she is told that she is a daughter of Mortain, the god of death. Ismae is reborn in the convent, determined to make the absolute best of the second chance life has given her.

She is a good and dedicated student. Duval seems to be loyal to the duchess, he is her half-brother after all, but Ismae is under orders to investigate him. What can be more fun than nuns who turned You shall not murder into You shall murder only those we order you to and You shall not commit adultery into You shall seduce for information, but not for love? Everyone, including myself, was thrilled by the idea of killer nuns, but that part proved to be just a little bit disappointing because these nuns had very little in common with actual nuns.

I expected more conflict between their religion and their actions, but LaFevers chose another direction altogether. I really admired Ismae. Getting to know her was my favorite part of this book. I liked her spirit and her intelligence, and I felt that her actions were pretty consistent, a sure sign of a well-built character. While I had a lot of fun reading it, Grave Mercy was by no means perfect. People with little patience for political intrigue will probably find themselves bored from time to time, especially around the middle.

There is also the small issue of predictability: I knew who the traitor was about ten seconds after he showed up and it left me disappointed because I loved everything else so much. Grave Mercy was much more fun than I expected it to be. View all 27 comments. Feb 27, Arlene rated it it was amazing Recommended to Arlene by: See, I was taught: To walk like a bird, not like an elephant.

Keep my ankles and knees together when I sit. My school tie is not to be used as a napkin. God can read my thoughts so keep them pure. My foul and sarcastic mouth will gain me no points in life. What did you expect? P Now Ismae, the main character of Grave Mercy , on the other hand seemed to have gotten a more well rounded and useful life training in my opinion.

Follow the Authors

She learned from the Saint Mortmain nuns: Stealth and cunning knife combat to bring down a man with a marque of Death. Feminine artistry to lure her victims into a false sense of security. The chemistry of poison making that could kill a man a hundred different ways. Defense moves to escape a chokehold or garrote.

If those were the lessons being taught by the nuns I grew up with, I'd like to believe I would not have been such a disappointment. I have to say that prior to starting Grave Mercy I was skeptical about whether I would be able to keep my beliefs and deep seeded convictions about religion and faith enough at bay to enjoy this story. I enjoyed the political backdrop, the killer nuns, the historical time period, the constant intrigue and yes you heard me right For me, it all blended perfectly to make Grave Mercy a fantastical story.

There, she learns the skills to keep her safe from ever being hurt by a man again. After several years of combat training, she has been molded into a perfect assassin and is thrust into the political battle between three countries that fight for power and land, where she must carry out the orders of her convent. However, when the desires of her convent collide with the path of her heart, Ismae is forced to make a choice between executing a command from her convent and doing what she believes in her heart is right. Ismae and Duval were a perfect pair of protags, and their story was filled with enough struggle and romantic tension to keep me glued to the eInk on my reader.

I loved how their relationship developed at a slow and deliberate pace. It made their love for one another believable and perfect. View all 49 comments. Feb 01, Sophia rated it really liked it. View all 3 comments. Jul 28, Kelly and the Book Boar rated it it was ok Shelves: Find all of my reviews at: And so it is with us; we serve as handmaids to Death. When we are guided by His will, killing is a sacrament.

But then the MC was given the assignment that I thought would be the driving force throughout the book, only to find out what Find all of my reviews at: But then the MC was given the assignment that I thought would be the driving force throughout the book, only to find out what was really going to happen was not how I had imagined. Talk about a real bait and switch. It was like going to pick up your brand new blue sports wagon and instead walking away with.

Grave Mercy could be used as an exhibit of why YA books get a bad rap. For the love of Tom Cruise, why do authors assume young people are stupid? View all 9 comments. Ismae is not your typical YA heroine. She lived her whole live under care of her brutal father and if not for the convent of St. Mortain, she would live the rest of her life with abusive husband. Ismae think that every men is the same and for that gladly joins the convent to be Death's handmaiden and serve His will. Ismae is simply awesome. She has strong opinions and is more than capable of taking care of herself.

Well duh, she's assassin! I always loved this attribute of my main heroines. I can dodge a blow or block a knife. I am impervious to poison and know a dozen ways to escape a chokehold or garrote wire. I do not know how to defend against that. Ismae's life with the nuns was shortly described and I was hoping to see more of the actual poison and combat training. Nevertheless, the beginning was quite fast-paced. After training, Ismae gets her first assignment which she manages with ease and no questions.

But her third task is much harder then even the abbess anticipated. Ismae gets herself in the mids of intrigues and political machinations right at the court of Brittany. She starts to question everyone around her and soon finds out that maybe, the only person whom she can truly trust, is the one convent sent her to spy on - Duval.

The prose is also worth mentioning, as it was absolutely beautiful and well suited the story. Grave Mercy has the right amount of romance - Ismae's relationship with Duval is intriguing and amusing from the beginning - blended with political intrigue, court life, poisons and killing. There are also some very interesting secondary characters. I will not be caged. I sure was and am not in the least disappointed. This is what I want to be. View all 15 comments. Feb 02, Tatiana marked it as abandoned Recommends it for: When I saw Kirkus give a starred review to the 4th book in this world and make it sounds so enticing, with all the court intrigue and assassinating, I got super excited and thought maybe this would be the case when I try an old DNF and love it and have a whole new set of fantasy books to gush over and look forward to.

But NO, "Grave Mercy" is still too shallow and pedestrian for my taste. Absolutely love the premise, which reminds me a bit of "The Cruel Prince. Original review I don't know, for a book that received so many starred reviews it is oddly superficial and immature. Maybe too much of a romance? Not interested in finishing. View all 34 comments. Actually if Grave Mercy is by no means a bad book, I wasn't impressed either. What surprises me the most is how an original concept as Assassin nuns can lead me to feel slightly underwhelmed.

I guess that expectations are everything. To be bored to death. And yet, strangely, the biggest - only one? Undeniably, what could be more fascinating than the discovery of the daughters of Death, more known as St Mortain's nouns, whose purpose is to learn an incredible amount of ways to be a deadly assassin? Therefore I wasn't bored, but interested, hooked, even - political calculations always draw me in, and I must confess that the settings immensely pleased me. Indeed there're so many periods which have not yet been explored by the literature!

However, I'm sorry, but what was this obvious twist? For real, I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the characters to get to the same conclusion as me and Oh. They took their time for sure. As a result, I can't say that the mystery was compelling. Indeed while the writing, the details of the political complots enthralled me, I didn't care much about the big revelation of the villains' identity, for it was pretty obvious since the beginning. Moreover, I couldn't help but notice the lack of accuracy in the historical facts - I don't know if that's supposed to be accurate, but in case you're wondering, that's not.

Oh, yes, the big events are "true", but except from them, every character is pictured in a wrong way. Take Alain d'Albret, for example. Yes he was betrothed to Anne de Bretagne, but he never had 6 wifes only one, actually. As for Fedrik de Nemours To be fair, even Dumas was known for romanticizing grandly his characters, so I'm not sure that it can be considered as a flaw. I thought I'd point it, anyway, because I'm an History nerd sorry about that. Seriously, lost enough, aren't you?

But then, I must point that I have not the sufficient knowledge to judge if the way the characters speak can be considered as accurate for s I have to admit that I have many doubts, because it appeared rather modern to me. Now, what I can judge are the mistakes when French language is used. Of course it was rare - Thanks Mortain! One might argue that I make grammar mistakes in English as well, and it's true sorry about that.

But the fact is, I'm not publishing a book, but writing a review. But let's talk about the characters , shall we? To protect the Duchess, Anne de Bretagne, while unraveling the layers of treason the young ruler faces. Ismae must use her talent to figure out who is plotting against the duchess, including her closest support, Gavriel Duval.

Well, I haven't much to reproach her, to be fair.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Indeed I could understand her decisions, and contrary to some many? On the contrary, she thinks before acting, and if she IS long to realize some facts DUH , I can't say that she's blinded by love, as she wonders why and who and how is right all the freaking time. She didn't trust Gavriel on sight for Mortain's sake! I didn't care so much about her either. In my opinion her monologues lacked of sincerity and believability, as I often found myself wondering Who thinks like that?

After a while, my heart calms somewhat, matching itself to the steady sounds of the slap of the water and the creak of the oars. A while later—I have no idea if it is moments or hours—there is a crunch followed by a jarring sensation as the boat runs up against a rocky shore.

Continue reading the deleted scene. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? Read more Read less. Books In This Series 3 Books. Page 1 of 1 Start Over Page 1 of 1. Kindle Cloud Reader Read instantly in your browser. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. Dark Triumph — Deleted Scene When the cart stops moving, I open my eyes and see the boat; suddenly, I know exactly what is happening.

Gr 9 Up-In this sequel to Grave Mercy Houghton Harcourt, , Sybella leaves the convent where she has learned her assassin's skills and returns to Brittany, where she must endure her father's unspeakable cruelty and the incestuous love of her half brother. Determined to undermine D'Albret at every turn and stay loyal to Duchess Anne, she carries out covert operations and looks for opportunities to use her skills and bring evildoers to justice.

She helps to foil a plot to capture Anne and frees the Beast of Waroch, the duchess's most loyal and fierce champion, from D'Albret's prison, all the while waiting for an opening to kill her father. When the knight knocks her out and takes her along with him, her cover is blown and she despairs that no one will be able to stop D'Albret's reign of terror.

As with the first book, LaFevers has filled the pages of her novel with adventure, and the pace is electrifyingly fast. The characters are well drawn, and even the secondary figures have dimension. Sybella's quick-thinking and fearless approach to terrifying personal and political situations renders her an incredibly strong protagonist with whom readers will identify.

The love that develops between her and Beast provides a model of a healthy relationship built on mutual trust and understanding. Realistic details of 15th-century Breton life abound, providing an overall clear and accurate picture of the times.

Navigation menu

There is much talk about St. Mortain as the Lord of Death, which some may find disturbing, but these topics are handled well and the story will leave readers eager for the series' finale. See all Editorial Reviews. Product details File Size: Andersen Digital April 2, Publication Date: April 2, Language: Share your thoughts with other customers.

Write a customer review. See all customer images. Read reviews that mention grave mercy dark triumph fair assassin robin lafevers historical fiction mortal heart ismae and duval book in the series second book point of view assassin trilogy even better looking forward historical fantasy beast of waroch really enjoyed sybella and her story assassin nuns feel like main character. Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. It features a different character than the first book and picks up during the ending events of the first. The author in this book does deal with the horror of these social injustices however, the serious impacts it leaves on victims are glossed over and wrapped in cliches. Yes, the author says how damaged our main heroine feels but these scene are brief and are always marred by short explanations and I feel that it was lazily dealt with short descriptions of how the character felt or brief glimpses of hopelessness.

The fact that the author solves these feelings and issues with the below list really demeans and is also a little insulting to the real struggle victims actually go through. The following are the ways the book deals with rape, self hatred, and abuse: This romance also was very, VERY sudden and unrealistic -Not to mention that the "right guy" physically assaults her at one point- but it is "okay" because he was doing it for her "own good" so he could save her personally I feel that every person is entitled to make their own decisions on their OWN life and OWN body- no guy or girl should EVER be allowed to use physical force to dissuade that option even if they love that person.

But it's just a romantic fantasy book, so why should it have to really delve into an accurate depiction of the horror and healing victims go through Do I feel like the author was intentionally trying to undervalue the struggle so many victims go through No, I think Robin LaFevers is probably religious and used her religion's ideals on forgiving those who hurt you and love triumphing over darkness to write this book.

Which I get, coming from a highly religious background I really do understand how some people really believe that. But, at the same time, life ISN'T a religious cliche. And if you want to write about these injustices and use YOUR religion's ideas to solve them, then you need to write it in a way that is respectful and is realistic. So why 3 stars instead of 2 or The intentions of this book are in the right place just the execution and explanations fail. Do I feel that this series is terrible and despise this book?

No, I just feel that this book in particular is ignorant and portrays a very twisted view how abuse victims should deal with their pain. Will I continue on with this story I devoured the first book, Grave Mercy, because it was just SO good. This series is entertaining and at the same time, intelligently written. The women in the series were sired by St. Mortain, the saint of death. They are sometimes referred to as death's handmaidens. The women in the series started out with a rough life until they manage to find their way to the convent, where they are trained in how to kill people with poisons, knives, potions and more.

They each have special talents, but both characters so far can see that people are "marqued" which means they are going to die. They don't always die at the hand of the assassins, however. Sybella is an interesting character in Book 1 -- she seems almost wild from Ismae's perspective, but she doesn't seem nearly as unpredictable in this book because you get to know her and you understand why she behaves the way she does. There is a funny relationship between her and Beast in which they both practically rejoice in killing people and much of his attraction to her is based on this "shared interest.

She doesn't wring her hands about killing people -- she gets to work and falls in love in the process. You won't feel dumber for reading this. The author's writing is excellent and I wish there were more stories in this series. Firstly, our heroine this time is Sybella whose history is very dark and troubled. She had a horrible childhood and reading about what she was subjected to made for some tough moments.

• Katukutu
• Poor Poor Joseph
• The Bodacious Blessings of Balance : The Change-Your-Life Experience
• Crossing the Twilight
• Luscious Mom at the Party
• Bedingungen der Akzeptanz von Reform (German Edition)