Series: His Fair Assassin #1
By: Robin LaFevers
Published: April 3rd 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Edition: Hardcover, 1st Edition, 549 pages
Obtained: Library
Challenges: None
Categories: Historical Romance, Magic/spells/incantations/curses, Young adult, 4 Cupcakes, Action, Fantasy, Kick-Ass Heroine, Forbidden Love, Betrayal
Rating: 4 Cupcakes - Simply Delectable!
Where you can buy it: Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Amazon
Author Info: Website | Blog | Twitter
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Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
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 gods 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?
My Thoughts: This book came at the perfect time for me as I was desperately craving some historical fiction. Mix in a bit of fantasy and romance, plus a kick-ass heroine and holy moly! I was hooked from page one! Ismae is such a refreshing female lead. She is strong, devoted, dedicated, yet emotionally flawed and confused. With no plans to ever do anything with her life besides serve Mortain through the abbess, when she finds herself falling in love with Duval, she feels that she is betraying her duty.
I am thankful that LaFevers chose to include a list of characters at the beginning of the book because there were so many players in this novel, that it would've been difficult to keep track of them otherwise. The mix of history and fantasy was seamless and brilliant. At no time did the writing or settings/characters feel forced or unrealistic. I think I would've liked to have seen more of Ismae at the convent learning the poisons and training and less of the time meddling in court politics with Duchess Anne, only because I found some of the time Ismae was at court to feel slightly dragging, even though it fully held my attention and kept me engaged.
Each page was full of action, adventure, love, and deceit. It was amazing! To see Ismae fully evolve into who she became in the end was wonderful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, fantasy, and heroines who can take of themselves! I'm very excited to delve into book two in this trilogy which will focus on Sybella's story.
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