Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book I (His Fair Assassin Trilogy) [Hardcover]

Robin LaFevers (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 3, 2012 | Series: His Fair Assassin Trilogy (Book 1)

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 god 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?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, April 2012: Seventeen-year-old Ismae was fathered by Saint Mortain, the God of Death, and one dark and stormy night, she is brought to a mysterious convent where his many daughters are trained as assassins. When she is given an important assignment to protect the Duchess of Brittany and kill the traitor in her court, Ismae begins to learn that being a handmaiden of Death may not mean what the nuns taught her. But her burgeoning independence comes with consequences, and the fate of an entire country--and the only man she could ever love--hangs in the balance. Set in medieval France with historically accurate details, Grave Mercy is the first book in a gritty, fast-paced trilogy, and gives thrilling new meaning to the term "girl power." --Juliet Disparte

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From Booklist

*Starred Review* In the late fifteenth century, Mortain, the god of death, has sired Ismae to be his handmaiden. She will carry out his wishes by working through the Convent, where she has found refuge from a brutal father and husband. After learning the Convent’s wily warfare and womanly arts, and being apprenticed to Sister Serafina (poisons mistress and Convent healer), 17-year-old Ismae is sent to the high court of Brittany, ostensibly as the cousin (aka mistress) of the Breton noble Duval—but, in truth, she is there as a spy. Her tacit assignment is to protect the young duchess by assassinating Duval if he proves to be a traitor, a charge made more difficult because of the couple’s attraction to each other. LaFevers has written a dark, sophisticated novel true to the fairy-tale conventions of castles, high courts, and good versus evil, and spiced with poison potions; violent (and sometimes merciful) assassinations; subtle seductions; and gentle, perfect love. With characters that will inspire the imagination, a plot that nods to history while defying accuracy, and a love story that promises more in the second book, this is sure to attract feminist readers and romantics alike. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With a $100,000 marketing campaign, including national print, online, and social-media outreach; a video trailer; and a vintage T-shirt promotion, the publisher is pushing LaFevers’ novel in a big way. Grades 9-12. --Frances Bradburn

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1 edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780547628349
• ISBN-13: 978-0547628349
• ASIN: 054762834X
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (338 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R. L. LaFevers (Robin Lorraine when she's in really big trouble) grew up surrounded by shelves of old dusty books, a passel of brothers, and a wide variety of pets, including a goat, chickens, chipmunks, a baby anteater, and, for a few short weeks, two bear cubs, who were very wild and untamed. She has also spent a large portion of her life being told she was making up things that weren't there, which only proves she was destined to write fiction. She is the author of eight books for young readers, including Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) which received starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Booksense Summer Pick, and nominated for the Malice Domestic's Agatha Award. Kirkus calls her most recent book, Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) ". . . an exciting tale." Look for the sequel, Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Basilisk's Lair (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) in Spring of 2010.

R. L. lives in Southern California with her family and spends her time daydreaming, making up stories, and wallowing in old forgotten texts. Although she no longer has any exotic pets, she does have raccoons who visit her back porch, coyotes who howl at her window, and hawks that soar high overhead.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#86 in Books > Teens

#86 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 76 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Just one phrase: Killer. Nuns. May 25, 2012

By Gretchen @ My Life is a Notebook

Format:Hardcover

Upon finishing this book, the critical reviewer in me had a bad moment. It raised its hackles and started stalking back through the book for something to comment on, something that annoyed me, something that stuck out. It took me a really long moment to realize that I had just simply enjoyed this book. Then the reviewer in me freaked out, because I hate throwing around 5 stars. But so the rating stays.

Why, you ask? Well that's what I'm here to tell you.

This book started in the exact right place. You get an insight into what makes Ismae who she is-a poignant one-that doesn't last for more than a few pages before you get to what you know you really want to read about, the killing nuns. However, those few pages are important, done well, and really allow the rest of the book to be accessible. The book is in the first person, and at first glance Ismae isn't exactly a narrator like Sophie from the Hex Hall books. However, because you know where she's coming from, her matter-of-fact way of speaking makes sense and connects the reader rather than repels them. And makes her dry sense of humor that much more awesome.

Speaking of characters, few books have such a solid cast of background characters such as this book. Even the characters that you didn't see that often were well written and not stereotypes. From the younger duchess to Duval's second-in-commands, I was in love with every single one of them-even the villains! (In fact, in places, especially the villains.)

I'll admit, after reading Illuminate by Aimee Agresti Grave Mercy scared me because of its length. It's 549 pages long. However, every single one of those pages was well used. Plenty of assassin stuff goes on, as well as plenty of intrigue and plotting. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I actually couldn't guess what was coming-and I certainly didn't guess the ending! (Well, in part. It's a romance; some things are a given.)

And the romance. Color me SO HAPPY. Sure, it's the typical line where they start off disliking each other and then realize they love each other, but it worked. The reasons they were so untrusting of each other were REAL. The worries they had were REAL. The progression of their relationship was REAL. They came to trust each other before they came to love each other, which is how it should be. Hallelujah.

Lastly, Grave Mercy made me realize just how much modern day/modernish day plus a few years into the future where everything is a wreck books I'd be reading. I love historical fiction, and Grave Mercy made me miss it ridiculously. I didn't realize it until Ismae legitimately used the word "poleaxed" in a sentence and I started giggling, because how many modern teens use that? All around, this book was a refreshing change from the other books I'd been reading that was filled with great characters, a fantastical historical world, great mythology and a real romance. If you like historical romance headlines by killer females (yes, pun intended, deal with it) then I certainly recommend Grave Mercy. Even if you don't do much historical fiction, I still recommend it. The history and it's figures were done so well I absolutely forgot it WAS historical fiction. It's one of my favorites so far this year!

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Blown Away! March 4, 2012

By Jessica Cave VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Where should I start with this book? I really adored this book. I read it in a few short days. I was extremely interested in just about everything that was going on and my expectations were exceeded.

The heroine, Ismae, was really great. She is kick-ass in a rather subtle way. She's not overly so, but her cleverness lends a hand, making her a force to be reckoned with. She's very strong, despite a very troubled and painful past. She acts very much according to how she's been taught and I found it very realistic. Her internal struggle is fascinating. I loved watching her question what was right or wrong, as well as who she could trust. Her "abilities" and skills were very interesting and added to a very rich storyline. This is what makes the story loosely fantasy, but definitely not enough for me to actually label this story paranormal.

Ismae's hero, Gavriel Duval, was an awesome character. He was loyal, strong, true, and just a pleasure to read about. He deals with an internal struggle nearly as much as Ismae does, but his deals with several outside conflicts. He is very family-oriented - every bit of politics in this book goes back to his family. His romantic side is very sweet and I loved seeing him with Ismae. He is the first man to every really treat her respectfully and not in a completely horrible, hateful way. It's easy to see why she is drawn to him and their romance is very believable.

The supporting characters are extremely rich and well-written. Duval's friends are fun to read and quickly make you want to be their friends, as well. Duval's family and the rest of the political characters are fleshed out and each has a very distinct personality that is really fun to read.

The plot is where this book truly shines, however. This novel is full of mystery and high-intrigue. There's a lot more going on than initially believed and Ismae finds her self right in the middle of it all. I noticed that another reviewer posted that she didn't like the amount of politics that this book contained. This concern is valid - there's a huge amount of politics. In fact, the majority of the main plot is full of political intrigue. However, as someone that absolutely loathes politics, I really enjoyed it. I think when you got to know the characters involved and the motives behind their actions, you become emotionally invested in them. Their lives simply revolve around politics, which is very realistic for the roles that they play.

The setting is rich and beautiful. I've never before read a book that took place in medieval Brittany and I was very happy with this foray into such. The court is full of interesting characters and everything is described in such a vivid way that it's like you're actually there.

Also, to make a note, this is not a typical Young Adult novel. While Ismae is 17, this is medieval Brittany, meaning she is considered an adult - indeed, quite past marrying age. I definitely wouldn't let middle-grade YA readers get their hands on this. There are many topics that firmly aim it toward older-age YA readers: murder/assassination, sex (though definitely not graphic), abuse, etc. Adult readers will be just as happy with this book as older YA readers.

All in all, this was a truly fabulous book. I couldn't be happier with the story. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, due in spring of 2013. This was an excellent story that I'm very glad to have read.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars High court intrigue, romance & politics March 6, 2012

By crazyoaks VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Ismae was raised as the daughter of a turnip farmer so there was no reason to expect that she had any special powers, however she seemed to heal quickly from the beatings her father gave her, never gets sick, and is able to see when people will die. So the Convent of St Mortain, one of the ancient gods of death of the country of Brittany took her. There she was taught to be an assassin.

Anne is the Duchess of Brittany in 1485, a time when the country is in danger of being taken over by France, especially if Anne does not marry someone approved by the French Envoy. Gavriel Duval is a half -brother of Anne and seems to be her only protector, yet Ismae is asked to watch him by the convent to determine his loyalty.

Is this a YA book? There are parts that the author, LaFevers, has based on the real country and real person, Anne Duchess of Brittany. So the book has what one imagines happened in court, talking between nobles about politics between countries, promises of men for war and marriage that might be secret or open, many murders, sexual trysts, and women who are considered property rather than persons in their own right. I don't believe that younger readers will stay with the story, but I do think that older female readers will love it. The sex is not as explicit as in some other YA books I have read. Is this historically accurate, a little, but mostly not and that is why the book is called a novel. The former teacher in me can't help but believe that a good literature teacher can help students understand the difference between historical literature and informational books about history.

I like the book. I will read the next book in the series. This is one book that I will pass along to other readers. This book is full of the typical court intrigue, spies, and the reader can never be sure who really supports the cause of the country and Duchess of Brittany. If you enjoy reading court intrigue, magic, and romance you will enjoy this book too.