Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin Series #1)
Author: Robin LaFevers
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 2012
Since reading The Hunger Games series in February, I've really been into reading books that star a kick-ass female protagonist who makreaes me wish I could live a few days in her shoes or just escape into the world that she lives in for a little while as a spectator. In this book, Ismae is our leading lady, and she lives in the European country of Brittany in the 1400s. I've always had a thing for the Medieval and Renaissance periods, so when I flipped to the first page of text and saw that the date read "1485" I was really excited to see what historical aspects were incorporated into the story. I love books with a real historical basis, because since it's based on truth I feel like it makes the story that much more significant to me knowing some of these people were living, breathing individuals dealing with decisions and obstacles that I am so enthralled with now in 2012. But anyway, before I get more into the wonderful literary aspects of the book, I want to talk about the esthetics because I am the kind of reader who does judge a book by it's cover.
The cover of the book is really well done, complete with the quote "Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?" I love the quote, and the spine of the book has a little wolf image on it which I thought was cool/cute. The actual hard cover is your run-of-the-mill black cover with gold writing on the spine. I tend to like when a symbol of some sort is placed on the front of the hard cover to give it some mystery and prettiness, but it's really not that big of a deal. Past the publication and dedication pages, there is a map of the parts of Europe in which the story takes place, which I always love to see in books so that I can go back and re-trace the character's journey. Past the map is a dramatis personae, which I also loved because I love the theater and plays and there were a few allusions I picked up on that hinted at the theater, and some of the interactions between characters are deceitful and false as if it were "all just a ruse or a play."
Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of it all. It's a good book. I didn't really feel like it was slow at all in the beginning (which I feel with most books that I read and end up loving), and I finished the book really quickly because I couldn't bring myself to put it down even though it's a huge book and my hands aren't big enough to easily hold it open for hours! The story of Ismae is empowering and touching, and you really can't help but root for her through the whole book. You quickly find yourself thinking about the other characters as she would, and sometimes I even found myself reading some of the things she said out loud (as embarrassing as that is) as if I were reading her lines in a show. You also learn to love Anne, the Duchess, who is actually a real historical figure that had a life just how it is described in the book. Other characters you're introduced to don't really exist historically, but after reading this book it's really hard to believe they didn't.
This book has a little of everything. Action (tons of it). Love. True Friendship. Faith. Death. Sorrow. Joy. And, since the book is the first in a trilogy it certainly leaves you wanting more, but the ending is not one of those heart-wrenching cliff hangers that you want to re-read over and over because you can't buy the next book until next year! If you find yourself reading dystopian books similar to the Hunger Games, there's a good chance you'll like this book, but the books have very different plots, Ismae and Katniss are definitely not comparable, and the time period is in the past - not the future so they can only be so much in common.
If you have any specific questions or a question about an aspect I didn't cover, feel free to ask, but my bottom line is: read it. It's worth it! If you've been wondering about this book or searching for a new book, I hope this helped!
Sincerely,
Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit
