School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Ismae's mother tried to kill her while she was still in the womb and her village believes that she is the child of Death. After escaping an arranged marriage, she finds sanctuary in the convent of St. Mortain where she will be protected. The sisters serve the old gods and believe Ismae is blessed by the God of Death to be his handmaiden. Over the next several years, Ismae is trained to be a fighter, a killer, and a seductress. During Ismae's most important assignment, she is sent to the high court of Brittany to do her god's bidding-but she's not prepared. Although she has the ability to kill a person in many ways, when she discovers that those she is told to kill do not display the mark of death and those she thought she could trust are telling lies, she questions everything around her, even her heart. Will Ismae know who to trust? Is she really the daughter of Death? Robin LaFevers' fantasy (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), the first in a planned series, is set in a world where gods interact with people and use them as their tools. Erin Moon is a brilliant narrator, giving the characters distinct voices and drawing listeners into the intrigue. A good addition to high school and public library collections.-Elizabeth L. Kenyon, Merrillville High School, IN (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
New York Review of Books Review
GETTING bundled off to a nunnery is rarely a prelude to adventure. But St. Mortain is no ordinary convent. The sisters there train young women to be assassins, "handmaidens to the god of death." The reverend mother puts it bluntly: "We kill people." In "Grave Mercy," the first book in a planned trilogy by Robin LaFevers, the convent's newest initiate, Ismae Rienne, 17, has a worldview shaped by abusive men: stone-throwing boys, groping teenagers and a violent father who married her off to a pig farmer for three silver coins. Pledging loyalty to St. Mortain, Ismae reflects: "I weigh the choice that is no choice at all. To be removed from the world of men and trained to kill them, or to be handed to one like a sheep." The nuns tell Ismae she is special, one of death's own daughters, with an inborn immunity to poison. They teach her to brew lethal concoctions while schooling her in history, anatomy, horsemanship and the "womanly arts." They equip her with an arsenal of killer accessories, from a garrote tucked in a fancy bracelet to a stiletto that hides in a stocking. The nuns then send Ismae out into a fictionalized version of 15th-century Europe with an assignment: go undercover at the high court of Brittany, where "Game of Thrones"-style intrigue is stirring, and await orders to kill. Yes, like Katniss in "The Hunger Games" and Katsa in "Graceling," Ismae is a female assassin. But what if Ismae has traded one kind of servitude - a forced marriage - for another? What if some of the people she's ordered to kill don't deserve to die? Worse, what if she falls in love with one of her targets? Despite Ismae's ugly past and her preoccupation with murder, "Grave Mercy" isn't heavy reading. It's darkly funny, a fantasy based on the rough contours of history, one that develops into an adventuresome - albeit predictable - romance. Ismae's deadpan wit allows LaFevers some of her best lines. "I do not care for needlework . . . unless it involves the base of the skull," the young assassin explains. On her blossoming romance, she later remarks, "I comfort myself with the knowledge that if Duval "ever feels smothered by me, it will be because I am holding a pillow over his face and commending his soul to Mortain." Humor and crisp writing keep "Grave Mercy," which stretches past 500 pages, from dragging, even though some of the longer scenes at the royal court feel slow compared with life at the convent. "Get thee back to the nunnery!" readers may be tempted to cry. Even as "Grave Mercy" charts Ismae's progress toward self-possession and maturity, it occasionally stumbles. Late in the story, Ismae learns that Gavriel Duval, the man she loves, is dying from a toxin in his bloodstream. She also discovers that she has an extraordinary power: the ability to cure poisoning through physical contact. She's never had sex before, but initiates it to save his life after finding him barely conscious and ready to die. (Though a literary curtain falls over the act itself.) This intertwining of sex with duty is an odd plot choice, one that feels out of sync with the fully realized person Ismae is becoming. And who is that woman? Someone who can question authority, act with integrity and take independent ownership of her life. In a lucid moment, Duval explains the role well. "I know that what our saints want is not always made clear to us," he tells her. "Sometimes, it is their wish for us to flail and struggle and come to our own choices, not accept ones that have been made for us." Jessica Bruder is the author of "Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man."
Library Journal Review
LaFevers ("Lowthar's Blade Trilogy") launches a new young adult series with this story set in medieval France that follows 17-year-old Ismae, daughter of one of the old gods, as she escapes to a convent to avoid an arranged marriage. However, the sanctuary she seeks is one where women are trained to become assassins rather than traditional nuns. The tale embodies mystery and intrigue, great characters, romance, and a clever heroine, but the strange plot twists makes this at times a slow-moving experience. Erin Moon's narration is clear and pleasant. Verdict For fans of romantic fantasy and historical speculative fiction.-Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll., Newburgh, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
