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A review by ajsterkel
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
3.0
This was good! It sat on my shelf for years because it's a thick, intimidating historical fantasy book, and I don't always have the best luck with massive fantasy books. I'm glad I finally read it. It's about a teenage girl who has been blessed by Death. She's living at a convent and working as an assassin. Since she's so good as assassinating folks, the convent sends her to work for the royal family of Brittany. Their kingdom is being threatened by rogue family members and by the French army. Political intrigue and a love story ensue.
Normally, I hate the romances in young adult books because they're forced and over-the-top angsty, but this one is excellent! It's slow burn. The characters are cautious and sensible and (slowly) learn how to work together and trust each other. They both want to protect the Duchess of Brittany, but they have very different ideas about how to do it. They're both strong willed. I enjoyed seeing them work through their issues and get to know one another. It all seemed very natural. Their relationship actually makes sense! They weren't just hooking up because the author forced them to. I was a very happy reader.
I also like the magical elements of the story. The book leans more toward the historical genre than the fantasy genre. The magical elements aren't super complicated, so there isn't a giant learning curve like in other fantasy books. This one jumps right into the action.
I was less interested in the political intrigue, which is a giant part of the book. The secondary characters aren't developed enough for me to be fully invested in the backstabbing. I got a little bored with it. It didn't help that the biggest villain was obvious to me. I spent a lot of time impatiently waiting for the characters to see what I'd already figured out.
I'm on the fence about reading the sequel. If it followed the same main characters, I'd read it for sure. I really like them. It does not follow the same characters. I'm not sure if I'm interested enough in the world to keep going. Tell me what to do!
Normally, I hate the romances in young adult books because they're forced and over-the-top angsty, but this one is excellent! It's slow burn. The characters are cautious and sensible and (slowly) learn how to work together and trust each other. They both want to protect the Duchess of Brittany, but they have very different ideas about how to do it. They're both strong willed. I enjoyed seeing them work through their issues and get to know one another. It all seemed very natural. Their relationship actually makes sense! They weren't just hooking up because the author forced them to. I was a very happy reader.
I also like the magical elements of the story. The book leans more toward the historical genre than the fantasy genre. The magical elements aren't super complicated, so there isn't a giant learning curve like in other fantasy books. This one jumps right into the action.
I was less interested in the political intrigue, which is a giant part of the book. The secondary characters aren't developed enough for me to be fully invested in the backstabbing. I got a little bored with it. It didn't help that the biggest villain was obvious to me. I spent a lot of time impatiently waiting for the characters to see what I'd already figured out.
I'm on the fence about reading the sequel. If it followed the same main characters, I'd read it for sure. I really like them. It does not follow the same characters. I'm not sure if I'm interested enough in the world to keep going. Tell me what to do!