Series: His Fair Assassin #2
Author: Robin LaFevers
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook
Pub Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Format: ARC
Pages: 484
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Summary:
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.
But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Review:
This is one of those books that I’m not sure how to put into
words how much I loved it. Grave Mercy
was really good but Dark Triumph was
to me amazing.
When we were introduced to Sybella in Grave Mercy I was never very sure if I liked her or not. I thought
this person is probably crazy but Ismae had seemed like she trusted her and it
made me too. This sounds weird since they are book characters but that is seriously
what I thought. Sybella is by no means naive even though she is really a novice
assassin. Her tortured life has seen to that and we start off the books with
only bits and pieces of what has happened in the past. When things are finally
revealed it went beyond even my worst assumptions. She is amazingly strong and
hardened and yet she wants to protect the innocent. It didn’t take me long to
warm to her character.
Beast was such a great match up for Sybella and I didn’t
care that they kept calling him ugly it didn’t even register on my radar
because he is such a great character. I love the way that he is able to banter
with Sybella so easily. Plus he just ignores any of her attempts to sway him
from having any interest in her. I loved him for it, how could she not too. For
a girl who has been so mistreated Beast is like a lifeline, but he is not so
far from her own nature that it would make the match unbelievable. They both
enjoy battle lust and therefore it’s something that gives them common ground.
They can fight side by side or exchange ideas on battle tactics. This is the
kind of girl that Beast needs for the lifestyle he leads, rather than someone
that waits at home from him. Plus with Sybella being so exposed to the ugliness
that beautiful things can hide she easily sees Beast gentle eyes and demeanor
even though he is scarred and “ugly”.
We have a lot of great side characters. Yannic, the loyal
gargoyle, had his moments of stealing the show even though he couldn’t even
talk. We also have the reappearance of Ismae which at first kind of took me off
guard. It was weird not being in Ismae’s head when she was interacting with
Sybella. It was nice though to see the two cross paths. You are looking at
things from Sybella’s eyes now so it gives it a different take. There is also
Julian who for some reason I had a soft spot for, even thought that seemed
wrong but I felt like he really cared about Sybella and that their twisted
world is what caused the strangeness in their relationship.
This story had more adventure then Grave Mercy. Where Grave
Mercy is set more in the political aspects and the court intrigue this novel is
more about being on the field and in the front lines. Sybella and Beast not
only spend time in the Lion’s Den but also must cross the countryside to meet
up with the Duchess. They also often
find themselves engaged in different types of battles as they go along.
My heart really went out to Sybella in this book and I cannot
wait to read Annith’s tale next. Robin created such a wonderful world that it’s
easy for me to get lost in. After reading the book I had to take a minute to
collect myself and remember that there is no one out to kill me and I don’t
live in Brittany.