Grave Mercy

 

by Robin LaFevers

Ismae hasn't had the greatest childhood. Abuse has been a constant in her life. As a baby, she was poisoned to expel her from her mother’s body, she received regular beatings from her father and men of her village, then she was forced into marriage with a much older, cruel pig farmer. When she learns that she has been blessed by St. Mortain, the God of Death, she is given a choice: join a convent of assassins and become a handmaiden to Death, or go back to her abusive husband and live out her life powerless and miserable. The choice is simple.

Three years later, Ismae has been trained in the art of poisons, weaponry, espionage, court manners, and seduction. When the God of Death marque’s someone, as a handmaiden to Death, she will receive instruction from the Abbess and assassinate that person without question. At the arrival of a suspicious envoy from the Duchess,  Ismae is sent on a mission into the court of Brittany. What begins as an investigation into the envoy's true loyalty quickly becomes far more complicated. Romance, court intrigue, assassination attempts, and back stabbing from every side put every character’s loyalties into question

As Ismae unravels the mysteries of court life, she begins to suspect that not all is as she first thought. Are sworn allies to the convent truly so loyal? And what of the convent; do they truly answer to St. Mortain or do they have some other agenda? Who can she trust if not those who rose her up in her time of need?

Set in medieval England, this book uses real characters from that time period to flesh out the story.  What makes this book really enjoyable is the whole concept of Handmaiden’s of Death! I absolutely love the idea of having an entire church of powerful women devoted to dealing out justice through their Patron Saint – Death.  Ismae is charming despite having had such a terrible life, the convent is fascinating and kept me wondering at its validity throughout, and the romance between Ismae and Duval is well paced and exciting.  I really enjoyed Grave Mercy and am excited to read the next books in the series. 

If you enjoyed Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, and Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas Grave Mercy will probably be right up your alley.

Royal Bastards

Royal Bastards

by Andrew Shvarts

Tilla is a Royal Bastard. Her father is Lord Kent of the Western Province, who doted upon Tilla until his trueborn children came along. In this world, the bastard children of nobles can be legitimized if their noble parent wishes. This is something Tilla secretly longs for - to sit by her father’s side, dressed in fancy gowns, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family.

Until that day, Tilla and her half-brother Jax, a stablehand, spend their time exploring hidden tunnels beneath the castle and feast at the bastard table with the other bastards. One such bastard is Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.
At a feast that honours the kingdom's Princess Lyriana, Tilla meets the princess when, going against protocol, the princess chooses to sit at the bastards’ table. Lyriana explains that she wants more adventure and she talks Tilla, Jax, Miles and Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north to take her on a late-night escapade outside the castle. While beyond the castle walls, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.
The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards have no choice but to stick together and forge unlikely friendships as they try to thwart a war they know is coming.

A fast paced action magic filled story, that begins the Royal Bastards series.

The Last Namsara

By Kristen Ciccarelli

I would like to preface this review by stating that I read this entire book in one day. It was it was raining, it was the long weekend, and it was just that good!  

In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of the sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness-and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death bringer.

Asha, the daughter of the Dragon King, is that destroyer.  And what a fearsome destroyer she is! Her grandmother enslaved a whole population of foreigners, made enemies of the dragons, and banned the old stories.  Asha follows in that legacy. She goes out into the Rift with her trusty ax and takes down dragon after dragon. She is ferocious, fearless, and just plain fierce.  

Feared and reviled by all in the kingdom, it is illegal to touch her or even meet her gaze. As a child, she did the forbidden; she told the ancient stories outlawed by the king. For breaking this rule, the First Dragon, Kozu, set fire to her entire town, killing hundreds, destroying homes, and disfiguring the entire side of her face and chest. To atone for her sin, she became a killing machine, destroying as many dragons as she can find. Her other act of atonement will be to marry the cruel commandant on her eighteenth birthday. Jarek is a cruel, drunken, brute of a man that Asha will do anything to be rid of. 

When Asha’s father offers her a chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the head of the First Dragon Kozu, she eagerly takes up the challenge.  What should be an easy task becomes much more complicated when her brother Dax asks her to save one of Jarek’s slaves from a deadly lashing. Rescuing Torwin requires Asha to help him escape and an unlikely alliance is formed. With his help, her quest to kill Kozu seems to get more and more complicated.  Truths start to be revealed that cannot be denied. Are dragons really the bringers of destruction she has been lead to believe, or has someone been lying? 

Realistic characters, ancient stories, and Dragons make for an awesome debut novel by Kristen Ciccarelli. If you like great fantasy novels, with realistic, flawed, but tough as nails heroines, this book is for you. Similar reads I`ve tried out recently are Seraphina by Rachel Hartman or the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.