Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers is the third book in the His Fair Assassin trilogy - an historical series set in 1400s Brittany when Duchess Anne, at twelve years old, inherits the throne.

The Convent of Saint Mortain, the god of Death, trains young women to be assassins. They are educated in combat, espionage, poisons and seduction. When they are ready they are sent out to do Mortain's will - as seen by the Seer.

Annith has been at the convent since a couple of days after she was born. She has seen friends be sent on missions, but she has not been sent out. She knows she is ready - she is better at most lessons than the teachers at this point. With Brittany on the brink of war she needs to be out there helping.

When Annith finds out she will become the next Seer - a skill she has never been shown to have - she fears being trapped in the convent for live. She decides to escape and track down the Abbess to prove she can function as an assassin.

Annith will meet up with both the feared Hellequin who hunt souls in the night and the Arduinna, followers of a goddess wronged by Mortain and therefore enemies of hers. She will make her way to the court of Brittany and do what she can to keep the country from falling to France.

LaFevers has created a wonderful series set in a fascinating time in history. Read them!

LaFevers, Robin. (2014). Mortal Heart. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers is the second book in the His Fair Assassin series that takes place in 1489 in Brittany at a time when the rule of Brittany is inherited by a thirteen year old girl and both France and her nobles plot to take over control of the country.

Mortain is the god of Death. Those who serve in his convent are not nuns but assassins. They are trained in the art of killing and to see the signs of those marked for death. And in this time of unrest, they are the perfect spies within the royalty and nobility.

Sybella has been assigned to infiltrate the house of D'Albret - the same house she escaped when she joined the convent. Her father, who rules through cruelty, drove from her the will to live. Now she will have to find her way back inside to help the Duchess retain control of Brittany. The only reason she agreed to such an assignment is the promise from the Abbess that she will be the one to kill D'Albret.

When a message comes that she is to rescue a knight loyal to the Duchess, her plans to kill D'Albret are put on hold... especially when her rescue goes awry.

LaFevers' series is great historical fiction with a hint of magic/fantasy or religious fervor that presents as such. The books will pull readers in right away and keep them enthralled until the last page, only coming up for air to check her blog for the publishing date of the next book!

LaFevers, Robin. (2013). Dark Triumph. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is the great first book in the His Fair Assassin series - an historical fiction series that takes place in the late 1400s in Brittany (now part of France).

Ismae has had a rough life and it is not about to get any better now that her father has sold her to a husband. But the morning after her wedding she is whisked away from her new brute of a husband. She is taken to the convent of St. Mortain - the god of Death. It has been said of her all her life that she is the daughter of Death himself. Now she will have a chance to serve him.

Those who live at the convent serve Death by becoming assassins. Ismae will be taught hundreds of ways to kill - from knives to crossbow to poison. She will be taught ways to get close to a man in order to kill him - though she would prefer never to see a man again.

Her first assignment will lead her to the high court of Brittany. Duchess Anne has inherited duchy, but is not old enough to rule in her own right. She has a Privy Council, a Chancellor and a chaperone. Because Anne is not old enough and because she is a woman, there are dozens of plots to take over control of Brittany. And Ismae finds herself at the center of the intrigue, trained to kill but unsure who deserves it first.

LaFevers has written a fascinating book that will capture readers and not release them until the end. This is the kind of book that will make you stay up late and/or miss your train stop because you have no idea what is going on in the world around you - seriously I did missed my stop today and ended up deep in Queens. Read it! And then wait impatiently with me for the sequel...

LaFevers, Robin. (2012). Grave Mercy. New York: Houghton Mifflin.