LaFevers, Robin. Grave Mercy. (His Fair Assassin.)

LaFevers, Robin.  Grave Mercy. (His Fair Assassin.)   Houghton Mifflin  549p

$16.99      978-0-547-62834-9       hs/adult          VG-BNS      Fantasy    

If you like mysteries, politics, and romance, with a little fantasy thrown into the mix, read Grave Mercy by newcomer Robin LeFevers.  Rescued from a brutal marriage, Ismae becomes a “Saint”, one of Death’s handmaidens in a convent of assassins.  Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts.  When Ismae receives an important assignment to the high court of Brittany, she finds herself woefully underprepared, not only for the deadly choices that must be made in a world of intrigue and treason, but also for an impossible situation she must face.  How can she kill a target who has stolen her heart?

Ismae is a compelling protagonist, believable and engaging, except in her romance with Duval.  Whenever her love interest enters the picture, our tough, capable, intelligent heroine becomes useless.  Ismae excels at martial arts, but skipped most of the convent’s classes on “womanly arts”.  Nonetheless, readers will be engrossed by the slowly smoldering romance as it builds to a climax.

The political intrigue is set in 15th-century Brittany and provides good insight into the politics of that time.  LaFevers vividly describes the era from peasant hovels and superstitious villagers to the sophisticated Court and its intrigues. 

This is a promising debut novel.

Historical fiction, Fantasy, Assassins–Fiction              -- Hilary Welliver