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gradiant1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lisamchuk's review against another edition
4.0
This last volume of the trilogy lacks the political intrigue of the first and the disturbing intensity of the second, but instead is filled with mythology and love. It’s a worthy conclusion - hooray for the additional two volumes of the newer duology!
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a tough one for me to rate. I've loved this series since the first book, loved it with a consuming passion that had me devouring the previous two books with feverish intent. Not so this one. I was intrigued by it in the beginning, but then it started to slide downhill. I think three stars may be something of a generous rating, but as it wasn't a two-star book, I'm rounding up by default. Really, this books fell somewhere in between the two. Some big spoilers to follow.
I think my first problem with this book is that I just didn't care about Annith as much as I cared about Sybella and Ismae. Annith does have a pretty compelling backstory, but much of it doesn't come out until the very end of the book (literally, we're talking within the last thirty pages or so--and this books clocks in at over 400 pages), so I found it difficult to relate to her. While it's obvious she's suffered from past trauma, she's so closed about it and brushes it off that it was hard for me to feel for her. Instead, long stretches of this book feel less like getting to know Annith and more like a way to speed time along until the last stretch, which is a HUGE rush in which tons of things happen. Yes, it is good for books to race along to the climax, but not so much when the interesting events are compacted into a small space while the bulk of the book takes place in rather dull passages in which nothing much of interest happens. Annith comes across as doing a lot of waffling, and her personality didn't appeal to me all that much.
I really disliked the romance as well. Yes, the other two books have a heavy dose of romance as well, but the romances in those books felt more complex and real than in this book. This one felt too much like a typical YA wish fulfillment romance. Annith doesn't spend all that much time with Balthazaar other than watching him brood prettily, for all that she spends weeks riding around with the hellequin. Once the big revelation comes into play, the romance slipped from standard bodice-ripper to rather creepy for me. It's one thing for there to be an age gap of several years between characters, but the age gap between the two of them? And the idea that he latched onto a five year old for...reasons. Yes, he had justification for it, but it felt icky to me all the same. Not to mention the subject of all the women with whom he's slept and produced children is glossed over in a way that gives him an out so he won't seem like too much of a player. It didn't work for me.
The hellequin were a big disappointment as well. They're mentioned in previous books and are an interesting aspect of the trilogy's mythology. So when Annith ends up with them, I thought, "Yay! A chance to learn more!" Not so much. Instead, she spends weeks riding around with them, but we don't learn much about them. We learn a few details about their personalities, but the whole thing felt like such a huge missed opportunity to me. They felt more like they existed to get Annith from point A to point B than they did to be characters in their own right, which never sits well with me. It really was a shame.
The one bright spot in the book was the chance to learn something about the Arduinnites. Now their stories would make for interesting novels. Yes, the daughters of Mortain are interesting and are assassins, but Arduinnites seemed more like characters living out their lives in a way that's true to themselves. Then again, maybe I just get that impression because I only read about them for a few pages, but for as much as I like Mortain's daughters, the Arduinnites struck me as much cooler, as far as independent, strong, warrior women go. Their inclusion added a lot to the overall feel of the world, and the glimpses I got at the end of some of the other factions--Saint Mer's followers in particular--made me wish I'd had more of a chance to see more of them in action. This is such a bright point in the novel for me because it would have been hard to convince me that I could find anyone more fascinating than the assassin nuns of Mortain until I saw the proof with my own eyes.
The book does tie up the whole mystery of what the abbess is up to and exposes truths about Annith but, to tell the truth, I didn't get all that worked up about them. This is probably because I couldn't relate to Annith and because her view of the abbess was so different from Sybella's and Ismae's. Whenever they encountered the abbess, I could feel myself bristling, my dislike for her rolling off me in waves. When Annith encountered her, I just kind of shrugged. I understood Annith's conflicted feelings, but it seemed like there was a serious attempt to blunt the edges of the abbess's actions, which I thought was not only unnecessary but also unwelcome. Yes, explain your villain's motivations, but don't do it in a way that makes them seem less of a villain. I might have had more sympathy for her had I not had such a strong sense that excuses were being made on her behalf.
In the end, this book was a bland experience. I've had other things to distract me, so it wasn't surprising that it took me so long to finish it, but had it been a better book I likely wouldn't have been as distracted for as long. I would have wanted to return to it and eat its pages like I did with its sister novels. It wasn't a horrible end to the trilogy, but it definitely wasn't as strong or as satisfying as I would have liked it to be.
I think my first problem with this book is that I just didn't care about Annith as much as I cared about Sybella and Ismae. Annith does have a pretty compelling backstory, but much of it doesn't come out until the very end of the book (literally, we're talking within the last thirty pages or so--and this books clocks in at over 400 pages), so I found it difficult to relate to her. While it's obvious she's suffered from past trauma, she's so closed about it and brushes it off that it was hard for me to feel for her. Instead, long stretches of this book feel less like getting to know Annith and more like a way to speed time along until the last stretch, which is a HUGE rush in which tons of things happen. Yes, it is good for books to race along to the climax, but not so much when the interesting events are compacted into a small space while the bulk of the book takes place in rather dull passages in which nothing much of interest happens. Annith comes across as doing a lot of waffling, and her personality didn't appeal to me all that much.
I really disliked the romance as well. Yes, the other two books have a heavy dose of romance as well, but the romances in those books felt more complex and real than in this book. This one felt too much like a typical YA wish fulfillment romance. Annith doesn't spend all that much time with Balthazaar other than watching him brood prettily, for all that she spends weeks riding around with the hellequin. Once the big revelation comes into play, the romance slipped from standard bodice-ripper to rather creepy for me. It's one thing for there to be an age gap of several years between characters, but the age gap between the two of them? And the idea that he latched onto a five year old for...reasons. Yes, he had justification for it, but it felt icky to me all the same. Not to mention the subject of all the women with whom he's slept and produced children is glossed over in a way that gives him an out so he won't seem like too much of a player. It didn't work for me.
The hellequin were a big disappointment as well. They're mentioned in previous books and are an interesting aspect of the trilogy's mythology. So when Annith ends up with them, I thought, "Yay! A chance to learn more!" Not so much. Instead, she spends weeks riding around with them, but we don't learn much about them. We learn a few details about their personalities, but the whole thing felt like such a huge missed opportunity to me. They felt more like they existed to get Annith from point A to point B than they did to be characters in their own right, which never sits well with me. It really was a shame.
The one bright spot in the book was the chance to learn something about the Arduinnites. Now their stories would make for interesting novels. Yes, the daughters of Mortain are interesting and are assassins, but Arduinnites seemed more like characters living out their lives in a way that's true to themselves. Then again, maybe I just get that impression because I only read about them for a few pages, but for as much as I like Mortain's daughters, the Arduinnites struck me as much cooler, as far as independent, strong, warrior women go. Their inclusion added a lot to the overall feel of the world, and the glimpses I got at the end of some of the other factions--Saint Mer's followers in particular--made me wish I'd had more of a chance to see more of them in action. This is such a bright point in the novel for me because it would have been hard to convince me that I could find anyone more fascinating than the assassin nuns of Mortain until I saw the proof with my own eyes.
The book does tie up the whole mystery of what the abbess is up to and exposes truths about Annith but, to tell the truth, I didn't get all that worked up about them. This is probably because I couldn't relate to Annith and because her view of the abbess was so different from Sybella's and Ismae's. Whenever they encountered the abbess, I could feel myself bristling, my dislike for her rolling off me in waves. When Annith encountered her, I just kind of shrugged. I understood Annith's conflicted feelings, but it seemed like there was a serious attempt to blunt the edges of the abbess's actions, which I thought was not only unnecessary but also unwelcome. Yes, explain your villain's motivations, but don't do it in a way that makes them seem less of a villain. I might have had more sympathy for her had I not had such a strong sense that excuses were being made on her behalf.
In the end, this book was a bland experience. I've had other things to distract me, so it wasn't surprising that it took me so long to finish it, but had it been a better book I likely wouldn't have been as distracted for as long. I would have wanted to return to it and eat its pages like I did with its sister novels. It wasn't a horrible end to the trilogy, but it definitely wasn't as strong or as satisfying as I would have liked it to be.
jordanian_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
Torn between 4 and 4.5 stars. Went in with high expectations, bc I really enjoyed the first two books in the series. This one had its slow (and fantastical) parts, but also some interesting twists. Feeling lucky to have gotten my hands on an ARC
mlwe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bethizael's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
indigoblue777's review against another edition
5.0
Although I did not read Dark Triumph before this, I understood the whole book and I really enjoyed reading it.
harleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
I am so glad that I was finally able to finish off this series! I really enjoyed this one overall!
linzthebookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Mortal Heart was such a great conclusion to the His Fair Assassin trilogy. I can't say enough good things about it or the series. I really wasn't sure if I would like Annith's story as much as Ismae's or Sybella's, but she ended up being really fierce and determined. It was great seeing her grow and figure out who she wanted, not who the convent wanted.
There were a lot of plot twists in this story. I caught on to some before they were revealed, but not all. I ended up losing a ton of sleep while reading this because I could not put it down.
The historical aspect seems well researched, and the author gives notes after the story to explain where she took liberties and explain some of the facts.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Historical Fiction/Fantasy/ and Romance.
To see my full review check out: https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/book-review-mortal-heart-by-robin.html
There were a lot of plot twists in this story. I caught on to some before they were revealed, but not all. I ended up losing a ton of sleep while reading this because I could not put it down.
The historical aspect seems well researched, and the author gives notes after the story to explain where she took liberties and explain some of the facts.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Historical Fiction/Fantasy/ and Romance.
To see my full review check out: https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2021/07/book-review-mortal-heart-by-robin.html
jessilcruz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5