Reviews

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

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niharica's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I liked the book but sometimes it was boring. The plot was interesting but moved so slow.

The writing was a tad off-putting in the beginning, but I got used to LaFever's style quickly. I love the society, the plot, the characters, the historical accuracy (good job doing research!). 5 stars.

orangeslices's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Definitely, I thought it was fun. I liked the beat.
Re-reading and hopefully, finishing a series I liked in adolescence. Grave Mercy felt like a good introduction to a series: there’s the political intrigue set in a historical backdrop, and a couple of intimate scenes that depicted the daily life of the beloved “assassin nuns” of St. Mortain’s convent which included Ismae’s sisters - the later heroines of the series.
Ismae is a serviceable heroine, but comparable to weak broth. She’s a bit rough around the edges due to her past - always seems to have a quick quip, but not memorable. She’s analytical enough, emotionally strong enough, and independent enough, but I need more. Her love interest, Duval, also makes me crave more character and more depth. He’s kind, smart, and has his walls up due to living as a a bastard in a court. They’re cute, I guess with some flirtatious sequences that lead to their eventual romance.

Funniest thing about their romance was Ismae fucking the poison out of him because what in the hell, I laughed then and I laughed now.

Hopefully the next books are more well-developed - that seems to be the general consensus, anyway.

bethizael's review

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adventurous 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

5.0

harleyrae's review

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4.0

I can’t believe it has taken me thing long to finally get to this book! I really enjoyed this!

infernalrabbit's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

linzthebookworm's review

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5.0

This is my new favorite book. This is not a light thing for me to say, as I rarely declare anything to be my favorite. This has everything I want in a book and more. It has strong characters, romance, action, mystery, mythology, death, assassins, wit, historical setting, and really the list could go on and on.

I found the characters to be very well developed, and I was pleasantly surprised at the details given. This book had me on the edge of my seat. I was biting my nails during the suspenseful parts, gasping when I was surprised, laughing at the wit. I was completely consumed by this book.

I enjoyed all the death-related puns, and had such a hard time putting this down. The only "issue" I had was that there was no guesswork as to who the love interest would be. That being said, by the end of the novel, I found I no longer cared. It just worked.

I would love to see her years at the convent turned into a prequel story, and as soon as my Kindle charges I'll be reading Dark Triumph.