Take a photo of a barcode or cover
roguebiblio 's review for:
Courting Darkness
by Robin LaFevers
Courting Darkness is the first in a duology set in the same world as LaFevers' His Fair Assassin trilogy. The story is told in a dual narrative style with protagonists Sybella and Genevieve.
Sybella accompanies the Duchess of Brittany to France, where the Duchess will wed the King. The union is controversial and contested; there are many roadblocks in the path to ensuring an alliance between the previously warring France and Brittany.
Meanwhile, in France, Genevieve is undercover in the house of an influential French noble, and she is starting to lose sight of her purpose.
I liked...
--The dark fantasy version of Brittany and France mixed with historical detail.
--The return of my favorites: Sybella and Beast; cameos from characters like Ismae and Duval. Sybella is easily my favorite protagonist in the HFA trilogy. She's been through truly horrific ordeals and she fights every day to deal with her inner demons and past. Beast is, as ever, a fantastic mix between brutish and sensitive.
--The friendship between Sybella and the Duchess. The treatment of women during this time period is categorically shitty. The way Sybella and the Duchess Anne look out for each other and provide support makes my shriveled heart happy. Their supportive attitude is at odds with the devious French Regent, who is described quite aptly in the quote below.
--The introduction of the mysterious prisoner that Genevieve finds in an oubliette. (Let's be real, I only knew what an oubliette was because of my obsession with Jim Henson's Labyrinth!) I do like the dynamic between Genevieve and the prisoner and their wariness; it's believable.
--Anything to do with Saint Mortain and the convent. This is a nunnery I would totally join. You know, if I wanted to join a nunnery.
I disliked...
--Genevieve. She started out intriguing, and I was interested to see how the two narratives lined up. Unfortunately, Genevieve became less likable as her part of the story progressed. While I totally understood why she would be untrusting, especially of men, some of her actions were just plain shitty when you get down to it. I had a very difficult time feeling sympathetic for this character, especially when she's contrasted with a bamf like Sybella.
--There was much less emphasis on the nine saints/old gods in this book, which I think was one of the most unique and exciting things about the HFA trilogy. As the crew is in France for the majority of the book and France has sort of denounced these saints, it makes sense to a point, but I felt like there was something missing.⠀
--I wanted more romance scenes with Beast and Sybella! After all the garbage they've been through, I just wanted them to have some happy moments.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Recommend? (Y/N) Yes. The book wasn't without issues for me, but it's still well-written and entertaining. I would highly recommend reading the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers before reading Courting Darkness. I believe CD is supposed to be able to function as a separate series, but there are quite a few characters and events from HFA referenced. I think it would be a bit confusing if you weren't up to date on all the awesome stuff that went down in the preceding trilogy.
[ blog ] [ instagram ]
Sybella accompanies the Duchess of Brittany to France, where the Duchess will wed the King. The union is controversial and contested; there are many roadblocks in the path to ensuring an alliance between the previously warring France and Brittany.
Meanwhile, in France, Genevieve is undercover in the house of an influential French noble, and she is starting to lose sight of her purpose.
I liked...
--The dark fantasy version of Brittany and France mixed with historical detail.
--The return of my favorites: Sybella and Beast; cameos from characters like Ismae and Duval. Sybella is easily my favorite protagonist in the HFA trilogy. She's been through truly horrific ordeals and she fights every day to deal with her inner demons and past. Beast is, as ever, a fantastic mix between brutish and sensitive.
--The friendship between Sybella and the Duchess. The treatment of women during this time period is categorically shitty. The way Sybella and the Duchess Anne look out for each other and provide support makes my shriveled heart happy. Their supportive attitude is at odds with the devious French Regent, who is described quite aptly in the quote below.
“Women like her are worse than the men they serve. They cling hardest to the very rules that cage them, ruthlessly ensuring that all other women are equally trapped.” ―Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
--The introduction of the mysterious prisoner that Genevieve finds in an oubliette. (Let's be real, I only knew what an oubliette was because of my obsession with Jim Henson's Labyrinth!) I do like the dynamic between Genevieve and the prisoner and their wariness; it's believable.
--Anything to do with Saint Mortain and the convent. This is a nunnery I would totally join. You know, if I wanted to join a nunnery.
I disliked...
--Genevieve. She started out intriguing, and I was interested to see how the two narratives lined up. Unfortunately, Genevieve became less likable as her part of the story progressed. While I totally understood why she would be untrusting, especially of men, some of her actions were just plain shitty when you get down to it. I had a very difficult time feeling sympathetic for this character, especially when she's contrasted with a bamf like Sybella.
--There was much less emphasis on the nine saints/old gods in this book, which I think was one of the most unique and exciting things about the HFA trilogy. As the crew is in France for the majority of the book and France has sort of denounced these saints, it makes sense to a point, but I felt like there was something missing.⠀
--I wanted more romance scenes with Beast and Sybella! After all the garbage they've been through, I just wanted them to have some happy moments.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Recommend? (Y/N) Yes. The book wasn't without issues for me, but it's still well-written and entertaining. I would highly recommend reading the His Fair Assassin trilogy by Robin LaFevers before reading Courting Darkness. I believe CD is supposed to be able to function as a separate series, but there are quite a few characters and events from HFA referenced. I think it would be a bit confusing if you weren't up to date on all the awesome stuff that went down in the preceding trilogy.
[ blog ] [ instagram ]