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A review by husnaibrahim_
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
2.75
I’m incredibly sad that I didn’t end up liking this book as much as I’d hoped I would.
The plot has so much potential, especially with Saint Mortain and his daughters, but it felt underdeveloped and derailed. It all begins with Ismae in a dreadful situation. We literally start it off with her getting assaulted by the men in her life, so it makes sense that she’d embrace the opportunity to be one of Death’s handmaidens when she’s rescued and recognized as St. Mortain’s daughter.
What I really wanted to see more of was the process of the training. It would’ve been great to get into her relationships with her training sisters, Annith and Sybella. Maybe as a prequel, it could’ve helped us understand her connection with the covenant better. Then I think I would have been able to understand why she could so easily doubt the covenant.
This book could’ve been exceptional if it focused less on her questioning the covenant and believing everything Duval says, then promptly falling in love with him. It would be far more intriguing if the Covenant of women was unshakably strong, with Duval, in turn, questioning himself instead.
Why did we follow the overused path of her doubting her “family” and authority figures to believe the potential romantic partner and then betraying those who saved her long before he even entered her life? Then subsequently leaving them to be with him and changing or modifying her paths to fit this new life with him? It all just felt too cliché, and it’s disappointing because nothing about this story should be that predictable.
It would have been so compelling if the covenant remained this formidable force that could never be wrong because, that itself is a powerful storyline. Instead, we got an underdeveloped romance that wasn’t moving. At all!
Sure, I liked Duval, and I enjoyed his relationship with his younger sisters, particularly the duchess. However, the romance between Ismae and him didnt have that depth. I didn’t feel that intense urge to keep reading their scenes or giggling with anticipation when scenes of Ismae and him alone happened. I mean I get the concept of them gradually falling in love, especially because he spent his nights in her room, but we didn’t even see much of that. It shouldn’t have required sidelining the who covenant/ assassin storyline to develop their romance, yet that’s exactly what happened. Then the whole issue with brittany and the duchess took front and center, so it felt like everything else in the plot got left behind.
In the end, I think the book had its moments, but it didn’t quite reach its potential. I would’ve preferred a female protagonist who didn’t feel helpless because she can’t not fall in love with this guy she is supposed to be investigating. It’s sooo frustratingly cliché, especially when this story had the ingredients to be something fresh!
The covenant’s mysterious angle and Ismae’s skills as an assassin should definitely have been explored further. I would have loved to see her in action more than what we got with the whole Brittany courts and politics situation.
The plot has so much potential, especially with Saint Mortain and his daughters, but it felt underdeveloped and derailed. It all begins with Ismae in a dreadful situation. We literally start it off with her getting assaulted by the men in her life, so it makes sense that she’d embrace the opportunity to be one of Death’s handmaidens when she’s rescued and recognized as St. Mortain’s daughter.
What I really wanted to see more of was the process of the training. It would’ve been great to get into her relationships with her training sisters, Annith and Sybella. Maybe as a prequel, it could’ve helped us understand her connection with the covenant better. Then I think I would have been able to understand why she could so easily doubt the covenant.
This book could’ve been exceptional if it focused less on her questioning the covenant and believing everything Duval says, then promptly falling in love with him. It would be far more intriguing if the Covenant of women was unshakably strong, with Duval, in turn, questioning himself instead.
Why did we follow the overused path of her doubting her “family” and authority figures to believe the potential romantic partner and then betraying those who saved her long before he even entered her life? Then subsequently leaving them to be with him and changing or modifying her paths to fit this new life with him? It all just felt too cliché, and it’s disappointing because nothing about this story should be that predictable.
It would have been so compelling if the covenant remained this formidable force that could never be wrong because, that itself is a powerful storyline. Instead, we got an underdeveloped romance that wasn’t moving. At all!
Sure, I liked Duval, and I enjoyed his relationship with his younger sisters, particularly the duchess. However, the romance between Ismae and him didnt have that depth. I didn’t feel that intense urge to keep reading their scenes or giggling with anticipation when scenes of Ismae and him alone happened. I mean I get the concept of them gradually falling in love, especially because he spent his nights in her room, but we didn’t even see much of that. It shouldn’t have required sidelining the who covenant/ assassin storyline to develop their romance, yet that’s exactly what happened. Then the whole issue with brittany and the duchess took front and center, so it felt like everything else in the plot got left behind.
In the end, I think the book had its moments, but it didn’t quite reach its potential. I would’ve preferred a female protagonist who didn’t feel helpless because she can’t not fall in love with this guy she is supposed to be investigating. It’s sooo frustratingly cliché, especially when this story had the ingredients to be something fresh!
The covenant’s mysterious angle and Ismae’s skills as an assassin should definitely have been explored further. I would have loved to see her in action more than what we got with the whole Brittany courts and politics situation.