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I think this book is way more successful at emulating popular fantasies like ASOIAF than some other books that have been advertised as such ย – it blends history, politics and the fantastical into a very well-balanced story that is refreshingly different. Ismae, our main character, is both vulnerable and kickass; it’s easy to believe that while she is a trained assassin, she’s still a teenager with many unresolved issues and it makes her an interesting character. A lot of her conflict derives from the romantic subplot and I actually thought it gave an edge to what could have otherwise been a pretty generic romance because it raises the question of identity and freedom of choice. It’s even more intriguing considering that the author chose to set her story at a time when women had little to no freedom in their everyday lives, a fact Ismae learns very early on in the novel.
The romance itself was pretty good in the sense that it didn’t bore me. Ismae’s love interest is a generic brooding type, I don’t even remember his name so like *waves hand* Even so, the slow build up of their romance is effective because then every touch and word feels earned. Ngl every time their hands made with the touching I felt emotions. I do like how the story resolves their relationship because all throughout it is about Ismae choosing her own path.
I liked so much about this novel – I love historical fiction and stories about women; this book is both and I loved it. I will say this though – the kind of story the author weaves in this book works because it’s different but I don’t think the next book in the series because it feels too much like a rinse and repeat of the same story.
Assassin nuns and a historical setting sounds wayyyy up my street. Political intrigue too…Hmmm…
SO MANY BOOKS TO READ THOUGH.
DOOOOO IT, it’s very good ๐
Yay! I love these books so much ๐ The cover for Mortal Heart is so incredibly perfect. I really need to reread these before that last one comes out. So happy you loved this one.
DUVAL! ๐ That’s his name and I like him. I like him a lot. I shipped him and Ismae like crazy ๐ The whole promise of Nuns, assassins, the including of Death as a ‘person’, everything was fantastic. The next one is also very good!
is the next one a romance too? i’m kind of curious but the initial blurb put me off b/c it sounded so similar to this story. and yesss Death, assassins and nuns make for a very entertaining novel!
I liked this one overall, but probably not as much as most. I’m glad you enjoyed it though! Haha, I was about to say I didn’t remember the love interest’s name either, but Mel reminded me. I liked the romance overall, even if I didn’t find it particularly memorable.
that about sums up how i felt about the romance tbh. i didn’t mind it but it wasn’t memorable for me. it took me a really long time to remember to care about duval too *high fives*
What is ASOIAF? I loved this book. I really liked Ismae. I agree she was both vulnerable and kick-ass. A realistic combo
ASOIAF refers to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (the books Game of Thrones are based upon). they’re super fantastic, everyone should give them a go imo ๐
I’ve heard so many good things about this book–assassin nuns!–but have never got to it. I’m glad that you enjoyed it, but it’s a bummer the love interest is so typical. I’ll definitely try to make time for this…sometime. Great review!
in all fairness i do tend to not care about romantic subplots so it might be a ‘me’ thing. alternatively you could just ignore him b/c there’s a lot more going on in this book than just the romance *wipes tears of joy that i didn’t have to sit through pages of romance*
Great review = another book added to my TBR list!
I love this series! Glad you enjoyed the first book. I think what sets it a part is how well it blends genres together – historical, fantasy, romance, etc. Dark Triumph is even better!
This is one of my favorite books I read! I have the second one and I NEED to read it! Ugh, maybe I’ll do it soon. soon. ๐
A historical fantasy about assassin nuns?? SIGN ME UP.
^ Haha, that’s pretty much what had me sold. I really enjoyed it, and to me the romance was great. I wasn’t too sure about the companion book, but I ended up loving that even more than this book. ๐
Oh man, as much as I adored GRAVE MERCY, I think that I liked DARK TRIUMPH even more! True story.