Bibliovermis

Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy. Robin LaFevers. Book Review: Ismae bears the mark of death—it marks her as unlucky, an outcast. But it also marks her for induction into the convent of St. Mortain and for training as an elite assassin. When she is sent on her first true assignment, Ismae finds that knowing when to take a life is not as simple as listening to her sisters—it may be more important to listen to her heart. The author's attempts to create an ambitious and interesting mythology are laudable, but the dialog comes across as stilted and unnatural rather than historically accurate, and the major plot points are obvious to anyone who's read a novel before. [Image: an exploded diagram shows the locations of various weapons hidden under the dress of a fancy lady]

Good for: While the book is awfully predictable, some people really enjoy getting exactly what they expect out of a story. And I can't say it wasn't entertaining. Aimed at young adults.

I felt that the book started out very poorly, but by the end I did get some satisfaction from the story. But I'm pretty sure it was just the satisfaction of everything turning out exactly as one would expect, after having every event of a 500 page book telegraphed in the first 50 pages.

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