CATCHALL
I didn't want to give Grave Mercy a full five stars because there are only so many of those I can give out, lest they become meaningless. But I just cannot justify giving it any less than the full five stars that it absolutely deserves. Grave Mercy completely blew me away and left me absolutely breathless in the most amazing way possible. Everything about it was beautiful, from the characters to the plot to the gorgeous writing. (Dude, assassin nuns. Need I say more?)
THE HEROINE
ISMAE RIENNE
I adored Ismae. She definitely wasn't the easiest character in the world to understand at first, but that aura of mystery actually serves her well and draws you much deeper into the story. She's strong and not afraid of almost anything. She starts off blindly obedient on the outside, but on the inside it is clear where her allegiance lies and what appears to be blind obedience is actually a strong faith in her father, her god. Ismae sets her values and standards and lives by them. She knows what's what and she always tries to do what she honestly believes to be the right thing to do.
THE LOVE INTEREST
GAVRIEL DUVAL
So, dude, I have a total weakness for gray eyes. They are like the bane of my freaking existence. My boyfriend has gray eyes, and they are beautiful. So basically the book could have described him as "and he was a jerk who was a total loser and never did anything interesting but he had gray eyes" and I would have heard "blah blah blah…gray eyes." So, the point of that tangent was that I freely admit my total bias. I loved Gavriel. I thought he was a fantastic character. He cares so genuinely and sweetly for his younger sister and makes the hard decisions when they need to be made. He was also a complex character with multiple layers that we saw slowly peeled away.
THE MENTOR
THE REVEREND MOTHER
It was interesting to see her blind devotion to the ways of the convent and her dependency on the outside world for information. And yet, even with all her devotion it seems she still does not understand the true purpose of being the offspring of Mortain.
THE FRIENDS
SYBELLA
Sybella was a fantastic character and I absolutely cannot wait to hear more about her. She's an interesting character and her introduction is very dramatic. Knowing more about her will be extremely fun. The passing glimpses that we see of he later in the book are almost too tempting.
ANNITH
I'd like to hear more about Annith as well, and I assume that we will. We barely hear any of her story, and yet she's one of the most interesting characters in this book. Annith has a very distinctive voice and her story would be one well told.
THE BRETON COURT
DUCHESS ANNE OF BRITTANY
I underestimated Anne at first, even though I didn't comprehend just how young she was until very late in the novel. But it surprised me how intelligent she was for a person of her age. I did find this to be perhaps a little unrealistic, but anyone who has had to brow up quickly and before their time can relate, I am sure. Anne was actually a wonderful character who wasn't dull and definitely knew what she was doing.
THE CHANCELLOR
I am only going to say a few things because I do not want to give anything away. The chancellor was an entertaining character with more of a role in the book than originally imagined. At the beginning, it is impossible to determine just what type of role he will play. Yet as the story progresses, his role is slowly revealed.
D'ALBRET
Every story needs an interesting villain, and D'Albret was one. Even though I am tempted to write him off as a disgusting bastard (excuse my language), I actually find myself unable to do this. Yes, he is cruel and mean and selfish, but no one is that way without a reason. Oddly enough, I was actually interested in learning more about him by the end of the book.
RAOUL DE LORNAY
De Lornay was one of my favorite characters, mostly because of his devotion to Duval. Also, his name is fun to say. (Try it. In a French accent.) Ismae writes him off as aloof, and indeed he is, but near the end of the book a surprising glimpse into his true nature is revealed, and I must say, it is beautiful. His confession is sweet and heartbreaking, and I found I wished that we gotten to know more about him.
THE BEAST OF WAROCH
I adored Beast. He had an amazing sense of humor and was also very kind to Ismae. His friendship and connection with Duval was almost tangible and very lovely to see. I thought he was a wonderful addition and it saddened me to see where he was at the end of this book.
THE GOD
MORTAIN
We manage to get a glimpse of just what this god of death is like near the end of the novel, and I really love this part. He was nothing like I expected him to be, and that was a pleasant surprise. Mortain is more human than I had though to hope for, and I like his deep understanding. (On a side note, I pronounced his name as Mortmain, à la The Infernal Devices, for the majority of the book. I still do sometimes. This makes me feel stupid. *facepalm*)
THE PLOT
The plot of this book is amazing.
No, really.
I honestly cannot remember a single boring moment. Each moment had some sort of potent anticipation, and I was always interested in what was going to happen next. There never seemed to be a moment to relax at all. Indeed, I burned through this book in one night because I simply could not bring myself to put it down.
Assassin nuns.
I mean, come on. How could you not be draw in? And I wasn't disappointed, either. They were every bit as complex as I had dared to hope for. I love when my expectations are reached.
There were twists and turns to this wonderful story, betrayals and intrigue, and questioning authority. All things I absolutely love to read about.
There's a real story behind everything that happens, and a reason, and no glossing over of important things.
The plot was also very original and didn't piggyback obviously off of other stories. It was nice to see an original concept not ruined and used in such a beautiful way.
THE ROMANCE
I absolutely loved this romance, maybe because it reminds me of my own. I could just be being conceited. But that aside, it was a beautifully developed romance. It starts out slowly, with neither Ismae nor Gavriel really very comfortable with the other, or even liking each other very much. Instead of being instalove stupidity, it develops slowly, subtly, and sweetly. And when it finally bubbles to the surface it is a strong love with a real base and clearly real. I absolutely adored every moment of it, from the questioning to the unsureness to the sweetness of it all. Instead of being coined and fake, it feels genuine. I love this about it, and it is definitely one of my favorite romances. I have heard some people say that they do not like the age difference between Ismae and Gavriel, but this is not a problem for me.
THE WRITING
LaFevers' writing is beautiful, and Ismae's voice is real. The description is lush and gorgeous, yet Ismae manages to sound like a normal person, not a dictionary. Indeed, some of the imagery is so vivid I can imagine what these places and people really look like. Everything is covered in the writing, no important details left out but also no inane details included. Ismae's words truly sound like thoughts. For a debut novel especially, the writing is extremely impressive. The wonderful writing made it all the more enjoyable.
THE ENDING
The ending can only be described in one way: absolutely perfect. I completely adored it and could not have thought of a better ending myself. It was beautiful and put a smile on my face, but also sounded realistic enough that is was believable and not cheesy or even ridiculous. It was not so sappy as to make me feel sick but was sweet enough that I couldn't help but do a little bit of a heart-flip. To sum it all up, the ending was, as aforementioned, perfect.
WRAPUP
Of course, I am absolutely reading Dark Triumph, which will feature Sybella. I cannot wait to hear more about her, and to read about the continuation of the story of Brittany besides. I also hope to see a cameo appearance or two of Ismae. Grave Mercy was absolutely fantastic and I would probably read the next book even if it was set to feature a rat. (Well, okay, no, I wouldn't, but that isn't the point.) I loved Grave Mercy, very, very much, and I am much looking forward to the next two books.
FINE.