Grave Mercy
Ismae is rescued at a young age from an arranged marriage and taken to the convent of St. Mortain, the God of Death. At the convent Ismae is treated well and as a daughter of Death, she is trained in the arts of death, carrying out Mortain's will. Ismae's talents grow quickly, she is immune to poisons and can see the marque of death; with instruction from the Sisters she becomes adept in poisons, weapons, fighting and womanly arts. After successfully completing two assignments, Ismae is sent on a long-term task. Disguised as the mistress of Duval. Ismae is sent to the court at Brittany to protect the young Duchess Anne through marriage plots and other court treachery. When the convent sends orders to kill people that Ismae believes are innocent, she must make the decision to kill or let live.
I loved the concept of this book, assassin nuns. With a slight paranormal twist, the Sisters at the convent of St. Mortain have been given powers by Death himself, but have to choose how they use it. Since Ismae was saved by the convent, this is a difficult lesson for her to learn. Ismae is a strong character and I liked seeing all of the different ways she was able to kill and use her skills. At first, it seemed like Ismae might just follow orders unquestioningly, but once out of the convent, she begins to think about where the orders come from and what they mean; I was glad with her decisions at the end. I loved that the court of Duchess Anne of Brittany was brought to life through Ismae's eyes, all of the marriage proposals and battles are events that Anne goes through within the book were real events. I can't wait to read the mysterious Sybella's story next.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Ismae is rescued at a young age from an arranged marriage and taken to the convent of St. Mortain, the God of Death. At the convent Ismae is treated well and as a daughter of Death, she is trained in the arts of death, carrying out Mortain's will. Ismae's talents grow quickly, she is immune to poisons and can see the marque of death; with instruction from the Sisters she becomes adept in poisons, weapons, fighting and womanly arts. After successfully completing two assignments, Ismae is sent on a long-term task. Disguised as the mistress of Duval. Ismae is sent to the court at Brittany to protect the young Duchess Anne through marriage plots and other court treachery. When the convent sends orders to kill people that Ismae believes are innocent, she must make the decision to kill or let live.
I loved the concept of this book, assassin nuns. With a slight paranormal twist, the Sisters at the convent of St. Mortain have been given powers by Death himself, but have to choose how they use it. Since Ismae was saved by the convent, this is a difficult lesson for her to learn. Ismae is a strong character and I liked seeing all of the different ways she was able to kill and use her skills. At first, it seemed like Ismae might just follow orders unquestioningly, but once out of the convent, she begins to think about where the orders come from and what they mean; I was glad with her decisions at the end. I loved that the court of Duchess Anne of Brittany was brought to life through Ismae's eyes, all of the marriage proposals and battles are events that Anne goes through within the book were real events. I can't wait to read the mysterious Sybella's story next.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
