Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers [REVIEW]

TITLE: Dark Triumph
(His Fair Assassins #2)
AUTHOR: Robin LaFevers
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Books
PUB DATE: Apr 2 2013

Summary from Goodreads:


"When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for . . ."


Rating:


“Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.”

What a book! I came to love Grave Mercy, the first book from His Fair Assassins series, the moment got through chapter one. I loved the lore, the writing and most especially the characters. Since then, I couldn’t help thinking about getting to know them even more.

While Grave Mercy was focused on Ismae’s life and how she came to be a handmaiden of death, Dark Triumph shows Sybella’s story. If I thought Ismae’s situation was dire when she took refuge with the Convent of St. Mortain, Sybella’s case was incomparable. Oh, how cruel life has been for this young lady. If I wanted to hug Ismae back when I was reading about her, I want to smother Sybella with all the love for all that she has been through.

As much as I loved Ismae’s story, Sybella’s, at some degree, was far more adventurous, albeit dangerous, than Ismae’s. I felt more and more empathic with Sybella as I progressed through reading Dark Triumph. The poor girl, she was despised for her lineage in spite of all her sacrifices.

Ismae had a very interesting romance development, and although Sybella had a rather different approach [considering she has a Beast for a romantic interest], it was still as stimulating and as anticipating as Ismae and Duval’s relationship. I have to say, I didn’t realize Beast was ugly. I always thought that he was called as such because of his reputation on the battlefield, and because of his monstrous size. But I never thought to consider how he looked like. Nevertheless, he was a suitable match for our dear Sybella.

I was so happy to see that Sybella finally found a piece of something she has clearly hoped to have. The kind of longing and hope she has been clinging to her whole life, and after all the hardships she faced, she deserved some peace and happiness for once.

I absolutely adore the message of this book. I love that each book from this series shows how the handmaidens of death come to realize the true purpose of their existence and what mission they must carry out. This was simply beautiful.