Review: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers

Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price.

Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.

But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live.

When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?
This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats. ~ Goodreads

Review:

These are my tweets/quotes and Goodreads updates while I was reading Dark Triumph:

"We are not allies,......we merely share each other's secrets, which is an entirely different thing." #DarkTriumph

Goodreads 10% update: "R.L. LaFevers' writing is so beautiful. SO BEAUTIFUL."

This book is disturbing. I love it. #DarkTriumph

Goodreads 35% update: "This book is so intense. Much more so than Grave Mercy. <3 it so far."

Man.....poor Sybella deserves a happy ending. I may be meeting the love interest soon. Hope he is as awesome as she is. #DarkTriumph

"I am in desperate need of killing something" #DarkTriumph

This book goes to some very dark places. #DarkTriumph

".....for I do not care if I kill them. Indeed, I pray that I will." #DarkTriumph

"I wish to crawl back into my younger self and hand her this knowledge, this small spark of light, & see how it would shift her perceptions of all the darkness around her." #DarkTriumph


Ismae & Duval! #DarkTriumph

"Have you finished confessing all your darkest sins to me?" #DarkTriumph

***

Dark Triumph is so much darker than Grave Mercy (my review) . I knew going in that Sybella was going to be a very different kind of heroine, abrasive even, but I was not prepared for the outpouring of sympathy I had for her and all she's endured. It was worse than I had imagined.

Her love interest, The Beast, is just as violent and bloodthirsty as Sybella, yet holds a light within that wraps her in a blanket of hope. A sentiment that she hasn't dared believed in a very long time. I thought the "L" word popped up before the relationship was cemented but that's a minor complaint to what is otherwise a wonderful romance. There is none of the lusty glances and giggling of most YA romances. These two have been through too much for that. Their bond is forged over mutual respect, heartbreaking losses and the power of redemption. It's also just one small aspect of the story, not the most important or overpowering one, considering all the political danger and intrigue surrounding them.

When I say this is dark I mean it. I'm not even alluding to all the blood and gore (of which there is a lot & I love me some decapitations & spilled entrails! lol). LaFevers touches on a few taboo topics & themes that will probably make a few readers squirm but I think it was handled well. If you ever watched Game of Thrones, Spartacus etc you can handle it but I would definitely recommend this for older teens or read this first if you're a parent so you can discuss it later.

There is something about the way that R.L. LaFevers writing that pulls me in in spite of myself. I say that because I usually hate long descriptive prose, political posturing, deceptions and reading about history yet I cannot get enough of any of those things when reading this series. I could easily read another 100 pages or more.

My only complaints with this book would be the aforementioned premature (in my opinion) use of the the word love & a bit of repetition that carried over from Grave Mercy, otherwise it was a beautiful sequel that was able to seamlessly blend in the characters and plot from the previous novel. I adored how Ismae and Sybella's friendship was not forsaken in favor of the romance. This is definitely one of the few series that is a must read for me.

Author: website | Twitter
Source: Amazon Vine for my honest review
Buy the book! Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin Trilogy) Release date: April 2nd, 2013