Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has…
Goodreads | Source: ARC from BEA14
Thoughts:
I’m a sad panda…Mortal Heart was one of my most anticipated reads of 2014 but I did not love it.
It’s hard to say why because the writing is still as gorgeous and the plot just as intricatly woven as the first two books but I just didn’t connect to Annith in the same way as I did with Ismae and Sybella.
I really felt for Annith and how isolated her life was at the convent. Her entire life has been spent in training to be an elite assassin so she can serve St. Mortain. She’s the best, yet girl after girl is sent out to serve instead of her. This causes a crisis of faith in Annith that leads her away from the only home she’s known and into a world of seduction, betrayal and war.
Sounds good right? But after hearing Annith (justifiably) lament being left behind again and questioning Mortain’s purpose for her for the first 50 pages or so I was done. Yet, she continues with the endless doubts and questions for almost the whole book and at 449 pages, that’s too much for me. I feel awful for saying this, because Annith had such a difficult, lonely life, but I wanted her to shut up after a while.
Things got better when she met up with the enigmatic Balthazar but even the romance didn’t wow me. In fact, for reasons I can’t mention, because HUGE spoiler, it kind of squicked me out.
Mortal Heart was good with a few OMG worthy twists but Annith was never a character I truly connected with. Having said that – almost everyone I know loved this one. It’s such a unique series with gorgeous storytelling so I still highly recommend the His Fair Assassin series.
*sadface* As you know, I agree with you. Loved the first two books and I'm a big fan of this whole story world and the writing. I was amazed at how I didn't really like Sybella in book one but came to adore her in book two. I thought the same thing would happen with Annith, but like you, I didn't really connect with her character and the romance just didn't work for me at all. Still, I did like the way this book tied up all the loose ends. And love this author's work and can't wait to see what she tackles next...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics
I was so looking forward to this book but it just didn't keep me captivated like the previous two did :-(
DeleteI did like the relationship between the girls and Annith's background revelations and how it tied it all together.
I agree with you too on this book but I still adore this series. I loved the other books more :) yeah I know the spoiler too
ReplyDeleteIt's an incredible series even if I didn't love the last book. It's still good though.
DeleteAw that's disappointing but it's always hard to love a book when you can't connect. So far I've only read Grave Mercy but I'm really looking forward to reading Dark Triumph soon.
ReplyDeleteMost people like Dark Triumph the most. My favorite is still GM but it's such a great series, even not loving book #3, I highly recommend it.
DeleteSadness, I'm sorry you didn't love Annith as much as you want. Her story seemed like it would be pretty interesting; however I haven't even finished Sybella's story yet.
ReplyDeleteHow are you like This Shattered World?
Amber Elise @ Du Livre
It is really interesting so don't let that deter you. You should check out Bookish Antics rave review: http://bookishantics.com/2014/12/11/review-mortal-heart-robin-lafevers/ I didn't feel the same as he did but you might.
DeleteTSW was kind of mixed for me. There were things I loved (Jubilee - more Tarver! & the ethical questions) but the action seemed kind of repetitive at times. You're reading it now right? What do you think?
The second book is really dark, which I loved.
ReplyDeleteI am not feeling Grave Mercy (reading at the moment), sure it's good, but...meh
ReplyDeleteThis is a *really* slow paced series. I don't' usually like that but it worked for me in GM and DT - not so much here. I've had a few friends that couldn't finish the first book though.
DeleteI didn't love the romance either. I was more disappointed by the changes made in this world than anything else. I did love the second book a lot though!
ReplyDeleteIt tied the books together nicely but I agree - it wasn't anything like the other two. Sometimes that's a good thing but it was more about Annith's crisis of faith and loneliness than all the political intrigue that I loved so much. That was kind of tacked on.
DeleteHere's a big branch of eucalyptus to cheer you up a bit. *hugs*
ReplyDeleteThe unique plot and good storytelling does sound nice even if you never connected with her as much as you wanted
ReplyDeleteI like the sounds of this.
ReplyDeleteOh it was one of mine and I bought it on release day but keep moving it around. I loved Dark Triumph so hard I am afraid
ReplyDeleteAW!! Sadface for sure! I highly enjoyed it but did NOT love it nearly as much as the prior two. I think it was Annith and her conflict with her...um, the abbess. Wasn't the biggest fan of that part.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read the first book, I'm behind on series :( I hope it's as amazing as the review!
ReplyDeleteBenish | Feminist Reflections