Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers [Review]

5 out of 5 Robots!

 

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Series: His Fair Assassin #2

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fantasy

Release: April 2nd, 2013

Hardcover: 385 Pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:

Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.

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. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, 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. 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? (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

Lady Assassins return!  Grave Mercy (the first book in the series) was one of my favorite books in 2012.  I was so excited to read the sequel, but apprehensive when I learned it would be told from Sybella's perspective.  I knew I would miss Ismae and Duval.  Sybella was such a mysterious and hard to understand character in the first book.  I was afraid I wouldn't like her as much as Ismae.  But all my fears were quickly put to rest.  If anything, I am really happy this is Sybella's story because we finally get to understand her.  Sybella has had a truly hard life at the hands of her father.  And it really isn't until the end that we finally realize the depths of her father's abuse.  




 
Dark Triumph overlaps chronologically with Grave Mercy, but as a warning there is no recapping.  While the story starts off exciting, I felt a little disorientated as I tried to recall the key events and characters from the first book.  So, if you've read Grave Mercy, I suggest re-familiarizing yourself with the story.  Also, if you haven't read Grave Mercy yet, then you should read that first before Dark Triumph.  Grave Mercy lays the groundwork and the infrastructure of the series.  And in doing so, it allows the reader to jump right into Dark Triumph.

So what we end up with, really, is Sybella's personal journey.  There is much less court intrigue and political power plays here.  It is a smaller, more intimate story.  But don't worry - there is still spying and murder and assassin-ing.  Ismae and Duval make a small reappearance (less than I would have liked).  But Beast does return and is integral to Sybella's story.  Yay!  Beast is the best.  

If you liked Grave Mercy, you will love this one too.  I highly recommend it!

  
Books in the series in the order they should be read:
1. Grave Mercy
2. Dark Triumph

Impostor by Jill Hathaway [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

   

Impostor by Marissa Meyer

Series: Slide #2

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Release: May 26, 2013

Hardcover: 278 Pages

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:

What if a killer took control of you?

Vee Bell’s gift (or curse) of “sliding”—slipping into the mind of another person and experiencing life, briefly, through his or her eyes—has been somewhat under control since she unwillingly witnessed the horrific deaths of her classmates six months ago.

But just as things are getting back to normal, Vee has a very bizarre experience: she loses consciousness and finds herself in a deserted area, at the edge of a cliff, with the broken body of the boy who took advantage of her on the rocks below.

As Vee finds herself in stranger and stranger situations with no memory of getting there, she begins to suspect that someone she knows has the ability to slide—and that this “slider” is using Vee to exact revenge on his or her enemies. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book, Slide, pretty well.  I enjoyed Vee and I liked Jill Hathaway's take on her psychic abilities.  There were a lot of little inconsistencies, though, and the ending was pretty whackadoodle.  But I definitely enjoyed it enough to read the sequel, Impostor.  And I actually liked Impostor better!  I felt it was a lot more focused.  It really centers on Vee, her family, friends and love interest, Rollins.  Vee and her sister Mattie are closer than ever after the events of the first book.  I really enjoyed seeing their deepening relationship.  And speaking of deepening relationships, I also enjoyed the romantic tension between Rollins and Vee.  I appreciated that she didn't jump into a relationship with him after Zane's death, but you could definitely tell SOMETHING was there.  But as you know, the course to true love never did run smooth, so there are some obstacles that come up.  

In between all of this, Vee is finding that someone is sliding into her and taking over her body.  This obviously causes her a lot of concern.  And her long lost Aunt comes into town.  Vee throws her suspicion on her, but gets caught up in a I-Know-What-You-Did-Last-Summer situation.  But at least this ending is a smidge more plausible.  Or if not more plausible, it at least makes more sense.  Ok, how about it isn't completely whackadoodle?

All in all, these are quick and fun reads.  

Books in the series in the order they should be read:
1. Slide
2. Impostor

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

   

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes
by Jonathan Auxier

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Release: August 1, 2011

Hardcover: 381 Pages

Publisher: Amulet Books

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:

“Now, for those of you who know anything about blind children, you are aware that they make the very best thieves. As you can well imagine, blind children have incredible senses of smell, and they can tell what lies behind a locked door—be it fine cloth, gold, or peanut brittle—at fifty paces. Moreover, their fingers are so small and nimble that they can slip right through keyholes, and their ears so keen that they can hear the faint clicks and clacks of every moving part inside even the most complicated lock. Of course, the age of great thievery has long since passed; today there are few child-thieves left, blind or otherwise.

At one time, however, the world was simply thick with them. This is the story of the greatest thief who ever lived. His name, as you’ve probably guessed, is Peter Nimble.”. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when I picked this book up.  Actually, what I guess I expected a Dickensian type situation with a blind boy thief.  Maybe some magic realism thrown in there.  But that's only a portion of what this book is.  Most of it actually takes place in a fantasy land with a whole lot of magic thrown in.  And it is actually more of a hero's quest type tale.  Parts of it are pretty grim and dark.  (Peter, for example, had his eyes pecked out by a raven when he was an infant.)  Other parts were very imaginative and exciting.  Peter is at once helped and hindered by his blindness.  He can sense things that others can't (such as smell), but learns to rely on others to be his eyes.  There is also a mad king and lost children and seemingly evil ravens.  I've noticed a trend recently in children's literature of employing an omniscient narration style that speaks directly to the reader, Lemony Snicket-like.  This either works or it doesn't for you.  I find that this style works for Peter Nimble personally.  My only complaint is that it feels very long and can drag a bit.  But overall, I think fans of Lemony Snicket and the like will enjoy this book.