saluki's review against another edition
4.0
Annith's story is slower paced, much inner reflection and maybe a bit too much journeying for my liking that could have been reduced. But then, travelling to fulfill a quest is an often used fantasy trope. Ismae and Sybella are still part of the action and instrumental to the unfolding plot.
It's obvious how much I've loved this trilogy because I read them back-to-back! Although I enjoyed the first two books more, there are parts of Annith's tale I found more exciting. The imagining of God and the Nine is great and would appeal to those who are interested in pagan or Celtic mythology... and I love how they are also able to make mistakes. I'd guessed early on who would become Annith's love interest. It is obvious, but also wonderful as the last sentence of the book will underscore.
Now I've come to the end, and though I hate waiting a year for a beloved series to produce another adventure in a world with characters I love, I wish there were more coming for fair assassins. I'd even settle for a novella. Sheesh, we readers are hard to please!
mmefish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Oh boy. I didn't mind the first book and liked the second one. And I absolutely despise "Mortal Heart".
!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!
(I cannot successfully mark all of the text as "spoiler".)
Let me explain real quick: our main character falls in love, persuades the relationship and eventually sleeps with the man whom she always believed to be her father. He knew it. He met her when she was FIVE YEARS OLD. He is old as fuck. They start"""dating""" when she is 17.
Before she learned the truth, we get these lovely passages:
"What I feel is his need and desires and longing, crashing against me like waves against the shore. And always that inexplicable connection that draws me to him."
The connection is question is her praying to him. Because, you know, she believed him to be her father.
"I do not understand you. Sometimes I cannot tell you if you hate me or wish to devour me."
"Both", he wishers.
🤮🤮🤮 again, he KNEW. He knew this whole time—who she is, what she believed to be true, why she prayed, how old she was etc. That just feels so fucking disgusting to me. She was five.
How does he explain it?
"I did not know you were a child until I came upon you in the cellar..."
Right, and then, obviously, a crying 5 yo child awoke only pity in you, right? Some sadness, paternalistic feeling, maybe?
"...and then it was too late. I was caught."
Holy shit. This is just—
"You prayed and chatted with me constantly, and I did not have the strength to let go of the gift that you offered. It was like bread to a starving man."
Oh. My. God.
In what world is this normal? Even if he falls in love with her later on, it doesn't change the fact that she was FIVE at the time and only SEVENTEEN when they met later on, and he knew she thought he was her dad the whole time ajchjahfjsk🤮🤮🤮 I don't understand why this needed to be written. It's icky at best and pedophilic at worst. Just why. Just why.
The only time this fucked up shit got adressed is when Ismae said "but he's our father". And then h lf a page later Robin LaFevers wrote Sybella say this:
"I am beginning to think that love itself is never wrong."
No, actually romantic love towards children is wrong 🤡 Are we apologising pedophilia now? What is happening?
"And that particular love is far less misplaced than some" Sybella adds, thinking of her biological brother who used to rape her. Almost like R. LaFevers wants you to believe that the situation in "Mortal Heart" is not fucked up because at least it's not a brother having sex with his sister. How on Earth does the comparison make any sense? Both story lines are terrible and both of the relationships are disgusting.
There are other mind-blowingly shitty messages for the target audience consisting of young girls: it's worth giving up all your dreams for a man you met only recently (and you're 17); men are supposed to agree to sex any time; and even the shittiest, most abusive mothers deserve fOrgIVeNesS.
But they pale in comparison with "I fell in love with my 5 yo step daughter and seduced her when she turned 17".
Fuck this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Incest
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest and Rape
bookishlybeth's review against another edition
4.0
Lease favorite of the 3 I think it had so much potential but the subplot of a “Christian god” still being the one and only more powerful god over the other gods was really disappointing. Annuity is also the most immature and childish of the three girls.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
4.0
What a strong conclusion to this assassin nuns trilogy. I thought that Annith's story would be boring, based on what I saw of her in the first two books, but this one was probably the best one. I don't think I would have thought so if I had skipped the first two and gone straight to this one since the first two books laid out a pretty solid foundation for the religious going-ons of this book. I normally wouldn't like such a religious or pseudo-religious book and it did almost veer into eye-rolling soap-opera a few times but by then, I was fully invested in the characters.
heidimrogers's review against another edition
4.0
This series is amazing. The only reason I haven't 5-starred it is because I don't feel the draw to re-read it. However, I LOVED the characters - both the good and the evil, which were very, very evil or evil but misunderstood. I LOVED the theological questions raised within this fantasy. This book in particular raised the bar, taking the concepts and the world a step further. It was a great ending to the series.
joliendelandsheer's review against another edition
5.0
Originally at The Fictional Reader
I had high expectations before reading this book, since I loved Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph so much. And I am so happy to say that it didn’t disappoint at all.
Every single one of the books in this trilogy is very different, maybe because the main characters are as well. While Ismae was more introvert -I guess, for an assassin nun- and Sybella “broken” on the inside thanks to all the horrific things she’s been through, Annith is more religious and perhaps even more stubborn. All of the girls are Mortain’s handmaiden -Mortain is the god of Death- Annith is much more religious and believing than the other two because unlike them, she was raised in the convent from the moment she was a baby. That’s quite prominent in the book as she is much more worried/proud of her dedication to the god.
I really enjoyed Annith’s story even though you couldn’t really tell where it was going. For the other girls, they had their assignment from the abbess so you knew where they were going to go and what they had to do. Annith however, went out without an assignment which made it so suspenseful to read!
I loved every part of this book: how Annith became more confident about her abilities and person and how she actually got the courage to confront others; the way she cares for the girls at the convent and tries to protect them; her journey -especially the part with the hellequin. Everything. And I am going to admit: I never saw the big plot twists coming. They definitely took me by surprise!
I would recommend this trilogy to everyone. It’s so great: the characters are so deep and well-developed and the plot lines are just mind blowing. YOU NEED TO READ THIS.
I had high expectations before reading this book, since I loved Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph so much. And I am so happy to say that it didn’t disappoint at all.
Every single one of the books in this trilogy is very different, maybe because the main characters are as well. While Ismae was more introvert -I guess, for an assassin nun- and Sybella “broken” on the inside thanks to all the horrific things she’s been through, Annith is more religious and perhaps even more stubborn. All of the girls are Mortain’s handmaiden -Mortain is the god of Death- Annith is much more religious and believing than the other two because unlike them, she was raised in the convent from the moment she was a baby. That’s quite prominent in the book as she is much more worried/proud of her dedication to the god.
I really enjoyed Annith’s story even though you couldn’t really tell where it was going. For the other girls, they had their assignment from the abbess so you knew where they were going to go and what they had to do. Annith however, went out without an assignment which made it so suspenseful to read!
I loved every part of this book: how Annith became more confident about her abilities and person and how she actually got the courage to confront others; the way she cares for the girls at the convent and tries to protect them; her journey -especially the part with the hellequin. Everything. And I am going to admit: I never saw the big plot twists coming. They definitely took me by surprise!
I would recommend this trilogy to everyone. It’s so great: the characters are so deep and well-developed and the plot lines are just mind blowing. YOU NEED TO READ THIS.
stellamcvey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Balthazar was personally irritating. This is very 2010s ‘it’s very sexy when men lie to you and repeatedly cross boundaries but he’s a dreamboat because he double checked I wanted to have sex with him when I told him multiple times I wanted to have sex with him.’