She feels so authentic for her time – a medieval peasant girl who knows that everyday life for women is short, brutal, and devoid of options. What makes Ismae interesting is that she isn’t a sociopath but neither is she a naïf who hasn’t fully thought through the reality of having to commit murder. Ismae is astonished to find that not only can she see the mark, but she also has the ability to resist poison – which is handy because she thinks her true vocation might be as a poisoner. The mark looks like a dark smudge over the body part through which the killing blow should be struck. Each must have an innate power that proves she is a true daughter of Mortain: she must be able to see the mark of death that appears on someone to indicate that Mortain truly wants him dead. Here, wayward girls are trained to be assassins.Īnd not just any girls. Almost no one knows that this place exists. But Ismae sees a chance for a better life and escapes to the convent of St. Now Ismae’s harsh father has just sold her to a pig farmer for three silver coins. The first scene opens with seventeen year-old Ismae, a peasant girl who has endured a loveless life since her now-dead mother first tried to expel her from the womb with an herbal poison that caused Ismae to be born with livid marks on her back. The most frightening of the Breton gods is St. It takes place in the secretive land of the fiercely independent Bretons who worship nine dark pagan gods that they have superficially cloaked in the guise of saints to deflect the suspicions of the hated French who are always on the verge of invasion. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers is a gorgeously written novel suitable for young adult readers.

Grave mercy review