Review : Dark Triumph by R.L LaFevers

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)
Author : R.L LaFevers
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Books
Publication Date : April 2nd 2013
Goodreads - The Book Depository

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.

Personal Thoughts

If I had to sum up this book in three words they would be : BEST.BOOK.EVER. Grave Mercy was an instant favorite of mine last year and I was dying to get my hands onto Dark Triumph. My excitement over the book amplified when multiple praising reviews started to trickle in, which was why I dropped all the other books I had to read and jumped immediately into it. It was definitely worth my time and the review I'm about to write will definitely not do this book any kind of justice.

I said it in my review of Grave Mercy, but I'm going to say it again, R.L LaFevers' strongest point is her characterization in her books. She crafts wonderfully complex characters who you become attached to over the course of the story. And then, she takes physically unattractive characters and make them the most beautiful characters you have ever come across. In a nutshell, R.L LaFevers' characters are exactly how book characters need to be depicted. In Grave Mercy, Sybella was mentioned on multiple occasions as being half mad. In all honesty, I wasn't sure what to expect of her in Dark Triumph, but I will say that I was left pleasantly surprised. Sybella became one of my favorite characters. By the end of the book, she became I character I looked up to. Strong-minded, loyal and iron-willed are the perfect words to describe Sybella. When the reader first gets to meet her, she was full of venom and hatred towards many people and it was hard for her herself to believe in love. However, she was very passionate and loyal towards her sisters. What I loved most about Sybella was her willingness to always help people. Her selfless nature armed with her strength was what made Sybella such a rare character. From the beginning itself, Sybella was a brave and very strong girl, but you will be surprised to learn that she grew even stronger than she was at the beginning, blossoming into an even more likable character over the course of the book.

I feel like I owe Beast an entire paragraph dedicated to him and that's exactly what I'm about to do. One paragraph is definitely not sufficient for me to describe my love for the ugly, unattractive Beast. I'm not sure how she did it, but R.L LaFevers actually made someone who even the MC thinks is ugly a beautiful character and one of my top book boyfriends. Beast, as his name suggests, is beastly ugly. Yet, he had the most beautiful soul that a guy could ever had. Even after all the torment he had had to suffer, he was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy who had a huge heart. Along with Sybella, I simply could not help myself from loving in with him. In a sense, he was the opposite of Sybella, but on the other hand he was also very similar to her. He was such a generous, selfless guy. He always, and I mean always, put others before himself. Even when he was on the verge of death, he was willing to fight to help save innocents. His altruism and kindness are what made him such a wonderfully beautiful and complex character.

The secondary characters were also as fleshed out as Sybella and Beast. The villain, d'Albret, was a sadistic, manipulative and heartless man whose brutal and repulsive actions made him the perfect villain. You could not help but feel disgusted by his character. I was overwhelmed with hatred for him and all I wanted was for Sybella to kill him cold-heartedly. The author also treated us to snippets of Ismae and Duval. For those who had issues with the politics in Grave Mercy, then you will be happy to know that this one focused on the characters rather than the politics. The background and world-building was even more in depth than it was in Grave Mercy. This book was packed with emotions. I found myself being so invested in Dark Triumph that I simply wanted to devour this book in a day. The plot was fast-paced, action-packed and brimming with suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat, just as I expected it to be. Everything about this book was simply enthralling, from the characters to the brilliant writing. R.L LaFevers managed to create a masterpiece with Dark Triumph. This was one of those books where I was so immersed in the characters and the world that I did not want it to end, but when it ended, it left me with a strong sense of satisfaction.

As a sequel, Dark Triumph basically exceeded my expectations by miles. The author needs to be applauded because THIS is how you write a sequel. Fans of Grave Mercy will definitely not be disappointed with this book. In fact, I promise you will love this even more than the first. R.L LaFevers has earned a spot on my auto-buy list because this woman knows how to write.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5