Review: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Mortal Heart

Author: Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #3
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Format: ARC
Release Date: November 4, 2014
Source: ARC received from publisher at BEA
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

But across Brittany, the tides of war are drawing ever nearer, with France pressuring the beleaguered duchess from all sides. Annith’s search for answers threatens to rip open an intricate web of lies and deceit that sit at the heart of the convent she serves. Yet to expose them threatens the very fabric of her existence and risks an unforeseen chance at love, one that she can no longer deny. Annith must carefully pick a path and, gods willing, effect a miracle that will see her country—and her heart—to safety.

My Review:

I am so sad that this series is over. It seriously is breaking my heart because I just loved it so much. I remember when I picked up the first book. It was huge and scary. It was also partially historical fiction which I had never read before. But I quickly fell in love with the story and it got me to try more historical fiction. And now it is over. But as sad as I am, I am also so so happy with the way Robin LaFevers ended it.

Annith’s story is by far my favorite of the three girls. This book actually took me a little bit to get into. It starts a bit slow because we are at the convent with Annith kind of stuck and trapped just like she is. But once she leaves, things get crazy. And by crazy I mean awesome.

Annith just totally burrowed into my heart and made a home there. I really felt for her. She felt like she was being left behind, like she wasn’t good enough for Mortain. Like something was wrong with her. Like the other girls were better than she was. But you as the reader know that’s not true. You know there’s more to the story. And you want to run into the book and throw your arms around Annith and tell her how incredible she is. Because it’s true. I never fully realized how badass Annith was, but seriously watch out for this girl. Bad. Ass.

Of course there’s the romance which was swoontastic. The romantic interest was mysterious and dark and totally delicious. I don’t want to say too much about him for fear of giving something away, but I loved him. Duval is still my favorite, but this one definitely gave him a run for his money.

One of my favorite things about this series is the friendship, which is something you really get to see in this book. All three girls are finally together for a time in this book and it was really amazing to see how close they were and how strong their bond was. I loved watching them interact and how they truly were like sisters. Made me want to grab my own two sisters and hug them.

This has already gone on too long, so just stop reading this review and get to reading this series if you haven’t already. It’s assassin nuns mixed with awesome history and lots of politics. The twists and turns of the story will keep you glued to the pages. There are swoony boys and badass young women. I mean, do you really need to know anything else? Read it. 

Have you read this book yet? Did you love Annith's story as much as I did? Who's your favorite guy in the series?