Review: Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Dark Triumph

Author: Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin, Book Two
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover, 385 pages
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Source: Mid-Columbia Libraries
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Synopsis from Goodreads:

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?

My Review:

The first book in this series is told from Ismae’s perspective, but in Dark Triumph, we get to hear the story of Sybella, a fellow assassin. We caught a glimpse of Sybella in Grave Mercy, but didn’t learn much about her. From the glimpse we got though, I had guessed that her character was going to be pretty complex. I was right.

Sybella is so different from Ismae. So much so that I’m not going to even try to compare them. Sybella has had a hard life. When I say hard, I mean brutal. I cried multiple times when reading about how she was brought up. She comes from such horrible beginnings that you wonder how she can function normally. The truth is, she can’t. She abuses herself with negative self-talk throughout the entire book, constantly thinking that she doesn’t deserve happiness, that she is too messed up to deserve love. It broke my heart.

That being said, Sybella is also a kickass heroine who is much stronger than Ismae was. (I know I said I wasn’t going to compare them…oops.) Sybella is experienced and knows what she is doing. She doesn’t hesitate when it comes to killing and actually seems to enjoy her work. As far as seduction goes, Sybella knows how to use it to her advantage and we see her do just that in this book. I love a strong female character and Sybella lives up to that, overcoming her dark past and continuing to fight.

Grave Mercy was focused on the political aspects of the story, but this book really focuses on Sybella’s personal story. Where she has come from. How she has changed/is still changing. The story still progresses, but this is definitely a more character driven book. Sybella is thrust back into her old life, one that drove her to madness, by the convent. She is horrified, but bravely returns to do her duty for Mortain, the patron saint of death.

During her time at home, she is given an assignment from the abbess: to free a prisoner being held by her father and ensure that he is safely returned to the Duchess of Brittany. Things don’t exactly go as planned and she ends up journeying with him. Throughout their journey, Sybella begins to learn that she is not the trash she believes that she is. Beast shows her that.

Beast, a friend of Gavriel Duval’s, was in the first book. I enjoyed his character in Grave Mercy, but didn’t really think much of him. We get to know him a lot better in this book. Beast is fierce and extremely loyal. He is a hulking, ugly man covered in scars, but inside he is just one giant teddy bear. I loved him. He showed Sybella that the sins of her family did not belong to her. He helped her let go of her past and move forward towards a brighter future.

Even though I liked Beast and Sybella and I loved them together, it wasn’t my favorite romance. Yes, it was sweet and there were moments where I would aww, but it didn’t give me butterflies. It didn’t get my heart racing. When they kissed for the first time, I didn’t squeal in excitement. There was just some kind of disconnect for me. I wasn’t getting all the feels that I normally do. That’s not to say it was a bad relationship. I truly do love them together. It just didn’t feel the same as Ismae and Gavriel’s relationship from the first book.

Speaking of them, I missed them terribly in this book. While I enjoyed reading about Sybella’s character and learning about her story, I like Ismae better. I missed her character and most of all I missed Gavriel. They were in the book very briefly, but not enough to quench my thirst. The third book in the series, Mortal Heart, tells the story of Annith, another assassin that trained with both Ismae and Sybella. So I guess I will have to accept that I won’t be reading anymore steamy scenes between Ismae and Gavriel. *Sigh* Maybe I will just read Grave Mercy again…

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Sybella is a broken girl who learns how to accept who she is and move on. Her transformation throughout the book was wonderful and I enjoyed watching her grow and change. Beast has a wonderful heart that will make you melt. He will make you want to jump into the pages and give him a hug. Even with all the good things going on though, I still liked the first book in the series better. I missed Ismae and Gavriel and I missed all the politics and scandal. At this point, we have figured out who all the traitors are and it was just a matter of eliminating them in this book. I missed the mystery and all the puzzles we had to sort out in the first book. Still, this book kept me glued to the pages and I am eagerly anticipating the third one Mortal Heart, which comes out in 2014. Happy reading all!