Good news!  I can confirm that if you’ve read one tale of a female teenage assassin, you have not read them all!

Robin LaFever’s Grave Mercy tells the tale of young Ismae.  Believing she was unwanted by her mother, Ismae lives life at the mercy of her emotionally abusive father.  Scarred by a poison her mother took to end her pregnancy, Ismae should not have survived.  Instead, she was born, marked as a disciple of Mortain, the god of Death.  She is swept away to a convent and taught to use her skills to serve her god and protect those she must.
Would I recommend it?  Yes, I would recommend this one.  It’s a good origin story with a fantasy twist and a nice love story.

What I liked about the story:

• From the get go, Ismae is a sympathetic character.  She’s scarred, scared and obedient.  Forced into marriage by her father, she obeys because she believes she has to, but she doesn’t come across as weak.
• Once at the convent, Ismae slips into life with the nuns easily, as if she’s born to be there, but she’s nervous, too.
• She doesn’t like the idea of being a “mistress” and is a little unsure she can pull it off which makes her young and human.
• When contemplating the actions of Duval, her escort, she muses, “His kindness to me is nothing.  He is kind to his horse as well.”  Just sort of puts a girl in her place, doesn’t it?!
• Ismae discovers she can speak with the souls of the dead.  This ability opens her eyes to the pain of her victims’ lives as well as the impact she has when she kills.
• Death does not leave her untouched or without guilt, even if she was ordered to commit the act and Mortain approved.
• Love interest Duval’s concern when he thinks Ismae has been poisoned is so sweet, and we get a glimpse into her changing feelings toward him in a soul warming sort of way.
• The moment Ismae is hurt and Duval insists on treating her wound I knew what would happen next (not that!) but it was done so well, I didn’t mind the predictability.
• The best way to undress a man ever?  Poison!  No joke.  Totally original and ingenious!
• Ismae’s confidence in herself grows throughout the tale to the point she’s able to stand up for what she believes in and do what she thinks is right, even when she knows it will be met with disapproval from her superiors.  Girl Power!

What distracted me:

• Some of the storylines (who Ismae was going to have to kill) were a little predictable.  This could be chalked up to me having watched too many who-dun-it crime shows, though.
• Due to the point of view of the story, the information felt a  little spoon fed by the time I got a ways in.  That being said, it didn’t stop me from reading it or from checking out the next one from the library.

What I would consider before giving this to my kid:

It is a tale of death; Ismae is ordered by nuns to kill people.  Ismae is schooled in the “feminine arts”  (by nuns!).  It is not graphic or spelled out, but the implication is there that should it be required, she is to seduce her target. Ismae cures her love interest by undressing and slipping into bed with him.  There is some talk about what a man and woman do together in bed.  7th grade (depending on your kid) on up.

Last Thoughts

For a story about a rather violent, morbid subject (killing/death), I found this story to have quite the positive message about believing in oneself and doing what’s right.  Ismae meets death head on, in person, and learns that death is not merely senseless killing, it has a price, and redemption is possible for those who truly seek it.  Death is merciful, and when Ismae embraces this, she learns to be true to herself.