Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin, #2) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Aug 05, 2012 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, around-the-world-challenge, historical-fiction, fantasy

I started this book yesterday. That's right; for the first time in a really long time I finished almost 400 pages in less than 24 hours. It's not that it's rare for me to read that fast; I just rarely love a book enough to merit it. But this book, after a few chapters, just demanded to be gobbled up. So I did.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I had the same reaction to LaFever's first His Fair Assassin book, Grave Mercy. I just wasn't sure how Sybella and Beast's story would compare to Ismae and I started this book yesterday. That's right; for the first time in a really long time I finished almost 400 pages in less than 24 hours. It's not that it's rare for me to read that fast; I just rarely love a book enough to merit it. But this book, after a few chapters, just demanded to be gobbled up. So I did.
I shouldn't have been surprised. I had the same reaction to LaFever's first His Fair Assassin book, Grave Mercy. I just wasn't sure how Sybella and Beast's story would compare to Ismae and Duval. Sybela turned out to be an engaging protagonist, though, despite her defensive shell, and Beast is just lovable from the beginning. Almost too perfect--but I love him anyway.
As I said, the first few chapters were slower reading for me than the rest. Not because they were slow or boring, but simply because they were so very dark and disturbing. I had almost as little will to keep reading as Sybella did to keep living--which is to say, just enough. And totally worth it. HOWEVER, if you are someone who has been sexually or physically abused or assaulted, if you avoid things labelled "TRIGGER WARNING", you may want to think twice about reading this book. Sybella, and those she's loved, have been through a lot, as covered throughout the story, much of it not for the faint of heart, however well written. It's often via implication or vague details, but I wouldn't feel right posting a review without mentioning it.
There was A LOT of action in this story,, of the adrenaline-packed, exciting kind, as opposed to disturbing, as befitting the story about an assassin and a beserker warrior. The action isn't told in a very gory way, though, so I was able to follow it without being totally grossed out. The storytelling was fast-paced and kept me guessing, worried about the main characters at several points and desperate to see how things turned out. I was so happy to encounter Ismae and Duval again, as well as the Duchess, and enjoyed meeting a number of new characters, including the strange but fascinating charbonnerie. Several characters, such as D'Albret, were just absolutely horribly evil people. Other characters were more nuanced, so that even characters that were creepy and that initially seemed evil ended up being sympathetic in later parts of the story. The only character that confused me was Tephanie, who seemed to be involved in the story and developed as a character more than her actual importance warranted.
My only complaint about the story is a few inconsistencies in action scenes--one moment, there'd be a group of 20 or more people fighting, and then suddenly there were only 3-4 of them, traveling elsewhere on a totally different mission, with no explanation of where the greater group went or what it was doing. And there's one scene at the end where a character is specifically mentioned as being involved. Mentioned many times as part of the process. Then simply isn't mentioned or acknowledged, either as having gone away or being present, for a page or two, before suddenly being mentioned again, in a totally different area with the main party. It was strange and inexplicable, and because of that, briefly distracting from the story. However, the action still moved quickly and held my attention, so I guess it really wasn't a big deal in the long run.
I wasn't crazy about the cover art, either. Something seems off somehow with Sybella's face and hair, like the model is wearing a bad wig or was awkwardly photoshopped. Aside from the face, the cover art/ costume is great, though. Sets a perfect mood for the book.
I also loved the hints about Annith's story, and the further development of the Abbey politics, including the creepy Abbess. I CANNOT WAIT for Mortal Heart. I hope it's not a long time coming. I'm only sad that there's just one more book to go set in this world.

Review also available at Once A Week Or More ...more

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Aug 11, 2013 Amanda rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, 1-star

Let's get this one out of the way first. I was feeling very reluctant to touch the second book in this series, because the first left me so confused in my vague state of boredom, anger, and disappointment. But this all vanished in a queasy half-flash when I realized that the second book was about Sybella, and thus, that there being three books and three main girl characters we'd have different narrator and surely the Author was growing, because it was a growing process, you know, writing.

And I Let's get this one out of the way first. I was feeling very reluctant to touch the second book in this series, because the first left me so confused in my vague state of boredom, anger, and disappointment. But this all vanished in a queasy half-flash when I realized that the second book was about Sybella, and thus, that there being three books and three main girl characters we'd have different narrator and surely the Author was growing, because it was a growing process, you know, writing.

And I kept pushing through this book, kept waiting for that part where everyone said the first half was cold fish like Book One, but then somewhere past the forty-five percent line it grew flowers and mutated and became amazing. (After seeing something like that I happen with Defiance I was willing to hold out). Except I was still holding out at the end of the book.

This book is insanely convenient. I love how people who are paid to spy on you by a sadist, maniac, known for killing people for just looking the wrong direction while in front of him, will 'conveniently' be too scared of ghosts to follow the main character their being paid to spy on. And how all the keys in the castle are new, except for the one to the door we need. Which will be old, thick and rusted. And how once you get to that old, thick rusted door it will open "quiet as a moth flying."

I could keep going. This book never stops being conveniently. When three characters need horses, magically three people on horses, who need to die, will appear. Our main character will claim to be a whore and an assassin, but she never sleeps with any for secrets or safety or at all almost, nor does she kill anyone in the whole of this novel when not out of self defense. Which is amazing for someone who's epiphany is about being Death's Vengence. When she never revenges anyone.

Just like we play with the notion of head tipping to incest pretty much every chapter of half the book, but never actually touch it. Let me tell you how much better, and more honestly portrayed, Cersie and Jamie are on both their POV's. And POV -- which brings me to the straw that literally broke me of even being able to give this book two stars -- the same way it broke me in Beth Revis's book -- YOU CANNOT HIDE A SECRET THAT BIG IN FIRST PERSON POV. EVER.

Not when it is something someone would think about. Any and all of it. I don't mean just that worst last traumatic blocked out piece. Just. No. No. No.

Consider me done with this series, its convenience, its claiming to be things it never backs up, and now a very very very shoddly done surprise ending. ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: romance, young-adult, historical-romance, fantasy-romance, era-medieval, interesting-women, gods-known-and-unknown

I give her an encouraging smile when what I want to do is wring her skinny neck so she will quit talking and get on with it. That would not, however, reassure her.

I did really like this book. But there were a lot of things I didn't like about, enough so that I have to give it 3 stars rather than 4. It needed more of some things, and less of other things ...

The action starts off right about at the end of the first book, the scene when Sybella warns of Ismae from the castle before the duchess
I give her an encouraging smile when what I want to do is wring her skinny neck so she will quit talking and get on with it. That would not, however, reassure her.

I did really like this book. But there were a lot of things I didn't like about, enough so that I have to give it 3 stars rather than 4. It needed more of some things, and less of other things ...

The action starts off right about at the end of the first book, the scene when Sybella warns of Ismae from the castle before the duchess is ambushed. I liked seeing it from Sybella's viewpoint, and I wished there was more of that, from previous scenes when Ismae saw her or heard from her, I'd like to know what was in Sybella's head then. I wanted to know more about Sybella's beginning, too. We do get quite a few flashbacks and re-tellings, so much of her background is filled in, but I was left wanting more. How exactly did Sybella get away from her father the first time, and how did she come back? What story did she tell him to explain her absence? How did she feel?

I liked Sybella a lot, but I was frustrated each time Ismae showed up, because it just reminded me of how SIMILAR each voice was. Really, without any identifying details, there was no way to tell if I was reading Ismae's book or Sybella's book - their voices are the same. Which makes no sense, since they are very different people. This is probably the thing that frustrated me the most about this book.

I did enjoy seeing Duval and Ismae again, and I wished I saw them more - I'd like to know how Ismae's relationship with the Abbess is changing, and what she and Duval are deciding.

I did like that marriage is not treated as the Happy Ending - Ismae never married, and Sybella doesn't marry, doesn't even THINK about it in this book.

There was a certain imbalance of details that frustrated me and left me distracted. For example, at one point we are told the name of each of D'Albert's wives, the names of their children, and how they died. But we know Sybella has two sisters: Louise and Charlotte. Charlotte is never mentioned - which one is her mom? This really bugged me. And Julian had a brother Gabriel? Who is Gabriel? that's the only time I saw him mentioned. Why tell us all these details if they don't matter? DO they matter?

Sybella's life is a hard one. I thought Ismae's life was hard and dark, but along comes Sybella to make Ismae's life look like a cakewalk. Sybella goes through many agonies, and we go along with her. All of that was quite well done. I FELT her hopelessness and despair, but never so much that I couldn't keep reading, because underneath it, Sybella is STEEL, she never buckles. However, towards the end is a bit of woo that I could have done without - we are told that everything happened for a reason, she never could have done what the god needed her to do if she had no suffered. I'm not a fan of the "everything happens for a reason" line of thought, and this passage went on for quite a bit, and it really irritated me.

The romance between Sybella and the Beast is a nice one, but we didn't really learn enough of it. They are travelling together, they are prickly, they respect each other, they help each other ... it didn't really make so much sense to me that they fell in love. Except that this is a fantasy-romance and Sybella had to fall in love with someone. I needed more here to really feel it.

I was a little startled to read in the author acknowledgement that when she saw mad, broken Sybella in book one, she knew she had to write a book about her. Ms LaFevers didn't have this planned from the beginning? I wonder if she didn't originally intend for it to be a trilogy? ...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Marlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult, historical, read-2014

I enjoyed this one so much more than Grave Mercy. Sybella's a lot more fleshed out as a character than Ismae was and it made me care about her and become invested in her story. Definitely looking forward to reading about Annith in the next book. ...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Nicole rated it really liked it

Shelves: guilty-pleasures, 2015

I enjoyed the historical context of book Grave Mercy a bit more than this personal struggle, but still a fun read. ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Celeste rated it really liked it

I love this series. Each book is written from a different main characters perspective. There is violence and it's kind of dark at times, but I couldn't put it down. I will read anything the author puts out in this series. ...more

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