Grave Mercy

Bibliographic Information
Title: Grave Mercy
Author: Robin LaFevers
Type of Media: text
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0547628349
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Reading Level: Lexile 850
Interest Age: 14+







Plot Summary
We meet Ismae as she is forced into an abusive marriage when all of a sudden she finds a way out. She joins the convent of St. Mortain -the God of Death - where she is trained in the art of killing to be a handmaiden of death. Ismae embraces her role and for her first assignment she is sent into the very heart of Brittany. There she is tasked with protecting the Duchess so she begins to learn all about the happenings of the court and realizes things may not be as clear cut as the sisters from the convent made it seem. As Ismae's target becomes more clear her heart is telling her it is wrong. Follow along on this journey of love and murder.

Critical Evaluation
There are very few books that span different genres and this is one of the best. LaFevers takes historically accurate information to build a setting and the beginnings of a plot then throws in fantasy elements to make it much more interesting. I applaud her for how incredible this mashup turns out. The plot within this book is full of layers built upon each other and with much suspense holding it all together. With a strong setting and a plot that is new and exciting this book is a great choice for all readers.

Reader's Annotation
Any book with assassins is good in my book, throw in them all being female and working for the god of death and that makes it great!

Author Biography
Robin LaFevers was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.

Though she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for answers to life’s mysteries ever since.While many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of southern California.In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series

About the author. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.robinlafevers.com/about-the-author/ 

Book Talk Ideas

• Historical Fact vs. Fiction
• Assassins

Possible Challenges

• Violence
• Romance

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
An Amazon book of the month choice and a starred review by Booklist put this on my radar. The characters and unusual plotline put it on my recommendation go to list.