Mortal Heart: His Fair Assassin Book Three
MORTAL HEART
By Robin LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Paperback: 978-1328567673
Hardcover: 978-0547628400 (Original Cover)
November 4, 2014
The wicked will know her.
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…
INDIE BOUND B&N BOOKS A MILLION POWELL’S AMAZON
What Others Are Saying:
“LaFevers raises the stakes and the level of conversation here as she blends history, intrigue and the forces of influence–fighting against France to retain Brittany’s integrity–while also putting a human face on the events. Her discussion of the imminent threat of a culture being lost and individuals with so much at risk are themes just as relevant today as they were more than 500 years ago.” — Jennifer M. Brown, children’s editor, Shelf Awareness
“The glorious series about convent-trained assassins concludes, reframing a main character in ways that shift the meaning of the whole series.” — Kirkus Review
“Teens looking for strong, engaging female characters, the evolution of ancient traditions, or a solid adventure tale will adore every page.” — VOYA
“LaFevers effectively ties up the loose ends of the triology’s cast— its loves, connivings, and murderous skills— with more love than war.” — Horn Book Magazine
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, Starred Review
“This final volume in LaFevers’s much-praised His Fair Assassin trilogy centers on Annith, the most brilliant of the young women brought up in the convent of St. Mortain, an ancient Celtic god still very much present in the tale’s 15th- century Brittany. Despite being unequalled with knives and bow, Annith has been refused assignment as an assassin by the Abbess even though her close friends, Sybella and Ismae, have already made their first kills. When a much younger and underprepared girl is sent out in her stead, probably to her death, Annith rebels, fleeing the convent. She hopes to aid the endangered Duchess of Brittany whose meager forces must protect their country from a French invasion. On her way, however, Annith meets Balthazaar—a Hellequin, one of the damned souls charged with bringing the recently dead to Mortain, but also “breathtakingly handsome in a dark, almost broken way”—and her life is changed forever. Both a powerful tale of political intrigue and a heady supernatural romance, this memorable adventure will entirely satisfy devotees of this series.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Starred Review
“LaFevers again mesmerizes her readers through the political struggles of 15th-century Brittany and the intrigues of the followers of Mortain. . . . Clear, fast-paced, dramatic prose reveals the story via short, action-packed chapters, and the expert craftsmanship of the writing is worth savoring.” [Snippet given due to spoiler in the review.]
BOOKLIST, Starred Review
“So kudos to LaFevers. Using both religious and political history of the late 1400s (detailed in author’s notes), she has created a trilogy strongly grounded in reality, full of political intrigue and the stench of battle, yet stretched enough to give mysticism its due. Perhaps more important, she offers readers worthy heroines: fair assassins whose emotions and choices are as rich and complex as their fearsome abilities.”
Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2014
Welcome. I'm Robin LaFevers.