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Grave Mercy
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Discussion #11 Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers
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I look forward to discussing this one. It is currently sitting pretty in my top 5 list for 2012.
Kimba ( Caffeinated Book Reviewer) wrote: "I look forward to discussing this one. It is currently sitting pretty in my top 5 list for 2012."Same here!
Same here, Kaylee. I'm about 100 pages in right now. I love the setting. At first her coldness and all the killing really put me off, but things picked up after about 75 pages.
Mod
Duval. *swoons*
Ah, I can see why. YUM
Mod
I'm interested though... Despite the fact it seems to be quite slow going for a book about an assassin.
I finally finished Grave Mercy and all I can say is WOW. For such a slow opening book, it packs the action, romance, and suspense on at the end. I loved it! Ismae is fabulous, and the whole mythology/religion angle really fit nicely at the end. I didn't think I'd be satisfied by the answers to the story questions regarding her powers, but I definitely was. My advice to anyone reading this book and feeling challenged by the length and dark subject-matter is to KEEP READING.
Mod
If one of you do not want to provide discussion questions, I'll put out a few around noon.
Mod
1. What did you think about our heroine, Ismae, and her ascension from turnip farmer’s daughter to superhero assassin nun?
2. Some people who have read this book said that it took them a while to get into the novel – when did Grave Mercy pick up for you? If not, what did not work?
3. In what way did the nuns’ lives differ from those of the other women in the story? Did they have more freedom or less?
4. Ismae kills a number people in the course of this book. Since her hand was directed by her god, were these morally acceptable acts?
5. How did you feel about the relationship between Ismae and Duval? Was it too slow in coming?
6. There was a lot of intrigue in the novel. Did you have who the villain was figured out, or was it all a surprise at the end?
Kayla wrote: "I’m taking some of these questions from the Discussion Guide
put out by Houghton Mifflin. I changed them up a little to suit our group. If you like any of the other questions that I left out, p..."
1) Genuinely, I'm glad that she's not married to someone her father chose for her. And glad that she got away from her father, period. But was it a better trade? The living conditions were no doubt better than her life as daughter of a turnip farmer but to become an assassin in what I'd call a just crazy religion is scary.
2) I liked the book a lot, I genuinely do. It had a slow beginning, but started picking up a bit later on. What I didn't like was Ismae's personality; it didn't seem to merge with the setting and backdrop, and was a bit too much pro-feminist.
3) The nuns in charge definitely had much more freedom because they didn't have to fall under the command of men. They were trained to be killers, and didn't have to watch their language, as opposed to being delicate and demure. Unfortunately, the poor girls under their command don't have that kind of freedom, and have to follow whatever orders given to them.
4) Technically, the command to kill people came from the nuns, but I still find that it's a bit unacceptable to kill people even if it was a command from a deity. The nuns didn't take into consideration whether or not those killed were double agents or eventually switched sides. Everything they saw were either completely black or completely white.
5) I thought that Ismae and Duval's relationship was a bit slow, but I didn't really mind. Something that bothered me a bit was the bedroom scenes where Duval had to pretend he and Ismae were together. It was all too much, like the authhor tried to add the element of sex into the story but pushed too hard.
6) I suspected who the villain was, but didn't really have it completely figured out, so yes, it was a bit of a surprise for me.
Kayla wrote: "I’m taking some of these questions from the Discussion Guide
put out by Houghton Mifflin. I changed them up a little to suit our group. If you like any of the other questions that I left out, p..."
1. I thought it was a fabulous concept. I loved how kick-ass she was and it didn't take long for her to come into her skills.
2. I wasn't hooked until Duval came into the story. Ismae hated men entirely too much for my taste and I couldn't connect with her. Duval was a terrific foil for her man-hating!
3. Good question. I think the nuns had more freedom from men, but were restrained by their order. The story sets a good example, people need to be more open-minded to the good and bad in everyone.
4. I think the end of the story explained the whole "mark" situation very well. It would've been nice to understand the god's intentions earlier, but we were just as confused as Ismae. No, I don't think she should deliver the deaths, but it's a story. It's mythology, and it's the suspension of belief. I'm okay with the choices she made for the sake of a good story.
5. Oh God, the relationship! I loved the slow build. Yes, I wanted more earlier, but I thought the author handled it with expertise. I loved the sparks between them and the tenderness later. I loved the sexy cuddles. At first the poison was off-putting for me, but the antidote...mmm.
6. The villain was who I thought it was in the beginning. I'd changed my mind a couple of times throughout the story, so that helped keep things interesting.
Kayla wrote: "I’m taking some of these questions from the Discussion Guide
put out by Houghton Mifflin. I changed them up a little to suit our group. If you like any of the other questions that I left out, p..."
1. I loved her. I thought Ismae was fiery and smart and determined. Her anti-man attitude was a bit trying at times, but it made SENSE for her, you know?
2. I got into the story right away. The arranged marriage with a lecherous older man bit has been done before, but as soon as that was past, the book picked up speed.
4. I don't think so. Obedience requires faith, but it does not require the follower to shelve his or her brain.
5. Oh man, the relationship was awesome. They had that hate/respect thing going on, and it was such a pleasure to watch them slowly learn to trust each other.
6. I had the villain narrowed down to a few men, so I wasn't completely shocked. It was fun to learn his motivation, though.
I also have to ask... Did anyone here have a favorite supporting character? Personally, I fell in love with Beast. He didn't have a major part, but he captured my attention every time he appeared!
Also, Is anyone looking forward to the sequel? I can't wait to see what Sybella is up to!
Oh, and here's the requisite link to my review :) http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2012...
I read this book, but I forgot to add my voice to our discussion!
1. I think for the kind of work the nuns train their charges to do, they need uneducated women from a low status that can be educated (read: influened) and that understand how to go about in an unobtrusive manner. They also need women who have reason to hate.
As soon as I began to see just how much Ismae hated men, I KNEW she would fall in love (with a man).
2. I agree with Shelver. The marriage has already been done, and it seems like I've read so many not-quite-the-church books where a church-seeming group wield power in an unconvential way, but there was a lot of action. I enjoyed the story, but what really made this book for me was the fascinating myth/folklor/magic part where she discovered that there were different way to serve her god.
4. No, I think that in this story the message that her god's commands could have multiple interpretations was ingrained in the story, and even if inaccuracy on the god's part wasn't stated, I think that throws a shadow of doubt on the moral acceptance of the assasin's deeds.
5. I generally like slow builds, but I can't remember if I loved this particular slow build.
I liked Grave Mercy, but I am very critical of it. I think this will be the last church-related fiction book I read for a while.
1. I think for the kind of work the nuns train their charges to do, they need uneducated women from a low status that can be educated (read: influened) and that understand how to go about in an unobtrusive manner. They also need women who have reason to hate.
As soon as I began to see just how much Ismae hated men, I KNEW she would fall in love (with a man).
2. I agree with Shelver. The marriage has already been done, and it seems like I've read so many not-quite-the-church books where a church-seeming group wield power in an unconvential way, but there was a lot of action. I enjoyed the story, but what really made this book for me was the fascinating myth/folklor/magic part where she discovered that there were different way to serve her god.
4. No, I think that in this story the message that her god's commands could have multiple interpretations was ingrained in the story, and even if inaccuracy on the god's part wasn't stated, I think that throws a shadow of doubt on the moral acceptance of the assasin's deeds.
5. I generally like slow builds, but I can't remember if I loved this particular slow build.
I liked Grave Mercy, but I am very critical of it. I think this will be the last church-related fiction book I read for a while.
This book was absolutely amazing! I loved the idea of a book about assassin nuns but some of the reviews I read led me to believe it wasnt as good as it could have been. I didn't get that at all. The first couple chapters seemed like they could have been a separate book entirely so it felt a little rushed to me. Once i got past her training though I was completely hooked. I love how slowly you start to see her guard come down with duval. Although I had my suspicions of Crunard it was interesting to see all the betrayal going on and wondering who was responsible for each event. All in all the book was great I will definitely be recommending it.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize how thick this book was and I still have a few days of reading ahead of me.
Anyone who would like to start of the discussion can go ahead, and I'll join in very soon! Thanks guys!