Mortal Heart

By: Robin LaFevers

Narrated by: Jennifer Grace

Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the powerful conclusion to Robin LaFever's New York Times best-selling His Fair Assassins trilogy, 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.

©2014 Robin LaFevers (P)2014 Recorded Books

Five-star Ending to an Incredible Series

Any additional comments?

Well, folks. Robin LaFevers has charmed me once again. After thoroughly enjoying Ismae’s growth in Grave Mercy and falling in love with Sybella in Dark Triumph, I had no doubt that Annith’s story was sure to reel me in. She had been this mysterious figure throughout the first two books that I was eager to learn more about, and DAMN. This GIRL.

One of the things I admire most about this series is that LaFevers has a way of gently pulling you so deep into a person’s life that you just can’t help but feel for them. Like, it’s so subtle and eloquent and masterfully done. As I began to learn about the secrets and circumstances of Annith’s past, my heart went through waves of indignation, sympathy, and admiration. You really do get to experience the utter frustration of her entire life, and then you understand some of her choices, and you also come to see what an incredibly strong person she is.

Aside from Annith and her growth throughout this book, I was delighted to encounter a handful of new characters and followers of some of the other nine old gods. Balthazar is clearly a favorite, and the Arduinites were a very welcome addition to the fold, much like the Charbonerie in Dark Triumph. It was also interesting to get to see a bit more from the Duchess’s perspective, and see what unfolded with her situation and her sick little sister.

I had the pleasure of meeting Robin LaFevers at a local author event, and she spoke a lot about her inspiration for this series. I didn’t realize that so much of the overall story was rooted in true events that happened to the folks in Brittany. Knowing that they did hold onto their old gods much longer than many other countries (as Christianity swept the world) was a fascinating revelation that made me love the tapestry LaFevers wove even more.

Mortal Heart is the perfect ending to this wonderful trilogy. The writing and the storytelling and the imagination throughout all three of these books are magnificent. Highly recommended.
Oh, and if you’re wondering: the narrator was really good. It’s funny that each narrator pronounced various names differently, but at this point I didn’t mind. The audiobook was a winner. (And yes, I bought the hardcover AND the audiobook. What can I say? I’m a super fan.)

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Historical Fantasy

My experience with Robin LaFevers's His Fair Assassin trilogy was rather mixed. So many people were raving about Grave Mercy when it came out, and I thought it was just okay. Then I read Dark Triumph and had a much better idea of what all the fuss was about. I loved Sybella's story, and it left me itching to read the final installment. Mortal Heart, however, was more in line with Grave Mercy than Dark Triumph for me. I'm as surprised as anyone to find that I loved Sybella's tale the most.

Mortal Heart is Annith's book. Annith, like her sisters, has been trained to be Mortain's assassin. We've had hints of her story in the last two installments. We knew, for example, that the Abbess wants her take over the role of seeress. For Annith, who has been itching to leave the convent and use her acquired skills, this is the last straw. She cannot be trapped at the convent forever. So she leaves under the cover of night.

The next part of the book was where it was a little slow for me. A series of events occur that don't seem to further the plot at all. (Eventually their importance will be realized, but at the time it was slow going.) However, once Annith reaches the Duchess, Sybella, and Isme secrets start to unravel one after another and things really pick up. And wow. Some of those secrets are pretty huge.

Mortal Heart has a lot of pieces to put together in order for the whole trilogy to make sense. I really enjoyed the intricacies of the world that Robin LaFevers created. The melding of the historical and the fantastical is quite well done. I loved reading about the Nine and their followers.

Also, I had been wondering from the beginning how LaFevers was going to bring historical figures Anne of Brittany and Charles of France together, as their countries were at war for the entire trilogy, but we know from history that they eventually must marry. (The answer: in a pretty fantastical manner.)

Overall, I'm not sad at all that I stuck with this trilogy. In the end, I think the pay off was worth it.

Best book of the Trilogy

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was by far the best book of the trilogy. I was weary after the second book, but this book brought it all home and divided into the feelings of the characters in a far greater way. Annith must have been a favorite character of the authors! I was glad I got this book and continued reading.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Mortal Heart?

The ending battle scene. It definitely had me in tears!

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Grace – was your favorite?

Death himself was portrayed very nicely!

Did Mortal Heart inspire you to do anything?

Learn more about mythology.

I want to listen more

This completely captured my attention. I cannot wait to listen to the authors next story. I hope I would not have to wait too long. Was captivated with the time period

I loved every book in this series!

Any additional comments?

SPOILERS IN MY REVIEW! I loved each and every book in this series! I loved learning about each girl and her story and then how this final book intertwined them all. What made this book my favorite, though, is that we got to see behind the veil of the spiritual realm and got a glimpse into the life of the gods, mainly Mortain. I had chills when I finally figured out that Death was the guy who Annith was in love with! I mean, he was already dark and mysterious and sexy, but then to find out he was a god! I loved it and I loved him! It was a beautiful, romantic and fascinating story and left me feeling wholly satisfied with the way it all concluded. And for the most part, the narrator did a good job, although she lacked variety with the voices.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful