Review: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

His Fair Assassin #3

Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: ARC acquired in a trade

Pages: 444

Add it on Goodreads!

Summary (from Goodreads):

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...

Annith has always been the obedient one at the convent. Always doing what is expected of her to the best of her abilities, just waiting to be chosen for her chance to serve Mortain and go on assignment. But that day never comes and Annith discovers that she is being groomed by the abbess to become the next seeress of the convent. It is not a fate at all that Annith wishes for so after the abbess leaves the convent to go to the duchess, she takes matters into her own hands and leaves the convent to go to the abbess and demand answers.

First of all, I think that if I had to choose, this would be my least favorite of the books. It took a bit for this book pick up and get interesting. The beginning is really slow. The time she spends at the convent trying to decide what she's going to do seems to drag on forever! But it picks up a bit when she finally leaves and finds herself among the Hellequin where she meets the mysterious Balthazaar. When she finally gets fed up with them never getting to where she needs to be, she leaves and she ends up with the warrior followers of Arduinna and goes on some adventures with them until the book really picks up and she FINALLY ends up with everyone else and the story finally picks up.

Annith is easily my least favorite of the three main protagonists in this series. It took me awhile to warm up to her. She's incredibly stubborn. She is jealous, but I guess it's easy to see why as she has been training her entire life for the opportunity to serve Mortain and she is never called upon to do so. All of her friends are chosen to go before her and she doesn't understand why. She really kind of annoyed me when she was first reunited with her friends and everytime Ismae so much as muttered a word to another human being, Annith is thinking, oh wow she's so different. But she's also really smart and brave and kind. And ever so protective of the girls left in the convent, just wanting things to be fair and safe for them. She won me over in the end. She is really good and cares so much for others.

Balthazaar I feel I can't say much about because spoilers, but I can't help but feeling like Annith WOULD fall for Balthazaar. I am entirely not surprised. But also kind of surprised because I wouldn't have actually imagined this to happen.

I knew the abbess was super shady, but maaaaaan. I wouldn't have imagined all that actually happeneing! I wasn't so far off with my theory I wrote about in the Dark Triumph review.

I loved getting more Ismae/Duval and Sybella/Beast in this book! 

And I liked the ending of this book, it was a good ending for this series. 

So even though 3/4 of this review is me talking about what I really didn't care for about this, I really did love this book as well! This was such a fantastic series and I am so glad that I picked it up! I just feel like I can't say anything else because I don't want to ruin anything for those out there who are even later to this party than I am! Because this one would suck to be spoiled for I believe! And also it is 1:30 AM and I am not feeling very eloquent in my words.