Week 46 Review: Mortal Heart

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... 

My Review:
I loved this book so much! The night after, I had a dream that had a character like Balthazaar/Mortain, that is how much I was thinking about this book afterwards. That was how absorbed I was by it!

I read the ending at the first, so I knew the big twist that was that Balthazaar was Mortain, but when I got to it, yeah, her shock, and her bad feelings about it all, because of of the fact of Annith's parentage-that her dad is not Mortain, but Crunard, who was blackmailing her mom, who it turns out, is the abbess. But that's a good thing, that her dad isn't Mortain, because it'd be so wrong to sleep with your dad! And fall in romantic love with him!

And then there's the things that have happened because of the abbess's lies, like Annith being tested by the Dragonette, for any signs of power from Mortain, and how the abbess used Annith to pick poisoned mushrooms to kill the Dragonette. And how she tried to get Annith to kill her dad. Yeah. Lots of not so good stuff, but Annith's belief and love of Mortain is what sustained him, and put him on the path of falling in love with her!

It was a bit weird at first, to have Annith in love with Mortain, because all her life, she's thought he was her dad, and he is dad to girls that she's thought to be her sisters, and they're her age and older. And now, she's heading towards being their step-mom, and yeah, that's a weird thought to wrap your head around, but once it's there, yeah. It fits!

The author's note, it says "But that is a story for another day..." which I really hope, it turns out that Robin LaFevers writes either a spin off book, or spin off series (more hope on the series!) to have that story, of how Anne was Queen of France twice! I wants that/those stories!!!! Especially since the politics surrounding Anne keeping her duchy was a main part of this series (love how it ended, with the King being shot with the arrow that shot Mortain, to make the King fall in love with Anne!)

Favourite lines: "As I return to the stables-alone and under reprimand-it occurs to me that if I anger enough of the nuns, perhaps they will beg the abbess to send me out on assignment lest they be tempted to kill me themselves." Morbid humour, but is is humour! "A simple 'Thank you for the rescue' would have sufficed." Well, how does she know that it was a rescue? So hilarious, her taking him down! "The are only horses, demoiselle, and not even flesh-eating ones at that." Debatable! Seeing who's riding them! "'You're smothering me.' 'I'm guarding you.' 'Can't you guard me from farther away?' 'No.'" Funny, how she doesn't mean for him to hear her initial comment! And then there's this. "'Don't you need to sleep?' 'I was sleeping. Until you woke me. And if you'll stop talking I will sleep some more.'" Well, you're the one that woke her up by being there! "If you need a rock or tree to batter yourself against, he is your man." Not the best endorsement, and very weird, but so cute! "If you so much as snicker, I will kill you all." I laughed. I mean, come on, she took him down! "'He's my betrothed.' 'You're what?' 'Praise the Nine! He's finally convinced you, then?'" Love their reactions, and yeah, Ismae and Duvel a re going to get married!!!! "I would not toy with him. Much." Well, it's the much she's worried about, I think! "Or we could play the game my way: If you do not simply answer her question, I will run you through with my sword." Balthazaar is so awesome! "Do I have your promise that you will not somehow manage to kill the prisoner while I sleep?" Because he would so do that! Good planing! "That is when I realize that I have not fallen in love with a mere hellequin, but with Death Himself." Yeah, that might be something of a shock! I'm thinking this is a big moment! "What? Do you think if you ride out on your chargers with shield and banner flying, they will simply confess to you their strategy?" Yeah, like that'll happen! "A small red starburst, Arduinna's bite, they call it, although I do not know why, for she has never bitten anyone as far as I know." Yeah, weird thing to call it! "It is actually Death Himself whom I have taken to my bed."  Which is shocking news to said Death's daughters! "Oh no. Do not start leaking. Ismae, come over her and hug her so we can all pretend it never happened and get on with our lives." Ah, Sybella! So funny! "Normally, you are lurking in the corners or skulking in the shadows, not standing in plain sight." Funny! "Your mortal heart shines like a candle flame and I, like one of those hapless black moths you used to leave as an offering, am helpless before it's lure." The line where the title comes in!!! "You would upend the very nature of Death so that we could be together?" Well, if you belong together, yes! "Quit lurking in the shadows. That is my role, not yours." Not anymore! "Ismae and Duval are playing chess while the rest of us pretend not to watch, for he is trying to teach her and she is most impatient. She does not care for his being so much better than she is at the game, and she spends most of it glaring at him." So loveable! "The king is no help, for whatever point of the contract the duchess's advisers insist on, he agrees to, until his own advisor's throw up their hands in disgust." I love this so much! "I may even let Duval come just so he can storm around the halls, for old times' sake." Getting near the end, but a good wrap up, and so sweet! "'Merely a former god. and you will only have to bow to me a little.' 'Ah, you may be a former god, but you are only a newly made mortal, and I have had far more experience at being mortal than you.'" Nice teasing!

Such a great, wonderful book, a great ending to the series, and yeah, I really hope we get a spin off Anne book!

Author: Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #3
Read: November 11th, 2014
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love this series so much! And it's a End of Series 2014 Book, Historical Fiction 2014 Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book and WoW Book!
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Published: November 4th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars