Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by R.L. LaFevers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ismae is an outcast. She has been raised believing her mother went to the herb witch to have her aborted and that she lives with the resulting scar. Escaping a horrible marriage thanks to the very herb witch who tried to end her life, she is delivered to a convent that serves Saint Mortain (the Saint of Death) and is trained in all ways of killing. On every mission she is sent, she is to look for the marque (a dark smudge on the body of her victim) and then dispatch with that person. She is immune to poison, which makes it her most trusted weapon. While killing her second victim she meets Duval, a handsome man who makes her question the reasoning behind her kills (up to this point, the Abbess gives her directions as to who she is to kill). For her second victim had not the past that the Abbess was certain that he had. Sent by the Abbess to attend Duval at the Duchess’ court in Brittany, she is told to trust few yet always obey the commands of the Abbess and Chancellor Crunard (a liaison with the convent and chancellor to the Duchess). Through the course of the story, Ismae finds that she should not always go blindly off of the orders of others, and that she should trust herself. As intrigue closes in on the Duchess’ court, will Ismae be able to determine who she can trust and who will it be too late for?

Great book! The characters and story is so rich, I felt myself pulled in from the very first page. Cannot wait for the 2nd book (and I hope there will be a 3rd). Also, a great author website to go along with it that delves into the "His Fair Assassin" world even deeper. http://www.robinlafevers.com/


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Great books!

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since I have blogged, but it was worth it because I have a lot of things to share with you! First of all, follow the GHS Library on Twitter by clicking here. I will occasionally tweet about new books, happenings in the library and other things. We have had a busy first of the school year. We have celebrated Banned Book Week and Teen Read Week here at the GHS Library. It was crazy fun! I also have some great books to share with you!

 Emma is on a wonderful vacation in Florida with her best friend Chloe before their senior year begins. Chloe is out-going, athletic, and loves the water--all of which are Emma's opposite. Emma, ever the klutz, trips into Galen (the most handsome boy she has ever seen in her life. Emma and Chloe continue on to the water where Chloe coaxes her out into the surf, not knowing that tragedy awaits. Chloe is attacked by a shark and Emma tries to rescue her but fails; however, she is able to do something amazing - she tells the shark to go away and it simply does. Fast forward back home and the first day of her senior year. Emma is miserable, missing Chloe, feeling guilty for not being able to save her, and feeling very much alone. Then the mysterious Galen shows up at school. Galen knows what Emma is even though she does not. Emma is a direct descendent of the general Poseidon and has inherited the specific gift of talking to the sea creatures. Through the chapters of the book told alternately from Emma and Galen's point-of-view, you get to see Emma come to embrace who she is as well as the growing relationship between Emma and Galen. The secondary characters add to the richness of this twist on mer-creatures. The cliffhanger ending will have readers begging for more (which thankfully there will be with Of Triton in 2013.
 
Natalie Stewart is a mute girl in Victorian New York City. Her father is the curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and would do anything for his daughter. Natalie wants to become involved in the acquisitions at the museum and becomes involved with a mysterious painting of a young Lord from England who had recently disappeared. When Natalie finds herself actually pulled into the paintings and talking with the very real and very trapped Lord, she becomes determined to find a way to save him from the very demon who has him trapped. As she falls deeper in love with him, she also falls deeper into danger and love with a man who man never be real again. I am pleased to announce there will be a sequel out in November! "The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart."



Alethea Kontis magically weaves a single tale about some of our favorite fairy tales and folk tales. Sunday Woodcutter is a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. She loves to put words to paper and spinning tales; however, they never tend to turn out how she meant them (and they always come true). Sunday turns to writing memoirs about her family. One day out in the wood she comes across an enchanted frog named Grumble. Grumble lives for Sunday's stories about her families. As they spend more time together, their feelings grow into love and Grumble (unknown to Sunday) turns back into his human form - a prince whom Sunday's family despises. Will they ever be able to be together? Will magic aid them or harm them? And what does a magic beanstalk, an ogre, a goose that lays golden egg, and twin sorceress' have to do with Sunday and Grumble living happily ever after? Read the book to find out.

Sophie knows loss. Two years ago, she became very ill and lost the ability to walk normally (she now has a very pronounced limp). During that time, she also lost her little sister, her mother, and her magical abilities. Now, two years later, she is finally entering society. Though she expects the stares, the whispers, and the pitying looks, never in her life did she truly think she would find both a best friend and someone who might actually care enough to marry her (without pity). Parthenope becomes her best friend and is always into mischief. Lord Woodbridge, Parthenope’s cousin, is the man of Sophie’s dreams. She has even found a mother-figure in dear Amélie who is mourning the loss of her husband, Papa’s best friend from school days, and staying with Sophie’s family for the time being. However, when someone begins to endanger the lives of the men who work for the War Department (including Papa) with magic, Sophie has to find her magic once more, else the whole fate of Europe might be changed and Bonaparte might truly be Emperor of all. Doyle does an excellent job of portraying Sophie as a girl facing all the issues any normal girl might have, yet allows her to find her inner-strength and know her self-worth. A wonderful tell of magic, love, and good being victorious over evil!

Team Human is a new and innovatively fun read about vampires and zombies. Mel is upset when her best friend, Cathy, falls for the new vampire at Craunston High School. Francis is a vampire who was turned in the 1800s in London, England and he remains ever the proper English gentleman. Mel fears he is out not only to turn Cathy to the vampire world, but also involved in the strange behavior of Anna’s (another friend) mother who also happens to be the school principal. Then Anna asks for her help in finding out what has really happened to her father (she was told he was turned by a vampire, but she doesn’t believe it). During her investigation of Francis, she meets Kit, a human raised by a “Shade” (a.k.a family) of vampires, who also happens to be Francis’ Shade. Mel finds that she likes spending time with Kit, until he tells her he wants to turn into a vampire. Mel’s life begins to unwind as she loses control over all the situations she was so certain she could handle (i.e. Cathy and Francis, Anna’s mother, the mystery surrounding Anna’s father, and Kit wanting to become a vampire). Will she be strong enough to let her friends be who they want to be? Can she make them see the world as she sees it should be? Will they be able to save Anna’s father in time?

Wow! Received this book in the mail for the library and was ready to see a mediocre book. Boy was I wrong! This is a great little book about the Texas economy. I can see having a copy in the library for the kids to look through and a copy for my economics teachers to use in class. The authors discuss how Texas has survived one of the harshest recessions to ever hit our country, and came out of it sooner than most states. Everything from big business to mom and pop operations are discussed. There are graphs and charts aplenty to show various concepts. Biographies of the movers and shakers of Texas and its economy are embedded within the book. I was ready to spend a few minutes skimming it and then set it aside without further thought. Instead, I found myself drawn into it, spending most of my day reading it and sharing interesting tidbits out of it with my assistant. Can't wait to share it with others!

Until next time & Happy Reading!

~Tammy Jo