Kill the Farm Boy (The Tales of Pell #1)

 Kill the Farm Boy (The Tales of Pell # 1)
by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson
Pages: 364
Rating: 4 out of 5

This tale appears that is your normal fairy tale but it is not. It's a fun send up of fairy tales, and many science fiction and fantasy characters and novels and even a quest by players in Dungeons and Dragons. It's a fun and irreverent story with a bard, an assassin, a fighter, a witch, a talking goat and other fun characters. 

Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

I'm doing a rewatch of the series before the new season starts (inner fan girl squealing!) and I decided to continue my read through of the books for the first time. Though time consuming, it's fabulous! I'm starting to see the difference between the books and the show with this edition as the first followed pretty closely and I'm liking the changes. Next couple of books I'll be reading are going to be a bit shorter though. :)

Rating: 4/5

Pages: 969

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Summary: "Sybella's duty as Death's assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this sequel to Grave Mercy."

Even though Sybella and Beast were excellent minor characters in Grave Mercy, I wasn't quite as enthralled with their story in Dark Triumph. I thoroughly missed Ismae and Duval, and they were not in this sequel nearly enough. Dark Triumph lacks the political intrigue and mystery of the first novel. I also found Sybella and Beast's relationship to be a little too close to "insta-love" for my tastes. The sub-par quality of Dark Triumph serves to reinforce how unique and special Grave Mercy really is.

I can't decide if I'll read the third and final installment, Mortal Heart. 


387 pages

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Summary: "In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny."

This book just blew all the other books I've read this year out of the water. I believe that it was first popular a few years ago, and the term people used was "assassin nuns." :D Can't get much cooler than that! It's not for the faint of heart, as it deals with some dark and nasty stuff. But the story of a "handmaiden of Death" is actually lighter and more inspiring than you might think! 

It reminded me a bit of Poison Study, and Duval (main male character) is quite like Valek, which is a very good thing!!

I enjoyed this story so, so, so much, and I can't quite explain why. Grave Mercy is over 500 pages, but it felt like 100. I read through it super fast, and it still didn't leave me satisfied. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one! 

549 pages