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charlottejoyce06's review
4.0
So, only after finishing this book did I realise that it was the first of two in a spinoff! That would explain some of my confusion throughout some of this book
mdevlin923's review
3.0
While the first book in it's series, you definitely need to read the accompanying series for this book to make sense. Great characters, good mix of action/adventure and political subterfuge.
catbag's review
3.0
Courting Darkness ✵ Robin LaFevers
“I am darkness made flesh, but it is the darkness of mystery, the endless night sky, and the deep caverns of the earth.”
I wanted so badly to like this book, and for the majority of it, I kind of did. The female characters were smart, capable, and interesting to follow, but the plot lacked any sort of payoff to make struggling through the almost-500 page book seem worth my time.
What I enjoyed the most consistently in Courting Darkness was LaFevers’ writing style. It flowed beautifully and constantly hinted at double meaning and secrets you just wanted to uncover. I imagine her original trilogy was a work of art, but as a person who hadn’t read that before this, the style was one of the only things I could always enjoy.
For those who are unaware, Courting Darkness is a sequel to LaFevers’ His Fair Assassin trilogy. I didn’t know this when I checked it out of the library but figured since it worked out so well for me with Six of Crows, it’d be fine. I thought wrong. There were two perspective characters, and one of them was an apparently beloved character from the previous trilogy. This assassin, Sybella, was written as though the reader already knew her, which made it difficult for me to connect with her. She seemed like a fantastic character and there were many chapters that might’ve hit a lot harder if I knew anything about her past as a character. The quote above is an example of an attempted theme that made no sense to me possibly because of my lack of prior knowledge. Thus, any themes that were attempted through Sybella’s perspective fell short with me. She also seemed to care a lot about her sisters and most of her chapters were filled with conflict pertaining to her antagonistic relationship with her brother. She had a nice relationship with a man named Beast that was pleasant enough to read, but it wasn’t enough. Very little about her was introduced in Courting Darkness, of course, so I found myself skimming through her chapters consistently. I felt like I was missing out on something that could’ve been great but just… wasn’t. For me, at least.
“The king’s face relaxes, almost into a smile. This is the sort of motivation he can accept from a woman. Motivation that does not threaten his own sense of power. One that supports, rather than supplants.”
Genevieve’s chapters, on the other hand, were much more like what I had expected going into the book. She was the sleeper agent I was looking forward to and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter I read from her perspective. I’m not entirely sure if she was a new character or not, but I felt adequately introduced to her and her storyline. She was the sole source of any coherent themes in the book for readers new to LaFevers’ world. Every moment she was interacting with another character seemed to show another facet of the disguise she so carefully wove over her true identity over the course of her life. She always played into the expectations of others in order to further her own motivations, and possibly fell for the one man who saw her as the talented seamstress of character she was. Genevieve’s relationship with Maraud was gripping and I didn’t entirely know what either of them would do, but everything they did solidified their characters and over the course of the book, I found myself shipping them harder and harder.
However, Genevieve and Maraud’s relationship had absolutely no payoff in this book, which was frustrating. Had it been the only loose end or lack of payoff, I would’ve been much more forgiving, but since there was nothing tying the book up, it was simply frustrating. The lack of climax or payoff at the end of the book was….shocking? Is shocking the right word? I expected the beautiful little threads of character and plot to be woven together in the final moments of the book, yet, in the end, the two main characters hadn’t even met. Not a single point of contention was resolved and there was absolutely no payoff. The entire point of the novel turned out to be to lead into the next book in the series. If you’re a reader who hasn’t read the His Fair Assassin trilogy and who doesn’t like to be rewarded for reading nearly five hundred pages of confusing lore and unfamiliar characters with otherwise fantastic writing sprinkled throughout, this book is totally for you. If not, I’d steer clear. Disappointing, to say the least.
“I am darkness made flesh, but it is the darkness of mystery, the endless night sky, and the deep caverns of the earth.”
I wanted so badly to like this book, and for the majority of it, I kind of did. The female characters were smart, capable, and interesting to follow, but the plot lacked any sort of payoff to make struggling through the almost-500 page book seem worth my time.
What I enjoyed the most consistently in Courting Darkness was LaFevers’ writing style. It flowed beautifully and constantly hinted at double meaning and secrets you just wanted to uncover. I imagine her original trilogy was a work of art, but as a person who hadn’t read that before this, the style was one of the only things I could always enjoy.
For those who are unaware, Courting Darkness is a sequel to LaFevers’ His Fair Assassin trilogy. I didn’t know this when I checked it out of the library but figured since it worked out so well for me with Six of Crows, it’d be fine. I thought wrong. There were two perspective characters, and one of them was an apparently beloved character from the previous trilogy. This assassin, Sybella, was written as though the reader already knew her, which made it difficult for me to connect with her. She seemed like a fantastic character and there were many chapters that might’ve hit a lot harder if I knew anything about her past as a character. The quote above is an example of an attempted theme that made no sense to me possibly because of my lack of prior knowledge. Thus, any themes that were attempted through Sybella’s perspective fell short with me. She also seemed to care a lot about her sisters and most of her chapters were filled with conflict pertaining to her antagonistic relationship with her brother. She had a nice relationship with a man named Beast that was pleasant enough to read, but it wasn’t enough. Very little about her was introduced in Courting Darkness, of course, so I found myself skimming through her chapters consistently. I felt like I was missing out on something that could’ve been great but just… wasn’t. For me, at least.
“The king’s face relaxes, almost into a smile. This is the sort of motivation he can accept from a woman. Motivation that does not threaten his own sense of power. One that supports, rather than supplants.”
Genevieve’s chapters, on the other hand, were much more like what I had expected going into the book. She was the sleeper agent I was looking forward to and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter I read from her perspective. I’m not entirely sure if she was a new character or not, but I felt adequately introduced to her and her storyline. She was the sole source of any coherent themes in the book for readers new to LaFevers’ world. Every moment she was interacting with another character seemed to show another facet of the disguise she so carefully wove over her true identity over the course of her life. She always played into the expectations of others in order to further her own motivations, and possibly fell for the one man who saw her as the talented seamstress of character she was. Genevieve’s relationship with Maraud was gripping and I didn’t entirely know what either of them would do, but everything they did solidified their characters and over the course of the book, I found myself shipping them harder and harder.
However, Genevieve and Maraud’s relationship had absolutely no payoff in this book, which was frustrating. Had it been the only loose end or lack of payoff, I would’ve been much more forgiving, but since there was nothing tying the book up, it was simply frustrating. The lack of climax or payoff at the end of the book was….shocking? Is shocking the right word? I expected the beautiful little threads of character and plot to be woven together in the final moments of the book, yet, in the end, the two main characters hadn’t even met. Not a single point of contention was resolved and there was absolutely no payoff. The entire point of the novel turned out to be to lead into the next book in the series. If you’re a reader who hasn’t read the His Fair Assassin trilogy and who doesn’t like to be rewarded for reading nearly five hundred pages of confusing lore and unfamiliar characters with otherwise fantastic writing sprinkled throughout, this book is totally for you. If not, I’d steer clear. Disappointing, to say the least.
snoopydoo77's review
4.0
*I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley and chose to leave a voluntary review. Thank you!*
I saw this book on Netgalley and it sounded good, it said it is a Duology, which it is, but it is still very connected to the previous trilogy, which I have not read.
That being said I was a little confused in the beginning and had to look it up. Thank heavens for Wikipedia because I did not have the time to read all three books.
Once I was caught up I enjoyed it tremendously. I loved everything about it. The story arc, the writing but I think most if all, the rich and vibrate world building and the characters.
I thought the world was awesome and descriptive , well enough to transport you right there but not overly to be annoyed with. Which can be a fine line.
The same goes for the characters, I couldn’t help but love and root for them, all of it … the good, the bad and the ugly.
The story once I had a better understanding of the previous books was fantastic, I read the book pretty much in one sitting and couldn’t put it down.
Its dark, its snarky and keeps you guessing and interested till the last page.
Overall I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book already. I also will read the previous books in the meantime, I just really liked this author’s work.
I will rate it 4 ★, but just because I think we could have gotten a better background of the other books for new readers of this universe otherwise I thought this book was fantastic.
lisamchuk's review
3.0
I finished this as an audiobook over the course of one day so obviously I enjoyed it - the same fierce characters as the previous trilogy, the same political intrigue, the same horrible baddies - but maybe I’m just tiring of the formula or maybe the real world is so harsh right now or maybe I should ease up on binging the series…anyways the cliffhanger is a big one for this volume so bring on the last and fingers crossed for a happy ending for our fair assassins.
bookph1le's review
4.0
I found the third His Fair Assassin book kind of a letdown, but Sybella's story was by far my favorite of the series, so how could I really say no to this? The author's letter in the arc version is deeply affecting as well.
I loved this book. It was basically tailor-made for me. 4.5 stars. RTC
Full review:
I am a huge fan of the first two books of the His Fair Assassin trilogy, but I found the third book kind of a letdown. Given this, I was ambivalent about reading this book, not sure if I felt like I needed more of its world. What made me decide to read it, though, was seeing that the main character is again Sybella, who was my favorite of the original characters. Her story really resonated and stuck with me, so I knew I wanted to pick this one up again. Some spoilers to follow, though, really, the book doesn't give a whole lot away.
I feel like I wouldn't be doing this book justice if I didn't start with Sybella. From the moment she appeared, I remembered why I love her as much as I do. She's definitely grown since the previous books, but at her core she's still the same fierce, almost feral young woman, and where once her fears were mainly for herself, in this book we get to see the lengths she'll go to in order to protect her sisters. I love what this adds to her character. Sybella spends so much time questioning whether she's a monster, and what works so well about her as a character is that she has reason to worry. In this book as with the previous books, we actually see her struggling with what she thinks is her nature. She not only performs her duties, she sometimes almost loses herself in them, reveling in her ability to take down her opponents. The trauma she's suffered has hardened within her, and it complicates her emotions, giving her something of a release when she has to kill. However, where with previous books she knew she was on a holy mission because of the marque, here she has to decide for herself where the line is and how to toe it. The fact that she has to learn how to live in a world without her guiding light adds a lot to her character.
Moreover, what makes this such a great read is that as compelling as Sybella's internal struggles are, there are plenty of external struggles going on for her to worry about. She has her sisters, as I mentioned before; the continued machinations of her family; and the question of the regent's aims with regard to the newly crowned Queen of France, Anne, duchess of Brittany. The court intrigue in this book was more or less tailor-made for me. Circumstance has forced Anne to make difficult choices, and her alliance with the king could be her making or the downfall of her entire country. Since it's unclear to anyone what the regent, the queen's sister, is trying to achieve, Sybella must also walk a very thin line, trying to protect the duchess while doing her best not to draw the regent's ire. This book is full of action, with plots and counterplots evolving all the time, and LaFevers does a very deft job of blending a fast-moving, action-packed plot with a deep character study of both Sybella and Genevieve, a new character. Introducing Genevieve was a risk, especially when it comes to readers like me who are passionate about Sybella. Had Genevieve not come across well, I might very well have grown impatient and annoyed at having to slog through her chapters in order to return to Sybella, which would have made the book uneven for me.
I'm glad to say that wasn't the case. Genevieve is also extremely compelling, with a fascinating backstory, her own court intrigue to deal with, and her own questions about her mission and what it means for her to serve Mortain. She's also been removed from the convent for some time, sent to another court to act as a sleeper agent, so she has no idea what happened to the convent during the period of time the original trilogy covers. This means she's operating fully in the dark and ultimately decides she has to take matters into her own hands. Yet the book also handles this in a pretty realistic way. Genevieve is still a woman in late fifteenth century France, which means she's subject to patriarchal oppression. I especially loved the way the book handled this with her character. Not only is Genevieve impatient to get on with her mission, something she can't do because she's subject to male authority and can't risk revealing her true nature, she's also posing as a noble when she is, in fact, the daughter of a prostitute. I thought the book did a nice job of exploring the topic of sex work because it never shames Genevieve's mother or her mother's fellow prostitutes, and Genevieve isn't ashamed of the nature of what her mother did. Even when other characters throw her origins in her face, Genevieve is unwavering in her belief that the women among whom she was raised were women of merit.
In general, this is a hallmark of these books. They're very sex positive. Sybella's relationship with Beast has long been a gorgeous example of this. He respects her and her boundaries, even if he's sometimes frustrated by the limits they put on his ability to protect her. The book makes clear that they have a sexual relationship, even though it's not graphic, and it's also clear that it's one of mutual pleasure and mutual consent. Sybella owns her sexuality and it's only one of the aspects of her character that Beast respects. Likewise, with Genevieve, her views on sex are a lot more human, and she's not only aware of the general societal view of sex, she's aware of how toxic that view is. Like Sybella, she doesn't feel any shame about her own sexuality, and she's open to a variety of expressions of it. And like Beast, her own love interest respects her and doesn't objectify her. This book, as with the original trilogy, draws very clear distinctions between healthy and unhealthy sexual and romantic behaviors, and given how problematic YA lit's depiction of romantic relationships can be, I find this topic an especially important one for these books to address.
The romances in this book, as with the previous trilogy, are just so wonderful. There's so much affirmative consent going on in these relationships, and the male love interests treat their female counterparts as intelligent human beings, respecting their abilities both intellectual and physical. There's a satisfying buildup to all of the romances in this world, with the reader getting to witness the growing feelings characters develop for one another, which makes their eventual coming together not only understandable but also triumphant. These women don't make compromises when it comes to love, and the men they're with don't expect it of them. When male characters do make demands of female characters that should send up a warning flag, the books make clear that this is unacceptable. It asks readers to think about what society demands of the women of this period, but it doesn't judge the women for doing what they must, though it does point out how difficult it can be for women to clearly see their own situations.
I don't want to fail to mention that some other old friends return in this book. Ismae makes several appearances and the Arduinnites play a significant role, though I have to say I'd still love a trilogy or duology just about them, since they continue to fascinate. Overall, many of the central players from the trilogy reappear, though I admit that because it's been so long since I read the trilogy, it took me a while to remember who was who. There is a cast of character list at the front of the book, which is helpful, but since this duology takes place right after the trilogy ends, it would have helped me a lot to have gone back and revisited the trilogy before reading this one. I just may do that before the second book drops.
Lastly, this book avoids the thing I find really irksome about a lot of YA books: it doesn't resort to a cliffhanger. There's still plenty here left to explore, and lots of unanswered questions, but none of that feels contrived. Instead, the plot unfurls at a pace that makes sense, and its twists and turns feel organic. Never once did I have the sense that something was happening simply because the plot demanded it happen.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment, and I'm very, very glad to have delved back into this world.
I loved this book. It was basically tailor-made for me. 4.5 stars. RTC
Full review:
I am a huge fan of the first two books of the His Fair Assassin trilogy, but I found the third book kind of a letdown. Given this, I was ambivalent about reading this book, not sure if I felt like I needed more of its world. What made me decide to read it, though, was seeing that the main character is again Sybella, who was my favorite of the original characters. Her story really resonated and stuck with me, so I knew I wanted to pick this one up again. Some spoilers to follow, though, really, the book doesn't give a whole lot away.
I feel like I wouldn't be doing this book justice if I didn't start with Sybella. From the moment she appeared, I remembered why I love her as much as I do. She's definitely grown since the previous books, but at her core she's still the same fierce, almost feral young woman, and where once her fears were mainly for herself, in this book we get to see the lengths she'll go to in order to protect her sisters. I love what this adds to her character. Sybella spends so much time questioning whether she's a monster, and what works so well about her as a character is that she has reason to worry. In this book as with the previous books, we actually see her struggling with what she thinks is her nature. She not only performs her duties, she sometimes almost loses herself in them, reveling in her ability to take down her opponents. The trauma she's suffered has hardened within her, and it complicates her emotions, giving her something of a release when she has to kill. However, where with previous books she knew she was on a holy mission because of the marque, here she has to decide for herself where the line is and how to toe it. The fact that she has to learn how to live in a world without her guiding light adds a lot to her character.
Moreover, what makes this such a great read is that as compelling as Sybella's internal struggles are, there are plenty of external struggles going on for her to worry about. She has her sisters, as I mentioned before; the continued machinations of her family; and the question of the regent's aims with regard to the newly crowned Queen of France, Anne, duchess of Brittany. The court intrigue in this book was more or less tailor-made for me. Circumstance has forced Anne to make difficult choices, and her alliance with the king could be her making or the downfall of her entire country. Since it's unclear to anyone what the regent, the queen's sister, is trying to achieve, Sybella must also walk a very thin line, trying to protect the duchess while doing her best not to draw the regent's ire. This book is full of action, with plots and counterplots evolving all the time, and LaFevers does a very deft job of blending a fast-moving, action-packed plot with a deep character study of both Sybella and Genevieve, a new character. Introducing Genevieve was a risk, especially when it comes to readers like me who are passionate about Sybella. Had Genevieve not come across well, I might very well have grown impatient and annoyed at having to slog through her chapters in order to return to Sybella, which would have made the book uneven for me.
I'm glad to say that wasn't the case. Genevieve is also extremely compelling, with a fascinating backstory, her own court intrigue to deal with, and her own questions about her mission and what it means for her to serve Mortain. She's also been removed from the convent for some time, sent to another court to act as a sleeper agent, so she has no idea what happened to the convent during the period of time the original trilogy covers. This means she's operating fully in the dark and ultimately decides she has to take matters into her own hands. Yet the book also handles this in a pretty realistic way. Genevieve is still a woman in late fifteenth century France, which means she's subject to patriarchal oppression. I especially loved the way the book handled this with her character. Not only is Genevieve impatient to get on with her mission, something she can't do because she's subject to male authority and can't risk revealing her true nature, she's also posing as a noble when she is, in fact, the daughter of a prostitute. I thought the book did a nice job of exploring the topic of sex work because it never shames Genevieve's mother or her mother's fellow prostitutes, and Genevieve isn't ashamed of the nature of what her mother did. Even when other characters throw her origins in her face, Genevieve is unwavering in her belief that the women among whom she was raised were women of merit.
In general, this is a hallmark of these books. They're very sex positive. Sybella's relationship with Beast has long been a gorgeous example of this. He respects her and her boundaries, even if he's sometimes frustrated by the limits they put on his ability to protect her. The book makes clear that they have a sexual relationship, even though it's not graphic, and it's also clear that it's one of mutual pleasure and mutual consent. Sybella owns her sexuality and it's only one of the aspects of her character that Beast respects. Likewise, with Genevieve, her views on sex are a lot more human, and she's not only aware of the general societal view of sex, she's aware of how toxic that view is. Like Sybella, she doesn't feel any shame about her own sexuality, and she's open to a variety of expressions of it. And like Beast, her own love interest respects her and doesn't objectify her. This book, as with the original trilogy, draws very clear distinctions between healthy and unhealthy sexual and romantic behaviors, and given how problematic YA lit's depiction of romantic relationships can be, I find this topic an especially important one for these books to address.
The romances in this book, as with the previous trilogy, are just so wonderful. There's so much affirmative consent going on in these relationships, and the male love interests treat their female counterparts as intelligent human beings, respecting their abilities both intellectual and physical. There's a satisfying buildup to all of the romances in this world, with the reader getting to witness the growing feelings characters develop for one another, which makes their eventual coming together not only understandable but also triumphant. These women don't make compromises when it comes to love, and the men they're with don't expect it of them. When male characters do make demands of female characters that should send up a warning flag, the books make clear that this is unacceptable. It asks readers to think about what society demands of the women of this period, but it doesn't judge the women for doing what they must, though it does point out how difficult it can be for women to clearly see their own situations.
I don't want to fail to mention that some other old friends return in this book. Ismae makes several appearances and the Arduinnites play a significant role, though I have to say I'd still love a trilogy or duology just about them, since they continue to fascinate. Overall, many of the central players from the trilogy reappear, though I admit that because it's been so long since I read the trilogy, it took me a while to remember who was who. There is a cast of character list at the front of the book, which is helpful, but since this duology takes place right after the trilogy ends, it would have helped me a lot to have gone back and revisited the trilogy before reading this one. I just may do that before the second book drops.
Lastly, this book avoids the thing I find really irksome about a lot of YA books: it doesn't resort to a cliffhanger. There's still plenty here left to explore, and lots of unanswered questions, but none of that feels contrived. Instead, the plot unfurls at a pace that makes sense, and its twists and turns feel organic. Never once did I have the sense that something was happening simply because the plot demanded it happen.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment, and I'm very, very glad to have delved back into this world.
jenhurst's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the original trilogy. The combination of historical Brittany with assassins and fantasy made it so interesting. I liked all the characters and their relationships in that series. This one felt very different despite still have Sybell. Sybell as a character in this was still good and I liked her story but the alternative perspective with Genevieve didn’t work for me in this. I didn’t see how the stories connected and I found Genevieve such a boring character. I think maybe my expectations were too high because this was just very okay to me.
danielled75's review
4.0
Courting Darkness is a spin off book from the His Fair Assassin series, it’s been mentioned that you do not need to read the trilogy before starting this, but I’m going to disagree and say that you should read the trilogy first. There are things going on that you may feel lost and confused about.
The book is told in dual POV that goes back and forth between Sybella and Genevieve.
Courting Darkness picks up where Mortal Heart left off and we are following Sybella and Beast. Sybella and her fellow Handmaidens of Death are trying to come to terms with a world that no longer has the presence of Mortain and the mark that guided them, now they need to make choices that they see as being difficult since their training did not prepare them for this.
I was thrilled to see that Sybella and Beast were going to be back, they have an amazing dynamic bond.
We are also introduced to Genevieve, who is an initiate of Mortain. She has been undercover for 5 years in the French court and is starting to feel that the convent has forgotten about her and her mission. I did not care much for Genevieve, she seems to go through the story with blinders on and just wants to do things her way, with no consideration for others and the consequences her choices could lead to.
There is a lot of political intrigue that takes place in the book, which some may find boring and or confusing since there are several houses that are part of the book.
This book is a slow burn since there is no real interaction between Sybella and Genevieve until the end, which seems to be a build up for the second book.
I do plan on picking up the second book in the duology since I love Sybella and I want to see if Genevieve smartens up.
The book is told in dual POV that goes back and forth between Sybella and Genevieve.
Courting Darkness picks up where Mortal Heart left off and we are following Sybella and Beast. Sybella and her fellow Handmaidens of Death are trying to come to terms with a world that no longer has the presence of Mortain and the mark that guided them, now they need to make choices that they see as being difficult since their training did not prepare them for this.
I was thrilled to see that Sybella and Beast were going to be back, they have an amazing dynamic bond.
We are also introduced to Genevieve, who is an initiate of Mortain. She has been undercover for 5 years in the French court and is starting to feel that the convent has forgotten about her and her mission. I did not care much for Genevieve, she seems to go through the story with blinders on and just wants to do things her way, with no consideration for others and the consequences her choices could lead to.
There is a lot of political intrigue that takes place in the book, which some may find boring and or confusing since there are several houses that are part of the book.
This book is a slow burn since there is no real interaction between Sybella and Genevieve until the end, which seems to be a build up for the second book.
I do plan on picking up the second book in the duology since I love Sybella and I want to see if Genevieve smartens up.
alyssakate24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75