Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

Posted April 7, 2013 | 20 Comments

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFeversDark Triumph
Author: Robin LaFevers
Series: His Fair Assassin #2
Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 2, 2013
Format: eARC
Pages: 385
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

I lean forward, pushing my body out past the battlements. The wind plucks at my cloak, buffets against me, as if it would carry me off in flight, just like the birds or the knight's soul. Let go, it cries, I will take you far, far away. I want to laugh at the exhilarating feeling, I will catch you, it whistles seductively.

The convent has returned Sybella to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

*Deep breath* My poor heart hurts. This book … wow. Grave Mercy was perfection in my eyes, and I couldn’t imagine Robin LaFevers topping it. But she did! She really, really did. Dark Triumph was amazing! It took me on an emotional rollercoaster that I never wanted to end.

At the end of Grave Mercy we get Ismae’s perspective of a certain event, and at the beginning of Dark Triumph we get Sybella’s perspective of the same event. That’s where the story starts. I loved that the author overlapped them this way. We are immediately thrust into the dark, twisted world that Sybella is subjected to. While a war rages on, Sybella must work from within on the orders of the abbess. But her path becomes muddled when she receives new orders, and may take away the one a thing she wanted.

Sybella was not in Grave Mercy very much, but I loved her even then. So I was ecstatic when I found out that Dark Triumph would be her story. And Beast! He was one of my most favorite characters in Grave Mercy too, so I did a total happy dance about their pairing in this.

Sybella. My soul sister. I love this girl like you wouldn’t believe. It’s because of her that I favor Dark Triumph a little more than Grave Mercy. I adore Ismae, but I connect with Sybella a lot more. She has a lot of anger from all of the cruelty she has encountered in her 17 years, and doesn’t hesitate to kill those with the a marque… sometimes those without. Yet, she is always protecting the innocent and those she cares about. I think Sybella is an absolutely beautiful character.

Then there is Beast, the most beautiful ugly man there is. I want my own Beast! I don’t know if LaFevers planned this matching from the very beginning or not, but these two are perfect together. When they fought side by side, it was … wow, stunning. And the way he handled Sybella was so unbelievably good. I mean, it really does leave me at a loss for words.

I love that Sybella is the main character of Dark Triumph, but I’m also glad that we get to see Ismae again. Especially from Sybella’s perspective.  I can’t even tell you how much I love their relationship. I seriously get choked up thinking about the beauty of it. I can’t wait see Annith with them again (hopefully!).

It’s so hard to write about Dark Triumph. Like I said, it’s very emotional, and I’m not exactly the best at conveying all of those feeling into words. I can say how I loved everything until I’m blue in the face, but that doesn’t come close to doing this book justice. I laughed, I cried, and pretty much everything in between. I had to take breaks from reading at certain points, because my vision was so blurred with tears – both sad and happy. As much as this book put me through, it left me with a huge smile.

I am telling you, if you haven’t started this series yet, then you need to immediately. I’m being dead serious. Now. Go!

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20 responses to “Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers”

  3. Sam

    I’ve read a little about Beast in other reviews, but I think you’re the first to truly make me want to meet him. 😉 I’m glad you liked this! I had a few mixed thoughts about Grave Mercy (mostly because of the heavy political aspect of the plot), but I’m really excited about reading this one. Great review!
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    • Christy

      Yeah, I just noticed that some people are trying to keep it a secret that Beast is in this the way he is. I don’t know why since it’s in the epilogue of GM. Plus, Robin has talked about it in interviews. Unless they are trying to make it spoiler free for those who haven’t read GM yet, but still.

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  9. Lily B

    I don’t know 🙁 I downloaded a sample from Grave Mercy because I was so curious.. but I just couldn’t get past it, wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I might pick it up one day, maybe I needed to be in a different mood. I like your review though, the character sounds very deep, emotional and interesting. Glad you enjoyed it!
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  10. Michelle
    Twitter:

    I love that you loved this book so much! and that you said it was emotional. I agree, that can make reviews harder to write. For me anyways, it makes it harder to put my opinion into words. Looks like I have another book to add to my TBR list.

    Hope your week is off to a great start Christy! 🙂 Great review
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  16. Melissa

    I just read this book over the weekend (haven’t done my review yet) but I agree, it was fantastic. It took me about 50 pages to get into the story but once I did I absolutely had to know how it was going to work out for Sybella. I was a little disappointed when I read that the second book was moving away from Ismae and over to Sybella but now, I’m so glad it did! Her story was fantastic and emotional and wonderful. I can’t wait for Annith’s story now. (PS This might have been my favorite book this year. Definitely a top three).
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