Now Reading: Grave Mercy by LaFevers

Summary:

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Series: His Fair Assassin #1
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Release Date: 3 April, 2012
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books
Purchase: Amazon
ISBN: 9780547628349
Edition: eBook
Rating: ★★★★★
Review Written: 21 August, 2014

Now Reading: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Perhaps one of the most influential Young Adult novels since it’s publishing in 1993, the Giver can arguably be seen as the introduction to the idea of Dystopian writing. Settled in the idea of an Utopian society that has mastered ‘Sameness’, eleven-year-old Jonas is anxiously waiting the ceremony of twelves, where he (and 49 others in his grouping) will come of age in their society and be handed their assignments in the community. In a surprising twist however, Jonas’s number (19 as he was the 19th birth of that year) is skipped during the ceremony, and he’s appointed with a special assignment, he is to be The Receiver.

The Receiver is an honored and feared position in the community, only a single person can hold the job, and somehow Jonas is it. Thus, Jonas starts his training as the Receiver, slowly growing more isolated from old friends, uncovering secrets, and learning that perhaps the Utopian lifestyle isn’t as grand as it appeared to be.

While the target audience for this tale are middle schoolers who can relate to Jonas, I recommend everyone read this book at least once. It raises questions of human ethics, pushes the boundaries of how far we will go to have a ‘perfect’ society, and what the consequences of Utopian ideals.