Posted on Dark Faerie Tales.Last year, R.L. LaFevers debuted Grave Mercy, a captivating story about a young, female assassin who was devoted to a saint of death. This year, an anticipated follow up to the His Fair Assassin series, Dark Triumph, will release. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this, and once I did, I was so grateful. I promise I won’t reveal too much, and mostly gush over LaFevers amazing talent.Sybella has her own part to play with the events that took place in Grave Mercy, and in Dark Triumph, she shows the reader her own set of talents. Sybella has returned to a life that she escaped years ago. She escaped from a tyrant father, a brother too close for comfort, and a life that she did not belong in. But when the convent sends her back, she must do what she can to uphold Saint Mortain’s wishes, even if she does not believe in them. Secrets are unveiled and Sybella must stay faithful, despite what comes her way. The only question is if she can hold on to faith that long.Sybella has a very dark story. It is filled with despair and melancholy, painting the pages with murky images. Sybella has no happiness in her life, only filled with hopelessness. But LaFevers wrote her story in what seems like a personal way. It is filled with grief and you can’t help but love Sybella. Whatever I felt in Grave Mercy towards Sybella has been erased and learned anew in Dark Triumph. Sybella lacked love and I suffered through each scene, longing for her to get what she wanted. I yearned for a happy ending for Sybella, and each page, my connection with her became deeper and deeper.In Dark Triumph, LaFevers brings a different set of characters, some new and some old. But what differs from Grave Mercy to Dark Triumph is the attitude and persona brought by each character. True, the story brings a darkness that isn’t fully there in Grave Mercy, but these characters are aggressive and menacing. LaFevers didn’t pull any punches when it came to writing her characters, and it felt (to me at least) that this story wouldn’t get a happy ending.Most of Dark Triumph takes place in one primary setting, and in the bleakest moments, LaFevers manages to bring that setting to life. Dungeons, castle walls, and behind closed doors were settings for secrets, and it made it easy for the reader to focus on the story. But I will say that regardless of the purpose of the setting, the world that LaFevers created complimented the bleak mood of the story.There are variant degrees of passion, both on the positive and negative side. Anger, revenge, infatuation, and love. All of these play a part in the story and LaFevers weaves them into the story well. Paced beautifully, Dark Triumph has been one of the best-voiced stories I’ve read in a while. There are transformations that happen and these transitions happen seamlessly. Time escaped me, as I read through the story and before I knew it, Dark Triumph was over.R.L. LaFevers is an amazing author, and Dark Triumph is just another example of that. I highly urge you to pick up and read Dark Triumph and learn of Sybella’s story.
