{"id":38288,"date":"2020-08-27T22:35:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T02:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38288"},"modified":"2020-08-27T22:35:49","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T02:35:49","slug":"review-of-igniting-darkness-by-robin-lafevers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=38288","title":{"rendered":"Review of Igniting Darkness, by Robin LaFevers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Igniting Darkness<\/em><\/p>\n

by Robin LaFevers<\/p>\n

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 540 pages.
\nReview written August 27, 2020, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Ahhhhh! Such a magnificent series!<\/p>\n

Series?<\/em> you ask. Isn\u2019t this supposed to be the second book in a duology?<\/em> Well, yes it is, but you can think of the duology as a continuation of the trilogy that began with Grave Mercy<\/a><\/em>, because it begins where the trilogy ended, and you will better understand the characters and relationships of the duology if you\u2019ve already read the trilogy.<\/p>\n

The main way the trilogy is different from the duology is that in the trilogy, each book was a stand-alone story in its own right, though they all went together well. Each book featured a different trained assassin from the convent that served Saint Mortain of Brittany, the god of Death. Each book told a love story, and each love story was different from the one before.<\/p>\n

I got annoyed with the first book of the duology, Courting Darkness<\/a><\/em>, because it did not follow this pattern. Though it did tell of a new daughter of Death from the convent, it did not complete her story at all and most issues were unresolved. All that intricate pulling together of a tapestry of threads was missing.<\/p>\n

Because of my annoyance, I did not preorder my own copy of this book, but just read a library copy. I have already rectified that mistake. I ordered a copy so I can have my own when I reread all five books, which I have no doubt I\u2019m going to want to do from time to time.<\/p>\n

Was I missing intricate tying together of disparate threads? They\u2019re all pulled together here. Courtly intrigue and daring adventure? It\u2019s here. Satisfying love stories? Yes. Apparent doom and an appearance that victory is impossible? Yes. Utterly clever plans to overcome the insurmountable odds? Yes, again we\u2019ve got them.<\/p>\n

And it all comes together in an ending that\u2019s worthy of the five magnificent books.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t say a whole lot about details, since I want those who haven\u2019t started this series to start at the beginning with Grave Mercy.<\/em> I will say this is rich historical fiction of the kind I like best \u2013 for all we know, it could have really happened. It features the Duchy of Brittany, which at the start of the series and in actual history was ruled by a young duchess who had been promised in marriage to competing nobles from various places.<\/p>\n

It also features assassin nuns! In the small touch of fantasy in these books, the heroines are daughters of Mortain, the god Death, one of nine gods of Brittany who were cleaned up and made saints by the Church. They serve the Duchess of Brittany during a time when women aren\u2019t usually given that kind of power. Indeed, the Duchess\u2019s new husband isn\u2019t too happy about her wielding power of her own, and his sister who had been regent before he came of age, has her own plans for holding onto power.<\/p>\n

This is a book of historical political intrigue, of desperate plots within plots, and women apparently without power figuring out what they can do to stand up against evil men who are accustomed to doing anything they want. It does help that those women have gifts from their father, the god of Death, and training from those who serve Death.<\/p>\n

And you are lucky, Dear Reader \u2013 you don\u2019t have to wait for the next book to come out! I\u2019m definitely planning to sit down and read all five books some time in the near future.<\/p>\n

RobinLaFevers.com<\/a>
\nhmhbooks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/igniting_darkness.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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