Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

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This is the second book in the His Fair Assassin series the first being Grave Mercy.

Blurb:

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

I just love this series.  Seriously.  Granted, this book had more emotion in it rather than politics but it was still amazing.  I actually liked this book better than the first one in the series for that reason.

The setting is amazing - I can picture nearly every scene in my head just from the words on the page.

I just love assassin books in general.  The main character is so strong.  However the book finds ways to find cracks in the assassin's armor to keep it real.  I mean, no person is perfectly impenetrable and aloof.

"Jewels can be replaced, cousin.  Independence, once lost, cannot."

The one thing I disliked about this book is the old cliche that a guy and a girl go on a journey together and end up falling in love.  Seriously.  I've never read one book where the main character goes on a trip with the opposite gender and doesn't end up with them either in the middle for at least a little bit or at the end.  It's crazy and annoying and I was almost wishing that Beast wouldn't still love Sybella for the secrets she kept.  I know it's mean of me...

"I cannot tell her I have been moping over a broken heart when I have worked so hard to convince her I have no heart at all."

Speaking of Sybella's secrets, I thought it was just incredible how she's still living with herself after everything she went through.  Her childhood was absolutely horrendous.  Just when I thought she was done revealing secrets about her past, another one would pop out of her mouth.  It was insane!

"And just as love has two sides, so too does Death.  While Ismae will serve as His mercy, I will not, for that is not how He fashioned me.  Every death I have witnessed, every horror I have endured has forged me to be who I am -- Death's justice."

The flow was excellent.  It kept me up reading until 1 am!  It isn't all fast-paced but there is a sense of urgency behind everything so it never gets boring.

“I am left with the conviction that an avalanche would be easier to dissuade than that man.” 

Overall, it was well written but that cliche about Sybella and Beast's relationship knocked off a star.