Courting Darkness

If you have read Robin LaFevers Her Fair Assassin's series, then this is the book you were waiting for. It follows Sybella as she is trying to help the new Queen find her way in an unfriendly court in France. Mortain is dead and she is questioning her role as his assassin. She knows she must find the youngest initiates of Mortain to keep the order alive and well. But they have been in hiding and Sybella doesn't know their true identities. As she makes her way through the intrigues of court, she must protect not only the queen, but her young sisters from their evil brother. With only Beast to protect her, Sybella has to use all her wits to keep those she loves alive- and not always succeeding. On the other end of the story is Genevieve. The young initiate of Mortain. She is waiting for the call, a crow feather, to jump into the action she has been waiting for all her life. When she gets news that the convent has closed, she finds a way to break away from the castle to hunt for her fellow assassins. Before she makes her escape she encounters a prisoner left to rot in a cell in the ground. She takes pity on the man and feeds him in exchange for a dueling partner. When she finds out his true identity, she realizes he will make a great pawn in her negotiations. What she doesn't expect is the feelings she winds up having fore Maraud. Can she really use him to save her order? The book, of course, ends in a cliffhanger so the wait begins to see if either woman can outwit, outlast and outplay those against them. I love this series for the strong, independent women it presents, with the men in the backgroud appreciating what the women can do. It's a message the world needs, and so do I! Start with Grave Mercy and meet the assassins, then catch up with Sybella and Beast in this one. You will be transported to another time and place where anything is possible if you are determined and confident enough. Happy reading my friends!