WowowowowowWhen I read Grave Mercy, I was always intrigued by Sybella. She was so mysterious and dark and she seemed really troubled. So when I found out that the second book in the His Fair Assassin series was going to be in the point of view of Sybella, I was beyond happy. Yes, I was going to miss Ismae but I was finally going to be inside the brain of the mystery that is Sybella. So as you can tell, I had high expectations. And I was definitely not disappointed! This book is the smallest in the series, but so much happens. Sybella goes through so much character development. It's beautiful. And this book was just perfection. I love this book more than Grave Mercy, and I adored Grave Mercy. Hurray for Dark Triumph because this book was the shit. By the way, Dark Triumph is such a good title. And I love the beast. Just so you know this is a spoiler for Grave Mercy:But I was somewhat hoping that Duval and Ismae would end up together (which they did so hell yea) also that Sybella and the beast would end up together (which they did so double hell yea) and lastly that Annith and that pretty boy, I forgot his name) would end up together but he died so that sucks. ANYWHO EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO AND DEVOUR MORTAL HEART Dark Triumph, while focusing on Sybella instead of Ismae, picks up just where the last one left off. This was something of a disappointment to me, as I was hoping for some fresher ground to tread instead of wading back into the political mire of the duchess vs. D'Albret. However, it turns out there's a very good reason for this-- Sybella is, for all intents and purposes, D'Albret's daughter.What this means for us is we get more torturous backstory about a protagonist who has suffered endlessly at the hands of twisted, abusive men, and frankly, at this point, I find myself a bit numb to it. There's only so much anguish you can heap upon a character before it loses its impact, and the fact that D'Albret is such a two-dimensional villain does little to help. Perhaps if he'd seemed a little more believable I would have stirred myself to feel more hatred towards him, but as it is, he is a caricature, cruelty personified.Another downside is that just like Grave Mercy, the majority of the story is spent without much assassin action happening. Sybella yearns to kill D'Albret, but alas, no marque has appeared. As with Ismae, we sit in impatience with her, waiting for something big to happen.One last minor nitpick. While the first book did a good job at choosing dialogue that could ostensibly be old-fashioned French 'translated' into English for the readers, the dialogue in this book begins to show some cracks. For example, the word "assassin-ing" is used, as well as more casual turns of phrase that stick out a bit.So, what are the bright spots? Sybella, for one (who, refreshingly, considers herself beautiful instead of going the usual YA heroine route of not seeing her own beauty). Her inner thoughts and feelings are exposed to us, and we learn what sort of mask she has in place to protect them from the harsh world in which she grew up. Even when it comes to her love story, she often slips into her comfort zone of covering her vulnerability by feigning scorn or mockery. But we are not fooled, and neither is her love interest.Speaking of the love story, I found it even more enjoyable than book one's. It was slightly less expected, and managed to be very sexy and satisfying. There is a stretch of time where a typical eye-roll-worthy misunderstanding comes into play, with Sybella believing he hates her without actually bothering to speak to him and learn the truth; it's beyond obvious to the reader that he feels no such thing. But otherwise, the relationship makes for a good read.The revelations that come at the end of the book are a blend of "Saw that coming" and "Wait, what?" While the story of Sybella's past is, as mentioned, rather overwrought, I still found myself glued to the book as all the pieces were finally laid onto the table. At its heart, this was a more personal book about the character of Sybella, and she turned out to be interesting enough to carry that on her shoulders despite a slow start.
What do You think about Dark Triumph (2013)?
still a YA, changed main character, but interesting enough.
—chipschoch
