Dark Triumph His Fair Assassin Trilogy

I'm so glad I decided to read this. After my attempt at reading an existential grown-up book fell flat, I wanted to indulge in my sudden high fantasy swords and scabbards obsession, thanks to getting into Game of Thrones, without subjecting myself to knights, their swinging cocks and exploitative misogyny. And Robin Lafevers came to my rescue.

Sybella is not an easy woman to handle, but as a character I settled into her head just fine. She has rage and bitterness aplenty, but also a great capacity for love and affection. LaFevers portrays the self-destructive and guilt-ridden mentality of one who suffered from terrible abuse extremely effectively, without making it feel overbearing. The YA market is littered with young women who are constantly questioning themselves, and blame themselves for every small wrong doing that has nothing to do with them. Sybella struggles with imagined guilt, but LaFevers makes it clear and understandable why Sybella feels this way, and you get see how hard she fights to be sure-footed. She believes in her mission, her country, her hatred for her father and her love for the Beast of Waroch. It carries her, and as such she carries the story effortlessly.

The love story between Sybella and Beast is about as natural and real as I have ever read. They are made for each other. Beast, as his name suggests, has all the same ferocity as Sybella, but he also has nobility and an open heart that draws her in. It never feels forced or awkward or creepy, which is commendable considering Sybella's horrible history with men. “You must hate us all,” Beast says at one point, and I wanted leap into the pages and hug him.

A familiar trope is inverted and then eviscerated with the relationship between Sybella and her brother Julian. I once remarked on Tumblr how irritated I get when an author tries to make a rapist sympathetic, that rather than looking for redemption or reconciliation, I just want the mother fucker to die. So I was pretty shocked when I actually found myself getting choked up for Julian. Sybella's stories of her childhood echoed those I have heard from people I know, and I don't know if it was that that moved me or simply that LaFevers artfully allows you to see the pain and suffering that made them both who they are, and allowed Julian to show his sister what she truly means to him, without apologizing for him. That is a masterful feat, one that requires great patience and care as a writer.

Dark Triumph held my attention even without rapid fire pacing. Sybella is a capable killer and soldier, so much so that death is not far from breathing for her. Therefore, the action isn't heart-stopping, though there are still plenty of battles and suspense to keep the interest. But the real motivation behind the story comes from the relationships, for Sybella to be reunited with the people she loves, and for the villain to be brought to justice. You feel and understand Sybella's hatred and fury, but also her love and compassion. The bonds she has with other women – Ismae, Tephanie, her sisters – are all so beautiful and refreshing to see. Even when she engages with women who are antagonistic towards her, it's with understanding.

Robin LaFevers is a rock star, for real, and if you guys haven't jumped on her books yet, you need to, right now.