It's Robin LaFevers. What's not to love? Her world-building is phenomenal and her character development is awe-worthy. I adored Sybella and Beast. Reading Sybella's journey was utterly fascinating. This was a wonderful addition to the world of His Fair Assassin. I look forward to reading the next book in this duology.

I was very happy to return to the world that LaFevers created in the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Courting Darkness was an interesting continuation.

Courting Darkness is the story of two women, Sybella, whose story we heard in Dark Triumph, and Genevieve, a new character. The stories are entirely separate, narrated alternately, and I waited the entire time for their stories to collide. Let's just say, I'm still waiting!

Sybella accompanies the Duchess to France, where she weds the king. Sybella has discovered that there are two trained assassins from St. Mortain’s convent deep undercover in the French court, and she must find them before the danger to her and the Duchess becomes too great.

It has been so long since Genevieve has heard anything from the convent that she isn't sure they even remember her. She finds a forgotten prisoner in the dungeons and decides to escape with him and use his identity to help her save herself and the convent.

The politics, the world, the religion, and the number of characters are all a bit overwhelming, especially since it had been so long since I had read Mortal Hearts, the last book in the previous series. At over 500 pages, I also found Courting Darkness to drag on a bit, especially the part when Genevieve and her escapee are traveling.

I did enjoy the story but didn't enjoy so much the brutal cliffhanger...

I suppose it isn't necessary to read the His Fair Assassin books, but I think I would recommend it. I don't think you can understand the world and the religion without that background. You won't get enough out of this book if read alone. And, honestly, I enjoyed those initial three books better than this one.

If you've read the previous trilogy, then I highly recommend Courting Darkness, even with the problems mentioned above. You just have to experience this story. This is a duology, and I'll be waiting for the second book.

I loved this book. It shows one girls determination to be a normal girl that had a devastating past. It shows determination to make it thru it all. I loved her relationship with the brother & also her connections to her dogs. The trust they put into each other. Beautifully written.

Historical fiction. Assassins. French court. Romance. Sybella. Beast!! Duology!

I was super excited to read this and was 100% not let down. I also agree with others that you don't have to have read LaFevers previous works to understand this.

Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers
BLURB~
“First in a duology, this darkly thrilling page-turner set in the world of the best-selling His Fair Assassin series is perfect for fans of THRONE OF GLASS, RED QUEEN, and GAME OF THRONES. Told in alternating perspectives, when Sybella discovers there is another trained assassin from St. Mortain’s convent deep undercover in the French court, she must use every skill in her arsenal to navigate the deadly royal politics and find her sister in arms before her time—and that of the newly crowned queen—runs out. 

When Sybella accompanies the Duchess to France, she expects trouble, but she isn’t expecting a deadly trap. Surrounded by enemies both known and unknown, Sybella searches for the undercover assassins from the convent of St. Mortain who were placed in the French court years ago.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she no longer knows who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. When she discovers a hidden prisoner who may be of importance, she takes matters into her own hands.
 
As these two worlds collide, the fate of the Duchess, Brittany, and everything Sybella and Genevieve have come to love hangs in the balance.”
Review~
I hadn’t realized this was a spin-off from a previous trilogy, “His Farr Assassin” until after I’d read this book. I will say it can be understood without having read the trilogy prior, but I AM going to read that series. I am certain it will link back enough to add to this novel. “Courting Darkness” is the first in a duology and I can hardly wait for the next installment!
To me, it seems to be a dark fantasy set within almost-historical fiction. It also has a delicious blend of political intrigue, suspense, and romance. (There is some writing with LGTB characters.) One thing I love best: a strong and bad A female MC. In fact, this book gives us two. This story was wonderful to read.
The quality of writing is masterful. The La Fevers has an intuitive ability to write with detail and description effortlessly. You become immersed in French Court and fearful for the MCs as they traverse their ways through the precarious, very true to life scenes. The author keeps you dangling with this one. Even if delighted from cover to cover.
The characters were constructed in such a way that, even though you know and understand their flaws, you find yourself cheering them on. All of the main players felt genuine and robust despite their misgivings. I love how the author used her superior skills to forge a world in which the reader could see and feel come alive! Robin’s acumen for telling a story is apparent throughout the book.
This was such a relishable novel to read. It was easy to follow, even without having read the previous trilogy. I just wish I had waited to read it until it was closer to time for the next one to be released. Highly recommended with 5/5 stars!
I was given this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Kobo, IG, FB, Pinterest, Litsy, and my own blog.
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide links to all sites as I am using my phone.
On various sites I am:
Pinterest~ Pinterest.com/katskraps
Barnes & Noble~ Karyl-Ahn-white_7
Litsy~ Karylahn or Karyl White

Courting Darkness marks the first in a new duology by LaFevers and is a spin off from the 'His Fair Assassin' trilogy. Lady Sybella is back. She has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to France (and soon to be queen), where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope is Sybella’s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.

Enter Genevieve who has been undercover for so many years, she feels utterly alone and out of the loop. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, Gen has no choice but make her move—even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

This first book is about the journey that will lead Sybella and Gen into each other's path. So much is at stake as the fate of everything they hold dear.

Fantastic detail, characterization and pacing!

Courting Darkness is told from two alternating perspectives - Sybella, a lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Brittany and member of a group of assassin nuns who worship Death, and Genevieve, an initiate to the Assassin Nun Club previously sent to go undercover and spy on the French court. It took me way too long to realize that, at the time in which this story takes place, Brittany and France were two separate places. I do not know a lot about French history (see: all my prior posts in which I mention the years I wasted learning German) and so if you, too, don’t know much about medieval French history, you might want to do a wikipedia refresher before you start. Medieval history is not my strong suit. I’m more of an early-modern history person, you know, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. My knowledge of Medieval anything has basically been ruined for me by a combination of Shakespeare and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Anyway, back to Courting Darkness. Genevieve is in a bit of a pickle since she and her fellow assassin nun/spy/friend Margot have been sent away from the French court to live with this lecherous count near Cognac, which is a town, not just booze. (Things I also should have studied before I read this book: a map of France. Which one’s Brittany again? It’s…in the North, right? I’m a moron). There’s been no word from their Death-worshiping Assassin Nun Convent about what they should be doing, and Genevieve is worried the convent may have forgotten about them. To pass the time, she starts chatting with a prisoner who’s been stuck in an oubliette and left to starve to death.

Meanwhile, Sybella is having her own problems. Her family, for one, sucks. Her awful brother Pierre is trying to steal away their sisters, both of whom are currently being fostered/protected from Pierre by Anne, Duchess of Brittany. Meanwhile, there’s been this whole thing between France and Brittany, which only just ended when the Duchess agreed to marry King Charles of France. Great, no more war, right? Only the King’s sister, the Regent (and only ever referred to as such because her name also happens to be Anne…lots of Anne’s back in ye olden times) is the absolute worst. So Sybella, aside from being a badass assassin/death-worshiping nun, has to contend with her awful family constantly trying to steal her sisters away and her duties to the Duchess, now Queen of France and her awful new sister-in-law. If only there were some insiders to the French court for Sybella to consult! Like those two spies sent by the convent a few years back to act as moles…whatever happened to them?

Unfortunately, as hard as I tried, I could never fully get into Courting Darkness. The pages didn’t fly by for me - reading it felt more like work. I can’t pin that on the book itself though because I don’t know how much of the backstory I’m missing - should I have read the His Fair Assassin trilogy first? Probably. Definitely. I mean, I have them on my kindle. I’m constantly surprised by the number of books I have on my kindle that I’d forgotten were there - it’s like getting a present in the form of something you bought but then forgot about. Anyway, Courting Darkness was described as the first in a duology, as though it were a separate series that just happened to be set in the same world…only, to me, it seemed a lot more like this was the fourth book in the His Fair Assassin series. Which is perfectly fine - I mean, reading this has bumped the His Fair Assassin books a little further up my Kindle TBR pile (currently the same height as Denali).

(Also things I should have done: brush up on my close-to-nonexistent knowledge of medieval history).

I also blame my sketchy knowledge of medieval French history. What do you mean Brittany and France were once separate? I mean, sure I know all about the Holy Roman Empire, but France? Ehhh….

Anyway! Courting Darkness! The writing is good, the story starts a bit slow but as the tension builds things get more and more exciting. How do you find your mole if the mole thinks they’re no longer active? Old-timey spycraft for the win. And, even though I’m a class-A didn’t-read-the-books-moron, I still enjoyed the story after quickly skimming through the other books - ultimately, if you’re a fan of the original series, then you’ll definitely want to check this out.

What a twisty read this was. Not only was there danger, death and battles, but both the main characters had to be proficient in all things dealing with the evils of court politics, which really seem like they might be more danger than the actual fights. I was not sure the direction the book was taking or how the two characters were going to intersect (I went into the book blind, having read the synopsis forever ago and basically forgot what I read and just dove into the story, which I think is the best way to start a book!) Sybella is my new hero, just saying, that girl can kick ass and make it look so easy. </p>

So confession time, I have never read the Grave Mercy series but I have always wanted to and I have only heard good things about it. That being said, when I saw that there was going to be a new duology by Robin set in the same world but basically independent of the original series, I was thrilled to jump in finally to this world. Well, I read Courting Darkness and I would not call this a standalone series. It felt more like a continuation of an ongoing issue that I had to piece together as I read, like I was in the middle of the story-line without really any backstory, just dropped on my head in the story during the backlash of Death's death. The world was already created and the characters already established, just a new mystery to solve, which I then lost myself in trying to figure it all out as I read. </p>

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors6/john-milton-poet-better-to-reign-in-hell-than-serve-in.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors6/john-milton-poet-better-to-reign-in-hell-than-serve-in.jpg" width="400" height="400" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="800" /></a></div></p>

Hands down my favorite part of the book was the fighting scenes. They were intense and engaging, having me completely immersed in the battles and danger and I felt like I was there watching it. These ladies are impressive, no doubt. I also loved learning about the death gifts that the girls possessed, each an unusual aspect surrounding death and at times a complete surprise. I found it intriguing how Robin made death manifest in so many ways, be it the grace of a compassionate ending for the wounded to the ability to hear when death is coming to a person- and the amazing fighting skills the girls trained for (making it seem so easy as if it too was a gift of bringing death).</p>

Courting Darkness was such an interesting, dark and complicated read that I really enjoyed. And I have a total case of cover love- check out the new covers for the Grave Mercy series, they are all just so gorgeous. Courting Darkness is listed as a YA novel, but I would not really call this YA (yeah, the content ranged from mistresses, pregnancy complications and lots of gory death which you usually do not see a ton of in YA), more just a historical fantasy. Who would have thought nun assassins would be so cool? Reading this reinforced for me the fact that I am even more excited now to get my hands on the Grave Mercy series, which I already ordered and I will attempt to patiently await their arrival in the mail. I give mad props to Robin for creating this world, these characters and this whole concept for me to enjoy! I will try to contain myself will I wait for the next book in Death's journey.</p>

I reviewed a complimentary copy of this title. Come visit me at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

I read the original His Fair Assassin trilogy during my senior year of college and absolutely loved them. I’ve since reread them all and loved them just as much. Returning to this world in Courting Darkness was like coming home. I loved that we got glimpses of the characters from the original trilogy and that Sybella was one of the main characters in this duology! Genevieve was an excellent addition, I can’t wait to see what happens next in her storyline.

I love how LaFevers creates characters that are so beautifully, realistically flawed. They make mistakes and have to figure out how to move forward afterward. I also love that each of the female characters is strong in a different way and that those differences are celebrated. Plus the plot for this one was so engrossing and engaging, I just flew through it. I would like to note that you really need to read the original trilogy before delving into this one because there are MAJOR spoilers.

Anyway, I highly recommend all four of these books! They have court intrigue, found family, some excellent world-building, and incredible characters. Plus Assassin nuns (which really should be all that I need to say).

Courting Darkness is a spin off book from the His Fair Assassin series, it’s been mentioned that you do not need to read the trilogy before starting this, but I’m going to disagree and say that you should read the trilogy first. There are things going on that you may feel lost and confused about.

The book is told in dual POV that goes back and forth between Sybella and Genevieve.

Courting Darkness picks up where Mortal Heart left off and we are following Sybella and Beast. Sybella and her fellow Handmaidens of Death are trying to come to terms with a world that no longer has the presence of Mortain and the mark that guided them, now they need to make choices that they see as being difficult since their training did not prepare them for this.

I was thrilled to see that Sybella and Beast were going to be back, they have an amazing dynamic bond.

We are also introduced to Genevieve, who is an initiate of Mortain. She has been undercover for 5 years in the French court and is starting to feel that the convent has forgotten about her and her mission. I did not care much for Genevieve, she seems to go through the story with blinders on and just wants to do things her way, with no consideration for others and the consequences her choices could lead to.

There is a lot of political intrigue that takes place in the book, which some may find boring and or confusing since there are several houses that are part of the book.

This book is a slow burn since there is no real interaction between Sybella and Genevieve until the end, which seems to be a build up for the second book.

I do plan on picking up the second book in the duology since I love Sybella and I want to see if Genevieve smartens up.

When I had heard that there were going to be more books in the His Fair Assassin series, I was ecstatic. The series is one of my favorites, and always will be. The mix of historical fiction with a bit of the supernatural has been interwoven so seamlessly, and I applaud LaFevers' craft for this. I appreciate books that add supernatural elements to historical events, but in fact remain true to the original story.

I'll admit, I thought that Courting Darkness was going to be more of a side story with the previous characters in the series to have small cameos. I expected this because it was promoted as such. But in fact, I do believe that this is a straight up sequel to the other books. It basically picks up where the third book left off, and Sybella is featured heavily throughout the book. I wish it had been marketed as a sequel and included more appearances from characters like Beast and Annith.

With that aside, I was just as hooked and found the plot to be intriguing as the other three books in this world. There is always some political twist or someone lurking in the shadows. If you love history, I highly recommend this one.

I was so happy to be returning to this world. I really enjoyed the first three books and found this one to be like meeting an old friend and catching up with them. It was also a thrill to meet our new friend Genevieve, she is just as complicated and awesome as the other ladies in this series.

I was very happy to have the story continue and to see some of the old characters from the original three books. Sybella’s story is still as compelling and heartbreaking. She will do anything to protect her sister’s from her nasty and evil brother, and she pretty much does. She is struggling with not having Mortain to guide her any more, but she pushes on and is able to justify her actions for the most part as necessary. I still enjoy seeing her with Beast too. They have a solid relationship that is very supportive of each other.

Genevieve is the new novitiate of the convent, and her back story is just as amazing as the others. Even though she has been away from the convent for a long time, she maintained her training and didn’t give up that she would be needed one day. She can be compassionate though, as she was with Maraud, a prisoner that she helped escape. Yes, her motive to help him was driven by selfish desires, but she still did it instead of leaving him to die. She does make some questionable decisions and mistakes along the way, but I still really liked her.

The plot for this book was a bit slow, and at times confusing. I don’t have clear memories of the first three books having read them a long time ago, so some of the politics were not as clear as they could be. But on the plus side there were some awesome action scenes were the two assassins were able to show their stuff. Also there were some mentions of Mortain being gone and I can’t for the life of me remember what happened with that story line. Lots of secondary characters to hate and love too. I haven’t decided about how I feel about the King of France yet.

The story is told from two points of view and it is really two stories running parallel to each other. Sybella and Genevieve spend the entire book apart, doing their own thing and getting their own stuff taken care of.

A good continuation of the original trilogy. I think I will try to reread the whole series before the next book comes out next year though, I think it will make them much more enjoyable.

Posted to Goodreads: Sybella is the trained assassin of Saint Mortain. She is a servant of death who has been assigned to protect the Duchess of Brittany. Sybella will accompany the Duchess on her journey to France to marry the King and become Queen. Sybella knows that they are vipers in the French Court and she will do whatever it takes to protect her Duchess. Genevieve has been undercover for Saint Mortain for years however when tragedy strikes and the rules from the convent change she must do what it takes to survive. Genevieve with the help of a prisoner she liberates will go on journey to the French Court to try to save herself and her beloved convent.

I was a fan of LaFevers' "His Fair Assassins" but I didn't enjoy "Courting Darkness" anywhere new as much. It was nice to revisit Sybella and get more of the story of palace intrigue at the French court. However, I found Genevieve's story to be a little lacking and at times boring. It felt like much of her story was spent with he reader waiting for something to happen.

Robin LaFevers latest offering, Courting Darkness, is the first book in a new duology that follows some of the beloved characters from the popular His Fair Assassin series on a new adventure. I didn’t realize this was connected to the other series when I requested it, but aside from a few moments of confusion here and there, I was able to settle into the story and read it without too much difficulty.

Set in 15th century France, this story is full of secrets, lies, and danger as it revolves around conflicts between France and Brittany. It is presented in alternating points of view from two assassin nuns, Sybella and Genevieve, who were trained at the convent of Saint Mortain. I was a little confused about what exactly they were supposed to be doing, but the gist is that Genevieve is deep undercover in the French courts and has been so for years, awaiting word of her next mission, while Sybella is stationed with the Duchess of Brittany and ends up accompanying her to France when it is agreed that the Duchess should marry the King of France. While there, Sybella and the Duchess find themselves in hostile territory with Sybella’s siblings in the line of fire. Determined to protect her sisters at all costs, Sybella starts scoping out all of the ladies in the French court, hoping to figure out which one is her fellow assassin so that the next phase of their mission can move forward.

While the politics, the deceits and the whole idea of assassin nuns are all quite interesting, even if a little confusing at times, my favorite part of the story was actually Sybella and Beast, one of the royal guards. Their relationship was so sweet and it was ultimately what kept me turning the pages. From what I’m hearing, they are a favorite pairing from His Fair Assassin so I definitely plan to go back and read more about those two, especially since I really did enjoy LaFevers’ fluid writing style. I didn’t care for Genevieve quite as much as Sybella but I have a feeling that will change based on the excellent cliffhanger we’re left with at the end of Courting Darkness.

I think Courting Darkness would have been an even better read for me if I had gone into it after reading the His Fair Assassins trilogy, but I still found it to be an exciting read, especially for anyone who is into political intrigue. 3.5 STARS

3.5 stars

I really liked the His Fair Assassin trilogy, so when I saw that the author was writing a follow-up duology featuring some of the same characters, I was eager to get my hands on it.

One of the two main characters is Sybella, the heroine of the last book in the previous series; the other is Genevieve, another of Mortain’s daughters. The action picks up right after the battle that ended Mortal Heart, and Sybella is in the thick of things as Anne of Brittany honors her promise to marry the King of France to end the conflict between their countries. In addition to dealing with the plots surrounding Anne, Sybella is threatened by her cruel brother, Pierre, who wants to use their sisters as part of his own schemes. Meanwhile, Genevieve has been waiting for years to learn how she is to serve Mortain, but orders have never come. She decides to act on her own, in the process rescuing a prisoner who has own his role to play in the convoluted politics of the day. Even though she has the best of intentions, Genevieve’s lack of knowledge is a dangerous thing, and the consequences of her choices could be devastating.

I struggled a bit at the beginning of the book because I had forgotten much of what happened in Mortal Heart. I did eventually (mostly) sort out who was who and the basics of the earlier action, but I’d recommend rereading the earlier novels, or at least Sybella’s story, before tackling this one.

I like Sybella as a character and enjoyed reading more of her adventures, but I never quite warmed to Genevieve. I think the author’s choice to tell the story from two different viewpoints kept me from really connecting with Genevieve. As soon as I started to get caught up in Genevieve’s part of the story, the action would shift to Sybella, who in my opinion is a more dynamic character. It doesn’t help that Genevieve constantly makes questionable decisions, some of which could have been avoided if she wasn’t so stubborn about refusing to trust or take advice from others. That quickly got frustrating for me.

The author does do a terrific job of joining the fantasy elements of her story with the history of the period. Many of her characters are based on real people, and their actions are broadly true to life. The addition of the powers bestowed by Celtic gods on the Bretons who worship them just adds interest to what was clearly a very turbulent time, one in which life could be brutal.

It’s not the place to start if you are new to LaFever’s work, but I’d definitely recommend this book to fans of the previous series. It does end on an, “Oh, no, what now?” note rather than being a complete story in itself, though. If you’re the kind of reader who doesn’t enjoy that sort of ending, I’d suggest waiting until the second book comes out next year and gorging on both then.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a review.

I recently read the His Fair Assassin trilogy and absolutely loved it and the characters. I am so glad I read them before reading Courting Darkness. You definitely do not need to read the trilogy first but I believe it will really enhance your reading experience by getting you to understand the secondary characters, the lore of the world, and etc. Plus the events of Courting Darkness take place pretty much right after the end of the His Fair Assassin trilogy and the main character Sybella is one of the MCs from the trilogy.

I very much loved that we got to read more from Sybella's viewpoint, she was my favorite character from His Fair Assassin.

I was not a huge fan of Genevieve, I do feel she was a bit whiny but I get it at the same time.

I do recommend this book!

This encore to the His Fair Assassins trio was told in alternating perspectives and offered fascinating glimpses of 15th Century France and Brittany. The court intrigue - as well as the private struggles faced by the main characters - kept the plot moving.

Two daughters of Mortain, god of death, find themselves caught in the machinations of the French court; Raised in a convent and trained in the arts of death (assassination, poisons, hand-to-hand combat, et al), Lady Sybilla and Lady Genevieve have been sent to different noble households in service to their order and to Anne, the Duchess of Brittany. Brittany's war with France is ended by Anne's marriage to King Charles VIII of France. The King is heavily influenced by his sister Anne, who has acted as regent and is loathe to surrender her power.. She is also not going to let anyone = particularly Lady Sybilla - get in her way. The twists and turns of the story reveal secret plots and personal agendas. An exciting read - can;t wait for the next book!

I was so excited to be back in the world of assassin nuns, courtly machinations, and Brittany vs France. For the most part, I got what I was looking for. .

.

This book follows Sybella from the second His Fair Assassin book as well as introduces a new point of view character - Genevieve. Sybella is accompanying Anne the Duchess to France as she prepares to marry the King. Meanwhile Genevieve has basically been a sleeper at the French court since she was 12 and has been waiting to hear from Mortain’s convent. .

.

Unfortunately Sybella and Genevieve don’t cross paths - I think we have to wait until the sequel for that. .

.

I did very much enjoy both romances. I found Sybella much more easy to gel with. Genevieve is one where I’m all girl what are you even doing? I did also feel like at some points the book dragged on and I was confused about what was going on - mainly because it’s been years since I read the His Fair Assassin trilogy. Still, it was great to be back in this world and now I am desperate for the next boo

I have loved the His Fair Assassin trilogy since the very gruesome, action packed beginning and as the series progressed, it only seemed to get better but not only was the writing better but but as the story grew, as the characters grew, so did the very heart of the story itself. I was so sad to say goodbye to all the wonderful daughters of Death. I felt like I grew with them. Became friends with them and most of all, I cared about them and wanted to see them all happy, in whatever way that meant for each of them.

When I learned that the series wasn't over but would in fact, have two more books added in a spin-off, I was beyond thrilled.

Courting Darkness was every bit as deliciously dark, enthralling and exciting as the first three books. With everything we have come to expect and love about LaFevers books, characters and her ability to weave a tale of gods and darkness and death that only she can do, it had me turning the pages and not wanting to put it down.

Every bit as enchanting as the first three, Courting Darkness will have you on edge, eagerly turning pages wanting to both devour it and make it last forever. I can not wait for more!

I was really excited when I was approved for an e-galley of Courting Darkness by Robin LaFevers because I'd heard nothing but great things about the His Fair Assassin series, but, despite being marketed as a separate series, I had absolutely no idea what what going on in the beginning of the book. The first 100 pages were totally confusing, and I had to look up what happened in the other books to understand what was going on. That really annoyed me because I felt that because it was marketed as a separate entity from the His Fair Assassin series then it should be able to stand on its own with no previous knowledge. For example, the Six of Crows duology takes place in the same world as the Grisha Trilogy and there are some nods to it in the books, but you don't need to have read it to understand what's going on. That really put me off of the book initially, but as I got further and further into the story I began to enjoy it more. The writing itself was beautiful, and the character development --divine. I'm sure I would have enjoyed the world more if there was any actual world building and the author didn't just rely on the reader's previous knowledge. In conclusion I have Courting Darkness three out of five stars for being entertaining yet confusing would only recommend Courting Darkness to someone who has already read and loved the His Fair Assassin series.