I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting Sybella and a new daughter of Mortain in this companion story to His Fair Assassin series. The adventure and romance is perfect. The machinations of the nobility are subtle and evilly delicious. I am only sad that the wait is so long for the next book.

What could be more exciting than a return to the Fair Assassins world? I absolutely loved the first three books and was not disappointed in Courting Darkness, the beginning to a new set of adventures and political intrigue. The Duchess, now Queen, has married the king of France, and is making the painful transition to a new life where her uncertain relationship with her new husband is being undermined at every step by the conniving Regent. Sybella, with the help of Beast, continues to protect the Queen while simultaneously fighting off her own evil brother. Meanwhile, there’s Genevieve, another initiate with lots of emotional baggage who’s been undercover for five long years waiting for a sign from the convent. She develops an irregular relationship with a mysterious prisoner that promises to become much more even as it gets complicated by even more political machinations. As to be expected, there is a lot of sneaking about, killing, poisons, battles, plans gone wrong. Now, I can’t wait for the next book!

Sybella has always been my favorite of the original trilogy protagonists, so I loved reading another book from her perspective. Having the addition of Geneveive's story was also really enjoyable. She was a unique combination of skillfully trained yet emotionally naïve, and I'm excited to see where her story leads.
While the ARC contains a list of characters at the beginning, it doesn't give a full background/reminder of the characters' relationships to each other. If you're like me and don't have a photographic memory for such details from books you read years ago, you might want to reread the original trilogy (or at least Annith's story), before jumping into this one.
Overall, this was a very welcome addition to the series. Plenty of royal intrigue, political machinations, young romance, and, of course, ass-kicking.

Robin LaFevers has crafted a spell-binding tale that hooks you in from the very first page and never quite releases you---even after you read the last page.

This duology is perfect for you if you are a fan of nun assassins, court politics/intrigue, indescribable powers, love, and fierce heroines.

If that’s not enough to convince you to read this book, allow me to explain further.

Courting Darkness is the first book in a new duology by Robin LaFevers. This book follows two young women, Sybella and Genevieve. If you read her previous My Fair Assassin trilogy, then you have already met Sybella. However, you do not need to have read the trilogy in order to understand and enjoy Courting Darkness. It’s been years since I read the trilogy and I was able to follow the story rather easily. Also, if you have read the trilogy then you’ll enjoy the cameos from some of your favorite characters.

Sybella and Genevieve have never met, but both are daughters of Saint Mortain, the saint of death. Both girls were sent to a convent dedicated to Mortain when they were young, however, Genevieve was sent on assignment at the young age of 12. Genevieve was sent to infiltrate the French court and serve as a spy. But, it’s been 5 years and she hasn’t received any assignments or word from the convent. Meanwhile, Sybella is a handmaiden to the Duchess of Brittany who is also soon to be the Queen of France.

Both girls are surrounded by the intricate and dangerous politics of the French court. It's just a matter of Sybella finding Genevieve and recruiting her to help serve the Duchess. But, this proves difficult when Sybella finds out that no one knows what Genevieve looks like or how to contact her. Meanwhile, Genevieve is starting to take it upon herself to serve the convent without receiving any direct orders. She's tired of waiting; she's ready to put her training to good use.

Honestly, I cannot recommend or praise this book enough. The writing is incredible, the characters are fully fleshed out, the setting is authentic and realistic for the time period, and I couldn’t ever put the book down. I devoured this book in one sitting.

Beware, Courting Darkness ends on a cliffhanger. You will need and want the next book as soon as you finish reading this book. Somehow, we will have to find a way to survive the wait for the next book.

Now, excuse me while I go reread the trilogy as a means of satisfying my hunger for the next installment in this duology.

I saw this book on Netgalley and it sounded good, it said it is a Duology, which it is, but it is still very connected to the previous trilogy, which I have not read.
That being said I was a little confused in the beginning and had to look it up. Thank heavens for Wikipedia because I did not have the time to read all three books.
Once I was caught up I enjoyed it tremendously. I loved everything about it. The story arc, the writing but I think most if all, the rich and vibrate world building and the characters.
I thought the world was awesome and descripted so well, well enough to transport you right there but not overly to be annoyed with. Which can be a fine line.
The same goes for the characters, I couldn’t help but love and root for them, all of it … the good, the bad and the ugly.
The story once I had a better understanding of the previous books was fantastic, I read the book pretty much in one sitting and couldn’t put it down.
Its dark, its snarky and keeps you guessing and interested till the last page.
Overall I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next book already. I also will read the previous books in the meantime, I just really liked this author’s work.
I will rate it 4 ★, but just because I think we could have gotten a better background of the other books for new readers of this universe otherwise I thought this book was fantastic.

As someone who was completely surprised to fall in love with the original trilogy, I was delighted to see that a spin-off duology would be coming. However, I find myself respectfully disagreeing with the author’s statement that you don’t have to have read the first 3 books in order to know what’s going on here. Though technically perhaps true, there is almost no recap provided to remind old readers or more importantly let new readers in on the Gods of Brittany, the politics of the time, and the unique nature of the Convent.

To me, this was very much a plot book rather than a book that truly dives into nitty-gritty of character growth, something I was expecting far more of given the first 3 books not to mention the incredible length of this novel. It is overall well paced though I felt its length toward the end. A fine one time read for me, an optional purchase at libraries where the original trilogy remains popular and fresh in readers’ minds.

The world of His Fair Assassins is one of the most vividly thought out and portrayed that I have experienced in recent years. I was so happy to hear that we would be returning to this fantastical land of ancient gods that intersects with real world history and the story of Anne of Brittany. It was hard to see Sybella go through yet more obstacles when things have already been so difficult for her, but that’s the price we pay for more Sybella! I loved watching her journey continue, and Genevieve is a great addition to the series. Highly recommended,

LaFevers can honestly do no wrong to me, and I have no problem with that. I will happily read whatever she writes.

Summary
This book follows the story of Sybella, a character from the original trilogy, as well as a new character named Genevieve. The lives of these trained female assassins collide and they must survive the strife and tribulation that is the French Court. New information is discovered and beloved characters are put to the test. Sybella travels with the duchess to court, where her majesty is set to marry the king. Genevieve releases a man from prison and travels to her destiny. Both stories intertwine and Mortain is as deadly as ever!

Likes
I loved this book. I originally picked up the trilogy because of the time period. I truly love historical fiction and this was an interesting era for me to learn more about. I felt the same vibe and magic as I did in the originals, in this story. I loved learning more about Sybella and her true passion to protect the duchess as well as her relationship with the Beast. I remember them being a favorite of mine! (I checked and I actually read the trilogy in 2014-2015). I also found Genevieve to be amazing. Her character development was great and I liked how she fit in to the story. That's another point: anyone who knows me knows that I usually cannot stand dual perspective novels. That was not the case with Courting Darkness! I found it easy to follow and the intertwining made sense, so it wasn't all over the place and disconnected. The female assassin thing is always a favorite of mine. I love badass female characters who can stand up for themselves and kick some ass. These characters are no different!

Dislikes
With a 5/5 rating, I can't fault this book for much. I thought that it was an amazing idea to continue the story of Sybella and introduce a new character to love, too. The only complaint I have is that the next book comes out in 2020 and since I'm reading an advanced copy, that is far too long!! I can't wait to be able to read that one, too.

Recommendation
I would recommend this book to fans of the original trilogy, as well as anyone who enjoys historical fiction. While there are fantasy elements, I actually like that it's more realistic than other novels of this type!

Happy reading! ~ Taylor

It's been several years since I finished LeFevers "His Fair Assassins" trilogy, but picking up "Courting Darkness" is like I never really left that world. The world building and character develop is fantastic. I love Genevieve's character and her inner strength and determination. She doesn't always make the right choice and she has doubts about her path, but that shows her humanity. I'm looking forward to the future books in this series.

Overall, I enjoyed Courting Darkness. For readers unfamiliar with the original trilogy though, I don’t think it would be nearly as meaningful without background knowledge and key details. It’s your typical thrilling fantasy novel with two kickass heroines to boot, but relative to LaFevers’ other work, I was left feeling slightly (very slightly) disappointed, which sounds dramatic because it was a thoroughly exhilarating reading experience. Love, love, love the new character Genevieve. Her character development is on point, so I’m willing to look over the fact that the storyline meandered at certain points. I’m not too much a fan of multiple perspectives in a story, since it interferes with the natural flow of events, but I think LaFevers is one of the better writers applying this particular technique. I would highly recommend the book to someone who has read at least one of the His Fair Assassins books beforehand.

There is something really wrong with this book, and that something is that I will have to wait for almost two years for the next book in the series! I guess I will have to go back and read the first series again in the meantime.

This book alternates between Sybella and Genevieve, both nuns of St Mortain. Meant to be able to be read without reading the Grave Mercy series, but I believe without reading the first series I would not have understood a lot of what was going on in this book. That being said, I found this a quick and entertaining read but have to admit I was a little disappointed that the book ended without any of the loose ends being tied up. It would have been nice to at least let us off the hook for a few things without having to wait for the next book.

I am a long term fan of Robin LaFevers His Fair Assassins trilogy so when I found out there was more being written within this world, I was THRILLED!

I could tell immediately the improvement of LaFevers writing. It was amazing in the past but I found it even more fluid this time around. We are introduced to a new strong character by the name of Sybella who seems to have been abandoned by the covent. Lucky with her brave and strong personality, even when facing old foes, she finds her way through hard times. I do feel like you NEED to read the previous trilogy to immerse yourself fully in this world. There are some major characters we brush on in this book that I was glad to know of beforehand.

I HIGHLY recommend adding this one to your tbr's. Yes, it comes out in February which is some time to wait but oh man, it is worth it!

The book was just like the first series and continues the woman assassin's story. While it has been awhile since I read His Fair Assassin trilogy that did not seem to be a problem while reading this book.
I enjoyed the premise but some parts felt drawn out.

Plot. The plot and premise of this book is what really drew me in. This is my first LaFevers book, I have not read His Fair Assassin trilogy. The idea of lady assassins in the 15th century French court sounded so freaking cool!

Characters. This is where my rating really comes into play. I LOVED Sybella. And Beast. And her whole story. She was hands down my favorite character. She protected the ones she loved. She accepted help from the ones she loved. She was a total BA. I did NOT like Genevieve. She was a piece of crap! Seriously. She was selfish, stuck-up, and judgmental. I hated when it was her turn for the story. Except when Maurad came into the story more often. I loved Maurad. She doesn’t deserve Maurad. I honestly couldn’t stand reading about Gen. I think it would have been better if there had been character growth, but no. She was pretty much the same person the whole way through. I really hope the next book makes her better. I like a character driven story, and I’m all about nasty characters that turn a new leaf OR nasty characters that you can understand. Gen was neither.

World. I like that I didn’t have to to read this new one. However, it may have helped because a lot of the politics and world weren’t explained that much. I understood that there were gifts bestowed on you depending on which of the saints you served, but that was all I understood. Like, is this a Percy Jackson thing where if you serve the saint, they are your parent? I don’t know a lot of 15th century history, but this book could have gone into more detail with it. I understand that this is very loosely based on actual history, but it tried too hard to ride the line. In my opinion, it needed to go one way or the other. Again, maybe things were more explained in the previous trilogy. One more thing, I think the author could have done without the whole wailing on Christians thing. I get it, everyone hates us. But just saying, Catholicism and Christian religion are different.

Final Thoughts. So, I feel kind of bad now. It seems as though I’ve only had bad things to say. The confusing world and Genevieve were really the only down sides. I enjoyed reading this story and still want to read the original trilogy. Courting Darkness was a highly entertaining read that kept me coming back for more! I DO recommend if you like YA Historical Fiction! I can’t wait to read the next book and see how Sybella comes into her new powers, and to see if Gen has a change of heart!

I was so excited to read this fourth book in the series (or first in a duology?). It's definitely not a standalone series and focuses on Sybella and a new character Genevieve. I expected to breeze through this book as I did for the other three -- so engrossed I was in the stories. Unfortunately, it took a lot longer to get into the story and I'm not exactly sure why. Perhaps because I felt Genevieve's new character paled to Sybella's? Or maybe because of Mortain's own storyline at the end of the 3rd book? I will read any book by Ms. LaFevers, however this one fell a little short of my expectations. Still a worthwhile read for sure, full of history, action, and slight romance, yet something was lacking that I couldn't pinpoint.

Oh how I love this series!

Sybella is of course the most amazing of the assassin nuns stationed throughout 14th century Brittany and France. Now that the war is over her mission is to keep her sisters safe from their evil brother. That means accompanying the Duchess to France for her wedding. Even though the war is over, the intrigue and danger are not gone. There are still those who want to dispose of the Duchess or rid her of any allies she has. Sybella and Beast have to keep on their toes as danger lurks around every corner. If only she could find the sisters who were embedded in the French court years ago.

Genevieve is one of those hidden sisters. She has been gone from the convent for many years and has heard nothing from them. As things heat up after the war, she is more and more determined to fulfill her destiny. In order to do that she needs to get to the court and not stay in the countryside where she has been. She enlists the help of a forgotten prisoner and together they make their way to the castle where the newlywed king and queen are staying.

I can't wait to see what happens with Sybella and Genevieve actually team up. I assume the next book will be even more awesome than this one was. I loved meeting a new member of the convent and learning her story and of course the more Sybella and Beast the better. The political intrigue has really ramped up now that the actually war is over. Everyone's motives are suspect and you have no idea who you can trust. I can't wait for more!

LaFevers returns to the world of convent trained assassins with a new novel sure to please her fans. Complicated politics bolster the story, which alternates between two different narrators placed in two different aristocratic French households, but the cliff-hanger ending is annoying.

Courting Darkness picks up right where the His Fair Assassins trilogy ends: Brittany and the duchess have surrendered to France in the form of a marriage contract between the duchess and the king of France. Unlike the trilogy, Courting Darkness switches between two characters' point of views: Sybella (as in the narrator from Dark Triumph, #2 of HFA) and Genevieve, another novitiate of the convent, but one who had been sent from the convent to the French court about five years previously, when she was about 12. In the ensuing years, she and her co-novitiate Margot had been sent to Cognac with a French courtier who also happens to be an ally of the convent. But is he really???

The chapters switch about every other one or so between the two narrators as their journeys bring them closer and closer until they cross paths. Sybella --still trying to protect her sisters from their evil and violent brother Pierre-- goes with the duchess to France for the marriage ceremony and then on to another castle nearby for the honeymoon. Arduinna's arrow seems to ensure that the duchess and the king would be lovebirds, but things are more precarious than Sybella and Beast, et al would like them to be. How safe, really, is the duchess? And how much will the king let her rule Brittany as Queen of France? Will the regent continue to stick her nose into their affairs? Will Sybella be able to protect her sisters, the duchess, and her integrity now that Mortain's marque has disappeared? And what does that disappearance mean for the convent and the followers of the Nine?

Genevieve, several hundred miles away in Cognac, is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Her friend and co-novitiate, Margot, has captured the eye of the lord and gotten herself pregnant. This relationship between Margot and the lord has driven a wedge between her and Genevieve who still believes, five years after they had been sent by the convent to France, that a mission is forthcoming. As in her boredom, Genevieve stumbles upon a seemingly forgotten prisoner in the dungeons. But Genevieve is cautious --and suspicious. And her skills as an assassin have gotten rusty. Will the prisoner help her to find her mission? Will she be able to fulfill that mission or is all hope and purpose lost now that Mortain has effervesced into the ether?

While I enjoyed Courting Darkness, it drags on. In an authorial preface, LaFevers shares that Sybella in Dark Triumph helped her overcome her own #MeToo moment from adolescence. This explains why we get the Sybella side of the story. This further inquest into Sybella probably came from LaFevers's desire to further her own healing. However, it probably could have been either entirely excluded from the story or cut down significantly and focused more on Genevieve. (Of course, the second book in the duology might make it obvious as to why Sybella's point of view was so important.) Genevieve and Maurad's story was the one I was most interested in. And while Sybella's chapters kept us rooted in the context of the HFA trilogy, Genevieve doesn't know most of what occurred from the convent's point of view. Including some more of that context vis a vis Genevieve finally meeting up with Sybella at the castle could have been a great *tv announcer voice* "In last week's episode..." moment to make the duology more of an opening for new readers who may not have read HFA. I mean, Grave Mercy came out five (six when this'll be published) years ago, which is decades in the YA world. Think of New Who (when Christopher Eccleston was the 9th Doctor). The showrunners and writers made it an opening for new viewers to fall in love with Doctor Who; ostensibly, the reasoning being that they would want to go back and watch Old Who. I imagine Courting Darkness could be New Who to HFA's Old Who.

Will I be purchasing Courting Darkness when it is published next year? No; HFA doesn't circ well enough to supporting spending my measly budget on it. Did I enjoy it? Yes. I love anything with kick-butt female protagonists, especially if it's fantasy-ish+historical fiction.

I feel badly about this, but I just never really got into this book. I remember liking the earlier ones but didn't reread them before starting this and therefore had a hard time keeping the characters and context straight. Gen is a hard character to like and that make it even more difficult. By the end I was into it and just as with the earlier one I really want to know what happens but HOW what happens happens is getting less interesting.