Hey y’all!
Today is an awesome day!!!! I adored Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and Dark
Triumph was a highly anticipated sequel! If you want to read my review of Dark Triumph you can
go HERE.
But what’s so cool about today is Robin has sent me the coolest post about medieval
assassins!!! I love the whole assassin aspect of this series so I couldn’t wait
to share this post with you!
Oh and
make sure you look below! I have TWO giveaways!!!!
Here’s some info about Dark Triumph!
Dark Triumph
Robin LaFevers
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Hardcover: 400 pages
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. Naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, the convent views Sybella as one of their most dangerous weapons.But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. Her father’s rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother’s love is equally monstrous. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?This heart-pounding sequel to Grave Mercy serves betrayal, treachery, and danger in equal measure, bringing readers back to fifteenth century Brittany and will keep them on the edge of their seats.
Now
on to the awesome guest post!
Medieval
Assassinations
The mythos of the assassin
fascinates even as it horrifies. Fascinates because it allows for the actions
of one to bring down a corrupt or tyrannical regime that has no avenue of
redress for those not in power. It horrifies because the sudden actions of one
can threaten an entire nation’s stability.
Something
to keep in mind about assassination is that by their very definition they are
political in nature. Assassination is murder specifically for political gain;
it’s what sets those deaths aside from other deaths and it’s what separates
assassins from serial killers, which is why the His Fair Assassin books are set
against the backdrop of 15th century Brittany.
It is easy to fall into the trap
of thinking that our political discourse and disagreement has never been more
bitter and divisive. And while it is bad, there have been many periods in
history that were equally—if not more—vitriolic and downright nasty. The Middle
Ages were not only a politically raw and power hungry time, but the average
citizen had very little say in matters of government.
Many
of the leaders of medieval kingdoms and dynasties were on the tail end of
adolescence—or younger. William, Duke of Normandy, later known as William the
Conqueror of England, was only seven years old when he became duke. Charles VII
of France was nineteen when he was crowned king, and Louis I, became Duke of
Orleans at the ripe old age of twenty. All that power un-tempered by age or
wisdom was a heady thing and ripe for abuse. Assassination was an oft-used tool
in their arsenal.
In fact, assassination was part
of early Brittany’s history as it feuded with the neighboring duchy of
Normandy. In the 11th century, there were a series of
assassinations, mostly striking dukes of Brittany and most attributed to the
political aspirations of William, Duke of Normandy, eventually known as William
the Conqueror. Poisoned gloves, hunting horn, and a horse’s bridle were all
said to have been ways poison was administered to his enemies.
Many years later when William the
Conqueror thought to finally heal the feud between the two duchies, he gave his
daughter Constance in marriage to Alain IV of Brittany.
It didn’t work. Four years later,
she, too, died of poison.
To be effective, assassins must
know things—different ways to kill, where to strike, how to blend in, how to
pass unobserved. The assassin must not only know those things, but then have
the skill to pull them off, because let’s face it, knowledge does not always
equal skill. But possessing both the knowledge and the skill inferred some
power, power over their own lives, their governance, their safety and the well
being of their loved ones.
In the middle ages, almost all of the traditional avenues of power were closed to women. In a time when women were not allowed any say in their own lives, not who they married or what they did with their lives, the acquisition of this rare and arcane knowledge would be quite seductive. The art of assassination also mimicked the nature of death itself. Swift and silent, often striking without warning, and one of the few arenas where one’s wealth or status was no guarantee of safety.
Awesome and informative right?? Love
this!!!!
About RL LaFevers:
Robin LaFevers
was raised on a steady diet of fairy tales, Bulfinch’s mythology, and 19th
century poetry. It is not surprising she grew up to be a hopeless romantic.
Though
she has never trained as an assassin or joined a convent, she did attend
Catholic school for three years, which instilled in her a deep fascination with
sacred rituals and the concept of the Divine. She has been on a search for
answers to life’s mysteries ever since.
While
many of those answers still elude her, she was lucky enough to find her one
true love, and is living happily ever after with him in the foothills of
southern California.
Where you can find Robin:
And the
giveaway! We have a shared giveaway going on throughout the whole blog tour
supplied by Robin US Only! It’s a bottle of Poison nail polish, a dagger
necklace, and the necklace pictured below. And also HMH has given me a paperback
of Grave Mercy and a hardcover of Dark Triumph to give away as well! US and
Canada! So good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And my giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I may be
the final day on the tour but check out all of the previous dates for more
awesome guest posts, excerpts, and reviews!!!!
4/4/2013- Books
Over Boys Interview
4/5/2013- Fiktshun
Guest Post- Bluebeard
4/6/2013- Rebecca's
Book Blog Excerpt
4/7/2013- A
Backwards Story Excerpt
4/8/2013- Jenna Does Books Guest Post- The Charbonerie and the Dark Mother
4/9/2013- Burgandy Ice Interview
4/10/2013- Two Chicks on Books Guest
Post- Medieval Assassins
