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School Library Journal
Starred Review on April 1, 2012 | Grades 5-up
Gr 9 Up—Ismae Rienne, born with an ugly red scar, is believed to have been sired by Death himself, and, when she escapes from her abusive husband on her wedding night, she finds refuge in the convent of St. Mortain where handmaidens are prepared to carry out Death's wishes. Trained in poisons, weaponry, and the wiles of seduction, she is sent off to prove herself by posing as the mistress of Gavriel Duval, a Breton working against the French so that his sister Anne can rightfully be crowned Duchess of Brittany. The political intrigue and resulting betrayals that the teen witnesses lead her to denounce the treasonous chance...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on April 1, 2012
The results of her mother's failed abortion caused Ismae to be born with scars that show her true father, one of Brittany's "old gods": Mortain, the god of Death himself. When Ismae is spirited away from a marriage that promises only abuse, she lands up at St. Mortain's convent, where she trains to become an assassin -- the true vocation of a daughter of Death. When the abbess assigns her...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Guide
Reviewed on January 1, 2012
Running from an arranged marriage, seventeen-year-old Ismae lands up at St. Mortain's convent, discovers she has special gifts (and that...Log In or Sign Up to Read More