Grave Mercy

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, 2012 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

     When her arranged marriage nearly ends with her life, Ismae flees to the Convent of St Mortain. There, she discovers the sisters worship and serve the ancient god Death and Mortain himself has gifted his daughter with mortal gifts and a dangerous destiny.
     Ismae chooses to train at the convent and become one of Mortain's Handmaidens, his assassins out in the greater world keeping balance. Ismae discovers a skill with poisons and becomes apprenticed to the potion-making nuns. She discovers a friendship with Annith, the gifted seer and a resident at the convent her entire life, and Sybella, a daughter from one of Brittany's great houses.
     Bolstered by her friends, Ismae is sent on her first mission to the high court. She finds her training, while thorough in matters of death, neglected to teach her the dangers of life at court. The young nobleman she is sent for is more than the abbess taught her to expect. Ismae must choose between what she's been taught and what she knows about her God.
     LaFevers' story is brutal in its violence, suited toward older teens and young adults, with character growth as a powerful reminder that anyone can rise above their situation.