Blog Tour- Dark Triumph by RL LaFevers and a Giveaway!

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

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for ChildrenGoodreads/Amazon/Barnes & Noble/The Book Depository

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 15^th 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 11^th 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.

In addition to writing about teen assassin nuns in medieval Brittany, she writes books for middle grade readers, including the Theodosia books and the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. You can learn more about those books at www.rllafevers.com.

Where you can find Robin:

Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads

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!!!!

 4/3/2013- Tales of a Ravenous Reader    Interview

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