Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3)

by Robin LaFevers

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn't mean she has...
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

The third book is finally out! I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet, but I'm excited to the extreme! The first two books are on the short list of books that changed my life. Grave Mercy (#1) introduces the readers to France in the 1480's to the convent of St. Mortain, with main characters Ismae, Sybella, and Annith. Each book in the trilogy (in that order) tells the story from their points of view. Dark Triumph (#2) which is Sybella's story is one of the most powerful stories I've ever read. She is so strong and so unapologetic about her strength. Truly a rare trait that not many female characters share. Completely and utterly worth the 1,398* page journey.
*(total over all three books).

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick

Half sketches create a story in pictures too, relevant history. Real last-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès collected mechanical robot-like automata, and, impoverished, worked at a toy booth in a Paris railway station. Here, orphan Hugo fixes his late father's automata, and meets Méliès through his god-daughter Isabelle.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Is it a graphic novel? Is it a "traditional" novel? Yes! It's both! This was a marvelously told story that led the reader on many unexpected and exciting twists and turns. The illustrations pull you into Paris and the story is one that everyone can relate to.

The film adaptation was surprisingly good as well.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1-2)

by Marjane Satrapi, Mattias Ripa (Translator)

A New York Times Notable Book

A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Because it's almost hard to believe how much one person can survive, I had a hard time at first remembering that this was a work of non-fiction. Wise, funny, and heartbreaking sum this story up perfectly. I loved it (and the second volume) and look forward to exploring more work by Satrapi.

Especially because of how fraught these times are with tension in the Middle East, it's important to remember that there is no single side that is good or bad. It's only the people doing the killing and spreading of hate that are worthy of our contempt. Everyone caught in the middle should receive our sympathy and admiration, especially since most of us have not had to deal with such extremism first-hand.