Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, 549 pages

This had been read and reviewed by numerous staff members, so it's been on my read list for a while. I always start to feel bad for the books that sit there on the list, just waiting for their turn, some of them for years.
Ismae has always been an outcast, marked by scars that show her as a daughter of Death. Given in marriage to a crude pig farmer by her abusive father, Ismae manages to escape her wedding night and make her way to the convent of St. Mortain, where she is trained to become a handmaiden of Death, handing out his will. She becomes an avid student, ready to show her devotion. As a final test before her final vows, Ismae must go to court and help look for a traitor. To do so Ismae must pose as the mistress of Gavriel Duval, who quickly starts to gain a place in heart. Ismae must decide which is more important, her heart or her devotion to Death?