Book Review: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff [NEW FAVORITE?!]
Title: Nevernight
Author: Jay Kristoff
Rating: 4.5/5 bloody shivs
Release date: August 11th 2016
Publisher: Harper voyager
Goodreads Synopsis:
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
Review:
That was one heck of a ride! Nevernight had so much on it’s plate, and it’s only 400+ pages long! You go through a series of twists and turns, multiple flashbacks and of course the gore. So, so much gore. If you can’t tell already from the synopsis, there is nothing fluffy about this book. It’s all blood and guts. If that perks your interest (there’s a shadow cat involved too, just sayin’), do keep reading, because I have LOADS to talk about.
I don’t read very many Fantasy books, and even when I do it’s either a hit or miss for me. This one hit the bull’s eye. It’s dark, sexy, gory and witty. Yes the pacing drags on a little, the writing can be a bit too much and you don’t get hooked instantaneously but honestly when is a Fantasy read ever good if you don’t include a little bit of background story and hysterical footnotes? Be warned that this book is NOT for young readers. It’s got tons of swearing, some sex and lots of blood. If you’re squeamish, this is not the book for you.
We follow a strong-willed female protagonist, Mia Corvere, who seeks for vengeance after having to watch her family die slowly. She sets out to attend a school for Assassins and essentially learns to master the traits of a true Blade (basically the best of the best assassins). But here’s the thing: Mia is not your ordinary assassin, she’s a Darkin, meaning she can talk to shadows. How cool is that?? And of course, hell breaks out and a killer is suspected to have been lurking within the Church.
The world building is insane. The author created this intricate and uniquely new world that seems to be able to draw you in no matter how complex it is. It may feel a bit draggy at the beginning but once you have a picture of it in your head then it’s easy to go from there. It’s rich, it’s detailed, it’s mesmerizing. The setting reminds me a lot of Assassin’s Creed with the amount of Historical elements involved!
I really liked the different lessons that were presented in the church for assassins. They get to learn the art of pickpocketing, sword fighting and sex. Long story short, lots of blood and steamy scenes are involved. The Red Church is basically (as author said) like Hogwarts, except instead of studying magic and defense mechanisms, you learn to kill without mercy. And the teachers? Well, they’re incomparable to the professors in Hogwarts. They are ruthless but brilliant. So kind of like Snape or Voldermort, maybe? I’ll let you decide on that when you read the book. ;)
On to characters - I adored every single one of them. The main character, minors, animals (Mister Kindly is a favorite
There was a lack of romance in the story which kind of bummed me out, not going to lie. I am a sucker for love/hate relationships where the guy tries to kill the girl but falls in love with one another and vice versa. I’m not saying that there is no chemistry at all, but it just felt like all the gore sort of patched up anything romance related the book had to offer. I enjoyed those parts while they lasted though, I just wished there were more.
To sum it all up: it’s a gruelling journey to start with, but it gets better. Don’t let the first 30 pages intimidate you, you do not want to miss out on the adventure that Nevernight takes you on. You become one with the characters and you will feel like you are part of the story. It will leave you breathless once you’re finished. It’s insanity, but awesome. It is unlike any other High Fantasy books, and it may not be fore everyone but it could very much be the book for you. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m not big on Magic and Fantasy, but Nevernight blew me away.
Whew. I hope I covered everything. I made a list of things I wanted to talk about and it seemed that I went a little overboard. I hope this convinced you to pick up the book! You’re in for a ride, folks! This has become one of my favorite books of 2016. LOVED it. I can’t wait for the next installment! Thank you so much SocialBookCo for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
PLANNING ON BUYING A COPY OF NEVERNIGHT FOR YOURSELF? COMPARE BOOK PRICES HERE:
http://www.socialbookco.com/book/9780008179991/nevernight?rid=116