Darkdawn: A Satisfying Conclusion

DARKDAWN is the final installment of The Nevernight Chronicle. Mia’s story is gory, snarky, and crude, and the finale doesn’t disappoint. If you want a hero who doesn’t care about you, cusses like its the language she speaks, and has a shadow-cat named Mr. Kindly, then you want to read this series. If you’ve been waiting to read DARKDAWN, read on to see my spoiler-free thoughts.

A ruthless young assassin's journey for revenge comes to a stunning end in the conclusion of this acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy.

The Republic of Itreya is in chaos. Mia Corvere has assassinated Cardinal Duomo and rumors of Consul Scaeva’s death ripple through the street of Godsgrave like wildfire. But buried beneath those same streets, deep in the ancient city’s bones, lies a secret that will change the Republic forever.

Mia and her brother Jonnen must journey through the depths of the ancient metropolis. Their quest will take them through the Godsgrave underdark, across the Sea of Swords, back to the library of the Quiet Mountain and the poisoned blades of Mia’s old mentors, and at last the fabled Crown of the Moon. There, Mia will at last discover the origins of the darkin, and learn the destiny that lies in store for her and her world. But with the three suns now in descent, and Truedark on the horizon, will she survive?

New York Times and internationally bestselling author Jay Kristoff’s writing has been praised by critics and readers alike and has won many awards, including five Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, and David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards.

What was perfect about DARKDAWN:

1. Everyone gets an ending. We learn what happens to all the many characters Kristoff has introduced in the past books. Most of the endings, I’d add, are quite satisfying.
2. If you’ve ever considered listening to an audiobook but don’t know where to start, START WITH THIS ONE! Holter Graham is perfection through all of these audiobooks. 
3. All the snark and sass and crudeness that you’ve come to love in these books is still there. Down to the footnotes.

What kept DARKDAWN from 5 stars for me:

1. There were so many epic moments in this book they lost their oomph. By the end of the novel I was drained and couldn’t muster the excitement or sadness or whatever was needed of me.
2. Along the same lines, I felt like this book just needs a tad more editing. There were identical descriptions (describing the same thing the same way) within a few paragraphs, and these sorts of things happened so frequently it brought the pacing to a screeching halt.

Bottom line: You have to read this one if you’ve read the other two. It’s worth it to get to Mia’s ending. 

Have you read the Nevernight Chronicle? What did you think?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.