What in tarnation (bahaha) just happened?! I finished Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, and I feel like someone is controlling my feelings from afar. By all accounts (that I won’t go into) I should have disliked this book. I didn’t even WANT to like this book. The only reason I was even freaking reading it in the first place was because I bought a copy a while back (I don’t even know why?? IT WAS PROBABLY WIZARDRY DRAWING ME TO IT – GASP!). But now here I am trying to figure out how to write a 5-star review. I repeat, WHAT JUST HAPPENED.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #1
Published by Thomas Dunne Books on August 9th 2016
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 429
Narrator: Holter Graham
Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
Format: Audiobook
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Barnes & Noble, Buy from The Book Depository
Goodreads
The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.
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?
So I started listening to the audiobook and was like, yeah, yeah, this is about a wannabe assassin and yadda yadda. BUT THEN BAM. Things just started happening and I kept thinking more and more good things about it and SUDDENLY BY THE END I’M LIKE OMG THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME SOMEONE GET ME THE NEXT ONE RIGHT NOW.
What I loved about freaking Nevernight:
- It is crude and intense and raw and totally an adult book and I freaking loved it. Told mainly from the perspective of Mia Corvere (our main character), you get her in her true form. There is no holding back, no censoring of her thoughts, of the language, of nada. She’s an effing bad ass. Which leads me to my next point…
- MIA CORVERE. YES. PLEASE GIVE ME MORE MAIN CHARACTERS LIKE THIS B.
- Mister Kindly is a snarky AF not-cat made of shadows and he was perfect because he was a cat… except not. CATS (and the not variety) ARE ALWAYS A YES.
- Guys, the assassins school is like Hogwarts… if there was a lot more violence and gore and bizarreness, AND IT WAS SO COOL.
- The world building was FLAWLESS AND OH SO DETAILED. I can’t even describe the world that Kristoff has created (it’s a blend of so many fantasy worlds that it completely became its own thing), but it was utterly convincing and immersive. It’s dark and creepy and freaking cool.
A warning if you’re going to pick this up (which I highly suggest you do):
When this book came out last year, a lot of people struggled through the beginning. There are footnotes at the bottom of the page, and I know some people hated that. Luckily I listened to the audiobook (WHICH HAD AMAZING NARRATION BTW) so I never even knew when a footnote was being read. People also complained about the pacing. I will say this: DO NOT GIVE UP IF YOU START THIS BOOK (even if you hate the footnotes, because you should not give up this BA story because a few footnotes). I promise promise promise that the pacing increases significantly once you get through the first 100 pages or so. Once you get to the assassins school, shit goes DOWN and then you’ll be hooked. Scout’s honor!
I GIVE THIS A SKEPTICAL 5/5 STARS, because I still can’t believe that I just fell in love with a book I didn’t even want to like. MIND COMPLETELY BLOWN.
Good news! The sequel, Godsgrave, comes out this year!!!!
Have you read a book that has completely taken you by surprise?
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.
HannahCassie
Ah so nice to see another fan of Nevernight, what a brilliant book indeed 🙂
HannahCassie @ http://www.psilovethatbook.com
Maggie
Well, this is mildly embarrassing… but…. The Twilight books.
When those movies came out, I was very opposed to them. Vampires. Do. Not. Sparkle.
Zero interest in seeing them.
Then when the 2nd movie was about to come out, one of my senior assistants has a really bad day. Like, sitting in the corner of radiology crying bad. Me and another assistant FOOLISHLY say “How can we help?” and she says, through her tears, “can we all go see the new twilight movie this weekend?”
HOW DO I SAY NO TO A GROWN WOMAN CRYING ON THE FLOOR?!
Anyhow, long story short, the movies did not surprise me. They were as awful as I thought they would be. I haven’t watched them all.
But someone, upon learning of my Twilight aversion, delivered the entire book set to my door and insisted I give the books a try.
I read the whole series in like one weekend of house sitting. I freakin’ loved reading them.
(I realise a lot of people love these books, hence the Twilight mania… but I was quite opposed to them for no real reason other than the sparkling and the whole Robert Pattison thing that I just Do. Not. Get.)
Ali
Hahahahahaha. Well I’m glad they surprised you! I loved them, too. The movies were freaking awful, yet I shamelessly loved them because they were the books turned to life. Twilight mania is one of those fun things from my young adulthood/late teenagehood that I miss!!
Breeny's Books
I’ll definitely have to check this book out further. Thanks for introducing it to me, and for a great review! Jay Kristoff is a great author!
I’m new to blogging and book reviewing, and I was wondering if you had any tips for newbie bloggers and book reviewers.
If you have the time, please check out my blog @breenysbooks. I’d love any feedback. Have a wonderful day.
Ali
I don’t really have much in the way of advice – Your blog looks great! I would say just make sure you love what you’re posting, because if you don’t love it, you’re not going to stick with it (:
matxi_books
😂😂😂 Actually only for the rave reviews this got I was planning on reading it sometim!! But this review of yours… ‘I wanted to hate it, but I couldn’t!! More like the contrary!’ made me want to read it even more! Who doesn’t like a bad ass female protagonist??hehe
matxi_books just posted Musing Mondays: June 12
Ali
Hahah yes, it 100% took me by surprise!!
Molly's Book Nook
Ohhhh maybe I’ll get the audiobook for this one! I’ve been wanting to read it but it looks so daunting hahah Thanks for the review!
Molly’s Book Nook just posted 5 Small Blog Changes with Big Results
Ali
The audiobook was great (though initially there is some difficultly understanding when it’s in the present tense and when it’s reverted back to the past)!! Definitely worthwhile. Stick with it in the first few hours for sure though! It will pick up 😀
Bec @ Readers in Wonderland
YASSSS ISN”T IT AMAZING!!! Those crazy twists and excellent plot is a feature I’m coming to recognise with all of Jay Kristoff’s books. In addition to this series, PLEASE READ THE LOTUS WAR TRILOGY IT’S SO EPIC (it’s his debut book + series so it’s not as amazing, but the story is still so good and gets better as it goes on!)
Ali
I will have to check it out!! I just got a note from the publisher letting me know they’re sending me Godsgrave, and I’m so freaking excited (I e-mailed them begging for one after I finished the book XD).
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