Nevernight: Book One of the Nevernight Chronicle

As a first time reader of Jay Kristoff, I had no idea what I was going into. The synopsis was intriguing, and the cover was stunning, so I was definitely pumped to start this novel. I love school-like tropes and assassin main characters, so this concept grabbed me and didn’t let go until the last page. I don’t want to talk too much about the plot (because you should go read it!!!!) but I guarantee that it’s amazing (SO MANY PLOT TWISTS).

Mia was a fantastic main character; she was vengeful, angry, tough, and an all-around badass girl who I was rooting for throughout this whole novel, reminiscent of Adelina from THE YOUNG ELITES and Celaena from THRONE OF GLASS. The book also presents lots of flashbacks in which we learn more about Mia’s background and the events leading up to her need to avenge her family, making her character more relatable to me.

“The last thing you will ever be in this world, girl, is someone’s hero… But you will be a girl heroes fear.” (13, ARC)

This novel did take me longer to read than usual, which I think may be because there were a lot of characters to keep track of (although this also may be attributed to the fact that I always read physical books at a slower pace). Many of the characters were part of the Red Church, which, in fact, is filled with new characters. It was difficult, in some respect, to fully understand what was going on at times, to be honest. Nonetheless, a lot of the characters, including the other Acolytes, were well-developed and surprised me at the most unexpected times, including our own Mia.

Additionally, the writing style was remarkable. The writing flows with mystery and thrills and contains a mix of “university professor” and “swearing like a sailor”, both of which were very enjoyable to read for me. However, the most obvious aspect of this novel was the number of footnotes throughout the whole novel. The footnotes added a lot more humor and world-building that wasn’t explicitly stated throughout the story, so, in a way, it added to the whole experience. I personally thought the footnotes were pretty interesting at first but I ended up not reading them by the end of the novel (oops).

Overall, this first installment of this trilogy was incredibly impressive. Filled with action-packed fight scenes to exciting sexy scenes, NEVERNIGHT is not a book you want to miss out on!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review. This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, explicit language, and violence. All quotations in the advance reader’s copy is subject to change in the finished copy.

Blood, some hot sex, guts, killing, punishment, survival, cheeky dialogue, betrayal, fantastic beasts and a-hole bureaucrats.. yes, you’ll want to read this! Nevernight is a total hype book and in my eyes, deservedly so. It fits my tastes perfectly because there wasn’t a single moment in this book where I could catch breath and I loved it, being pulled into a story like this. The fantasy was great- from sandkrakens to blood-bath-portals. The characters were great. It was all just bloody great.

Let me tease you more with some quotes from the book:

People often sh-t themselves when they die, did you know that?

Is there a better opening sentence? uhm, nope! I read that and was like- O.K. this certainly sets the tone for the book! Yay!

I mention this only by way of warning, O gentlefriends, that your narrator shares no such restraint. And if thoughts of wincing final kisses amidst less-than-pleasant fragrances turn your insides to water, be advised the pages in your hands speak of a girl who was to murder what maestros are to music. Who did to happy ever afters what sawblade does to skin.

So, if you normally shy away from uber-graphic reads, some vulgarity then it might not be your cup of tea. Throats are sliced, backs are whipped into bloody pulps and Kristoff pulls off a mean 69. OK, let it be said- there’s only a couple of sex scenes somewhere halfway into the book and in fairness these scenes had to come because the tension was there and it had to turn into something. You will not get a rainbows and flowers and chocolates kind of romance tho, no.

‘You’ll be a rumour. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the night. The last thing you will ever be in this world, girl, is someone’s hero.

Ya-ha! No manicured, hairspray-puffy-haired, foundation-cement-faced, la-dee-dah kind of girls in this book. None! Instead, a girl with more balls than would dangle off a prime bull. And other girls with fierce thirst for revenge, each with their own set of skills. Maybe a catfight or two in between them. Fret not, there are boys as well…

If her face were a puzzle, most would put it back in the box, unfinished.

OK, so this was one of the most exciting books I have read in its genre… I guess I could compare it to Mark Lawrence’s “The Broken Empire”. Brutal, raw but definitely has it’s pretty bits as well.

I liked the book, I even liked the footnotes which were funny/genius stories in themselves and I liked the profanity and the brutality. Worry not, there’s a plot to the story as well but I’ll let you stumble your own way through it once you start reading this superb creation of extremities! Warning for readers of cupcake mysteries- there are no cupcakes involved. Or baking!

Jay Kristoff's "Nevernight" (first published in 2016) is the 1st in his "The Nevernight Chronicle" series. I'll say up front that though the story is really nasty and foul, it's is an excellent piece of writing: good characterizations, excellent world-building, and a good, fast-paced plot (I had trouble putting it down). I've got a couple of issues with it, though. First (and most trivially), the astronomical mechanics of the world just don't make any sense. I don't know if he's planning on using this in later books, but right now they're disconcerting (though interesting). Second, the main character's use of her abilities is uneven. For most of the book, there's good reason for this. But, by the end, there's just not much of an excuse. And finally, the "intimate" relations (IR). Unlike many books, the IR actually make sense within the plot. Unfortunately, they go on way, WAY too long. A couple of paragraphs or a page is more than enough to let us know what's happening. A dozen or so pages (it's hard to tell on a Kindle) are just too much. If the IR had been reined in, I would have given the book 5 stars. But, because of it, I'm rating it a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

When I first read the synopsis of this book I was a little hesitant to read it, but after hearing a lot of talk about it, I decided to give it a try and I am so glad I did. Nevernight is the story of Mia Corvere, determined to become a highly trained assassin so that she can avenge the loss of her family, and who will stop at nothing to do so. This book is gripping and difficult to put down, full of action, dry humor, and suspense that keep the reader engaged and wanting more.

To put it simply, this book was amazing. Jay Kristoff's storytelling powers are extraordinary. He has built a world that is both breathtaking and horrific, giving the reader's imagination so much to discover and envision. The characters are superb and easy to both admire and empathize with, while also being able to surprise the reader in many ways. The writing is incredible, filled with excellent descriptions, dry wit humor that offset the shadows of this wonderfully created world, and a plot that is full of so much intrigue and suspense it is easily one of the most captivating stories I have read so far this year. An excellent and compelling read for fantasy fans everywhere, and a definite recommendation if you are a fan of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard sequence, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, and/or Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series.

The training of an assassin, in a world of assassins: some obvious, some hidden, all engaged in the old power game of politics, love and danger. Interesting manipulation of shadows, unpredictable twists with a flair of the dramatic. The world is built around the characters, their actions casting in light various strata of society.

I stumbled upon this book in the store and loved the cover...then I saw it was a signed first edition and I have to have it. I tried to savor the book but failed and finished it in 3 sittings. It had gotten to be a deeper book with rereads (Yes I've reread it 4 times already) and I cannot wait for the second one to come out.

I need to stop and catch my breath! What an incredible journey this book takes you on! To (mis)quote his own self, Jay Kristoff's writing is so colorful I could throw it into the air and call it a rainbow.

The concept of the Red Church Trials was brilliant - dark and deadly games which reminded me of HP, but only in that Mia has an affinity for one particular subject and needs to excel to move forward, much like Harry trying to become an auror. There, however, the similarity ends. Nevernight is a dark, gritty masterpiece, not without violence and strong language. Kristoff also shows no mercy and you might want to be sitting down while reading this book.

I went into this thinking it was yet another YA fantasy read. Boy was I wrong! While the protagonists are teens, the content is far more adult in nature. Nevernight is a dark, moving, epic tale. One that might scare lesser readers ;) fortunately I'm made of sterner stuff!

Read this book, good gentlefolk... Do it! You will most certainly flinch, most certainly fear, but you'll never, ever forget it!

Assassins and orphans and violence. This book is a tale of revenge but is that all it is? Who is telling this story and how much of the information is accurate?
We meet Mia Corvere, a privileged child living with a father in a high governmental position. Unfortunately, her father was caught attempting to overthrow the current government and was set to be executed. The leaders come for Mia, her mother, and her little brother. Mia escapes and vows to avenge her family.
Thus begins her quest. Mia finds assistance in unlikely places and yearns to find the Red Church and pledge herself to the art of vengeance.
This is the first book in a trilogy. as with many high fantasy type books there is a lot of set up and sometimes that can feel like you are wading through muck. I really like Jay Kristoff's style of writing and was quickly drawn into Mia and her trials. I appreciated that there were all types of relationships depicted in this story., Mia is a complex character with some very interesting

Holy hell Jay Kristoff!!!! What an absolutely stellar book! Nevernight took me by complete surprise in every way possible, and I absolutely loved it!

I’m not going to lie, I picked up this book in June thinking “yeah I’ll get it read and reviewed ASAP” but I couldn’t get into it immediately so I left it down again and it ended up being on my goodreads currently reading shelf for SEVEN WEEKS!!!

I wasted so much time (well wasted is the wrong word, as I read plenty of other books in the interim) not reading Nevernight and I wish I could take it back. It is the most immersive, captivating and beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time.

Fantasy is not really my genre to be fair. Harry Potter is probably the last fantasy series I read and it’s hard not to draw comparisons in the sense that in HP they are in a wizarding school, and in Nevernight they are essentially in a magic and murder school. I was trying to describe it to my husband recently, and the only way I could even come close was that Nevernight is like Harry Potter and Assassins Creed mixed together.

Once I was hooked, I didn’t want to leave the book down. It was all I could think about and all I wanted was to hide away and devour it completely. I loved the imagery that Jay Kristoff created in my mind, I loved the way his characters are written, I loved it all!

I can’t single out a favourite character, they were all excellent in their own right. Even the bad guys, they were abhorrent but they were still so good! My emotions went through the wringer with Nevernight. I laughed, I got angry and I got upset, but it was all thanks to the excellent ability of Jay Kristoff to weave a masterful fantasy tale.

I recommend Nevernight wholly and completely. Whether you like fantasy or not, it is an excellent novel.

Breathtaking.

All the stars for this one!

I enjoyed this book. Jay Kristoff did a great job of world-building and developing characters, including my favorite kind, the morally ambiguous. The book is well-paced and the action is amazing. There are a few twists that took me by surprise. The interactions between the characters is excellent whether they be corporeal or not. The story is dark but not more so than many other fantasy stories I’ve read, including Malazan Book of the Fallen series. But amidst the gore there is some humor. Interestingly for a fantasy novel, Kristof uses many footnotes to expand on certain topics. I did not find these useful in understanding the story and stopped reading them after the first chapter. However, I did scan them in the rest of the chapters as some of them were funny. Although this is the first book of the series, it is self-contained and has an ending. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Disclosure: I received this book free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style is definitely different. As a matter of fact, it took me ages to get used to it. The premise of the story is super interesting. I think the only reason I pushed through the writing style was the reviews this book had gotten. I needed to read more of it before I felt like I made a good decision in stopping. I'm glad I did that, because I jumped from one or two chapters per day to half the book in one sitting. It's definitely a different book, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad book. Give it a try, at least until she gets to that certain place she wants to go to. The story really picks up there.

Image Harry Potter, but instead of an orphan boy whose parents were killed, its an orphaned girl whose parents were killed in bloody, graphic horror. Instead of a school of magic, she goes to a school for assassins. And instead of owls delivering messages, she has a cat made out of shadows who drinks her fear and rips apart her nightmares. O gentlefriend, this is a grim and dark and utterly amazing story. Its definitely a page turner, full of action, suspense, intrigue, love and lust and a good sprinkling of blood and violence. The author's writing style is such a pleasure, and footnotes (often times funny) add rich details to the fascinating world.

I have to say, this is one of the absolute best books I've ever read and its earned its place next to some other great dark fantasies like Record of the Saints Caliber, Prince of Thorns, and Joe Abercrombie's novels. If you're a fan of dark fantasy, you will NOT be disappointed.

***I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, the pages leave their marks on us. Indelible as the ink that graces them. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of words. A girl with a story to tell”

Well damn. This book was freaking awesome. Murder and betrayal. Magic and mystery. A secret assassin school hidden in the dark depths of an isolated mountain. Fantastic characters. A magical, almost sentient library of words and monsters. Epic plot twists. A dangerous world of perpetual light, ruled over by three suns that almost never set. Shadow wraiths in the form of helpful cats.

Dark. Dangerous. Gritty. Badass. Totally epic and totally amazing. This is my kind of book.

With her father executed as a traitor and on the run from the nobles who destroyed her family Mia Corvere is alone in the world. Gifted with strange Darkin abilities, Mia can wield the shadows as a weapon and the shadows… well, the shadows talk back. Seeking revenge, she joins the Red Church, a dark congregation of assassins loyal to the Lady of Blessed Murder, where she trains to join their elite ranks. That is, if she can survive a series of deadly and violent tests that demand more of her than she is perhaps willing to give.

Nevernight is a little bit The Young Elites meets Game of Thrones; a fantasy world filled with bloody violence and intense lust. The world building is exciting and vivid, well actualised and intriguing, filled with dark magic and danger. I absolutely loved Mia’s Darkin abilities and her not-a-cat shadow wraith companion. Mr Kindly was such a snarky and witty character. Mia herself is a great lead, tenacious and fiercely determined, extremely cunning and independent, strong and whip smart. Her story and personality is not totally dissimilar to that of Arya Stark. Not that this is a bad thing, I LOVE Arya Stark, so you can only imagine how much I adore Mia. The actual plot kept me turning the page, it was intricate and powerful and full of epic blindsides that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mia’s story is utterly gripping. I also really enjoyed the way relationships and sexual encounters were treated and handled in this book. However, this is definitely a more mature story, despite being loosely categorised as young adult and does feature sexual encounters.

I will be honest though and say that I think this book will be polarising. You are either going to love it or hate it and I don’t think there will be much middle ground. Despite this being one of my most anticipated reads for the year I actually toyed with putting it down early on because the writing style is just so… intense. However, I’m really glad I kept reading. It probably took me about 100 pages to get sucked into the story and feel comfortable with the writing. The prose is dense and ornate, a mix of medieval language and odd slang, heavily detailed and overloaded with metaphors and similes. It is at times overwritten and wordy, repetitive and featuring every shade of purple prose imaginable. It is the sort of language that you either like or loathe. The story is also peppered with footnotes that add on to the world building and which (while often hilarious) make for a confusing learning curve when reading (though can be easily ignored if they are not to your taste).

For me, however, this was such an epic read. I loved the writing style, I loved the world and the characters and I adored the story. A must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

Warnings; sex scenes, violence, language. All that good stuff.

Since the store refuses to let me have freedom of speech (and I refuse to censor my my excitement and love for Nevernight), I will just say that Nevernight is one of the most AMAZING books I've read in 2016. Jay Kristoff's is a Master of Words and you will not believe how awesome the story is, until you read it for yourselves.

For anyone interested, I have my real review up on the regular places, that DO allow me freedom of speech, without having to censor myself. For those bookworms out there, you know what I'm talking about!

Anyway, I definitely recommend anyone with a love for fantasy to give this book a shot, you will not be disappointed!!!

Let me start off by saying i had never heard of this book at all until it made the rounds on twitter and most i saw wasn't really into it BUT when i
saw the cover i was tempted to request it. So you know my thoughts going in were apprehensive but the beginning pulled me in ( still i had issues, reading the opening it felt like i should have been halfway through the book, yes it was slow but not hard to keep up) I know people like me usually will give up on a slow book but something told me to keep going and i was glad.took to Mia like salt and caramel, she is now one of my best friends. I live for dark characters and not necessarily evil but their morals are somewhat skewed, it makes them refreshing out of the cookie cutter characters i normally read. From the get go you feel and see Mia's pain and struggle, she loses her whole family all in one day and is on her way to die when everything just escalates and reevaluates her life. Nevernight is told through two point of views, it's something i normally would hate but it works for this. We see it through the Narrators eyes and through Mia but from Flashbacks i would say, and this is what kept me from saying NOPE. So Mia journeys from her childhood mentor and city to go train like an assassin and on the way she meets two friends who would help shape her and break her.

Some of my favorite scenes are the smut scenes , they were a little more detailed than in Young Adult which is why i will stick with my Adult label on this book and also the content. I also adored the relationship Mia and Mr.Kindly who is her dark counterpart, at first i didn't trust him but he seems to care for Mia in his own way. I want to talk about Mia and her first friend or shall i say lover but to be honest i forgot his name lol, i liked him and was sad about his ending but i know he was just a filler. Still he was a big part of her trusting even more people and wanting to forge more relationships and i thank him for that.

I'm this close to rambling and making this into an essay so i will just tell you ; If you like Bamf girls who come up from their struggles stronger than ever, good smut , good Dialogue, and Darkness then this is for you. ALSO This has a lot of stabbing and blood and butt whooping's and thievery and trickery with a pinch of wit so don't hesitate, buy a copy and fall in love.

Before i go, let me drop some favorite quotes;
“Never Flinch.' A cold whisper in her ear. 'Never fear. And never, ever forget.'
The girl nodded slowly.
Exhaled the hope inside.
And she'd watched her father die.”

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You're a daughter of the words. A girl with a story to tell.”

And lastly " The Brighter the light , the deeper the shadow "

Five ????? and ?????

 4.5 ☆'s !
  ***Thank you St Martins Press for sending me this in exchange of an honest review***

  The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author, Nevernight by Jay Kristoff is an epic and intense story set in a land where three suns almost never set, and Mia Corvere, daughter of an executed traitor, joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

  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?

  While Nevernight has become one of the best books I've read so far this year, I do want to say that it took me a while to get into it. When the story first starts, there's a lot going on and I found it to be a little overwhelming. The book had just begun and already so much was happening. Not to mention a lot of information was being dumped on us. What really captivated me right from the first page was the writing. The writing had a unique and unexpected dark feel to it and it was absolutely enthralling. While I cannot compare it to any other, I can say it is similar to Victoria Schwab's writing style. Fans of Victoria will definitely be enamored by it. I dare say, Jay Kristoff's writing blew Victoria's out of the water.

  These days, Most stories have incredible writing, but lack in other areas.
That is not the case here. We really get to know the characters on a personal level, especially Mia’s. Mia’s character is so well understood, I truly felt a connection. Along with all the other characters. Characters development played a big role in the story and I'm beyond grateful. The world building was steady, not too heavily touched on, and not too undergone.

  While the plot on its own was motivated, I do believe character development and world building played a huge role in the plot. Once I got through my initial overwhelm and confusion, I couldn't put the book down I was so sucked into the story by the immense amount of action and bada****y of it all. The second half of the book got darker at points and was full of kick a** action, all I can say about it is this is not a book for children. It's actually not even a Young Adult novel, trust me when I say it's an adult novel. The amount of gore and detail (not to mention the steaminess of the sex scenes), is without a doubt something you might want to consider before picking this up if you're squeamish about that type of thing.

  I was  constantly kept at the edge of my seat, having not a single clue as to what was going to happen next. Every plot twist, every betrayal, it was all a pleasant surprise. My heart might have broken a little but I won't spoil anything. This is only the beginning of a new series and already I'm greedily anticipating the sequel. I can't stop thinking about it, it was so intense and I was so immersed in the story and the dark and mysterious feel to it it's just one of those books where you immediately need the sequel because you need answers and just absolutely HAVE to know what happens next.

  The hype surrounding this book is crazy, and even crazier is the fact that it's well deserved. Hype can sometimes be a bad thing up to the point that readers are overwhelmed and hesitate to pick up the book but in all honesty, the hype for Nevernight is well deserved. Bloody brilliant. That's what this book was and if you haven't added it to your TBR, wait no longer. You won't  want to miss out on this one.

Assassins. Blood. Revenge. Death. O, yes. This book has all of that plus more. This is the best dark fantasy I’ve read in a very long time. I’ve broken this review down into two sections. The first section is a completely objective review of the book’s style, story, and etc… The second section is a 100% biased opinion. All opinions are my own. No spoilers ahead. This review is also featured on Black Girl Nerds.

So let’s get down to it.

The synopsis as posted on Goodreads:

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?

Objective Review:

First of all, this is not YA book. Yes, the main character is 16, but again, it’s not YA as some say.

Nevernight is set in world that is a blend of ancient Rome and Old World Venice. This is a story about assassins so please believe there is plenty of blood, gore, and just all-around violence to go around. To say Mia had a rough life is putting it mildly. The girl’s mother forced her to watch as her father was executed when she was only a little girl, and what comes next only prepares her for a life of revenge and death. She eventually meets Mercurio (more on him later), a retired Blade of the Red Church, and he acts like a surrogate “father” and trainer to her, preparing her to join the Red Church.

The Red Church has been described as a place like Hogwarts but set in Venice, but instead of a school of magic, it’s a school of death. I’d say I agree with that. There are canals, gondolas, harlequin masks, piazzas, and all sorts of landmarks/phrases that scream Italian.

The world building in this story is top notch. Ok, maybe that wasn’t so objective—but it’s true. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into creating the world, so much so that there were footnotes after every chapter. The footnotes provide extra details about things written in the corresponding chapter, but some people may find this annoying and may skip over the footnotes entirely.

I skipped over a lot of them, and didn’t feel I missed anything important. Maybe I’ll go back and just read the footnotes now that the story is done.

Speaking of the writing style, Nevernight is written in heavy metaphors and very lyrical sentence structures. If that’s something that annoys you or something you can’t get into, then you may find this book hard to read. There are sentences like these:

Aalea’s smile was like the suns emerging from the clouds…

But if the inn were a man and you stumbled on him in a bar, you’d be forgiven for assuming he had—after agreeing enthusiastically to his wife’s request to bring another woman into their marriage bed—discovered his bride making a pallet for him in the guest room…

The horizon was crusted like a beggar’s lips, scoured by winds laden with voices just beyond hearing…

The girl’s voice was dull, flat as a flagstone, but her eyes glittered with a fierce intelligence…

So there’s that.

If that doesn’t bother you and you can get by with or without reading the footnotes, then you’ll be in for a treat.

100% biased opinion:

This book was amazing!

There were parts in the chapters told in flashbacks that were written in pages and pages of italics, (which I find very annoying), and I already mentioned my skipping of the footnotes. That's the only reason I took away one star (really 1/2 a star). Aside from those minor stylistic decisions, I loved it!

I fell in love with the characters very quickly. Oddly enough, Mia wasn’t one of them, but that’s ok. I still liked her and found her story compelling. It’s very Arya Stark-ish (watches father’s execution, trains with a religious society of assassins who worship a god of death), but I like Arya more. Anyway…

Tric. OMG, Tric. He was probably the best. I loved his backstory, the culture of his people, just everything. I just… I just… I felt so bad for him! He was probably the most sympathetic of all the characters, and he quickly became my favorite.

Mercurio. The teacher. The retired Blade. I could just imagine what he was like back in his heyday. He must’ve been something special because so many people respected him. He had the best one-liners, and of all of the teachers, he seemed to be the best. Lucky, Mia.

The Red Church worships a goddess. Not a god, but a goddess. A monstrous goddess. Enough said.

Naev. I knew when she popped up wearing a black veil over her face that I’d like her.

There is a library of the dead. Read to find out about that one.

Lord Cassius. Listen. Is it possible to fall in love with a character that’s only in a book for like 4-5 scenes? I don’t know the exact count, but it wasn’t a lot. However, it was enough for me to be smitten ☺ He’s like that stereotypical character that lurks in the background. Untouchable. Fierce Warrior. Everyone is afraid of him. But wants to be like him at the same time. Walks around with a shadowwolf. And I loved it. Ugh. I want more.

And there it is. Highly recommended.

TL;DR:
-school of assassins
-plot based on revenge
-Italian (ish) setting
-not YA
-heavy metaphors and lyrical structure
-footnotes at the end of most chapters
-LOTS of violence
-characters you will fall in love with

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The training of an assassin, in a world of assassins: some obvious, some hidden, all engaged in the old power game of politics, love and danger. Interesting manipulation of shadows, unpredictable twists with a flair of the dramatic. The world is built around the characters, their actions casting in light various strata of society.

I stumbled upon this book in the store and loved the cover...then I saw it was a signed first edition and I have to have it. I tried to savor the book but failed and finished it in 3 sittings. It had gotten to be a deeper book with rereads (Yes I've reread it 4 times already) and I cannot wait for the second one to come out.

I need to stop and catch my breath! What an incredible journey this book takes you on! To (mis)quote his own self, Jay Kristoff's writing is so colorful I could throw it into the air and call it a rainbow.

The concept of the Red Church Trials was brilliant - dark and deadly games which reminded me of HP, but only in that Mia has an affinity for one particular subject and needs to excel to move forward, much like Harry trying to become an auror. There, however, the similarity ends. Nevernight is a dark, gritty masterpiece, not without violence and strong language. Kristoff also shows no mercy and you might want to be sitting down while reading this book.

I went into this thinking it was yet another YA fantasy read. Boy was I wrong! While the protagonists are teens, the content is far more adult in nature. Nevernight is a dark, moving, epic tale. One that might scare lesser readers ;) fortunately I'm made of sterner stuff!

Read this book, good gentlefolk... Do it! You will most certainly flinch, most certainly fear, but you'll never, ever forget it!

Assassins and orphans and violence. This book is a tale of revenge but is that all it is? Who is telling this story and how much of the information is accurate?
We meet Mia Corvere, a privileged child living with a father in a high governmental position. Unfortunately, her father was caught attempting to overthrow the current government and was set to be executed. The leaders come for Mia, her mother, and her little brother. Mia escapes and vows to avenge her family.
Thus begins her quest. Mia finds assistance in unlikely places and yearns to find the Red Church and pledge herself to the art of vengeance.
This is the first book in a trilogy. as with many high fantasy type books there is a lot of set up and sometimes that can feel like you are wading through muck. I really like Jay Kristoff's style of writing and was quickly drawn into Mia and her trials. I appreciated that there were all types of relationships depicted in this story., Mia is a complex character with some very interesting

Holy hell Jay Kristoff!!!! What an absolutely stellar book! Nevernight took me by complete surprise in every way possible, and I absolutely loved it!

I’m not going to lie, I picked up this book in June thinking “yeah I’ll get it read and reviewed ASAP” but I couldn’t get into it immediately so I left it down again and it ended up being on my goodreads currently reading shelf for SEVEN WEEKS!!!

I wasted so much time (well wasted is the wrong word, as I read plenty of other books in the interim) not reading Nevernight and I wish I could take it back. It is the most immersive, captivating and beautifully written book I’ve read in a long time.

Fantasy is not really my genre to be fair. Harry Potter is probably the last fantasy series I read and it’s hard not to draw comparisons in the sense that in HP they are in a wizarding school, and in Nevernight they are essentially in a magic and murder school. I was trying to describe it to my husband recently, and the only way I could even come close was that Nevernight is like Harry Potter and Assassins Creed mixed together.

Once I was hooked, I didn’t want to leave the book down. It was all I could think about and all I wanted was to hide away and devour it completely. I loved the imagery that Jay Kristoff created in my mind, I loved the way his characters are written, I loved it all!

I can’t single out a favourite character, they were all excellent in their own right. Even the bad guys, they were abhorrent but they were still so good! My emotions went through the wringer with Nevernight. I laughed, I got angry and I got upset, but it was all thanks to the excellent ability of Jay Kristoff to weave a masterful fantasy tale.

I recommend Nevernight wholly and completely. Whether you like fantasy or not, it is an excellent novel.

Breathtaking.

All the stars for this one!

I enjoyed this book. Jay Kristoff did a great job of world-building and developing characters, including my favorite kind, the morally ambiguous. The book is well-paced and the action is amazing. There are a few twists that took me by surprise. The interactions between the characters is excellent whether they be corporeal or not. The story is dark but not more so than many other fantasy stories I’ve read, including Malazan Book of the Fallen series. But amidst the gore there is some humor. Interestingly for a fantasy novel, Kristof uses many footnotes to expand on certain topics. I did not find these useful in understanding the story and stopped reading them after the first chapter. However, I did scan them in the rest of the chapters as some of them were funny. Although this is the first book of the series, it is self-contained and has an ending. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Disclosure: I received this book free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The writing style is definitely different. As a matter of fact, it took me ages to get used to it. The premise of the story is super interesting. I think the only reason I pushed through the writing style was the reviews this book had gotten. I needed to read more of it before I felt like I made a good decision in stopping. I'm glad I did that, because I jumped from one or two chapters per day to half the book in one sitting. It's definitely a different book, but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad book. Give it a try, at least until she gets to that certain place she wants to go to. The story really picks up there.

Image Harry Potter, but instead of an orphan boy whose parents were killed, its an orphaned girl whose parents were killed in bloody, graphic horror. Instead of a school of magic, she goes to a school for assassins. And instead of owls delivering messages, she has a cat made out of shadows who drinks her fear and rips apart her nightmares. O gentlefriend, this is a grim and dark and utterly amazing story. Its definitely a page turner, full of action, suspense, intrigue, love and lust and a good sprinkling of blood and violence. The author's writing style is such a pleasure, and footnotes (often times funny) add rich details to the fascinating world.

I have to say, this is one of the absolute best books I've ever read and its earned its place next to some other great dark fantasies like Record of the Saints Caliber, Prince of Thorns, and Joe Abercrombie's novels. If you're a fan of dark fantasy, you will NOT be disappointed.

***I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, the pages leave their marks on us. Indelible as the ink that graces them. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of words. A girl with a story to tell”

Well damn. This book was freaking awesome. Murder and betrayal. Magic and mystery. A secret assassin school hidden in the dark depths of an isolated mountain. Fantastic characters. A magical, almost sentient library of words and monsters. Epic plot twists. A dangerous world of perpetual light, ruled over by three suns that almost never set. Shadow wraiths in the form of helpful cats.

Dark. Dangerous. Gritty. Badass. Totally epic and totally amazing. This is my kind of book.

With her father executed as a traitor and on the run from the nobles who destroyed her family Mia Corvere is alone in the world. Gifted with strange Darkin abilities, Mia can wield the shadows as a weapon and the shadows… well, the shadows talk back. Seeking revenge, she joins the Red Church, a dark congregation of assassins loyal to the Lady of Blessed Murder, where she trains to join their elite ranks. That is, if she can survive a series of deadly and violent tests that demand more of her than she is perhaps willing to give.

Nevernight is a little bit The Young Elites meets Game of Thrones; a fantasy world filled with bloody violence and intense lust. The world building is exciting and vivid, well actualised and intriguing, filled with dark magic and danger. I absolutely loved Mia’s Darkin abilities and her not-a-cat shadow wraith companion. Mr Kindly was such a snarky and witty character. Mia herself is a great lead, tenacious and fiercely determined, extremely cunning and independent, strong and whip smart. Her story and personality is not totally dissimilar to that of Arya Stark. Not that this is a bad thing, I LOVE Arya Stark, so you can only imagine how much I adore Mia. The actual plot kept me turning the page, it was intricate and powerful and full of epic blindsides that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mia’s story is utterly gripping. I also really enjoyed the way relationships and sexual encounters were treated and handled in this book. However, this is definitely a more mature story, despite being loosely categorised as young adult and does feature sexual encounters.

I will be honest though and say that I think this book will be polarising. You are either going to love it or hate it and I don’t think there will be much middle ground. Despite this being one of my most anticipated reads for the year I actually toyed with putting it down early on because the writing style is just so… intense. However, I’m really glad I kept reading. It probably took me about 100 pages to get sucked into the story and feel comfortable with the writing. The prose is dense and ornate, a mix of medieval language and odd slang, heavily detailed and overloaded with metaphors and similes. It is at times overwritten and wordy, repetitive and featuring every shade of purple prose imaginable. It is the sort of language that you either like or loathe. The story is also peppered with footnotes that add on to the world building and which (while often hilarious) make for a confusing learning curve when reading (though can be easily ignored if they are not to your taste).

For me, however, this was such an epic read. I loved the writing style, I loved the world and the characters and I adored the story. A must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

Warnings; sex scenes, violence, language. All that good stuff.

Since the store refuses to let me have freedom of speech (and I refuse to censor my my excitement and love for Nevernight), I will just say that Nevernight is one of the most AMAZING books I've read in 2016. Jay Kristoff's is a Master of Words and you will not believe how awesome the story is, until you read it for yourselves.

For anyone interested, I have my real review up on the regular places, that DO allow me freedom of speech, without having to censor myself. For those bookworms out there, you know what I'm talking about!

Anyway, I definitely recommend anyone with a love for fantasy to give this book a shot, you will not be disappointed!!!

Let me start off by saying i had never heard of this book at all until it made the rounds on twitter and most i saw wasn't really into it BUT when i
saw the cover i was tempted to request it. So you know my thoughts going in were apprehensive but the beginning pulled me in ( still i had issues, reading the opening it felt like i should have been halfway through the book, yes it was slow but not hard to keep up) I know people like me usually will give up on a slow book but something told me to keep going and i was glad.took to Mia like salt and caramel, she is now one of my best friends. I live for dark characters and not necessarily evil but their morals are somewhat skewed, it makes them refreshing out of the cookie cutter characters i normally read. From the get go you feel and see Mia's pain and struggle, she loses her whole family all in one day and is on her way to die when everything just escalates and reevaluates her life. Nevernight is told through two point of views, it's something i normally would hate but it works for this. We see it through the Narrators eyes and through Mia but from Flashbacks i would say, and this is what kept me from saying NOPE. So Mia journeys from her childhood mentor and city to go train like an assassin and on the way she meets two friends who would help shape her and break her.

Some of my favorite scenes are the smut scenes , they were a little more detailed than in Young Adult which is why i will stick with my Adult label on this book and also the content. I also adored the relationship Mia and Mr.Kindly who is her dark counterpart, at first i didn't trust him but he seems to care for Mia in his own way. I want to talk about Mia and her first friend or shall i say lover but to be honest i forgot his name lol, i liked him and was sad about his ending but i know he was just a filler. Still he was a big part of her trusting even more people and wanting to forge more relationships and i thank him for that.

I'm this close to rambling and making this into an essay so i will just tell you ; If you like Bamf girls who come up from their struggles stronger than ever, good smut , good Dialogue, and Darkness then this is for you. ALSO This has a lot of stabbing and blood and butt whooping's and thievery and trickery with a pinch of wit so don't hesitate, buy a copy and fall in love.

Before i go, let me drop some favorite quotes;
“Never Flinch.' A cold whisper in her ear. 'Never fear. And never, ever forget.'
The girl nodded slowly.
Exhaled the hope inside.
And she'd watched her father die.”

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You're a daughter of the words. A girl with a story to tell.”

And lastly " The Brighter the light , the deeper the shadow "

Five ????? and ?????

Wow - it's difficult to find the words to explain how much I enjoyed this book! I did struggle with the first 50 or so pages but then something happened. A horse called Bastard and a boy named Tric.

Mia Covere is a 16 yr old assassin hellbent on avenging the murder of her family. She is also a Darkin - she can control the shadows themselves. An advantage in her line of work! She is accompanied by a familiar/shadow cat named Mister Kindly who provides a lot of the comedy element in the story.

Mia aims to become a Blade - the highest order of assassins but must complete a series of trials to achieve her dream and defeat the competition.

Treachery, lies and love follow. Will Mia succeed?

I can't wait to read more in this series!!

I received this book from #TBConFB in return for an honest review.

 4.5 ☆'s !
  ***Thank you St Martins Press for sending me this in exchange of an honest review***

  The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author, Nevernight by Jay Kristoff is an epic and intense story set in a land where three suns almost never set, and Mia Corvere, daughter of an executed traitor, joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

  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?

  While Nevernight has become one of the best books I've read so far this year, I do want to say that it took me a while to get into it. When the story first starts, there's a lot going on and I found it to be a little overwhelming. The book had just begun and already so much was happening. Not to mention a lot of information was being dumped on us. What really captivated me right from the first page was the writing. The writing had a unique and unexpected dark feel to it and it was absolutely enthralling. While I cannot compare it to any other, I can say it is similar to Victoria Schwab's writing style. Fans of Victoria will definitely be enamored by it. I dare say, Jay Kristoff's writing blew Victoria's out of the water.

  These days, Most stories have incredible writing, but lack in other areas.
That is not the case here. We really get to know the characters on a personal level, especially Mia’s. Mia’s character is so well understood, I truly felt a connection. Along with all the other characters. Characters development played a big role in the story and I'm beyond grateful. The world building was steady, not too heavily touched on, and not too undergone.

  While the plot on its own was motivated, I do believe character development and world building played a huge role in the plot. Once I got through my initial overwhelm and confusion, I couldn't put the book down I was so sucked into the story by the immense amount of action and bada****y of it all. The second half of the book got darker at points and was full of kick a** action, all I can say about it is this is not a book for children. It's actually not even a Young Adult novel, trust me when I say it's an adult novel. The amount of gore and detail (not to mention the steaminess of the sex scenes), is without a doubt something you might want to consider before picking this up if you're squeamish about that type of thing.

  I was  constantly kept at the edge of my seat, having not a single clue as to what was going to happen next. Every plot twist, every betrayal, it was all a pleasant surprise. My heart might have broken a little but I won't spoil anything. This is only the beginning of a new series and already I'm greedily anticipating the sequel. I can't stop thinking about it, it was so intense and I was so immersed in the story and the dark and mysterious feel to it it's just one of those books where you immediately need the sequel because you need answers and just absolutely HAVE to know what happens next.

  The hype surrounding this book is crazy, and even crazier is the fact that it's well deserved. Hype can sometimes be a bad thing up to the point that readers are overwhelmed and hesitate to pick up the book but in all honesty, the hype for Nevernight is well deserved. Bloody brilliant. That's what this book was and if you haven't added it to your TBR, wait no longer. You won't  want to miss out on this one.

Assassins. Blood. Revenge. Death. O, yes. This book has all of that plus more. This is the best dark fantasy I’ve read in a very long time. I’ve broken this review down into two sections. The first section is a completely objective review of the book’s style, story, and etc… The second section is a 100% biased opinion. All opinions are my own. No spoilers ahead. This review is also featured on Black Girl Nerds.

So let’s get down to it.

The synopsis as posted on Goodreads:

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?

Objective Review:

First of all, this is not YA book. Yes, the main character is 16, but again, it’s not YA as some say.

Nevernight is set in world that is a blend of ancient Rome and Old World Venice. This is a story about assassins so please believe there is plenty of blood, gore, and just all-around violence to go around. To say Mia had a rough life is putting it mildly. The girl’s mother forced her to watch as her father was executed when she was only a little girl, and what comes next only prepares her for a life of revenge and death. She eventually meets Mercurio (more on him later), a retired Blade of the Red Church, and he acts like a surrogate “father” and trainer to her, preparing her to join the Red Church.

The Red Church has been described as a place like Hogwarts but set in Venice, but instead of a school of magic, it’s a school of death. I’d say I agree with that. There are canals, gondolas, harlequin masks, piazzas, and all sorts of landmarks/phrases that scream Italian.

The world building in this story is top notch. Ok, maybe that wasn’t so objective—but it’s true. You can tell that a lot of effort was put into creating the world, so much so that there were footnotes after every chapter. The footnotes provide extra details about things written in the corresponding chapter, but some people may find this annoying and may skip over the footnotes entirely.

I skipped over a lot of them, and didn’t feel I missed anything important. Maybe I’ll go back and just read the footnotes now that the story is done.

Speaking of the writing style, Nevernight is written in heavy metaphors and very lyrical sentence structures. If that’s something that annoys you or something you can’t get into, then you may find this book hard to read. There are sentences like these:

Aalea’s smile was like the suns emerging from the clouds…

But if the inn were a man and you stumbled on him in a bar, you’d be forgiven for assuming he had—after agreeing enthusiastically to his wife’s request to bring another woman into their marriage bed—discovered his bride making a pallet for him in the guest room…

The horizon was crusted like a beggar’s lips, scoured by winds laden with voices just beyond hearing…

The girl’s voice was dull, flat as a flagstone, but her eyes glittered with a fierce intelligence…

So there’s that.

If that doesn’t bother you and you can get by with or without reading the footnotes, then you’ll be in for a treat.

100% biased opinion:

This book was amazing!

There were parts in the chapters told in flashbacks that were written in pages and pages of italics, (which I find very annoying), and I already mentioned my skipping of the footnotes. That's the only reason I took away one star (really 1/2 a star). Aside from those minor stylistic decisions, I loved it!

I fell in love with the characters very quickly. Oddly enough, Mia wasn’t one of them, but that’s ok. I still liked her and found her story compelling. It’s very Arya Stark-ish (watches father’s execution, trains with a religious society of assassins who worship a god of death), but I like Arya more. Anyway…

Tric. OMG, Tric. He was probably the best. I loved his backstory, the culture of his people, just everything. I just… I just… I felt so bad for him! He was probably the most sympathetic of all the characters, and he quickly became my favorite.

Mercurio. The teacher. The retired Blade. I could just imagine what he was like back in his heyday. He must’ve been something special because so many people respected him. He had the best one-liners, and of all of the teachers, he seemed to be the best. Lucky, Mia.

The Red Church worships a goddess. Not a god, but a goddess. A monstrous goddess. Enough said.

Naev. I knew when she popped up wearing a black veil over her face that I’d like her.

There is a library of the dead. Read to find out about that one.

Lord Cassius. Listen. Is it possible to fall in love with a character that’s only in a book for like 4-5 scenes? I don’t know the exact count, but it wasn’t a lot. However, it was enough for me to be smitten ☺ He’s like that stereotypical character that lurks in the background. Untouchable. Fierce Warrior. Everyone is afraid of him. But wants to be like him at the same time. Walks around with a shadowwolf. And I loved it. Ugh. I want more.

And there it is. Highly recommended.

TL;DR:
-school of assassins
-plot based on revenge
-Italian (ish) setting
-not YA
-heavy metaphors and lyrical structure
-footnotes at the end of most chapters
-LOTS of violence
-characters you will fall in love with

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Nevernight is one epic fantasy novel! Mia is everything I look for and more in a strong female protagonist. Her story is the kind that hooks it's claws into you and won't let you go until it's 3 in the morning and the birds are chirping. The plot is full of murder, revenge, political intrigue and wicked magic. Jay's writing style is dark, and humorous, and everything you want in a snarky third person narrator. Nevernight is a must read for fantasy fans, and fans of good books in general.

This book honestly like destroyed me??? I’m not even going to try to write a review because that would be impossible for my brain. I don’t understand why more ppl aren’t talking about this book?? It’s sooo good. Hands down one of the best fantasy/book I’ve ever read. If you have any hesitations picking this one up, JUST DO IT. You won’t be disappointed.

Quick note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Nevernight has some fantastic things to offer to the mind of the reader. It's rich in a fantastical world, with characters filled with depth, and has an edge that you just can't stop looking over. I found myself, during the last half of the book especially, wanting to keep turning the page to see what happens next.

Starting out, I did have a bit of a rough time. The beginning of the book (about the first 100 pages or so) is filled with background of Mia, our main character, and the world that she has grown up in and currently resides in. It is necessary to the story and not just put in there to fill pages though. And part of me really enjoyed seeing this unique world. There are quite a few footnotes in the beginning of the book that dive deeper into the world. I often lose my place with footnotes, so I chose to forgo them and go back and read them later. Doing this I didn't feel like I missed any parts of the story. I feel like the footnotes are more of a bonus to the story and the world. A bonus I much appreciated.

Then we have Mia. The more I think about Mia, the more I like her. She develops so well throughout the story. She comes from being in this vengeful dark place to seeing more outside and around herself. There's a strong depth from Mia that suggests that there is so much more to see with her and I can't wait to find out in the next book.

Though there has been suggestion that there's some smutty bits in this book, I almost started to think that it was a main point of the book. It's not. BUT I wasn't disappointed. It was a part of the story, and it was swoony, but it wasn't a main point. It didn't consume the story, or Mia's life.

The world was so rich and unique, I loved it. I loved the magic. There was a unique language to this world, such as night being called nevernight that puts you right into the world. It feels like since you are speaking, or rather reading, the language that you're are a part of it. It was a cool experience, and one of my favorite parts.

If you're looking for a darker fantasy. One with some gore, but BA characters. One with rich detail. One with everything, a murder mystery, a romance, a school of assassins, I think this book has something for everyone.

Honestly, the best book of 2016. Hardcore, graphic, intense, adventurous, original (actually original, not the original that says original and you've seen 500 times).
The characters are the bomb dot com, Mia is the world's greatest protagonist ever, with everything anyone could ever want in a character, including, but not limited to, being snarky, funny, dark, intense, confident, not whiney, absolutely epic, AND SO MUCH MORE!
Then there's the whole fantasy world they live in and it is so well done and beautifully put together that I could probably analyze it like it's an actual place and write an entire, ten-pages essay on how great it is.
And then there's the story which is all of that combined and basically, you're in for reading the best book ever with the best, most intense book hangover afterward​!
Have fun!

Nevernight is written extremely well, with incredible world-building and character development. From start to finish I loved Mia as a character, and thought she was just an amazing female protagonist. She is a kickass girl with some awesome skills (that you’ll find out about as soon as you pick this one up), but what amazed me the most was her complexity and depth as a character. Despite the story focusing on Mia, it is narrated by an unknown voice (who according to Mister Kristoff himself, we actually meet through the course of the novel – I have my suspicions about who this might be!!). Throughout the course of the novel Mia undergoes some self-realisation and grows as a person, as she makes friends, enemies, and perhaps starts to fall in love (and lust..teehee!!). ?

Nevernight is told in third person narrative, with annotations scattered throughout the chapters. These annotations were kinda frustrating for me, as it REALLY slowed down the pace and … ugh…. I’m not sure I liked them. In saying that, I thought that the annotations provided a tonne of background information about the religion and the world itself. So despite the ridiculous pacing they created (although I will say in the more action-packed chapters, there were no annotations, so that was good!) the annotations definitely enhanced my reading experience. By the end of the book, the world, religion and unique sayings felt completely familiar to me.

It was hilarious and smutty and as bloody as anything, and it definitely made for an interesting reading experience. I don’t really know whether to call it YA, New Adult or even adult, but just be advised that there is gore, sex and swearing (no spoilers I promise, just don’t go buying this for your 12 year old…:/ ).

I loved so many of the side characters; they all felt so real and amazing (and EVIL… some of them anyways..!!). Mia and Tricky are my babies, and I LOOOOVVVVEEE them so much!! The characters as a whole went through so much together, and I really need the next book so I can see what happens next. Speaking of the next book, I feel like the ending of this one was weaker than the rest of the book. By that I mean that it really didn’t feel like a conclusion, which makes sense since this IS a series. But still. I wanted a little more from the ending; it felt very open-ended, but I guess I’ll just have to wait to see what happens next.

LIKES:

It is so FREAKING HILARIOUS… see the pale green tabs in the photo above? That’s how many times I laughed out loud…in public!!
“Well, you call your horse Legend, you’re letting people think you’re some hero in a storybook. You call your horse Thunderhoof…..gods, you might as well hang a sign about your neck saying ‘I have a peanut for a penis'”.

There was a perfect combination of smut *wink, wink*, bloody murder, kickass fight scenes, sprinkled with friendship and romance.
There are sooo many plot twists (and turns, bloody hell!) throughout.
It breaks so many ‘rules’: Jay talks about periods, and we actually get to see a gal ENJOYING sex!! A lot!!!
Mia wasn’t by any stretch a ‘perfect’, fearless protagonist. She has fears and worries too. And a conscience. Thank god.
The magic/fantasy elements in this are so DARK and delicious and I LOVED them SO MUCH!!!!!

DISLIKES:

I hate to say it, but it was a bit slow cap’n. Some chapters just dragggggggged on…
A couple of the plot twists I predicted (but only a couple..most of them were like: HOLY CRAP!? WTF?!?!)
Erm, well, there were a few things I didn’t enjoy, to do with the characters. But I can’t say anything here…its spoilery. Just read it and weep, I mean, enjoy:/

Nevernight follows 16yo Mia Corvere as she starts the path to avenge the death of her father/destruction of her family. She apprentices herself to a former assassin who prepares her for entry into an elite assassin school. There she has to decipher friend from foe to succeed and hopefully survive to dole out her own justice.

I really, really enjoyed this novel and was hooked at Chapter 1. The style at the beginning has a bit of back and forth but I love how the author presented it. The narrator who tells the story of Mia has great humor expressed through the footnotes throughout the story making some potentially gruesome events a bit more bearable and also gives you some insight to the greater world/story.

The worldbuilding is excellent and characters superb. You'll fall in love with more than Mia. The supporting characters are just as intriguing, adding depth and value. And Mister Kindly you'll love him too.

All in all a great read for any mature reader who loves fantasy with wit and strong characters.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers and crime books but at least one fantasy book a year totally captivates me and leaves me bereft when it is finished. Nevernight is this year's mind blower!

This book is not for everyone. There is a lot of description. There is a lot - an awful lot- of violence, blood and gore. But there is also a lot of humour, fantastic characters and a narrative that sweeps you along until you emerge shaking yourself thinking,"Wh-a-a-t??" I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the next one in the trilogy.

Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me into the Nevernight world

I loved this book about a female assassin, and although she may be teenaged, this story reads a lot more like a New Adult book, i.e scenes of graphic violence and sex.

The story is bloated with purple prose in the beginning, but it does calm down a bit in the rest of the book, although it is always present this didn't bother me much, but just a heads up for people who do not enjoy that.

This did turn out to be a fun adventure with an intriguing mystery. I am curious to see who the next book will follow. Overall I would recommend this.

Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

WELL THIS WAS AMAZING.

Blood. S***. Murder. Sex. Poison. Not in that order. Murder comes right before s***, I guess, as you're told early on.

Anyways, I've been wanting to rekindle my love for assassin-y fantasy novels for years and I've been let down a bunch of times, and I feel like my patience finally paid off with NEVERNIGHT. I haven't seen any comparisons to the Dark Brotherhood from the Elder Scrolls games, and if you're looking for a spot-on ~vibe~ THAT'S THE VIBE.

Really loved that the narrative shifted between Mia's past and present (and LOVED the framing, with all the footnotes- footnote nerd alert!). This is a wonderfully written book, and the style fits the .... mythic-ness of it. A city carved from bones. Teleportation via pools of blood. Aa. Niah. Light. Dark. The vaguely Roman/Italian feel of it all. It's a very RICH novel. Like blood pooling on a marble floor. Did I mention there's a lot of blood in this book? And sex.

Always nice when one of your Top 5 Most Anticipated Books of the Year doesn't let you down and blows away your expectations!

First, I'll start with what I didn't like about Nevernight.

...

...

...

No wait, I loved everything.

I confess to have been reading over everyone else's reviews (not just GR friends) and this seems to be another one of those books that people seem to adore or be pretty 'meh' about. And, much like with one of Jay's other books that I have read a common complaint seems to be about writing style. The narrator of this story, describes himself as someone who (was?) in love with the heroine of my dreams, Mia Corvere The narrative jumps back and forward between present and past events, as well as the histories of Godsgrave and it's previous rulers, right back to the stories of the Gods themselves.

I'll be truthful. It was a tad confusing at first with all the flashbacks and whatnot, not to mention the prose even turning a wee bit purple at times. But, once I was used to it, found that the story flowed like the most magical of water.

Back to the heroine of my dreams, Mia Corvere, she is like...who? Celeana Sardothian if she had bigger balls and thought a little less of herself? Mia is Mia. She has had a bloody rough time of life, and ends up training to be an assassin. Unlike Celeana, she had an awesome Master who actually wanted her to succeed. Mia's master also managed to keep her grounded, instead of encouraging her to be a narcissistic fool. Mia is snarky, but mostly fair and generally speaking, an absolute legend.

The assassin school is like Hogwarts on crack, where sex and thievery are totally lessons. (The sex! My God Jay Kristoff writes good sex. Like, the have to get up an go take a walk kind of good sex. And no, this is definitely not YA. I kind of want to tell my local bookstore the reason's why it's not YA so they can move it to a more appropriate section, and then 13 year old me says not to deny another 13 year old the opportunity to sneak some sexy writing. So....)

I could go on and on, but every time I start to write something, I realise it would be spoilery, so I'll just leave my review here. Really though, this was fabulous, and while I have liked Jay's other writing, to me it does not even compare (full disclosure, I've only read Stormdancer). I can't recommend it enough, but I also recommend patience. Let yourself adjust to the narrative before you quit, it is so worth it in the end. The world building is terrific, as is Mia's sarcastic not-cat. All you smarty pants' out there will probably pick up on the sneaky 'bad guy' before I did, but, I DID suspect. Still. I appreciated the plot twist. And I appreciated how this book had me raging, blushing, laughing out loud and quietly sobbing. Only a truly good book is going to get you to experience all that.

ZOUNDS PEOPLE! This is a damn good book... Where to begin, and how to keep the all-caps screaming to a minimum...

If you've never read Jay Kristoff, there are a few things you need to know.

Lesson #1 for reading Jay Kristoff's books: Jay likes to kill people. So don't get attached. Your favorite character probably isn't going to make it and will probably die suddenly, epically, and with no real closure... Jay accepts any and all complaints about this on any social media outlet, feel free to yell at him. These are considered compliments, so be be warned; he will respond with laughter and a halfhearted apology.

Probably not even halfhearted...

Lesson #2: Jay's soul belongs to the damned who have put in his charge dragging the souls of the innocent into the depths wherein lies pain, misery, agony, and viral cat videos. He will not be free until he has delivered enough of the world's suffering, and frankly I believe he's so corrupted by now he no longer wishes to be free, so he now writes New York Times Bestsellers to make thousands upon thousands of readers cry, choking and sobbing on their pain, until their souls are lost forever to him and his damned beautiful tragedies he calls 'books'.

You will experience feels.

Lesson #3-and this is important: He will never, EVER, stop.

Seeing as how I have deeply fallen victim to his marvelous treachery, and my soul is now lost among the thousands of others, I'm alright with this.

Now that you have been warned, proceed with this review at your own risk, because I am suggesting you give in and read it. You do not want to miss out on this book. PLUS, if you pre-order in the US the book will come SIGNED! Order from any of your usual booksellers, and BOOM, signed. Pretty freaking sweet, right?

Now to convince you to read the book.

The cast is quite sarcastic and witty as I've come to expect from Jay. The banter between acolytes can be playful and amusing, and just about the only thing left innocent about them. They are at a school to become murderers after all... It's nice, as they are occasionally, and oh so horribly reminded, to have a glimpse of life outside killing and worshipping a goddess of death and Jay lets us enjoy some great moments of youth and comraderie.

I think it will be fascinating to see what these acolytes become throughout the series. They are still young and hopeful, for now (even if that hope for the future is to murder someone they've been praying to kill for most of their lives...), but we can clearly see that their trainers are so accustomed to death that they no longer care about the lives of others. It's an intriguing comparison. The acolytes on that same path as their Shahiid's with little chance they will retain much of themselves outside of death and murder.

Except, perhaps, for Mia.

Mia Corvere is a very interesting character. All anyone sees at first is a nonchalant, angry, fierceness of 'not giving a f*%&ery', and she's happy to leave their opinion of her at that. She seems the perfect murderess; emotionless, driven, willing to do whatever it takes to become a full fledged Blade.

Never Flinch.

But, that cold, external demeanor isn't really who she is... There's a reason she appears that way, and even she, at times, questions whether that is who she really wants to be, or who she should be. There are moments, few and far between, when she sees past her own mask and remembers she's more than a cold hearted killer, that there's something deeper, another part of her that does, in fact, feel and want and need and those are things she needs to hold on to. That she wants to hold on to. But, when she follows that path, that's when the fear comes. When she's the uncaring part of herself, she's focused, driven, unafraid and she works toward her goal of revenge undistracted and with maximum effort. If the fear slips in, she will be consumed by it.

Never Fear.

There are things serving the goddess Niah will take from her, and Mia isn't sure she's willing to give them so easily, but she also wants to forget. Memories need to be resolved, feelings need exploring. Things she has put off for far too long and now she finds she doesn't know how to live any other way than hiding behind her gifts and the wall of revenge she's built around herself. She allows her memories, emotions, cares to be pushed aside, with a little aid from a unique presence, and when it's gone she tries to forget.

Never Forget.

I love how Jay cuts through the bullshit of his own characters. They try to be so strong while working through some serious emotional issues... They're screwed up little crazies trying to become expert murderers. Aa help us...

The side characters deserve their own books and we know something deeply seeded drives them just as hard as Mia. Jay so flawlessly puts their doubts and weaknesses on display, ocassionally in a way that you really just have to laugh at their misfortunes. There's real hurt behind every one of them making them very real, very easy to pity. It's difficult not to be understanding and feel sorry for even the most villainous of characters.

But seriously, try not to get attached. I disregarded my own rules and hoped... And lost my favorite character.

I'm still pretty pissed about it...

There's always something unexpected about Jay's books. My jaw literally dropped as I read the first few chapters and realized what he was doing. I had to go back and re-read, several times, to fully understand my serious case of deja vu happening and then I just sat stunned for awhile. It was beautiful, a really beautiful comparison of the aspects of Mia's life and her experiences. It continues on in this way, though much more subtle as the book continues.

The entire book is a subtle comparison between the two sides of her. A glimpse at what she would have been, or I suppose should have been, had her life turned out differently. Her life would have been a stark contrast against the murderess she has allowed herself to become.

Another interesting factor to the book are the foot notes. Do not forget to read the foot notes! A narrator fills in a few blanks, like what a turn of phrase really means, or what is significant about a gesture. Some of these get a little lengthy, a few times they cut into the action right where you really don't want them to, but there are fascinating facts about Mia's world contained within them and a lot of them will make you laugh. And you need to laugh while you still can... because Jay is not even close to being done.

About the sex that's been mentioned... I'll leave that up to your imaginations for now. Mister Kristoff provides plenty of details on his own... I will say, however, when you reach the halfway point, I wouldn't read much in public anymore. That made for the most awkward playdate at the mall ever. I to had to put the book down and be social during precious reading time I rarely get without a child asking me for something. I do not like being social :/

And as for page 382 (553 UK version)...

You have been warned.

Only question now is how do I wait patiently for book 2???

Mia is out to right a wrong she suffered as a child and being the daughter of an executed traitor marks her for death. Kristoff creates a new world full of intrigue, violence, and wrongs trying to be made right. Make no mistake, this is a dark fantasy, but it is crafted with finesse. The characters are strong and interesting as well as being flawed. The sun almost never sets in this land as Mia sets out to join a school of assassins. This novel keeps you guessing. Mia arrives at the Red Church to train as a deadly assassin, but little does she realize, she may have to save her own life because there is a murderer on the loose in the school.

Kristoff is an excellent master at creating this new world. His characters and setting weave marvelously together. The setting is creepy, full of twists and information the reader has to figure out. It's a great puzzle of a book, but done with care and concern for the reader. You are sucked in right
away trying to figure out the next turn in the road. I will definitely pick up the sequel to this one to see what happens next. The sun really almost never sets in Nevernight because there is always something going on.

I don't want to spoil anything so I will keep details about it to myself, but this is hands down one of the most well-written novels I have read in a good, long time. I have been craving a fantasy novel that was well written for a damn eternity and Nevernight definitely delivered on that front. I highly recommend.

Great story though I found the footnotes annoying, forcing the reader to lose their place on the page to read a bit of lore/comedy relief that could have otherwise been included in paragraph the reader was torn away from in the first place. That aside, I greatly recommend this book to anyone looking for some dark fantasy soaked in blood, a hint of sex with a side order of sweet revenge.

What can I say about a book that takes the tried and tested fantasy trope of the protagonist attending a school, and turns it on its head by having it as a school for assassins? I believe the word I’m looking for is amazing.
The world Jay Kristoff has created is a thing of beauty, intrigue and suspense. From the moment I started reading Nevernight, I was instantly gripped by the astounding world and its inhabitants. I felt the background being based during a time possibly similar to the crusades was a stroke of genius as I think the idea of assassins having their own religion fits perfectly into it.

With regards to the religion having their place of worship, The Red Church, act as a school where the assassins can improve their skills and learn more was brilliantly executed. This allowed us to learn more about the Red Church, its ideals and history.
The addition of footers on the pages to explain certain areas of interest was a welcome addition, as it allows you to read more on what the author is trying to tell you without drawing you out of the story. I have seen these types of notes before being used in an appendix, but I think putting them on a page where they are relevant makes linking certain aspects a lot easier.

I have read many books before that give you the backstory of the main character and I have seen a number of different ways of accomplishing this. The way Jay Kristoff accomplishes the jump between past and present is through the use of a different font and formatting. I think this is done very well and I never once felt it broke the flow of the book or made it difficult to follow the story.

Throughout the first part of the book, Mia’s backstory is explained, allowing us to discover what happened to her parents, as well as an incident that changed the lives of everyone in the city.
Learning about Mia’s past is very interesting to read about, especially during certain key scenes in the book when you learn more about her early assassin training as a child, and the origin of the Not Cat “Mister Kindly”. For me, the Not Cat seemed to represent another side of her personality as an assassin as well as her past, and it was very intriguing to see how Mia and the Not Cat interacted.

One of the best aspects of the book was reading about the different assassin lessons and how each primary character interacted and dealt with them. I felt that the different lessons the characters had to take sounded very much like core areas an assassin would need to know for survival, and this only enhanced my enjoyment and intrigue of Nevernight.
With regards to the characters in Nevernight there are quite a few with different backgrounds and stories, sometimes when we have this it can be difficult to remember each character and their different traits. I never found this an issue as the charactisation is done so well that each of them are very memorable in their own way and I enjoyed how they book didn’t info dump everything about a character at one point but instead as the book progressed we learnt more about what makes them tick.
The only issue I had with the book was that there were a few scenes I felt dragged on a bit due to the nature of them as I felt it was unnecessary to go into them to that extent as I feel they didn’t lend too much to the story. With that in mind though part of me does understand why Jay Kristoff had these scenes as it helped show the characters at their most venerable moments and it showed us how they dealt with these in their own way.

I think Jay Kristoff has created a spectacular book and I believe it is one of, if not the best, assassin book I have come across in the fantasy genre. This book will grab you from the start and you won’t want to put this down. I would highly recommend this to any fantasy fan and particularly those who enjoyed Brent Week’s Night Angel trilogy. Jay Kristoff certainly knows how to leave you wanting more as not only did it finish on a high, but it was also left on a cliff hanger, and I can’t wait until the release of the sequel.

This review was originally posted at Novellique:
[...]

TITLE.
The title of NEVERNIGHT is specific enough to the world to be relevant, although isn’t specific enough to give away anything about the plot. I support the unofficial title of ‘stabstabstab‘ but I recognise that NEVERNIGHT rolls of the tongue a little easier. Can we have a moment to also appreciate the badass-ness of the goodreads synopsis? “The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary students. The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.”

COVER.
I’ve been reading the ARC as an eBook, so I’ve not really had the cover to look at repeatedly, but I have ordered a limited edition hardback copy for my bookshelves and the cover looks to be absolutely beautiful – the limited edition hardbacks in particular, but the cover design I also love. There’s two designs of cover, and I prefer the

PLOT.
I definitely enjoyed the plot of NEVERNIGHT – it was everything I wanted from a fantasy novel and so much more. It’s not the young adult novel some places are trying to market it as, but the jump between some dark, older YA and NEVERNIGHT felt raw and natural. The violence and mature themes were presented as part of Mia’s daily life. It’s the kind of assassins story which is very transparent about everything killing people involves – the blood, the poisons, the harshness of a child being forced into an adult world at a young age. My only cause for complaint is realising I now have to wait some time, probably in excess of a year, for the next one. Write, Kristoff, write!

CHARACTERS.
All the characters of NEVERNIGHT felt so very real – Mia, Tric, Ashlinn, even the teachers all had their individual personalities. The thing that distinguished these characters from other novels for me was the detail to Mia’s personality: often in young adult (although I’ll say again, this probably shouldn’t be called young adult) the main character is ‘not like other girls’ except for the fact that they are, in every single way, like any other girls. Mia is a new type of girl/woman in fiction: she’s written properly. She’s badass and strong but also has coping mechanisms which she experiences the loss of – it’s pointed out that by not facing her fear she isn’t being truthful to herself. This is conveyed excellently through the transition between Captain Puddles, a real cat, and Mister Kindly, the not-cat. On an analytical level (see, this is how much I loved NEVERNIGHT) it’s the transition between cute-and-cuddly Mia and stab-stab-stab Mia, a transition which is initially shown through a dual narrative at the beginning, with lines mirroring each other to explain the past and present. It’s one of the best initial few characters I’ve ever read, quickly introducing you to Mia before you’ve even stopped getting used to the world.

OVERALL.
I absolutely loved NEVERNIGHT and gave it a sold 5* with a percentage rating of 98% – I believe the highest I’ve ever rated. Footnotes provide you with extra information about the lore, as well as side comments about a person or situation. It definitely sounds as though the author is telling you a story at the start, but this is soon lost as you become engrossed in the characters. I’ve deliberately knocked 2% from the 100% rating for the two characters lost who I had just begun to love. Perhaps we’ll talk about that when the book is officially released on the 11th August – I’m starting to need some group therapy.

my video review is here

I was very lucky I got the ARC of this i was blown away, its not a book I would pick up but i think its one of the best books of 2016, its one that had me hocked from page one sprayed-edges-black-special-edition.jpeg

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?

one of the best books of 2016

I'll be honest from the start: I'm a Kristoff fan. I read and enjoyed all of the Lotus War series, I am still amazed by Illuminae and Gemina (The Illuminae Files) (with Amie Kaufman) and...well you get it. The point is I had high hopes.

I am not disappointed.

Taking place on a new world with a unique concept of night and day there was obviously a lot of world-building to do which slows the story slightly but not vastly so. We again have a young heroine (very Wheson-esque Mr. Kristoff) beset by baddies and avenging her family. It's not a new story in it's bones, but the details are well thought out and refined.

I won't go into the story but suffice it to say it never stops. Once it begins it is a roller-coaster, a mine-cart heading idly towards a plummet that sends it careening at high speeds through dangerous twists and turns that threaten to send you flying off the track. It's exciting and mesmerizing and never out of control. Mr. Kristoff knew what he was doing the entire time.

I highly recommend this book and any of his endeavors for anyone who wants to enjoy themselves in an amazing tale.

"The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You're a daughter of words. A girl with a story to tell." - Nevernight, by Jay Kristoff.

Brilliant book. First ten pages in I marveled at how beautiful the writing was. First thirty pages in I marveled at how tragic it was. First fifty pages in I laughed and marveled at the gallows humor and the little notes the 'narrator' fits in. This is one hellva book. I imagine the simplest comparison would be if Dishonored mashed up with Harry Potter. But make no mistake this is not a book for 'young adults' you will realize that in the first five pages.

This book is a tragic tale of a little girl who lost her whole world. Had it dashed against cold stones by uncaring hands. It is the tale of that girl's rise from nothing. It is of that girl becoming a killer of killers. A disciple of dark goddess, whose gospel is murder. Whose communion is in blood. Whose legacy is hatred.

It is a beautifully written book with clever writing that will shock you, pluck at your heart's strings, and make you laugh hard enough for your smile to endure. Every time you think you figure it out, something you hadn't expected slams in sideways. Give it a read!

Stories about exceptional children and the schools they attend are nothing new. Often some sort of tragic event triggers the awakening of remarkable powers or gifts, and the child must come to grips with their new abilities as they make their way in a cruel, unflinching world. The fact that these stories continue to surface speaks to their popularity, or perhaps the resonance they have among us.
The story: Mia Corvere is at a crossroads. She is the product of the afore-mentioned tragic events; through some flashbacks interwoven with present-day narrative, we learn about her journey from innocent daughter of nobility to apprentice assassin. At the opening of the novel, the time has come for Mia to make her way to the training grounds of the Red Church. Driven by revenge, desperate to make a place for herself, will Mia be able to overcome the obstacles set in her way (not the least of which are her instructors, who seem bent on killing their pupils) and become a Blade in the service of the Blessed Lady of Murder? Nevernight is a bloody tale of the lengths a person will go to in the name of revenge.

The verdict: I couldn’t stop reading this book. I’ve read Harry Potter, The Magicians, Ender’s Game, X-Men, and other publications about children who attend schools that cater to their special gifts. I would put this book right up there with any of them, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of books. The biggest draw for me was the atmosphere of the book. Nevernight feels Baroque, Byzantine, and Gothic – all in a good way. The world-building is intricate without overwhelming the reader, and I felt as though I was being asked to make some of the same choices as Mia as I read about her journey. The Red Church is not a school for the weak of heart: these aspirants are put through the wringer. There is a strong aspect of horror to the novel, again without ever crossing the line into gratuitousness. This is primarily a book about a school of assassins: while you might think that this means it goes light on magic, Mia (without me spoiling anything) brings a few special gifts to the table and introduce a fascinating magic system that raises the question: what could you do if you had no fear?

A Word of Warning: I read the e-book version of this novel, thanks to NetGalley. The book contains footnotes for just about every chapter. The problem for me was that when I reached the end of a chapter I pretty much forgotten the text that was being referenced by the end notes. I would have much preferred to read the book in paper form, so that I could flip back and forth. (It’s a minor quibble.)

As we approach the Fall months and the spooky season of October, I would especially recommend this book as a Halloween read. As always, be sure and let me know what you think!

I received an ebook review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A failed attempt at overthrowing the Senate results in the execution of Mia's father, the imprisonment of her mother, and an attempt on her own life. Mia is taken in and trained in the assassin's arts, and when the time comes, she goes to the Red Church in order to be trained as a Blade - the deadliest assassins in the known world. If she survives the training she intends to return and kill those responsible for her father's death. But surviving is not a given.

Nevernight is set in a world that is reminiscent of ancient Rome, with shades of Venice thrown in for good measure. Three suns trail across the sky at different rates, making true night, and full darkness, very rare. The world building is extraordinarily rich, and this is mostly achieved through the use of footnotes. In the e-book version I had for review, these were at the end of the chapter. The UK/Aus paper version has them at the bottom of each page. The footnotes and introduction are in the narrator's voice, which is pleasingly sarcastic. We are not told who the narrator is, although we know it is someone who knew and loved Mia. In its tone, the narration, particularly the footnotes, remind me of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams. You can happily read the book without looking at the footnotes if you find they pull you out of the story, but I loved the way they achieved a level of world building not possible in the text alone.

The book opens with a beautiful juxtaposition of life and death, or specifically, sex and murder. The script is the same, the outcome very different. I loved the way flashbacks were used to gradually introduce Mia's character and her history, and to explain how she came to be one of the most feared killers in the world.

Although the protagonist is 16, this is not a book I would recommend for young or immature readers. There is very strong language and violence throughout. Think Game of Thrones levels.

Mia is a beautifully complex character. She is fierce and determined, she is emotionally broken, she is at once capable of brutal murder and absolute compassion. I loved her and can't wait for her story to continue.

The supporting characters are beautifully drawn. Ashlinn who becomes Mia's friend, Tric, who becomes something more. Mercurio who found Mia and shaped her into the killer she became. Adonai and Marielle who are both creepy and fascinating. And Mister Kindly, who is Mia's constant companion but has an agenda of his own.

As well as Mia's story of becoming an assassin and seeking revenge, there's an undercurrent of mythology. Gods who did battle in the past and shaped the world as it is now look set to come into play later in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to find out what's next for Mia and those who survived this first installment.

Jay Kristoff has an amazing description for his book and it is quite true: "Assassins! Murder! Treachery! Smutty bits!"

You will either find yourself enjoying this book, or find it totally taxing.

I, however, fell in the happy middle. It did take me a month to finish this book for two reasons: one, Empire of Storms came out, and two, I got impatient.

The beginning was creatively written enough to make me curious. I was reluctant to read another assassin-in-training story because Celaena Sardothien took a lot of space in my heart. But, Mia Corvere has enough of her spunk to get me intrigued, so I followed.

By the time she gets to the, urm, "academy", I was invested. It is richly written and each scene was very descriptive. I love an author who is generous with words.

Now, here comes the stuff I had problems with... supposedly, this is not a YA book. However, a 16-year-old protagonist is quite problematic as the story deals with mature themes (and I don't just mean the sex scenes). I just couldn't reconcile the two. Then, I found it mildly amusing that they actually had "class lessons" though they were quite deadly. Imagine Snape actually poisoning Neville and now Neville has to create the antidote successfully, or "fail". Plus, Mia's similarity to Arya (from Game of Thrones) just grated at me a little bit. Mia also had a list of names she repeats to herself to remind her why she was taking assassin lessons in the first place. Then, she is told that she has to forget who she was to be the ideal Blade. Mia, indeed, had become The Girl with No Name in the end.

I also stumbled quite a bit, trying to remember that a "day" in this book is referred to as a "turn", but I'm just nitpicking now.

The footnotes, I found amusing. It was nice to find some levity amidst the gore and the blood. The characters were fleshed out and the villain in the end broke my heart. Unexpected, but they were trained to be assassins. What did I expect?

Towards the end, it gained the momentum I needed and finishing the book was a great satisfaction. It is written that "this tale is but one of three. Birth and life and death." Nevernight was just Mia's birth, an introduction to her world and her journey.

I'm quite curious where it leads.

100% absolutely loved every second of reading this book.
A+ characters, A+ plot, A+ world building, A+ narration. I couldn't put it down till I was finished at 4am.
Welcome to my list of auto-buys and favourites, Jay.

ZOUNDS PEOPLE! This is a damn good book... Where to begin, and how to keep the all-caps screaming to a minimum...

If you've never read Jay Kristoff, there are a few things you need to know.

Lesson #1 for reading Jay Kristoff's books: Jay likes to kill people. So don't get attached. Your favorite character probably isn't going to make it and will probably die suddenly, epically, and with no real closure... Jay accepts any and all complaints about this on any social media outlet, feel free to yell at him. These are considered compliments, so be be warned; he will respond with laughter and a halfhearted apology.

Probably not even halfhearted...

Lesson #2: Jay's soul belongs to the damned who have put in his charge dragging the souls of the innocent into the depths wherein lies pain, misery, agony, and viral cat videos. He will not be free until he has delivered enough of the world's suffering, and frankly I believe he's so corrupted by now he no longer wishes to be free, so he now writes New York Times Bestsellers to make thousands upon thousands of readers cry, choking and sobbing on their pain, until their souls are lost forever to him and his damned beautiful tragedies he calls 'books'.

You will experience feels.

Lesson #3-and this is important: He will never, EVER, stop.

Seeing as how I have deeply fallen victim to his marvelous treachery, and my soul is now lost among the thousands of others, I'm alright with this.

Now that you have been warned, proceed with this review at your own risk, because I am suggesting you give in and read it. You do not want to miss out on this book. PLUS, if you pre-order in the US the book will come SIGNED! Order from any of your usual booksellers, and BOOM, signed. Pretty freaking sweet, right?

Now to convince you to read the book.

The cast is quite sarcastic and witty as I've come to expect from Jay. The banter between acolytes can be playful and amusing, and just about the only thing left innocent about them. They are at a school to become murderers after all... It's nice, as they are occasionally, and oh so horribly reminded, to have a glimpse of life outside killing and worshipping a goddess of death and Jay lets us enjoy some great moments of youth and comraderie.

I think it will be fascinating to see what these acolytes become throughout the series. They are still young and hopeful, for now (even if that hope for the future is to murder someone they've been praying to kill for most of their lives...), but we can clearly see that their trainers are so accustomed to death that they no longer care about the lives of others. It's an intriguing comparison. The acolytes on that same path as their Shahiid's with little chance they will retain much of themselves outside of death and murder.

Except, perhaps, for Mia.

Mia Corvere is a very interesting character. All anyone sees at first is a nonchalant, angry, fierceness of 'not giving a f*%&ery', and she's happy to leave their opinion of her at that. She seems the perfect murderess; emotionless, driven, willing to do whatever it takes to become a full fledged Blade.

Never Flinch.

But, that cold, external demeanor isn't really who she is... There's a reason she appears that way, and even she, at times, questions whether that is who she really wants to be, or who she should be. There are moments, few and far between, when she sees past her own mask and remembers she's more than a cold hearted killer, that there's something deeper, another part of her that does, in fact, feel and want and need and those are things she needs to hold on to. That she wants to hold on to. But, when she follows that path, that's when the fear comes. When she's the uncaring part of herself, she's focused, driven, unafraid and she works toward her goal of revenge undistracted and with maximum effort. If the fear slips in, she will be consumed by it.

Never Fear.

There are things serving the goddess Niah will take from her, and Mia isn't sure she's willing to give them so easily, but she also wants to forget. Memories need to be resolved, feelings need exploring. Things she has put off for far too long and now she finds she doesn't know how to live any other way than hiding behind her gifts and the wall of revenge she's built around herself. She allows her memories, emotions, cares to be pushed aside, with a little aid from a unique presence, and when it's gone she tries to forget.

Never Forget.

I love how Jay cuts through the bullshit of his own characters. They try to be so strong while working through some serious emotional issues... They're screwed up little crazies trying to become expert murderers. Aa help us...

The side characters deserve their own books and we know something deeply seeded drives them just as hard as Mia. Jay so flawlessly puts their doubts and weaknesses on display, ocassionally in a way that you really just have to laugh at their misfortunes. There's real hurt behind every one of them making them very real, very easy to pity. It's difficult not to be understanding and feel sorry for even the most villainous of characters.

But seriously, try not to get attached. I disregarded my own rules and hoped... And lost my favorite character.

I'm still pretty pissed about it...

There's always something unexpected about Jay's books. My jaw literally dropped as I read the first few chapters and realized what he was doing. I had to go back and re-read, several times, to fully understand my serious case of deja vu happening and then I just sat stunned for awhile. It was beautiful, a really beautiful comparison of the aspects of Mia's life and her experiences. It continues on in this way, though much more subtle as the book continues.

The entire book is a subtle comparison between the two sides of her. A glimpse at what she would have been, or I suppose should have been, had her life turned out differently. Her life would have been a stark contrast against the murderess she has allowed herself to become.

Another interesting factor to the book are the foot notes. Do not forget to read the foot notes! A narrator fills in a few blanks, like what a turn of phrase really means, or what is significant about a gesture. Some of these get a little lengthy, a few times they cut into the action right where you really don't want them to, but there are fascinating facts about Mia's world contained within them and a lot of them will make you laugh. And you need to laugh while you still can... because Jay is not even close to being done.

About the sex that's been mentioned... I'll leave that up to your imaginations for now. Mister Kristoff provides plenty of details on his own... I will say, however, when you reach the halfway point, I wouldn't read much in public anymore. That made for the most awkward playdate at the mall ever. I to had to put the book down and be social during precious reading time I rarely get without a child asking me for something. I do not like being social :/

And as for page 382 (553 UK version)...

You have been warned.

Only question now is how do I wait patiently for book 2???

*EXPLICIT*...this book should have a EXPLICIT warning. It starts right out with a very detailed sex scene. If the author has to waste time detailing sex scenes as filler then it tells me what I need to know about himself and his works and I won’t waste my time or money supporting his (as another reviewer describes it) creepy degrading works.

What is the store not labeling this book as EXPLICIT??????? I got it audible and had no warning that you better not play it around kids and family!! Disgusting...

Nevernight is an entertaining and well written read. I think most people will enjoy the tale--especially those that like a little creative flair in their writing, that might be a little off-standard from the conventional. Fantasy readers will be at home. Others might find it a bit jarring at first.

Overall, the book is solidly written. It focuses on a single character and her induction, training, and whatnot into a school of assassins. The story is entirely told in 3rd person, from Mia's (the main characters) perspective. The story initially starts off as a back/forth exploring her childhood to present, but eventually the childhood part expires. Fairly common approach for fantasy books of this nature. The world is a kingdom that has magic and technology interwoven, though the focus is namely on magic. The empire of note is influenced heavily by Roman/Latin terminology and structure.

The story is an entertaining ride through Mia's childhood to the point of her becoming an Assassin. Outside of that, there isn't much else happening. As such, I'll outline the cons:

- Fairly typical fantasy tale: young, coming of age character, who eventually becomes a tough girl.
- Mia as a character, while faces hardship, never really feels like a female character (IMO). You get this a lot, where male writers have a hard time writing a female character that doesn't feel like a male wrote her. Mia often acts like a guy, talks like a guy, jokes like a guy, and swears like a guy (to a point where the swearing doesn't fit her, the book, or make the story any better---and I'm not one against swearing, just that it adds nothing of value to this book and feels tacky).
- There is technically a narrator-type, who is unknown to you as the reader, though his/her presence comes off as inconsistent throughout the writing. While it's 3rd Person Mia, Jay sometime slips and brings the narrator's perspective in mid-sentence. For fellow writers, this is noticeable. For others, probably not.
- The swearing is unnecessary in the book and really adds nothing. It's almost as if its there just to say, "I'm not a Young Adult novel," but adds little else beyond that. Had some more creativity gone into slanging those terms into something else, it would have made the dialogue in those points feel more natural.
- The intro chapter to the book is very creative. And though the writing is always good, interesting, and descriptive throughout, you never see that level of creativity again. I found this a bit misleading, as I usually read a chapter or two before diving in headlong. I read more for creativity than I do stories, so this was a let down to me personally.
- The overall story is nothing new. It's a simple revenge tale, really. And another story about a little kid who becomes some powerhouse. I wouldn't rank Mia or the story anywhere near some high tier of Fantasy Telling.
- The world is somewhat interesting, but I (personally) believe how Jay worldbuilds a cop-out tactic. Instead of weaving his worldbuilding into the narrative of the book, he tacks on footnotes (some of which are half a page) to explain why a Bridge is the largest bridge, or who an organization is, or some off-story, that while is somewhat interesting, has no impact on the story. A thorough writer would weave these into the actual tale narration, meaningfully, and also spin it with a character's biased opinion on the matter. In essence, it feels as if you're reading a novel, where 20% of is it footnote info on his world that exists in a stand-alone codex or D&D scenario book. It also detracts from the flow of the writing. But I am not a large advocate of footnote writing. Again, I think it's a cheap tactic for a writer to take to emphasize world building.
- Some of the writing often feels goofy or too comical. There are some bad instances where Jay tries to get too cute. In regards to Mia's temper: Mia took her temper and told it to go sit in a corner." I mean, I literally (as a 35 year old male) rolled my eyes. And there's many instances of this. And overall, while he wants to put across a somewhat bloody and dark tale, so much of it has goofball humor that it is hard to take the book overly serious.
- I never really cared about Mia or any of the characters. Most of them all felt pretty 1-dimensional, with little to no personality. Mia herself never did it for me.

There are many positives, but overall I'd say this is a good book held higher than most because Jay is actually a good writer. He is creative and descriptive, and tells a story clearly and with a layer of his own humor woven in. But I don't think it's half as good as many here make it out to be. End of the day, it's another tale we haven't seen elsewhere many times before.

O, my dear gentlefriends, let me tell you that I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book. It’s easily one of the top five books I’ve read this year. I’ve been in a weird on-off kind of slump for the last month or two, and this was everything I needed and more to pull me right out.

What is Nevernight about, you ask? It’s a story of murder, corruption, and morally gray characters with snarky animal companions. It’s about a girl so set on revenge that she’s willing to sharpen herself into one of the deadliest weapons in the world—a Blade of the Red Church.

Mia Corvere is brilliant, tough, and ruthless. I feel like those are words that are often thrown around to describe the protagonist of a fantasy series, but in this case THEY’RE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. Mia was ten years old when she watched the Itreyan government execute her father for treason, and her life since has been wholly devoted to vengeance. Everything about her gives off major Arya Stark vibes—so naturally, I loved her from page one. She swears and fights and is overall one of the most fantastically-developed and morally dark heroines I’ve read about in a while (although there aren’t really any traditional heroic figures to be found in this dark and bloody book).

I could genuinely go on about the bundle of gloriously vicious perfection that is Mia for hours, perhaps even days……but no worries, gentlefriends, I’ll move on to the rest of the fantastic stuff that makes up this story:

The narration is so incredibly unique. I’ve truly never read anything else like it. The only book I can even think to compare this to is The Book Thief—VERY DIFFERENT OVERALL, but it has a similarly ominous, omniscient tone, conversational but detached narrator, and creative metaphor/language use in general. Nevernight is also EXTREMELY snarky and uses quite a lot of profanity. (I thought it worked amazingly well in the story, but I get that it won’t be for everyone.) While we’re on the subject of the writing, though….

The footnotes. Footnotes in works of fiction are lowkey one of my literary fetishes, and these ones in particular are fantastic. They’re a mix of snarky commentary, interesting tidbits of worldbuilding, and eerie/dramatic foreshadowing that added so much to Kristoff’s already-unique writing style.

The training school for assassins. I love a good special school trope when it’s done well, and man was this one hell of a unique take on it. My buddy read partner described this as “hogwarts for murderers that also teaches sex ed” and I don’t think I can really come up with anything that sums this up better? It’s a story about a bunch of young would-be assassins going through intensive training in combat, poisoning, thievery, and seduction……so you can imagine some pretty crazy stuff goes down.

Mia’s powers. An invisibility cloak that’s made out of literal shadows that Mia can form around herself whenever she wants?? Harry Potter has nothing on this girl. A pet that spies for her and literally drains her fear out of her??? I want one. Speaking of which……

Animal companions!!! Let’s be honest. Everyone wants a cool animal companion. I personally would like a puppy-sized dragon or dinosaur. (@ scientists w/ those Jurassic Park skills my birthday is in January so pls mark your calendars.) Nevernight has possibly the best human/animal companion duo that I’ve ever read about. I know that’s kind of a crazy claim to make, but I mean it. Who doesn’t want a fear-absorbing cat made out of shadows who comes through with bitterly sarcastic and witty lines to punctuate every situation?????? I think I’ve finally found a character (does a shadow count as a character??) who can match my dangerously high level of salinity, so I’m gonna have to start talking to strangely-shaped shadows now until I manage to find a Mister Kindly of my own.

Bisexual rep. Any LGBTQ+ main characters in sci-fi and fantasy are still so rare, and I was so excited to discover that this series is centered around a bi main character! Mia’s sexuality was present without being overemphasized or reduced to tropes and stereotypes.

This is one of those rare books that leave me so in awe that I can’t even think of a single complaint. The characters were incredible. The world was fascinating. The writing was original. The plotting was perfectly paced and so twisty that I was stressed enough to keep reading very late into the night despite the fact that I had work early the next morning. (I promise, this is a good thing.)

In case you couldn’t tell: I. Loved. Every. Second. Of. This.

All I wanted to do at that point was go lie down for approximately four to five days and wallow in book feelings but someone was waiting for me to start Godsgrave so I just jumped right into even more heartbreak and stress. (In case you’re wondering, the sequel is just as brilliant and brutal. :’) )

Please go read this book now so that you too can experience this level of awe and emotional devastation!!!!!!!

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

While I didn’t love this book, it definitely took me on a journey and I enjoyed the characters and new story. It was a promising start to a new series! Read on for more spoiler-free thoughts about Nevernight.

The Good: This book was really interesting and a really new fantasy series. I didn’t realise it was New Adult when I went into it so that threw me a little bit but I got in the groove and did enjoy it. The characters were really believable on the page and I loved the difference between all of the characters and how they each had their own voice.

A book about becoming an assassin? You’d think you’d have read that already with Graceling and Throne of Glass but Kristoff (who is awesome and really nice by the way) wrote a really good book about the aspects of learning how to do things. I love reading stories where the characters have to learn skills so having to learn stealing, seduction and weaponry was really great.

One of the things I loved was the moral side of the story. I loved to see how each of the characters thought about what they were doing it and why they were choosing this path. I liked that the question of revenge came up and was it truly worth it?

The ending of the book was really strong and sad because I’m not sure if something truly happened and I’m devastated if it is true. NO SPOILERS. I really like the way the Prologue and Epilogue are written. I am intrigued to know more!

The Bad: Alas, this book was overhyped. The biggest issue that can come from all the book websites we loved. I heard a lot about how great this book was and how awesome it was and it fell a bit short of all the great things I heard about it.

This book was very smutty and had quite a bit of gore and violence. I mean, it’s a book about being a killer so it’s kind of expected but it bothered me a bit. I enjoy romance, but it was quite explicit and definitely took the book into the New Adult Genre.

The way it is written too, with the intrusive narrator and footnotes at the bottom of the page, was enjoyable at first but dragged quite a bit throughout the story. I don’t know whether I am a simple reader or just need it to be more clear but it wasn’t as smooth a reading experience as I usually like.

The Interesting: I *love* the fact that Mia is Darkin and everyone fears that. It’s such an interesting concept and I really want to know more.

Recommended for: New Adult fantasy readers and anyone who likes a bit of violence, smut and adventure.

This is not a YA book – I wouldn’t recommend it for people under 16.

Quotes (Spoiler Free):

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of the words. A girl with a story to tell.”

“Your mind will serve you better than any trinket under the suns…It is a weapon…and like any weapon, you need practice to be any good at wielding it.”

“You’ll be a rumor. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. The last thing you will ever be, girl, is someone’s hero.”

The book is divided into three parts and tells the story of Mia Corvere, a young girl of 16 who sets out to be the finest blade in Godsgrave. She is spurred by her need for revenge over Justicus Marcus Remus, Consul Julius Scaeva and Cardinal Francesco Duomo.
Mia’s father, Justicus Daruis Corvere, is killed by the Luminatii Legion on charges of treason to the Itreyan Republic. Her mother and brother are taken to the Philosopher’s stone to await their death in its dark cells. Mia bemoans the loss of her Familia and vows revenge. With the help of the shadow cat, Mr. Kindly, she manages to escape the men sent to kill her and ends up on the mean streets of Godsgrave. Mercurio, a former blade of the Red Church sees her potential, takes her in and trains her to be ready to face the trails of the Red Church where she will be instituted as a blade herself.

How she deals with the people that she meets at the Church of the Lady of Blessed Murder and builds relationships in a place where pity and love is bred out of the Acolytes is what makes the story delightful. Her progress through her training is not unrealistic as some of such stories tend to be. The 1st one-third of the book was very slow and it took a lot of time for the story to really begin. The 1st chapter had some very confusing sentences and dialogues that had me re-reading them but once I got used to the author’s style of writing, it was quite enjoyable. The story picks up pace once the Acolytes start their training. After the initial chapters I was hooked to the story and was sad to see it end. But of course, it is not truly the end of Mia Corvere since the next book in the chronicle is already published. I cannot wait to get my hands on Godsgrave and for third book to be released in 2018.

Favorite characters:
Ashlinn– Say what you will about her, but the girl had moxy.

Mercurio: The old man took in a young child of 10 and gave her direction. What Mia became was largely based on how he raised her up for 6 years.

Characters that I did not like:
Tric– I might be going against the tide here but I felt like the guy had a lot of things that he needed to work on. For a character as strong as Mia, he needed to carry his own mettle and not be influenced by others as much as he was. His miraculous wins to reach the finals of Songs was also not very believable.

Characters that I wish were more developed:
Carlotta– She seemed an interesting character and I wish her backstory was explored a bit more.

Hush– In the beginning of the book it seemed like he would have more role to play. However, I was disappointed that he was just a side character. Maybe we will see more of him in the the next books.

Lord Cassius– He deserved a lot more dialogues and I would have loved to see more interaction between him and Mia.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a 16 year old girl joins an assassins’ training school. She wants to extract her revenge on the people who destroyed her family by murdering her father and abducting her mother and little brother.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. After his death she learns that she is what people called a Darkin, who can bend shadows to her will and even speak to them. With her companion Mr. Kindly, a shadow-cat, she starts on her path of revenge.

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, an unknown murderer is killing acolytes in 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?

__________

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, the pages leave their marks on us. Indelible as the ink that graces them. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of words. A girl with a story to tell”

If you know me at all, you know I’m a sucker for beautiful writing styles and quotes. And GOOD LORD the quotes in this book are to die for.

A secret school of assassians???! Badass characters?? A precious murderer baby child named Mia?? A magical, sentient library full of monsters?? SIGN. ME. UP.

Now, You’re either going to love or hate the writing style. It’s dense, full of prose, metaphors, similies, and footnotes (well, unless you read the audiobook). But I loved it. Again, I’m a sucker for fancy schmancy writing styles. Are you intrigued yet?? Do you like assassians, murder, trechery and smut?? Because if you do, Nevernight is your book.

___________

THINGS I ABSOLUTELY LOVED ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Gore
4. Writing Style
5. Mr. Kindly’s snarky comments
6. Sex (hubba hubba)
7. Literally everything

___________

Now, I’m going to get into a more controversial topic surrounding this book at the moment: racism.

I have to disagree that this book is raciest. One issue that people have found is the similarity between Kristoff’s Dweymeri people and the Maori people (The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zeland). Kristoff tweeted that Dweymeri are kind of a Maori analogue (which means they are COMPARABLE, not REPRESENTATIVE!!).

As one blogger stated “what started this was a question from me as a Maori person how closely related the Dweymeri are to the Maori people and how the Dweymeri are portrayed. The Dweymeri may be fictional, but the Maori are real people so portraying the Dweymeri in the wrong way hurts Maori people like me” however, Kristoff replied in a tweet that “the tatts aren’t based off Maori designs, and aren’t described as such... The Dweymeri are not representative of Maori people or culture.” Kristoff himself said that they are not representative of Maori people!

This blogger continues to say: “Okay, yes, they are fictional but when you use someone’s culture, especially one that is alive and in a revival period, you must be respectful and understand that sometimes you can’t write outside your lane simply because you will never be able to depict a culture in the way someone of that culture can.” But that statement is problematic too. Essentially that would mean that you can only write about your own culture or ethnicity and thats just?? I don’t understand. Authors should be able to write about other cultures and races than their own.

She continues to say “Even if the Dweymeri have zero Maori elements, weren’t inspired by Maori people, or if they don’t relate to Maori people at all, everyone needs to realize that the connection will be drawn between the Dweymeri and the Maori people, especially by those who are part of or familiar with Maori culture, and how portraying the Dweymeri using the same stereotypes that are applied to Maori people is harmful not only to Maori people but because it reinforces those stereotypes to people outside of that culture.” And yes, I do agree with parts of that statement, however, I have read Nevernight and made no connection between the Dweymeri people and the Maori. Just because the Dweymeri people have facial tattoos does NOT mean they are meant to be like the Maori, therefore Kristoff can have those facial tattoos have whatever meaning he wants as a FANTASY author.

If he told people that the Dweymeri people were representative of the Maori, then I would expect him to have done more research and had the facial tattoos have a similar symbolic meaning as the Maori tattoos.

Although Kristoff is not saying that his Dweymeri people have no Maori elements at all, he said that “Dweymeri facial tattoos were not inspired by Maori facial tattoos.” If the Dweymeri weren’t inspired by any culture, then it would have been appropriate for him to say that “the Dweymeri are an invention of my imagination”. HOWEVER, they were inspired by multiple cultures, not just one. And thats the point: they were inspired by, not based on.

I completely agree that just because one person doesn’t see racism within a text doesn’t automatically mean it isn’t there. However, I will wait for concrete evidence before saying that Nevernight is racist, and I will defend it until I am proven wrong. To add to that, I believe that in order to critique Nevernight for being raciest, one needs to have read the book. I have come across several bloggers who haven’t even read the book yet accuse it of being raciest and continue to attack the author over twitter.

Also, when the topic of racism within his books has been brought up, Kristoff has reached out to bloggers in an attempts to discuss their concerns with them. He said that tone was hard to judge over tweets and emails, and even offered to discuss things over the phone. He is not trying to hide anything and he has interacted professionally with people who have brought up issues with his books which is more than I can say for some authors (looking at you Cassandra Clare).

The Dweymeri people are described at one point in the book as ‘savages’ by other people in the novel, however, that does not mean that the author believes a certain race of people (especially the Maori or other cultures that somewhat inspired the Dweymeri people) are savages. There are slaves in the Throne of Glass series, do you think Sarah J. Maas supports slavery? No.

I would definitely find it problematic if Jay Kristoff tweeted “The Maori people are savages.” But he didn’t. Another race in his book referred to the Dweymeri people as savages. Again, THAT DOES NOT REFLECT THE AUTHORS VIEWS.

So please PLEASE read Nevernight. Make your own opinions about books and actually read the book in question before calling it problematic. Please and thank you.

Very sorry I got so aggressive in this post I am just very passionate about this book. It completely blew me away and exceeded all my expectations. I did not find it raciest or problematic. I do not think the author is raciest. But please, just because I do not find this book raciest or problematic does not automatically mean it isn’t! These are just my beliefs and I would be happy to talk with anyone who disagrees! I am by no ways perfect and could have missed something. These are just my (occasionally controversial) opinions.

Nevernight sat on my shelves for almost a full year before I finally read it, I kept putting off reading it, not sure why exactly. It took a little bit to get into, the writing style reminds me of classic English literature almost, it's a little old fashioned with some very formal language and a lot of observation from the narrator. The subject matter, dialogue and well, graphic descriptions of certain scenes are anything but old fashioned!

This story has a narrator, recounting the actions and happenings of our MC Mia, and this narration includes footnotes to explain aspects of the world / story. It's a little like the Narrator in Rocky Horror Picture Show - when things occur in the story and then there is an aside, which I envisaged as being told by an old guy in a wingback chair smoking a pipe. It's an unusual technique for disclosing particular historical, cultural and miscellaneous details and frankly I found it (at times) eye roll inducing. However, this story is intricate and complex and tightly woven.
The classic supporting cast of characters all appear - the 'he doesn't know he's good looking' *friend*, the siblings avenging a family, the girl who no one likes, an old librarian, teachers, mentors and villains. What makes this bunch interesting is working out who plays what role - I always enjoy a good double cross and a hidden motive and this delivers in spades

If you are not into blood (theres so much blood) and murder and dirty, gritty, edge of your seat action and bitches who give zero f**** - then perhaps this story is not for you. It's dark and bleak (only in a metaphorical sense, as the world of Itreya has 3 suns, which rarely set - hence the title, it's always day time, never nighttime) and just plain good. This is also definitely adult fantasy, don't be confused by Jay also being a best selling YA guy - this is not suitable for children

I seldom finish fiction books, but I finished this, so 5 stars. I love books with maps. The maps in this are amazing, especially the idea of the one at the end. Still on 5 stars.
I enjoyed the author's style and most of the characters were reasonably individual. The book itself, with black page edging and a beautifully embossed hard cover that repeats the image on the paper cover is also a thoughtful touch.
Everything was going well for me until towards the end. I know this is fantasy, but . . . there are two scenes where Mia, albeit using her dark powers, sets upon and takes out dozens and dozens of professional soldiers. How long does it take to undo a pair of boots? Few of the hapless chaps fight back. They are described as a cross of Romans and Templars and so really should do a lot better. A girl of 14 runs riot amongst them. I could not suspend my disbelief for these scenes and was tempted to close the book for good. 1 star.
But redemption is always just a few paragraphs away.

The author does create interesting characters. My favourites is Alinne Corvere, who features just twice, but in both scenes, for me, just steals the book. She DESERVES A BOOK OF HER OWN, Mr Kristoff. Please. Also Old Mercurio, who I (being almost a senior citizen) warmed to, especially his grumpiness. MORE PLEASE, Mr Kristoff. Aelius, the Chronicler. Almost Dickensian. Naev, who receives just reward at the end.

Some stunning writing and interplay between characters. I laughed out loud on the train when I read the discussion of 'anatomy' on pages 59/60. It was an unnecessary insertion, but slotted in nicely.

Sufficiently entertaining, some welcome 'smart-ass' asides, the use of footnotes (actually interesting) and with immense potential for some of the lesser, yet essential characters. I just hated the 'teenager slays a lot of tough soldiers' bits. I already have Godsgrave, the next part and have bought another of the author's earlier works, Stormdancer.

I'd like to give it 4 1/2 stars, but how do you do that?

This is the BEST book! I loved it so much! The characters are well written and you fall in love with them and feel for them quickly. The assassins are assassins but they also are kids so you can see where they are coming from and how they become who they are trying to be. Its not always happy but there are happy parts. Which make it believable. Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle)

What a damn good book! Nevernight has without a doubt stood up to all the hype I've heard about it. This incredible world that Jay Kristoff has built.. its damn near perfect, the way he builds it. This book had me eating out of its pages, begging for more! The shocking turn it takes near the end, I never seen it coming! I absolutely loved and looked forward to the little notes at the bottom of the pages that would go into detail about words, places, people, history. When I would see * I would quickly look down to see what clever passages Kristoff added. I can't praise this book enough! I am a huge fan now. Huge, huge fan!

Oh my word, what a book! A fast-paced fantasy, but actually written for adults. Yes, the protagonist is a 16 year old female, but this book most definitely makes the cross over into adult fiction; with swearing, gore, violence, gruesome murder, sex scenes, and plenty of twists and turns – it really has got the lot. There is also more than a touch of humour at times – I dare you not to laugh at what one of the horses is called!

I really don’t want to say anything about the plot as I don’t agree with spoilers. Essentially this is a book about a young girl coming to terms with her past and her strange powers. But most of all, this book is about killing – for revenge, for love, for right, and just for killing’s sake. The writing is outstanding and I found myself completely immersed in this dark world and the characters involved.

The only slight downside for me was the number of footnotes. I found them rather distracting and, although they added background and detail, I didn’t feel that some of them were necessary or added anything to the story. That being said, that is just my personal opinion and I can see why some people might like the additional information. It certainly wouldn’t stop me reading the other books in the series or recommending that people read this amazing book! This is one book that I will definitely be reading again whilst waiting impatiently for the next in the series.

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow - it's difficult to find the words to explain how much I enjoyed this book! I did struggle with the first 50 or so pages but then something happened. A horse called Bastard and a boy named Tric.

Mia Covere is a 16 yr old assassin hellbent on avenging the murder of her family. She is also a Darkin - she can control the shadows themselves. An advantage in her line of work! She is accompanied by a familiar/shadow cat named Mister Kindly who provides a lot of the comedy element in the story.

Mia aims to become a Blade - the highest order of assassins but must complete a series of trials to achieve her dream and defeat the competition.

Treachery, lies and love follow. Will Mia succeed?

I can't wait to read more in this series!!

I received this book from #TBConFB in return for an honest review.

my video review is here

I was very lucky I got the ARC of this i was blown away, its not a book I would pick up but i think its one of the best books of 2016, its one that had me hocked from page one sprayed-edges-black-special-edition.jpeg

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?

one of the best books of 2016

I picked up this book because the cover was stark in contrast and I like the colors. I thought it was a YA book. I've been trying new things. But when I started reading, I knew I had found something familiar...

This book is everything I love about fantasy. I've been writing since 2011 and have felt so alone sometimes because I like a raw story without all the pretense. I like real life, real emotions, real fails, and sometimes I feel like these stories lack an audience. This book has all my favorite stuff (love, blood, vengeance, personal growth, thieves, assassins), and it's set in a place that feels rich and thorough yet not overcomplicated.

As a teen I would have read this but I can certainly understand why people would feel it inappropriate. The sex is (I think) tasteful, but the words can feel crude to some people. I would not have a problem with my kids (who are 7, 8, 10, 12) reading this when they are 15 or 16, when it would make more sense to them.

The story is simply lovely. It deals with real (although melodramatic) issues, and has a great undertone of magic and possibilities that kept me interested and guessing. I felt the pacing was pretty spot on (except for the overlong footnotes, which I found extremely distracting).

The writing is (for me) perfect and beautiful (perhaps because it is exactly what I have always aimed for as a writer), and I felt the language was very suited to the story. If you like gleaming broad sword fantasy, this is not for you...but if you prefer razor sharp poisoned dagger fantasy (as I do), this book will deliver.