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The Nevernight Chronicle #2
Godsgrave
Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church hierarchy think she's far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she's no closer to ending the men who destroyed her familia; in fact, she's told directly that Consul Scaeva is off limits. But after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia's suspicions about the Red Church's true motives begin to grow.
419 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2017
About the author
Jay Kristoff
56 books27.2k followersJay Kristoff is a #1 international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. He is the winner of eight Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over two million books in print and is published in over thirty five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6’7 and has approximately 12,000 days to live.
He does not believe in happy endings.
He does not believe in happy endings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,772 reviews
December 9, 2020
I'm so motherf*cking dead right now.
You can keep the glory. I'm just here for the blood.
Mia Corvere, once a wealthy heiress, now a ruthless assassin, has received her first assignment.
But her heart is not in her work - she only wishes to extract revenge on those who killed her family.
Thus, the greatest monsters get their way, she realized. By looking just like the rest of us.Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo are responsible for her family's ruin and she will do whatever's necessary to murder them.
The Grand Games, a result of the gladiatorial collegium, are set to happen in Godsgrave this year and both Scaeva and Duomo are to make an appearance in person.
And so, after making excuses to the Red Church (the guild of assassins), Mia does the only logical action, she sells herself into slavery and takes over a collegium.
If she becomes the head gladiator of a collegium then she will be in the same arena, on the same sands, as both her targets.
Silver at her throat. Stone at her feet. Iron in her heart.But anyone can betray her, the rivals are fierce and if she is exposed, everyone she knows will die.
But, that is a risk she is willing to take.
Patience, she’d tell herself, whispering the word like a prayer. If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.Ohhh my gosh. I just can't, the stress! Oh the stress! *breath, just breath.*
In short - my heart can't take this and my head is overwhelmed.
I am absolutely in love with how fully fleshed out this world is - all of the little tidbits and notes about their ceremonies or other aspects of their country really brings it to life.
The plot this time around (the gladiators) was really well done, though (and this could just be me) but the ending did feel a tad bit predictable...but I was having SO much fun getting there that I hardly minded.
Mia is such a crazy bada** that I am seriously just blown away by her. The lengths she is willing to go - nothing short of truly stunning.
Also, after going through so many YA novels over the years, can I mention HOW much of a RELIEF it is when you hear the characters swear. It's refreshing. Motherf*cker.
One more thing, I love Kristoff's take on books - there's this:
The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.and this:
That's the power of words; twenty six little letter can paint a whole universe.I just love characters that love books!
Audiobook Comments
Simply stunning - the narration was absolutely engaging and the tone was perfect. Highly recommended.
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May 29, 2020
As I said with the first book, deleted my big review, changed my star rating and unhauling books! And I’m fine being in the minority! 😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
February 15, 2021
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that a disappointing book is as bad as heartbreak.
I haven’t fully comprehended nor accepted my heartbreak yet. I think. I feel like I’ve gone through all the stages of grief here.
As I was reading this book, I was in denial that this book was actually boring me. I was hopeful that it would get better. That everything I loved about Nevernight would appear. That my reluctance to pick up this book would dissipate. I kept on bargaining with myself about it.
But my gut-fucking-instinct knew that this story wasn’t improving. The new relationship that flourished between Mia and that thing irritated me beyond belief. The hypocrisy of Mia when it came to not holding that thing accountable was aggravating. And then they fell in love? Based on what exactly?
Then came the stages of anger and depression and bargaining. My heartbreak was clouding my judgement. I wanted to blame myself that I wasn’t liking this book. I wanted to say that it was my fault that I waited this long to read this book. Would this have been different had I read this when it came out? On and on came the questions and self-doubt.
But then the anger took over again and I knew I wasn't to blame here. It’s the book. The story and I didn’t click. Mainly due to the fact that the story wasn’t right. I might have been partially to blame for some things, but most of the blame lies with the story.
And we now come to the final stage of grief, as they say. Acceptance.
Acceptance and acknowledgment that this story was a flop. And acceptance that I’m not bothering to read Darkdawn.
And now my heart is being flooded with relief.
——————————
So like I accidentally read the last WORD of GODSGRAVE as I was checking the page count AND I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW!
I haven’t fully comprehended nor accepted my heartbreak yet. I think. I feel like I’ve gone through all the stages of grief here.
As I was reading this book, I was in denial that this book was actually boring me. I was hopeful that it would get better. That everything I loved about Nevernight would appear. That my reluctance to pick up this book would dissipate. I kept on bargaining with myself about it.
But my gut-fucking-instinct knew that this story wasn’t improving. The new relationship that flourished between Mia and that thing irritated me beyond belief. The hypocrisy of Mia when it came to not holding that thing accountable was aggravating. And then they fell in love? Based on what exactly?
Then came the stages of anger and depression and bargaining. My heartbreak was clouding my judgement. I wanted to blame myself that I wasn’t liking this book. I wanted to say that it was my fault that I waited this long to read this book. Would this have been different had I read this when it came out? On and on came the questions and self-doubt.
But then the anger took over again and I knew I wasn't to blame here. It’s the book. The story and I didn’t click. Mainly due to the fact that the story wasn’t right. I might have been partially to blame for some things, but most of the blame lies with the story.
And we now come to the final stage of grief, as they say. Acceptance.
Acceptance and acknowledgment that this story was a flop. And acceptance that I’m not bothering to read Darkdawn.
And now my heart is being flooded with relief.
——————————
So like I accidentally read the last WORD of GODSGRAVE as I was checking the page count AND I AM FREAKING THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW!
January 21, 2020
Please excuse my colourful language.....
But to quote our dear little Mia:
What the "shit cock twat fucking fuckitall", man!?
Mister Kristoff, you are a cruel, brilliant man.
Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
But to quote our dear little Mia:
What the "shit cock twat fucking fuckitall", man!?
Mister Kristoff, you are a cruel, brilliant man.
Review copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2019
1.) Nevernight ★★★★★
“The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.”
Well, I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to function while lying in wait for the third and final book in this series. That last chapter made me feel things that very few books are able to evoke from me. I honestly am not sure how I could possibly string together words to let you guys know how much I loved this book, but I do suppose I should at least try.
Godsgrave picks up right after the events of Nevernight. But where Nevernight felt like an adult Harry Potter (with an amazingly gothic floo powder network) where our main protagonist, Mia, is learning to become an assassin for the Red Church and the Lady of Blessed Murder, Godsgrave is an all-out gladiator gauntlet, where our characters are fighting to the death and only the very best may rise in rank.
Mia also has grown a lot since the end of Nevernight, and she is figuring out rather quickly that she is truly unable to trust anyone. Godsgrave is way more brutal and gory, but it’s also much more raw and emotional.
“The choice between looking plain and pretty isn’t really a choice at all. But any fool knows looking dangerous is preferable to both.”
One of my favorite parts of Nevernight is how Mia never explains that she is bisexual, but her actions just show it. There isn’t a big coming out story, or any explanation on why she feels the things she does for men and woman, Mia is just herself and I loved it more than words. Well, Godsgrave really delves into Mia’s sexuality, and it’s honestly a thing of beauty. Honestly, all I want in my adult fantasy is to read about queer girls saving their worlds, and Jay Kristoff delivered that to me better than maybe anyone else has. I will forever cherish this series for that alone. Also, I will go down with that fucking ship. OTP is an understatement. This is honestly the queer, f/f, assassins taking over the world, high fantasy, love story, I’ve been searching for my entire life.
Mia Corvere is one of my favorite characters of all time. She tries so hard to be morally grey, and I guess she truly is to most extents, but seeing her able to be soft and capable of unconditional love is something I don’t even have words for. Mia is strong, and brilliant, and clever, and brave, and everything I love in a main protagonist. And she always acknowledges how beauty, too, can be a weapon, but how important it is to never have it be your only weapon. And Mia has had so many shitty hands dealt to her, but she is able to overcome it all realistically and inspirationally. I honestly love Mia, and Mister Kindly and Eclipse also bring me more joy that I should probably admit.
Also, let me state that this book is definitely not Young Adult. Not only do I believe this is Adult Fantasy, I think it holds up to all the beloved and highly praised High Fantasy out there. This book/series can get rather dark at times, so know that going in. Also, there is a decent amount of sexual content in this book, so use caution if that makes you uncomfortable. And trigger warnings for violence, murder, gore, slavery, child abuse, and things along those lines. But I hope that doesn’t discourage you, because this world is amazing, these characters are perfection, the messages are beautiful, and the discourse is so damn important.
“So much wealth held in so few palms. A kingdom of the blind, built on the backs of the bruised and the broken.”
From the first page to the last page, this book had me so enthralled. I loved this more than words. Godsgrave will easily be one of my top ten favorite books of 2017, and the third book will be all I look forward to in (hopefully) the coming year. Jay Kristoff has perfected his craft at writing, and I’d honestly do just about anything to get my hands on anything new from this world. Even though I shouldn’t give him anything, because he is now the proud owner of the heart he ripped out from me reading the ending of this book.
“That's the power of words; twenty six little letters can paint a whole universe”
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Buddy read with Jules! ❤
June 23, 2019
I am..................................... how do you say............................. Shook
With so many insane plot reveals I had trouble keeping track, a really great slow burn romance, and the most excellent lead character, this book kind of killed my soul. It’s a sequel, so we’ll split this up into sections. Let’s talk!
→ theme work ←
Aaaaaah, this was so great. I think this book was more focused on the fact that every single person is the hero of their own story. In the first half, I was thinking this book really could have done more with the discussion of slavery - like, come on - but the second half DOES that shit far better than I was expecting.
→ writing ←
I think the thing that saves the writing of this book for me is that it feels like it’s laughing at itself. I can feel the dilapidated, possibly soulless ghost of Jay Kristoff laughing at himself as he types these ridiculous words, and I sort of love it. Every weird sentence is a reminder that this story has a narrator, a sarcastic and slightly pretentious narrator whose identity we still do not know.
→ plot and twists ←
This one started sort of slow but it ended brilliantly. This series has a lot of battle scenes - trust me, I get it if you need to skip sections due to gore etc, I get it. The plot reveals are the best - um, my favorite was the backstory reveal and the way that worked thematically. I am so fucking sorry that I cannot say anything more than that.
also, me an uncomfortable amount of times during this book:
→ characters ←
Miaaaaaa. I adore Mia as a character so much and I would read the series for her alone. She is such a complex and compelling antihero with such a complex and nuanced arc. I never know if she’s going to swerve evil or good, but I know I’m desperately invested in who she becomes. I love that she does evil things with good intentions and toes that line.
→ romance ←
Ash and Mia are the GREATEST. They have this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers slow-burn dynamic I basically adore. Uh… yeah. I really love the juxtaposition of them to other romantic relationships as being far healthier, even though they’re both literal assassins?
→ more thoughts ←
The cissexism is really bothersome? I mean, it feels like every two chapters there’s some mention of vaginas vs. dicks and like… I get that you like being Gritty and Dark, but what am I reading. I also think occasionally the Grittiness overpowers the plot. Which I dislike. That part is bad and I dislike it.
→ enjoyment factor ←
I don't even know, guys, these are just so addicting. I always have trouble getting into the beginning but from there, I just enjoy every second I spend reading these. This book took a while to get started, but once it got going, it became a straight-up [gay-up] masterpiece of plot twists and of character development. And I adore it.
and, to end this all off:
→ spoilery theories, look away now ←
there’s some narrative of the fall of Ashkahi Empire, the crown of the moon, and the monstrosities left behind being connected
Mia being able to summon Sand Krackens is going to be super relevant. I KNOW this
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With so many insane plot reveals I had trouble keeping track, a really great slow burn romance, and the most excellent lead character, this book kind of killed my soul. It’s a sequel, so we’ll split this up into sections. Let’s talk!
→ theme work ←
Aaaaaah, this was so great. I think this book was more focused on the fact that every single person is the hero of their own story. In the first half, I was thinking this book really could have done more with the discussion of slavery - like, come on - but the second half DOES that shit far better than I was expecting.
→ writing ←
I think the thing that saves the writing of this book for me is that it feels like it’s laughing at itself. I can feel the dilapidated, possibly soulless ghost of Jay Kristoff laughing at himself as he types these ridiculous words, and I sort of love it. Every weird sentence is a reminder that this story has a narrator, a sarcastic and slightly pretentious narrator whose identity we still do not know.
→ plot and twists ←
This one started sort of slow but it ended brilliantly. This series has a lot of battle scenes - trust me, I get it if you need to skip sections due to gore etc, I get it. The plot reveals are the best - um, my favorite was the backstory reveal and the way that worked thematically. I am so fucking sorry that I cannot say anything more than that.
also, me an uncomfortable amount of times during this book:
→ characters ←
Miaaaaaa. I adore Mia as a character so much and I would read the series for her alone. She is such a complex and compelling antihero with such a complex and nuanced arc. I never know if she’s going to swerve evil or good, but I know I’m desperately invested in who she becomes. I love that she does evil things with good intentions and toes that line.
→ romance ←
Ash and Mia are the GREATEST. They have this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers slow-burn dynamic I basically adore. Uh… yeah. I really love the juxtaposition of them to other romantic relationships as being far healthier, even though they’re both literal assassins?
→ more thoughts ←
The cissexism is really bothersome? I mean, it feels like every two chapters there’s some mention of vaginas vs. dicks and like… I get that you like being Gritty and Dark, but what am I reading. I also think occasionally the Grittiness overpowers the plot. Which I dislike. That part is bad and I dislike it.
→ enjoyment factor ←
I don't even know, guys, these are just so addicting. I always have trouble getting into the beginning but from there, I just enjoy every second I spend reading these. This book took a while to get started, but once it got going, it became a straight-up [gay-up] masterpiece of plot twists and of character development. And I adore it.
and, to end this all off:
→ spoilery theories, look away now ←
there’s some narrative of the fall of Ashkahi Empire, the crown of the moon, and the monstrosities left behind being connected
Mia being able to summon Sand Krackens is going to be super relevant. I KNOW this
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July 19, 2018
5 Stars
(And I'm being stingy with these this year, so this is a big deal, gentle friends.)
I originally marked this as 4+ stars.
But after further consideration of the following:
1) I read this book in ONE sitting because I was so spellbound.
And, 2) I re-read my review for book one and realized that ALL the things I said I couldn't stand about book one, I adored about book two...
I decided to say, fuck it, 5 stars for everyone, folks. And because good on you, Sir Kristoff.
He really is a creative talent.
Now, if you read my review for book one (which you can find HERE), you will see that - while I enjoyed the overall story itself - I had problems with Kristoff's almost satirical, dark humor style and his employment of footnotes as a narration tool.
For those who don't feel like checking out that review (and who could blame you) or haven't read the books, here's a picture I jacked from it for reference of said footnotes:
Now, perhaps it was the fact that I went into this book prepared for those things...or perhaps more aptly, I just went in to this one understanding Kristoff's style and thus - now unclouded by confusion and its subsequent resistance - I was able to just absorb the story and its characters.
Either way, I just enjoyed the shit out of this book.
It's original and edgy and weird and bloody and violent and I loved it.
And - after that ending - I can't fucking WAIT for book three.
And now - after once considering tossing both books without even cracking book two open - I find myself fighting not to re-purchase book one in hardcover. I have it in paperback and it doesn't match my book two hardcover (and future book three hardcover).
Because, well...
Yes, yes, I know.
#ShamelessBookHoarderIssues
We can't all be perfect.
And thank fuck.
(And I'm being stingy with these this year, so this is a big deal, gentle friends.)
I originally marked this as 4+ stars.
But after further consideration of the following:
1) I read this book in ONE sitting because I was so spellbound.
And, 2) I re-read my review for book one and realized that ALL the things I said I couldn't stand about book one, I adored about book two...
I decided to say, fuck it, 5 stars for everyone, folks. And because good on you, Sir Kristoff.
He really is a creative talent.
Now, if you read my review for book one (which you can find HERE), you will see that - while I enjoyed the overall story itself - I had problems with Kristoff's almost satirical, dark humor style and his employment of footnotes as a narration tool.
For those who don't feel like checking out that review (and who could blame you) or haven't read the books, here's a picture I jacked from it for reference of said footnotes:
Now, perhaps it was the fact that I went into this book prepared for those things...or perhaps more aptly, I just went in to this one understanding Kristoff's style and thus - now unclouded by confusion and its subsequent resistance - I was able to just absorb the story and its characters.
Either way, I just enjoyed the shit out of this book.
It's original and edgy and weird and bloody and violent and I loved it.
And - after that ending - I can't fucking WAIT for book three.
And now - after once considering tossing both books without even cracking book two open - I find myself fighting not to re-purchase book one in hardcover. I have it in paperback and it doesn't match my book two hardcover (and future book three hardcover).
Because, well...
Yes, yes, I know.
#ShamelessBookHoarderIssues
We can't all be perfect.
And thank fuck.
August 23, 2019
i need new letters to create new words, because there are not enough in all the languages combined that can describe how i feel about this book and series.
i never thought i would love something that is so ruthless, so unapologetic, and so downright disturbing. but yet, here i am, giving it all the stars in the world. please send psychological help. because i am desperately close to selling my soul to whatever shadow creature will take it in order to get my hands on book three. 2019 feels like the end of time.
↠ 4.5 stars
i never thought i would love something that is so ruthless, so unapologetic, and so downright disturbing. but yet, here i am, giving it all the stars in the world. please send psychological help. because i am desperately close to selling my soul to whatever shadow creature will take it in order to get my hands on book three. 2019 feels like the end of time.
↠ 4.5 stars
May 6, 2020
Jay Kristoff is an absolute master storyteller. This is such an exceedingly well-balanced novel in all its grandness. I expected some of the momentum to dwindle, as often is the case with the second book in a series, though this retained its sharp edge. And boy does it sting!
He is not afraid to kill off characters. He is not afraid to destroy friendships and watch his heroes crumble into the dust. And he certainly isn’t afraid to take his book in new and exciting directions. Mia spent most of the novel training to be a gladiator, an ingenious ruse in order to get close to her intended target. It a long-drawn-out game, one that completely changed her perspective on exactly who she is and what she wants from the world. There’s more to this assassin than murder, much more.
Some parts of this had an almost cinematic quality to them. The arena fights were so massive and well-orchestrated that I couldn’t help but imagine them on the screen (or as part of the actual audience in the stadium.) And that says a lot to me because the way he writes is just so damn exquisite. The prose flows beautifully from word to word, from sentence to sentence. The fight scenes are spectacular. And the sex, well, that’s on an entirely different level. Some authors avoid writing about it, closing the scene as the action is about to ensue. Some authors do terribly clumsy jobs attempting to describe it, and some make it seem quite real on the page. Jay Kristoff, on the other hand, writes the best sex scenes in fantasy. (It has to be said.) It was done so well, so organically, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. I’m impressed with the level of emotion he managed to get on the page here in both forms of action, so to speak.
This series has everything I could ever want in fantasy: a rich world, conflicted characters, assassins, dark magic and a protagonist that is strong, clever and necessarily brutal. It’s the dark magic haunting her steps that is slowly pushing the series forward. As Mia is trying to plan the downfall of the two most powerful men in the world, and as the Ministry of the Red Church are trying to guide her blades for their own ends, her magic is becoming stronger and more complete. Her shadows are becoming darker as she absorbs more power from slain Darkin. By series end she will have everything her mysterious destiny demands and where this all takes her will be quite the shocker, I have no doubt.
Godsgrave completely exceeded my expectations. I thought I knew where this was all going but I really didn’t have a clue. Darkdawn, the final book in the trilogy, is out later this year and I can’t wait to read it. This ended on such a monumental cliff-hanger. If Jay Kristoff writes with the same level of imagination and originality as he has here, this could be one of the best trilogies fantasy has ever seen.
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You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
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He is not afraid to kill off characters. He is not afraid to destroy friendships and watch his heroes crumble into the dust. And he certainly isn’t afraid to take his book in new and exciting directions. Mia spent most of the novel training to be a gladiator, an ingenious ruse in order to get close to her intended target. It a long-drawn-out game, one that completely changed her perspective on exactly who she is and what she wants from the world. There’s more to this assassin than murder, much more.
“But those who stand for nothing die for the same. And if you stand only for yourself, you fall alone.”
Some parts of this had an almost cinematic quality to them. The arena fights were so massive and well-orchestrated that I couldn’t help but imagine them on the screen (or as part of the actual audience in the stadium.) And that says a lot to me because the way he writes is just so damn exquisite. The prose flows beautifully from word to word, from sentence to sentence. The fight scenes are spectacular. And the sex, well, that’s on an entirely different level. Some authors avoid writing about it, closing the scene as the action is about to ensue. Some authors do terribly clumsy jobs attempting to describe it, and some make it seem quite real on the page. Jay Kristoff, on the other hand, writes the best sex scenes in fantasy. (It has to be said.) It was done so well, so organically, and that’s all I’m going to say about that. I’m impressed with the level of emotion he managed to get on the page here in both forms of action, so to speak.
This series has everything I could ever want in fantasy: a rich world, conflicted characters, assassins, dark magic and a protagonist that is strong, clever and necessarily brutal. It’s the dark magic haunting her steps that is slowly pushing the series forward. As Mia is trying to plan the downfall of the two most powerful men in the world, and as the Ministry of the Red Church are trying to guide her blades for their own ends, her magic is becoming stronger and more complete. Her shadows are becoming darker as she absorbs more power from slain Darkin. By series end she will have everything her mysterious destiny demands and where this all takes her will be quite the shocker, I have no doubt.
“Patience, she’d tell herself, whispering the word like a prayer. If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.”
Godsgrave completely exceeded my expectations. I thought I knew where this was all going but I really didn’t have a clue. Darkdawn, the final book in the trilogy, is out later this year and I can’t wait to read it. This ended on such a monumental cliff-hanger. If Jay Kristoff writes with the same level of imagination and originality as he has here, this could be one of the best trilogies fantasy has ever seen.
_________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
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December 3, 2020
I applaud The Droogs who finished Godsgrave before or around its publication date, thank you for your sacrifice; may the Lady of Blessed Murder bless your patience.
Godsgrave is the sequel to Nevernight. The story still follows our beloved ruthless assassin, Mia Corvere, as she continues her journey for vengeance. Godsgrave didn’t start off easy for me to get into. Nevernight was a revenge story with a battle-school setting; Godsgrave is the continuation to that revenge story without any of the battle-school trope. Almost the entirety of the book revolved around a new mission: Mia’s struggle to win the gladiatorial collegium for a chance to complete her unfinished revenge. Although familiar faces and characters—such as Mister Kindly and Eclipse—still played a huge role, many previous characters only appeared briefly; there were a lot of new characters introduced in this installment and for the majority of the time, Mia spent her time with them rather than the characters from the first book. Also, I’ve mentioned in my Nevernight review that the footnotes didn’t bother me; they were entertaining and they provided insights into the world-building of Itreya. This is still true in Godsgrave, but admittedly, the footnotes in this installment were often too long to my liking. I’m talking about one or two pages long footnotes. The longevity of the footnotes ended up being distracting to my reading immersion, and this was especially true in the first half of the book. Because of all these, Godsgrave ended up taking me longer—around 40% of the book—to fully engross myself into. Were all this necessary though? Yes. Rest assured that the build-up and groundwork were put to good use; resulting in an incredibly engaging second half of the book.
Picture: Pale Daughter by Nan Fe
It’s true that it took me a while to warm up to the characters introduced in this installment, but in the second half of the book, I ended up caring about their fates and lives more than I expected due to the interactions that Mia had with them in the first half. In my opinion, the characters’ banter in Godsgrave were better than Nevernight; Mister Kindly and Eclipse non-stop bickering was simply so damn fun. I’ve said this before, but Mia Corvere is a great heroine to read; this middle book of a trilogy develop her character even more. Kristoff never stops putting Mia in a difficult situation where she had to choose between saving her friends or putting her revenge as the single main priority. Genuine feelings were displayed as she tries her best to conquer the internal conflicts warring with her. By this point, it’s safe to say that she’s a very well-realized character; I may not agree with some of her decisions—I personally think Mia’s choice of romance doesn’t deserve her love after the events that occurred in the first book—but it felt believable and true to her personality, that’s what matters most.
On Twitter and Instagram, I’ve seen videos of people throwing their copies of Godsgrave across the room or outside their window after they finished the book; this is a truly understandable response. Godsgrave concluded in a fashion that demands readers to have the next installment ready because it ended on a massive cliffhanger; those who waited two years of waiting for Darkdawn to be released after such a brutal cliffhanger of intensity must’ve experienced a torturous period of time. The final pages in Godsgrave were simply remarkable. Seriously, every chapter in the last quarter seems to escalate the problems and stakes for Mia and her friends further and further. The drama and the cinematic set pieces within the salvos of revelations and bloodbath were constantly gripping and thrilling; showing Kristoff’s skill as a storyteller magnificently.
The insanely high average ratings on Goodreads speaks for the quality of the book. Godsgrave takes its time for the plot to get going in order to make sure that the second-half gives an exhilarating reading experience. There weren’t many revelations regarding Darkin and Mia’s ability; the unnamed narrator has mentioned that the final pieces of the puzzle will be revealed in Darkdawn, and I consider myself fortunate that I only have to wait for a few days before I can read it.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
“That's the power of words; twenty six little letter can paint a whole universe”
Godsgrave is the sequel to Nevernight. The story still follows our beloved ruthless assassin, Mia Corvere, as she continues her journey for vengeance. Godsgrave didn’t start off easy for me to get into. Nevernight was a revenge story with a battle-school setting; Godsgrave is the continuation to that revenge story without any of the battle-school trope. Almost the entirety of the book revolved around a new mission: Mia’s struggle to win the gladiatorial collegium for a chance to complete her unfinished revenge. Although familiar faces and characters—such as Mister Kindly and Eclipse—still played a huge role, many previous characters only appeared briefly; there were a lot of new characters introduced in this installment and for the majority of the time, Mia spent her time with them rather than the characters from the first book. Also, I’ve mentioned in my Nevernight review that the footnotes didn’t bother me; they were entertaining and they provided insights into the world-building of Itreya. This is still true in Godsgrave, but admittedly, the footnotes in this installment were often too long to my liking. I’m talking about one or two pages long footnotes. The longevity of the footnotes ended up being distracting to my reading immersion, and this was especially true in the first half of the book. Because of all these, Godsgrave ended up taking me longer—around 40% of the book—to fully engross myself into. Were all this necessary though? Yes. Rest assured that the build-up and groundwork were put to good use; resulting in an incredibly engaging second half of the book.
Picture: Pale Daughter by Nan Fe
It’s true that it took me a while to warm up to the characters introduced in this installment, but in the second half of the book, I ended up caring about their fates and lives more than I expected due to the interactions that Mia had with them in the first half. In my opinion, the characters’ banter in Godsgrave were better than Nevernight; Mister Kindly and Eclipse non-stop bickering was simply so damn fun. I’ve said this before, but Mia Corvere is a great heroine to read; this middle book of a trilogy develop her character even more. Kristoff never stops putting Mia in a difficult situation where she had to choose between saving her friends or putting her revenge as the single main priority. Genuine feelings were displayed as she tries her best to conquer the internal conflicts warring with her. By this point, it’s safe to say that she’s a very well-realized character; I may not agree with some of her decisions—I personally think Mia’s choice of romance doesn’t deserve her love after the events that occurred in the first book—but it felt believable and true to her personality, that’s what matters most.
“Problem with being a librarian is there's some lessons you just can't learn from books.”
On Twitter and Instagram, I’ve seen videos of people throwing their copies of Godsgrave across the room or outside their window after they finished the book; this is a truly understandable response. Godsgrave concluded in a fashion that demands readers to have the next installment ready because it ended on a massive cliffhanger; those who waited two years of waiting for Darkdawn to be released after such a brutal cliffhanger of intensity must’ve experienced a torturous period of time. The final pages in Godsgrave were simply remarkable. Seriously, every chapter in the last quarter seems to escalate the problems and stakes for Mia and her friends further and further. The drama and the cinematic set pieces within the salvos of revelations and bloodbath were constantly gripping and thrilling; showing Kristoff’s skill as a storyteller magnificently.
“She'd grown up inside books. No matter how dark life became, shutting out the hurt was as easy as opening a cover. A child of murdered parents and a failed rebellion, she'd still walked in the boots of scholars and warriors, queens and conquerors.
The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.”
The insanely high average ratings on Goodreads speaks for the quality of the book. Godsgrave takes its time for the plot to get going in order to make sure that the second-half gives an exhilarating reading experience. There weren’t many revelations regarding Darkin and Mia’s ability; the unnamed narrator has mentioned that the final pieces of the puzzle will be revealed in Darkdawn, and I consider myself fortunate that I only have to wait for a few days before I can read it.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
April 10, 2020
Obviously.
Review to come on my channel :)
Review to come on my channel :)
January 10, 2021
”Conquer your fear, and you can conquer the world.”
I’m the first one to admit that this book was not what I expected it to be. I mean after the “school for assassins setting” in the first book I thought this series might continue in that vein. Little did I know Jay Kristoff had completely different plans that would exceed all of my expectations. And what kind of glorious plans they actually turned out to be. Glorious, indeed. Sanguis et gloria to be exact! Yes, my gentlefriends this is latin and if you’re familiar with the language you can already tell that this story is quite literally about blood and glory. (Well, I suppose in some way all of Jay Kristoff’s stories are. *lol*)
Anyway! Let’s not get distracted. ;-) “Godsgrave” was not what I expected, knowing Jay I probably should have expected this though. He always throws me for a loop and by now I’m convinced he lives and breathes to give his fans multiple heart attacks. I swear, all those plot twists will kill me one day and if I ever meet Jay I’ll pinch him in his ear. Well, and then I’ll hug the hell out of him. But first I’ll pinch him! You can bet on it! *lol* You deserve it, Jay! You know you do! (I might be two heads shorter than you but I’m fierce. ;-P)
This said: I absolutely loved “Godsgrave”! This book had me at the edge of my seat and I was more than eager to read on! And some days I wasn’t eager at all because I dreaded what was going to happen next. Thankfully my awesome friend Sabrina buddy read this book with me and I enjoyed her company immensely! XD Our WhatsApp chats were amazing and the amount of emojis and BTS gifs we used will probably go down in reading history. *lol* I’m very glad I didn’t have to read this alone and I’m already looking forward to our buddy read of “Darkdawn”. And before I continue to ramble I’ll just go to my character section! Jeez I have so many thoughts!
The characters:
Welcome on the sands of the arena! Pick up your weapon of choice and face your enemy! We can’t promise you that you’ll survive this, but what we can promise, is that all of those spoilers will hurt! A lot! *lol* So if you don’t want to be spoiled you better drop your weapon and leave this arena as fast as possible. Yes, spoilers are a tough enemy, indeed! ;-P
Mia Corvere:
”And you know why I’m here. My father was executed as a traitor to entertain the mob. My mother died in a prison, and my baby brother beside her. And the men responsible need a fucking killing. That’s how I feel about it.”
I’m besotted and in love with Mia Corvere. There I said it and I stand by it! This girl is amazing! I already knew that she’s cunning and kick-ass but she reached an entirely new level of slyness in this one. Plus her character arc was beautiful to behold. The conflict in her only got even stronger as the plot proceeded and even though Mia was always one to question her actions and decisions she never felt as torn as she did in “Godsgrave”. I can’t believe she became a slave in order to kill Scaeva and Duomo at the magni. Her iron will is stunning! To go through with getting a slave mark and to live and fight alongside the gladiatii... Wow. I’m still in awe of the great lengths she’ll go to just to get her revenge. >_< The reality of it all touches her though and you could see it in her every action. I think Mia found her humanity and compassion in this book and it made for a really great character arc. Considering it all I can’t wait to see what will happen in “Darkdawn”! I mean that freaking ending!!! Her brother??! Some part of me already suspected he was still alive, but boy, this plot twist was kind of unexpected. XD
”But the wrongness of it was creeping on her like a cancer. Every turn she spent with this brand on her cheek made it harder and harder for her to ignore the folk who couldn’t just skip away from their chains through the shadows like she could. Not just gladiatii. The whole Republic was oiled by the machine of human misery. Now that her eyes were opened to it, she couldn’t unsee it. Didn’t want to.”
”She didn’t feel fear in the face of it all, no, the thing in her shadow wouldn’t allow that. But she did feel sorrow. Regret, for all that was and might have been.”
“You can keep the glory. I'm just here for the blood.”
Dona Leona:
”But not this time,” she spat. “Never again. I want him on his knees. I want him to look up into my eyes and know it was me who put him there. I want to drink his suffering like the finest wine.”
Now here’s a character I really appreciated. Not for who she is but for what she represented. I loved that Jay Kristoff introduced us to Dona Leona because she was the mirror reflection of Mia. She was the person Mia would have become if her parents wouldn’t have died and if she would have been raised normally. (or as normal as you can be raised in a world like theirs) In a lot of ways Leona was a privileged woman, but no matter how independent she was, she still wasted her resources and couldn’t handle her money, which ultimately got her in a lot of dangerous traps. I believe there is something good in her and I’m pretty sure Mia saw it too because otherwise she would have let her die with the others. She spared her life and gifted her “all the kindness she could muster” so I hope Leona learned her lesson and will live a humble life with Arkades at her side. Also I kind of doubt we’ll see her in “Darkdawn”. ;-)
Leona took Mia’s hand. Bladesinger’s also.
“I ...”
She shook her head, trying to speak. Tears welling in her eyes.
“Be careful out there,” she finally whispered.
Furian:
”If I’d allowed you to win at Messala’s palazzo with your devilry, you’d have set a taint at the heart of this place. I’d starve before I ate food bought with dishonest coin, and die before I claimed a laurel I’d not earned.”
I think Furian is the perfect name for this numpty because he made me so damn furious, I can’t even. *lol* I hated that guy with a fierce passion and I’m not sorry that he died. XD I mean, how stupid can you possibly be? All that talk about honour and the will of the gods drove me crazy and his stubbornness made me super angry. Especially after I found out why he became a gladiatii. Like seriously? Are you kidding me? He was a vile scoundrel and wanted to atone for his deeds by killing even more people? (innocent, enslaved people for that matter!!!) REALLY??!! O_o WTH??!! I had such high hopes when he was introduced as another darkin but he only turned out to be one hell of a disappointment. >_< And just for the record I knew he was sleeping with Leona right from the beginning. *shakes head* Well, I hope the next darkin Mia encounters will have more common sense. *wipes away Furian’s blood stains* Good riddance!
”I do not expect you to understand. But magni is a holy rite. Judged by the Hand of God himself. And if Rapha taught me anything, it was that the things we do are more important than the things we’ve done.”
Sidonius:
”Bollocks,” Sid said. “I watch you, Crow. I watch you watching us. Arkades. Leona. Furian. Me. Those little wheels behind those shady eyes always aturn. And though I don’t think you’re quite the coldest fish in this pond, you can’t honestly say you give a damn whether any of us lives or dies.”
Haha! I remember Sabrina and me saying that he’s going to die... and that pretty soon! *lol* Well, I guess we were both wrong. Sid turned out to be quite the surprise and I got really attached to that big oaf! XD His principles and morals weren’t misguided like Furian’s and the longer I read the more I began to appreciate his character. That he knew Mia’s father was a twist I didn’t see coming and everything he said about Dona Corvere? After that ending I can only assume that he was right about her character. I wonder if we’ll ever see him again? With Jay you never know. I, for my part, hope we will! ;-)
”There’s no softer pillow than a clear conscience.”
The relationships & ships:
Mia & Ash:
”No, if Mia was afraid, it wasn’t of wanting a girl.
It was wanting this girl.
Ashlinn Järnheim.
Thief.
Liar.
Killer.
Traitor.
A lot of people are probably going to hate me for this but: Am I the only one who doesn’t feel this relationship. At all?! Go ahead! You’re allowed to pull out your pitchforks and axes. I won’t hold it against you. I’ll just say my part and be done with it, okay? ;-) Here goes nothing! You all know I’m the first one who’d love to ship an f/f couple! I think they are still underrepresented in YA literature and I definitely want more f/f ships in my books. So believe me when I say that I’m ALL for the sapphic romances! This one however just doesn’t seem to work for me. As much as I appreciated the Mia & Ash vs. Leona & Furian scene, I still can’t help but feel like something is missing. Maybe it’s the fact that Ash killed Tric (in cold blood I might add) and never apologized for it because “he had to die” in order for her plan to work. Or maybe it’s because this came out of nowhere. Yes, they kissed in “Nevernight” but they basically went from “I hate you” right to “I love you”. I mean, hell’s bells, she killed Tric and there was nothing that would have redeemed her actions. So why the hell would Mia fall for her? My only explanation is that she became blinded by all the violence around her and wanted something sweet. *lol* I dunno. *shrugs* It just didn’t work for me. I know that’s a super unpopular opinion but I stand by it. #SorryNotSorry
”This kiss was an invitation; a gently, desperate plea for a beginning, not an ending. A question without words, Mia’s mouth open and melting against Ashlinn’s own. And as she felt Ashlinn shiver, the feather-light brush of her tongue in kind, Mia had her answer.”
Mia & Mr. Kindly & Eclipse:
”You’re not helping,” she whispered back.
“... i am offering moral support ...”
“You’re being an annoying little shit.”
“... that too ...”
The dynamic between those three is quite something! It’s interesting to see them interact with each other and even though Mr. Kindly and Eclipse seem to hate each other they are both reluctant to part ways with Mia. Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if they represent different parts of Mia’s character because Eclipse is rather the improvident and reckless character while Mr. Kindly is all compassion and caution. When Mr. Kindly remarked that they might change her by eating her fear I began to wonder too. Mia being darkin is still so mysterious and the fact that she killed Furian... well, is he going to be a shadow creature too? Where do they come from? Why are darkin so drawn toward each other? I have so many questions and just like Mia I hope they’ll be answered soon!
”... i wonder sometimes, what we are making of her ...”
“... WE ARE MAKING HER STRONG. STEEL. RUTHLESS AS THE STORM AND THE SEA...”
“... the thing we take from her ... i wonder if she does not need it...”
“... YOU SPEAK OF FEAR ...?”
Mia & The gladiatii:
”In every breath, hope abides.”
This was one of the best found families I ever saw. Mia fought her compassion tooth and nail but in the end it didn’t help. She still got attached to that bunch of gladiatii and I can’t blame her for it. They were all such interesting characters and they grew on me as well. I loved Byern, Bryn, Sidionius, Bladesinger, Wavewaker and Maggot. Those 6 were amazing and I grew super fond of them. I can’t believe little Maggot had to die though! My heart broke so much when Mia called her baby! T_T Poor little Maggot! She deserved so much better than that. And all just because of Magistrae! That witch! Urgh! I really hope the survivors will do fine after they got their slave mark removed! <3
Mia felt hot tears in her eyes, a crushing weight on her shoulders. A scream was building in her belly, but her voice was only a whisper.
“Please, baby.”
Mia & Mercurio:
”This is important to her,” Mercurio replied.
“Be that as it may, this whole plan is fucking lunacy.”
Mercurio sighed. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed yet, girl, but Mia Corvere and lunacy go together like cigarillos and smoke.”
I love Mercurio! He’s not only a great teacher but also a great man and underneath all that grumpiness he’s a real softie. *lol* He’s Mia’s family and her father figure. Also he obviously feels strongly about Mia because otherwise he would have never dared to defy the Red Church as long as he did. He loves her and she loves him and I’m really worried about that old bastard now. XD The Church has him and knowing them they won’t go soft on my old man. I just hope he survives until Mia is able to find him. >_<
”I’m not in the business of taking in every stray that walks in off the street, Mia,” he growled. “I’m a bishop of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, not a fucking charity worker.”
Mia folded her arms, fixed Mercurio with her dark stare.
“I recall a stray who walked into the parlour of Mercurio’s Curios not so long ago,” she said. “A girl without a friend in the world, and a whole Republic arrayed against her. You took her in. You gave her a place to belong.”
Mia & the Red Church:
”Problem with being a librarian is there’s some lessons you just can’t learn from books. And the problem with being an assassin is there’s some mysteries you just can’t solve by stabbing fuck out of them.”
Ha! Chronicler Aelius is probably one of my all-time fave characters ever! I wonder how he feels towards Mia now though. I mean he always liked her and he knew that she would be part of a great story so I kind of hope he is still on her side. I’m sure Adonai is still on Team Mia too. He owes her after all. As for Aalea, maybe she would help her? She obviously seems to have the hots for Mia. *lol* I loved her direct offer to warm Mia’s cold nights. ;-P I guess we’ll have to see if the Red Church is truly Mia’s enemy now. >_<
”This life we live ... there is room in it for love, Mia. But a love like autumn leaves. Beautiful one turn. A bonfire the next. Only ashes the remainder.”
Conclusion:
“Godsgrave” was one hell of a surprise and I loved every second of it. This is how character arcs are done and even though this book plays in a Roman setting I couldn’t help but compare it to a Greek tragedy. It had all the makings and plot twists to be one and after THAT kind of ending I’m more than just ready for “Darkdawn”!
I’m the first one to admit that this book was not what I expected it to be. I mean after the “school for assassins setting” in the first book I thought this series might continue in that vein. Little did I know Jay Kristoff had completely different plans that would exceed all of my expectations. And what kind of glorious plans they actually turned out to be. Glorious, indeed. Sanguis et gloria to be exact! Yes, my gentlefriends this is latin and if you’re familiar with the language you can already tell that this story is quite literally about blood and glory. (Well, I suppose in some way all of Jay Kristoff’s stories are. *lol*)
Anyway! Let’s not get distracted. ;-) “Godsgrave” was not what I expected, knowing Jay I probably should have expected this though. He always throws me for a loop and by now I’m convinced he lives and breathes to give his fans multiple heart attacks. I swear, all those plot twists will kill me one day and if I ever meet Jay I’ll pinch him in his ear. Well, and then I’ll hug the hell out of him. But first I’ll pinch him! You can bet on it! *lol* You deserve it, Jay! You know you do! (I might be two heads shorter than you but I’m fierce. ;-P)
This said: I absolutely loved “Godsgrave”! This book had me at the edge of my seat and I was more than eager to read on! And some days I wasn’t eager at all because I dreaded what was going to happen next. Thankfully my awesome friend Sabrina buddy read this book with me and I enjoyed her company immensely! XD Our WhatsApp chats were amazing and the amount of emojis and BTS gifs we used will probably go down in reading history. *lol* I’m very glad I didn’t have to read this alone and I’m already looking forward to our buddy read of “Darkdawn”. And before I continue to ramble I’ll just go to my character section! Jeez I have so many thoughts!
The characters:
Welcome on the sands of the arena! Pick up your weapon of choice and face your enemy! We can’t promise you that you’ll survive this, but what we can promise, is that all of those spoilers will hurt! A lot! *lol* So if you don’t want to be spoiled you better drop your weapon and leave this arena as fast as possible. Yes, spoilers are a tough enemy, indeed! ;-P
Mia Corvere:
”And you know why I’m here. My father was executed as a traitor to entertain the mob. My mother died in a prison, and my baby brother beside her. And the men responsible need a fucking killing. That’s how I feel about it.”
I’m besotted and in love with Mia Corvere. There I said it and I stand by it! This girl is amazing! I already knew that she’s cunning and kick-ass but she reached an entirely new level of slyness in this one. Plus her character arc was beautiful to behold. The conflict in her only got even stronger as the plot proceeded and even though Mia was always one to question her actions and decisions she never felt as torn as she did in “Godsgrave”. I can’t believe she became a slave in order to kill Scaeva and Duomo at the magni. Her iron will is stunning! To go through with getting a slave mark and to live and fight alongside the gladiatii... Wow. I’m still in awe of the great lengths she’ll go to just to get her revenge. >_< The reality of it all touches her though and you could see it in her every action. I think Mia found her humanity and compassion in this book and it made for a really great character arc. Considering it all I can’t wait to see what will happen in “Darkdawn”! I mean that freaking ending!!! Her brother??! Some part of me already suspected he was still alive, but boy, this plot twist was kind of unexpected. XD
”But the wrongness of it was creeping on her like a cancer. Every turn she spent with this brand on her cheek made it harder and harder for her to ignore the folk who couldn’t just skip away from their chains through the shadows like she could. Not just gladiatii. The whole Republic was oiled by the machine of human misery. Now that her eyes were opened to it, she couldn’t unsee it. Didn’t want to.”
”She didn’t feel fear in the face of it all, no, the thing in her shadow wouldn’t allow that. But she did feel sorrow. Regret, for all that was and might have been.”
“You can keep the glory. I'm just here for the blood.”
Dona Leona:
”But not this time,” she spat. “Never again. I want him on his knees. I want him to look up into my eyes and know it was me who put him there. I want to drink his suffering like the finest wine.”
Now here’s a character I really appreciated. Not for who she is but for what she represented. I loved that Jay Kristoff introduced us to Dona Leona because she was the mirror reflection of Mia. She was the person Mia would have become if her parents wouldn’t have died and if she would have been raised normally. (or as normal as you can be raised in a world like theirs) In a lot of ways Leona was a privileged woman, but no matter how independent she was, she still wasted her resources and couldn’t handle her money, which ultimately got her in a lot of dangerous traps. I believe there is something good in her and I’m pretty sure Mia saw it too because otherwise she would have let her die with the others. She spared her life and gifted her “all the kindness she could muster” so I hope Leona learned her lesson and will live a humble life with Arkades at her side. Also I kind of doubt we’ll see her in “Darkdawn”. ;-)
Leona took Mia’s hand. Bladesinger’s also.
“I ...”
She shook her head, trying to speak. Tears welling in her eyes.
“Be careful out there,” she finally whispered.
Furian:
”If I’d allowed you to win at Messala’s palazzo with your devilry, you’d have set a taint at the heart of this place. I’d starve before I ate food bought with dishonest coin, and die before I claimed a laurel I’d not earned.”
I think Furian is the perfect name for this numpty because he made me so damn furious, I can’t even. *lol* I hated that guy with a fierce passion and I’m not sorry that he died. XD I mean, how stupid can you possibly be? All that talk about honour and the will of the gods drove me crazy and his stubbornness made me super angry. Especially after I found out why he became a gladiatii. Like seriously? Are you kidding me? He was a vile scoundrel and wanted to atone for his deeds by killing even more people? (innocent, enslaved people for that matter!!!) REALLY??!! O_o WTH??!! I had such high hopes when he was introduced as another darkin but he only turned out to be one hell of a disappointment. >_< And just for the record I knew he was sleeping with Leona right from the beginning. *shakes head* Well, I hope the next darkin Mia encounters will have more common sense. *wipes away Furian’s blood stains* Good riddance!
”I do not expect you to understand. But magni is a holy rite. Judged by the Hand of God himself. And if Rapha taught me anything, it was that the things we do are more important than the things we’ve done.”
Sidonius:
”Bollocks,” Sid said. “I watch you, Crow. I watch you watching us. Arkades. Leona. Furian. Me. Those little wheels behind those shady eyes always aturn. And though I don’t think you’re quite the coldest fish in this pond, you can’t honestly say you give a damn whether any of us lives or dies.”
Haha! I remember Sabrina and me saying that he’s going to die... and that pretty soon! *lol* Well, I guess we were both wrong. Sid turned out to be quite the surprise and I got really attached to that big oaf! XD His principles and morals weren’t misguided like Furian’s and the longer I read the more I began to appreciate his character. That he knew Mia’s father was a twist I didn’t see coming and everything he said about Dona Corvere? After that ending I can only assume that he was right about her character. I wonder if we’ll ever see him again? With Jay you never know. I, for my part, hope we will! ;-)
”There’s no softer pillow than a clear conscience.”
The relationships & ships:
Mia & Ash:
”No, if Mia was afraid, it wasn’t of wanting a girl.
It was wanting this girl.
Ashlinn Järnheim.
Thief.
Liar.
Killer.
Traitor.
A lot of people are probably going to hate me for this but: Am I the only one who doesn’t feel this relationship. At all?! Go ahead! You’re allowed to pull out your pitchforks and axes. I won’t hold it against you. I’ll just say my part and be done with it, okay? ;-) Here goes nothing! You all know I’m the first one who’d love to ship an f/f couple! I think they are still underrepresented in YA literature and I definitely want more f/f ships in my books. So believe me when I say that I’m ALL for the sapphic romances! This one however just doesn’t seem to work for me. As much as I appreciated the Mia & Ash vs. Leona & Furian scene, I still can’t help but feel like something is missing. Maybe it’s the fact that Ash killed Tric (in cold blood I might add) and never apologized for it because “he had to die” in order for her plan to work. Or maybe it’s because this came out of nowhere. Yes, they kissed in “Nevernight” but they basically went from “I hate you” right to “I love you”. I mean, hell’s bells, she killed Tric and there was nothing that would have redeemed her actions. So why the hell would Mia fall for her? My only explanation is that she became blinded by all the violence around her and wanted something sweet. *lol* I dunno. *shrugs* It just didn’t work for me. I know that’s a super unpopular opinion but I stand by it. #SorryNotSorry
”This kiss was an invitation; a gently, desperate plea for a beginning, not an ending. A question without words, Mia’s mouth open and melting against Ashlinn’s own. And as she felt Ashlinn shiver, the feather-light brush of her tongue in kind, Mia had her answer.”
Mia & Mr. Kindly & Eclipse:
”You’re not helping,” she whispered back.
“... i am offering moral support ...”
“You’re being an annoying little shit.”
“... that too ...”
The dynamic between those three is quite something! It’s interesting to see them interact with each other and even though Mr. Kindly and Eclipse seem to hate each other they are both reluctant to part ways with Mia. Sometimes I couldn’t help but wonder if they represent different parts of Mia’s character because Eclipse is rather the improvident and reckless character while Mr. Kindly is all compassion and caution. When Mr. Kindly remarked that they might change her by eating her fear I began to wonder too. Mia being darkin is still so mysterious and the fact that she killed Furian... well, is he going to be a shadow creature too? Where do they come from? Why are darkin so drawn toward each other? I have so many questions and just like Mia I hope they’ll be answered soon!
”... i wonder sometimes, what we are making of her ...”
“... WE ARE MAKING HER STRONG. STEEL. RUTHLESS AS THE STORM AND THE SEA...”
“... the thing we take from her ... i wonder if she does not need it...”
“... YOU SPEAK OF FEAR ...?”
Mia & The gladiatii:
”In every breath, hope abides.”
This was one of the best found families I ever saw. Mia fought her compassion tooth and nail but in the end it didn’t help. She still got attached to that bunch of gladiatii and I can’t blame her for it. They were all such interesting characters and they grew on me as well. I loved Byern, Bryn, Sidionius, Bladesinger, Wavewaker and Maggot. Those 6 were amazing and I grew super fond of them. I can’t believe little Maggot had to die though! My heart broke so much when Mia called her baby! T_T Poor little Maggot! She deserved so much better than that. And all just because of Magistrae! That witch! Urgh! I really hope the survivors will do fine after they got their slave mark removed! <3
Mia felt hot tears in her eyes, a crushing weight on her shoulders. A scream was building in her belly, but her voice was only a whisper.
“Please, baby.”
Mia & Mercurio:
”This is important to her,” Mercurio replied.
“Be that as it may, this whole plan is fucking lunacy.”
Mercurio sighed. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed yet, girl, but Mia Corvere and lunacy go together like cigarillos and smoke.”
I love Mercurio! He’s not only a great teacher but also a great man and underneath all that grumpiness he’s a real softie. *lol* He’s Mia’s family and her father figure. Also he obviously feels strongly about Mia because otherwise he would have never dared to defy the Red Church as long as he did. He loves her and she loves him and I’m really worried about that old bastard now. XD The Church has him and knowing them they won’t go soft on my old man. I just hope he survives until Mia is able to find him. >_<
”I’m not in the business of taking in every stray that walks in off the street, Mia,” he growled. “I’m a bishop of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, not a fucking charity worker.”
Mia folded her arms, fixed Mercurio with her dark stare.
“I recall a stray who walked into the parlour of Mercurio’s Curios not so long ago,” she said. “A girl without a friend in the world, and a whole Republic arrayed against her. You took her in. You gave her a place to belong.”
Mia & the Red Church:
”Problem with being a librarian is there’s some lessons you just can’t learn from books. And the problem with being an assassin is there’s some mysteries you just can’t solve by stabbing fuck out of them.”
Ha! Chronicler Aelius is probably one of my all-time fave characters ever! I wonder how he feels towards Mia now though. I mean he always liked her and he knew that she would be part of a great story so I kind of hope he is still on her side. I’m sure Adonai is still on Team Mia too. He owes her after all. As for Aalea, maybe she would help her? She obviously seems to have the hots for Mia. *lol* I loved her direct offer to warm Mia’s cold nights. ;-P I guess we’ll have to see if the Red Church is truly Mia’s enemy now. >_<
”This life we live ... there is room in it for love, Mia. But a love like autumn leaves. Beautiful one turn. A bonfire the next. Only ashes the remainder.”
Conclusion:
“Godsgrave” was one hell of a surprise and I loved every second of it. This is how character arcs are done and even though this book plays in a Roman setting I couldn’t help but compare it to a Greek tragedy. It had all the makings and plot twists to be one and after THAT kind of ending I’m more than just ready for “Darkdawn”!
October 3, 2019
the characters the witty dialogues the fight scenes the parallels that mindfuck plot twist at the end.... poetic cinema
April 26, 2020
lmao it must have sucked for all of yall who had to wait for book 3 to come out after THAT ending
March 31, 2024
To-do list for this book:
- produce an unhealthy dose of fear for Mister Kindly;
- stan Mia with a passion because she's a clever little bitch;
- try to stitch the knife wound between your shoulder blades;
- drink a gallon of holy water, cross yourself and proceed reading with care.
_____________________________________________________
5/5 ⭐
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
Hello, people! Guess who’s been destroyed by a book? Yes! You’re right! Me!
Jesus Christ, I didn’t know how numbing this would be…
It was…something…wow.
I confess I had an idea what I was getting myself into, I wasn’t completely clueless. I’ve been previously warned and I do take the warning seriously, but WHAT DID I READ??
For real, if I thought the Nevernight was dark and brutal, well, this one was definitely the 2.0 version of it.
It was gruesome and bloody.
But I sincerely loved it. It was really good.
I wasn’t even ¼ in the actual story, but I managed to be disgusted. That’s a new record for me, I’m not that easily disgusted by things. But oh well, there’s a beginning for everything, innit?
The general atmosphere seemed to be closing in more and more, everything felt extreme and desperate. Nothing was as it was left in the first book. Everything seemed anarchical.
This instalment, unlike the previous one, gave away pertinent details of a world inspired by Roman times (you know, back in the day). The hierarchical structure of the society, the cruelty of bloodthirsty games, the lawless mentalities, the rich and the poor. The clothing. The food. The names.
Everything was inspired by a time of ancient cruelty, the panem et circenses of a world long dead but still not forgotten.
Even so, the author managed to build around and over all that to create a whole new cruel world. It was really impressive, actually.
This book is ugly, don’t act like I haven’t warned you if you choose to pick up the series.
The main motif of the story was mostly the struggle. The struggle to win the fight, to solve the problem, to break free.
Mia was making dangerous decisions, playing very dangerous games, reckless and heartbreakingly shocking. I’d lie if I’d say I haven’t gasped once or twice.
New characters entered the picture, some good and some bad at the end, but all of them a mixture of uncertainty, distrust and charm.
I wasn’t able to like any of them, not because they weren’t likeable – because some of them were, no joke there – but because I was scared that if I let myself like a character I might get stabbed in the heart multiple times.
And thank god I did that because otherwise, I would’ve died.
Don’t get attached to characters, people! They might seem so lovable, but you’re going to suffer if you do so!
But apart from all the murderous, bloodthirsty and blood-filled aspects of the book, this was also a book of trying to find the self.
Mia is shaken, unsure of who she was anymore, confused and thrown from one side to the other without finding a real solution to thousands of problems she mostly created for herself.
Through all the madness and betrayal of the action, a turmoil of feelings enveloped Mia and she had to sail through all of them while managing to stay alive.
Now, take this from me, Mia Corvere is the baddest bitch in business and I would personally die for her, but some of the decisions she made in this book made me question her apparent judgement.
This was an amazing book, I think my favourite of them all. But – truth be told – you have to be aware of the trigger warnings I’m about to enlist:
- Vulgar language;
- Sex;
- Abuse;
- Slavery;
- Violence.
Funny enough, the list does go on.
But if you have the guts to get through all this, then you’re good to give Godsgrave a chance.
I know, all those trigger warnings sound unappealing and, in their essence, they are, but this is a well-written book with three-dimensional characters, good world-building and fine observations (and lots of smut) and in my humble opinion, it really deserves to be read.
Just saying. Keep an eye open for this one, it’s quite something.
- produce an unhealthy dose of fear for Mister Kindly;
- stan Mia with a passion because she's a clever little bitch;
- try to stitch the knife wound between your shoulder blades;
- drink a gallon of holy water, cross yourself and proceed reading with care.
_____________________________________________________
5/5 ⭐
Full review on my Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf 🐺
“All must fall so one may stand.”
Hello, people! Guess who’s been destroyed by a book? Yes! You’re right! Me!
Jesus Christ, I didn’t know how numbing this would be…
It was…something…wow.
I confess I had an idea what I was getting myself into, I wasn’t completely clueless. I’ve been previously warned and I do take the warning seriously, but WHAT DID I READ??
For real, if I thought the Nevernight was dark and brutal, well, this one was definitely the 2.0 version of it.
It was gruesome and bloody.
“And yet you paint your hands in red for them, when you should be painting the skies black.”
But I sincerely loved it. It was really good.
I wasn’t even ¼ in the actual story, but I managed to be disgusted. That’s a new record for me, I’m not that easily disgusted by things. But oh well, there’s a beginning for everything, innit?
The general atmosphere seemed to be closing in more and more, everything felt extreme and desperate. Nothing was as it was left in the first book. Everything seemed anarchical.
This instalment, unlike the previous one, gave away pertinent details of a world inspired by Roman times (you know, back in the day). The hierarchical structure of the society, the cruelty of bloodthirsty games, the lawless mentalities, the rich and the poor. The clothing. The food. The names.
Everything was inspired by a time of ancient cruelty, the panem et circenses of a world long dead but still not forgotten.
Even so, the author managed to build around and over all that to create a whole new cruel world. It was really impressive, actually.
This book is ugly, don’t act like I haven’t warned you if you choose to pick up the series.
The main motif of the story was mostly the struggle. The struggle to win the fight, to solve the problem, to break free.
Mia was making dangerous decisions, playing very dangerous games, reckless and heartbreakingly shocking. I’d lie if I’d say I haven’t gasped once or twice.
New characters entered the picture, some good and some bad at the end, but all of them a mixture of uncertainty, distrust and charm.
I wasn’t able to like any of them, not because they weren’t likeable – because some of them were, no joke there – but because I was scared that if I let myself like a character I might get stabbed in the heart multiple times.
And thank god I did that because otherwise, I would’ve died.
“Memory is a traitor, and a liar, and a good-for-nothing thief.”
Don’t get attached to characters, people! They might seem so lovable, but you’re going to suffer if you do so!
But apart from all the murderous, bloodthirsty and blood-filled aspects of the book, this was also a book of trying to find the self.
Mia is shaken, unsure of who she was anymore, confused and thrown from one side to the other without finding a real solution to thousands of problems she mostly created for herself.
Through all the madness and betrayal of the action, a turmoil of feelings enveloped Mia and she had to sail through all of them while managing to stay alive.
Now, take this from me, Mia Corvere is the baddest bitch in business and I would personally die for her, but some of the decisions she made in this book made me question her apparent judgement.
“Because the voices in your head that say otherwise are just fear talking (…). Fear is a coward.”
This was an amazing book, I think my favourite of them all. But – truth be told – you have to be aware of the trigger warnings I’m about to enlist:
- Vulgar language;
- Sex;
- Abuse;
- Slavery;
- Violence.
Funny enough, the list does go on.
But if you have the guts to get through all this, then you’re good to give Godsgrave a chance.
I know, all those trigger warnings sound unappealing and, in their essence, they are, but this is a well-written book with three-dimensional characters, good world-building and fine observations (and lots of smut) and in my humble opinion, it really deserves to be read.
Just saying. Keep an eye open for this one, it’s quite something.
“The brightest flames burn out the fastest (…). But in them, there is warmth that can last a lifetime. Even from a love that only lasts the nevernight. For people like us, there are no promises of forever.”
August 16, 2018
4.5 stars
That's right, folks. We've transitioned from assassins to gladiators!
Now, some of you will (like me) love this, but some of you?
Ehhhhh. Maybe not so much...
Personally, I loved the way Kristoff mixed it up this time around. There was pseudo-Roman empire feel to the setting of the story in the first book, so (to me) this was a natural progression of that same story. But I can see how some might find the transition jarring
because my mind doesn't automatically translate ninja assassins into gladiators, either.
Regardless of the setting, I felt like Mia's character remained consistent, and that was really the most important thing for me. I thought the change in scenery was an extremely interesting pivot for a second book to take and, to me, the story benefitted from it quite a bit.
Again, that's just my personal take on it.
Speaking of personal preferences, for those who found the sillyish footnotes annoying and/or weird? If you didn't like them before, you probably still won't like them.
BUT. <--and I have no data to back this up
It seemed like there were less of them this time around. Now, considering the fact that I did like them and thought they were a funny way to break up any monotony, you may want to take that with a grain of salt. I wasn't exactly taking notes for my extensive data collection about the footnotes.
So how does Mia end up fighting in an arena?
Well, she sells herself into slavery, of course!
And why the fuck would she ever do something like that?
Well, I'm sure as hell not going to tell you. I mean, that would ruin the story, don't you think?
What I can tell you is that Mia continues to be a badass, the old and new characters continue to be amazingly 3 dimensional, and the plot continues to thicken.
Highly recommended.
That's right, folks. We've transitioned from assassins to gladiators!
Now, some of you will (like me) love this, but some of you?
Ehhhhh. Maybe not so much...
Personally, I loved the way Kristoff mixed it up this time around. There was pseudo-Roman empire feel to the setting of the story in the first book, so (to me) this was a natural progression of that same story. But I can see how some might find the transition jarring
because my mind doesn't automatically translate ninja assassins into gladiators, either.
Regardless of the setting, I felt like Mia's character remained consistent, and that was really the most important thing for me. I thought the change in scenery was an extremely interesting pivot for a second book to take and, to me, the story benefitted from it quite a bit.
Again, that's just my personal take on it.
Speaking of personal preferences, for those who found the sillyish footnotes annoying and/or weird? If you didn't like them before, you probably still won't like them.
BUT. <--and I have no data to back this up
It seemed like there were less of them this time around. Now, considering the fact that I did like them and thought they were a funny way to break up any monotony, you may want to take that with a grain of salt. I wasn't exactly taking notes for my extensive data collection about the footnotes.
So how does Mia end up fighting in an arena?
Well, she sells herself into slavery, of course!
And why the fuck would she ever do something like that?
Well, I'm sure as hell not going to tell you. I mean, that would ruin the story, don't you think?
What I can tell you is that Mia continues to be a badass, the old and new characters continue to be amazingly 3 dimensional, and the plot continues to thicken.
Highly recommended.
![Profile Image for Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1727030975i/66224803._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
January 19, 2020
“When you take a person out of the world, you don't just take them, do you?
You take everything they were, too.”
Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A short summary of what happens in the book:
Sex and murder (yes, at the same time), fight, train, Gladiatii, kill, fight, train, murder, sex, intrigues, fight, murder, surprise, kill, fight and brutal plot twists.
That left me like this:
Whereas the first book was concentrated in the school for killing (that’s my personal name for it...) this book played in the arenas of the gladiatii.
All in all this is a masterpiece!
Brilliant. Jay Kristoff is a genius for writing and creating this story!
Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So much lovable characters in this one!
I mean... they’re all killers but kind of lovable?
Do I sound crazy? Probably.
Is it still true? Yes.
Starting with my favorite killer in the world: talented blade, bisexual bomb and super badass Mia.
She’s so skilled and intelligent.
All the thoughts and emotions she felt made her so real and human.
Next are her awesome partners in crime lurking in the shadows.
Mr. Kindly and Eclipse.
I said it once, I say it again: can I have darklin powers and followers aka friends like those two?
I mean, yes, they don’t get along well, but the “fights” they have are absolutely hilarious and I loved them for it.
But if anyone ever asked me which one is my favorite, it’ll always be Mr. Kindly.
Because, duh, a cat.
A shadow cat.
Absolutely-freakin-awesome.
Next is Furian: I wasn’t sure about him if I’m truly honest. He was a little bit interesting but the major part of it I felt like he was just a part of the book the author needed to put in there. Buuuuut... That’s just my opinion.
Sid: This fluffy big mouth guy was one of my favorites. As soon as he showed his real face he was the absolute best with his humor, his stupid words and kind heart.
All the other characters were created in a really brilliant way, because it didn’t matter how small their role was: if they died or were killed I was really sad about it...
World ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first met Mia in Nevernight I was really intrigued by the talent or power that made Mia a darklin.
I was always fascinated by shadows, darkness. They do have a huge power in the world. Just look at the Darkling in the shadow and bone series. He was pretty powerful.
But this Darklin-power is different. It has some positive sides but also negative sides.
In the end the universe is in balance, right?
Next to these awesome powers there are beasts that sound like the worst nightmare ever and people that make you really uncomfortable.
In the world of the gladiatii There is only one way to earn your freedom. Kill everyone in the magni and survive as the last one standing.
Relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh well. This was one hot thing. All the tension, all the heat, all the passion, (all the hatred).
I knew it would end in some way. I hoped it would be a good way.
And oh my good, guys, smut scenes.
Puh-huh. Get some ice cream because the scenes in this book are smoking hot!
Also... the friendships made my heart feel some things and my face smile.
Even if you need to kill for a living, when you’re surrounded by the same people for months, in some way they start to be your family.
Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The most important thing first: People who hate curse-filled-books should probably leave this book in the bookstore shelf and never touch it.
Because this one is filled with heavy language.
And you know what?
I loved it.
It’s some fresh air in a normally really organized and strict book writing factory.
Also: Jay Kristoff writes really good fighting-/killing-/love making-scenes.
And he’s definitely a master in plot twists!
So. Definitely one of my favorite series of all time! So addictive and different. Read it!
You take everything they were, too.”
Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A short summary of what happens in the book:
Sex and murder (yes, at the same time), fight, train, Gladiatii, kill, fight, train, murder, sex, intrigues, fight, murder, surprise, kill, fight and brutal plot twists.
That left me like this:
Whereas the first book was concentrated in the school for killing (that’s my personal name for it...) this book played in the arenas of the gladiatii.
All in all this is a masterpiece!
Brilliant. Jay Kristoff is a genius for writing and creating this story!
Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
So much lovable characters in this one!
I mean... they’re all killers but kind of lovable?
Do I sound crazy? Probably.
Is it still true? Yes.
Starting with my favorite killer in the world: talented blade, bisexual bomb and super badass Mia.
She’s so skilled and intelligent.
All the thoughts and emotions she felt made her so real and human.
Next are her awesome partners in crime lurking in the shadows.
Mr. Kindly and Eclipse.
I said it once, I say it again: can I have darklin powers and followers aka friends like those two?
I mean, yes, they don’t get along well, but the “fights” they have are absolutely hilarious and I loved them for it.
But if anyone ever asked me which one is my favorite, it’ll always be Mr. Kindly.
Because, duh, a cat.
A shadow cat.
Absolutely-freakin-awesome.
Next is Furian: I wasn’t sure about him if I’m truly honest. He was a little bit interesting but the major part of it I felt like he was just a part of the book the author needed to put in there. Buuuuut... That’s just my opinion.
Sid: This fluffy big mouth guy was one of my favorites. As soon as he showed his real face he was the absolute best with his humor, his stupid words and kind heart.
All the other characters were created in a really brilliant way, because it didn’t matter how small their role was: if they died or were killed I was really sad about it...
World ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I first met Mia in Nevernight I was really intrigued by the talent or power that made Mia a darklin.
I was always fascinated by shadows, darkness. They do have a huge power in the world. Just look at the Darkling in the shadow and bone series. He was pretty powerful.
But this Darklin-power is different. It has some positive sides but also negative sides.
In the end the universe is in balance, right?
Next to these awesome powers there are beasts that sound like the worst nightmare ever and people that make you really uncomfortable.
In the world of the gladiatii There is only one way to earn your freedom. Kill everyone in the magni and survive as the last one standing.
Relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh well. This was one hot thing. All the tension, all the heat, all the passion, (all the hatred).
I knew it would end in some way. I hoped it would be a good way.
And oh my good, guys, smut scenes.
Puh-huh. Get some ice cream because the scenes in this book are smoking hot!
Also... the friendships made my heart feel some things and my face smile.
Even if you need to kill for a living, when you’re surrounded by the same people for months, in some way they start to be your family.
Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The most important thing first: People who hate curse-filled-books should probably leave this book in the bookstore shelf and never touch it.
Because this one is filled with heavy language.
And you know what?
I loved it.
It’s some fresh air in a normally really organized and strict book writing factory.
Also: Jay Kristoff writes really good fighting-/killing-/love making-scenes.
And he’s definitely a master in plot twists!
So. Definitely one of my favorite series of all time! So addictive and different. Read it!
October 1, 2022
3.5 stars
Last year, NEVERNIGHT, the first book in Jay Kristoff's NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, was at the top of my Best Books of 2016 list. The writing was brilliant, the story and characters compelling, the world-building was fantastic . . . I was smitten.
So I was understandably excited about its sequel GODSGRAVE. *sighs*
BUT.
The story was still compelling, just not as compelling, the writing was likewise not as brilliant, and the old characters manifested new flaws while several of the new characters were downright contemptible.
It took awhile for all of these slightly lesser versions to fully establish themselves, so initially I was more hopeful . . . Which only served to make the eventual disappointment that much worse.
For example, I love all things gladiatorial (b/c bloodthirsty). The obstacles, the arena atmosphere, the fighting to the death, be it man vs. man or man vs. beast, I don't care, I LOVE ALL OF IT. *laughs maniacally*
So when it became clear that Mia's endgame was dependent on her becoming enslaved and entering the arena, I did a happy dance in celebration . . . A celebration that turned out to be premature . . . B/c boring.
You: Shut up, nothing about arena fights-to-the-death is boring.
Me: One would think . . . And one would be mistaken.
You: *taps foot impatiently* Explain.
Me: Only one of the four fights resembled anything like traditional gladiator fighting . Okay, two of them, but chariot races are the least fun part of arena fights.
I've never been much for going in circles--I don't like NASCAR either--and shooting arrows at targets and people while you do it doesn't make it any more entertaining. As for the other fights,
It was more spectacle than fight, and yes, arena fights are spectacles, but that's not all they are. At least, that's not all they're supposed to be.
Kristoff didn't get that memo.
The lackluster arena action was made worse by one of the aforementioned newly developed character flaws:
Another issue I had with Mia was that she seemed to have regressed into a hormone-addled adolescent:
And this was not a one or even a threetime thing. It was an over-and-over-again thing.
BUT.
GODSGRAVE wasn't terrible. There were lots of new clues about darkins and gods and prophecies, and something we were all hoping for did indeed come to pass, but in a completely unexpected way. And Kristoff excels at giving you information without revealing an iota more than necessary, effectively keeping you on his hook. So not an even remotely bad read . . . Just not on the same level as the experience that was NEVERNIGHT, comparatively speaking.
1/10/17:
We have a title, cha-cha-cha! We have a title, cha-cha-cha! *is lonely in conga line of one* But who cares? B/c GODSGRAVE.
Last year, NEVERNIGHT, the first book in Jay Kristoff's NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, was at the top of my Best Books of 2016 list. The writing was brilliant, the story and characters compelling, the world-building was fantastic . . . I was smitten.
So I was understandably excited about its sequel GODSGRAVE. *sighs*
BUT.
The story was still compelling, just not as compelling, the writing was likewise not as brilliant, and the old characters manifested new flaws while several of the new characters were downright contemptible.
It took awhile for all of these slightly lesser versions to fully establish themselves, so initially I was more hopeful . . . Which only served to make the eventual disappointment that much worse.
For example, I love all things gladiatorial (b/c bloodthirsty). The obstacles, the arena atmosphere, the fighting to the death, be it man vs. man or man vs. beast, I don't care, I LOVE ALL OF IT. *laughs maniacally*
So when it became clear that Mia's endgame was dependent on her becoming enslaved and entering the arena, I did a happy dance in celebration . . . A celebration that turned out to be premature . . . B/c boring.
You: Shut up, nothing about arena fights-to-the-death is boring.
Me: One would think . . . And one would be mistaken.
You: *taps foot impatiently* Explain.
Me: Only one of the four fights resembled anything like traditional gladiator fighting . Okay, two of them, but chariot races are the least fun part of arena fights.
I've never been much for going in circles--I don't like NASCAR either--and shooting arrows at targets and people while you do it doesn't make it any more entertaining. As for the other fights,
It was more spectacle than fight, and yes, arena fights are spectacles, but that's not all they are. At least, that's not all they're supposed to be.
Kristoff didn't get that memo.
The lackluster arena action was made worse by one of the aforementioned newly developed character flaws:
Another issue I had with Mia was that she seemed to have regressed into a hormone-addled adolescent:
Peering in through the door, she saw Dona Leona emerging from a deep, steaming pool, water running in rivulets down her bare body. Her hair was damp, her face bereft of paint. It occurred to Mia that she was a beauty; full hips and fuller lips. Her eyes roamed Leona’s curves, wreathed in steam, and she wondered at the thrill of it. Why, downstairs in the barracks, seeing naked bodies meant nothing, but here, her skin was prickling. Heart beating faster. Thinking, perhaps, of another beauty on Aurelius’s bed, her taste on the young don’s mouth, her golden kisses sinking ever lower.
She thought of Ashlinn, then. The kiss they’d shared when Mia left the Church. That kiss that lasted a moment too long. Maybe not long enough?
And this was not a one or even a threetime thing. It was an over-and-over-again thing.
BUT.
GODSGRAVE wasn't terrible. There were lots of new clues about darkins and gods and prophecies, and something we were all hoping for did indeed come to pass, but in a completely unexpected way. And Kristoff excels at giving you information without revealing an iota more than necessary, effectively keeping you on his hook. So not an even remotely bad read . . . Just not on the same level as the experience that was NEVERNIGHT, comparatively speaking.
1/10/17:
We have a title, cha-cha-cha! We have a title, cha-cha-cha! *is lonely in conga line of one* But who cares? B/c GODSGRAVE.
September 20, 2017
F U C K. ME.
And I HATE you so much right now, Mr. Kristoff.
Literally GTFO.
* screams for days *
(I was going to do a review on my channel, but I'm waiting for the UK edition to arrive so I can show all of you how beautiful it is, so once I do, I'll leave a link to it down below.)
I think this book surpassed all of my expectations and brought them up to an all new high. It was so, so good. Again, Jay's writing was excellent, full of buttery prose and lyrical pieces. This time around though, I didn't mind the footnotes. With the first book, I was mildly annoyed and somewhat irritated but then I got used to it and by the time the Godsgrave came around, I was so interested and more invested in the story, I flew through E V E R Y T H I N G.
With twice more the action, blood, guts, violence, gore, and badassery, I really recommend you give this series (trilogy) a go. It's bloody fucking awesome and with the twists and unexpected surprises that this book has, your head will literally implode from all the insanity.
But really, R E A L L Y, Mr. Kristoff, that cruel, c r u e l, ending.
I see you. I see you. And how I hate you (relatively speaking).
5 BLOODY KICKASS STARS
Arc provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Twitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |
And I HATE you so much right now, Mr. Kristoff.
Literally GTFO.
* screams for days *
(I was going to do a review on my channel, but I'm waiting for the UK edition to arrive so I can show all of you how beautiful it is, so once I do, I'll leave a link to it down below.)
I think this book surpassed all of my expectations and brought them up to an all new high. It was so, so good. Again, Jay's writing was excellent, full of buttery prose and lyrical pieces. This time around though, I didn't mind the footnotes. With the first book, I was mildly annoyed and somewhat irritated but then I got used to it and by the time the Godsgrave came around, I was so interested and more invested in the story, I flew through E V E R Y T H I N G.
With twice more the action, blood, guts, violence, gore, and badassery, I really recommend you give this series (trilogy) a go. It's bloody fucking awesome and with the twists and unexpected surprises that this book has, your head will literally implode from all the insanity.
But really, R E A L L Y, Mr. Kristoff, that cruel, c r u e l, ending.
I see you. I see you. And how I hate you (relatively speaking).
5 BLOODY KICKASS STARS
Arc provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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August 26, 2019
my new review after my 4th reread:
godsgrave starts almost a year after nevernight, with mia setting her plan to avenge her familia in motion. but there is quite a significant gap of information between the last scene in nevernight and the first scene in godsgrave, with mia in the desert. so, to bridge that gap, the first third of the story is told in alternating timelines, which adds to the main plotline in a frankly genius way. the information is revealed gradually, and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to find out information our characters already knew. in my opinion, that did wonders for the buildup of tension in the beginning, something that was severely lacking in book 1.
besides that, another thing that's greatly improved in godsgrave is our main character, mia. i love mia so fucking much in al her flaws and complexities, but we can all agree that my girl is kind of a hypocrite. she blames people for killing people she likes in the name of revenge while literally murdering hundreds to avenge her family. to say that her moral compass is skewed would be an understatement. but in godsgrave, instead of following her vengeance blindly, she begins to question if it's all really worth it, and if the people she kills along the way deserve it. it's honestly one of my favorite character arcs ever. how at first she put herself on an unreachable pedestal of superior morality with her reasoning that scaeva, remus and duomo must die, while judging everyone else who does the same, to questioning who she is what made her become like that, if her revenge and everything she's done to achieve it are really worth it, and if it's really a good excuse for her actions and cruelty. i absolutely love her journey, and darkdawn wraps it up even more beautifully.
besides nailing the characterization of mia and the pacing, godsgrave also takes the action to a whole new level. instead of training with swords like in nevernight, now mia's swordsmanship is put to the test with actual gladiator battles. they're brutal, bloody, and beautiful. the action is not only more interesting, it's also more consistent throughout the book, having high-stakes fight scenes from the beginning to the end. there are so many battles here that are frankly iconic, and so fucking awesome, that i truly believe they are some of the best out there in the fantasy genre.
there is so much more that i could say about godsgrave, but 99.99% of it would just be praise. it's no secret i love this book with all my soul, but not everybody does. in fact, the nevernight series (and especially book 1), although being very hyped, is very polarizing, and has received some very legitimate criticism. one complaint that this series frequently receives is about the writing: how it's pretentious, or too flowery, or the footnotes too distracting. and to be honest, whether that bothers you or not is purely based on personal preference. but i can say without a doubt that if you had problems with those aspects in nevernight, you'll definitely enjoy godsgrave more, as we as readers are already established in the world and familiar with the tone, and the author doesn't have to go out of their way to tell you how this book and story work, so the writing turns out not as in-your-face.
i could honestly write a master thesis on why this book is a masterpiece, but i'm afraid i would be the only one interested. so i'll leave this review like this: the nevernight chronicle has its flaws and its shortcomings, and not everybody enjoys it. but if you think there's a slight chance you might enjoy it, that you might come to love this series just a fraction of how much i do, then please, read this series.
godsgrave starts almost a year after nevernight, with mia setting her plan to avenge her familia in motion. but there is quite a significant gap of information between the last scene in nevernight and the first scene in godsgrave, with mia in the desert. so, to bridge that gap, the first third of the story is told in alternating timelines, which adds to the main plotline in a frankly genius way. the information is revealed gradually, and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to find out information our characters already knew. in my opinion, that did wonders for the buildup of tension in the beginning, something that was severely lacking in book 1.
besides that, another thing that's greatly improved in godsgrave is our main character, mia. i love mia so fucking much in al her flaws and complexities, but we can all agree that my girl is kind of a hypocrite. she blames people for killing people she likes in the name of revenge while literally murdering hundreds to avenge her family. to say that her moral compass is skewed would be an understatement. but in godsgrave, instead of following her vengeance blindly, she begins to question if it's all really worth it, and if the people she kills along the way deserve it. it's honestly one of my favorite character arcs ever. how at first she put herself on an unreachable pedestal of superior morality with her reasoning that scaeva, remus and duomo must die, while judging everyone else who does the same, to questioning who she is what made her become like that, if her revenge and everything she's done to achieve it are really worth it, and if it's really a good excuse for her actions and cruelty. i absolutely love her journey, and darkdawn wraps it up even more beautifully.
besides nailing the characterization of mia and the pacing, godsgrave also takes the action to a whole new level. instead of training with swords like in nevernight, now mia's swordsmanship is put to the test with actual gladiator battles. they're brutal, bloody, and beautiful. the action is not only more interesting, it's also more consistent throughout the book, having high-stakes fight scenes from the beginning to the end. there are so many battles here that are frankly iconic, and so fucking awesome, that i truly believe they are some of the best out there in the fantasy genre.
there is so much more that i could say about godsgrave, but 99.99% of it would just be praise. it's no secret i love this book with all my soul, but not everybody does. in fact, the nevernight series (and especially book 1), although being very hyped, is very polarizing, and has received some very legitimate criticism. one complaint that this series frequently receives is about the writing: how it's pretentious, or too flowery, or the footnotes too distracting. and to be honest, whether that bothers you or not is purely based on personal preference. but i can say without a doubt that if you had problems with those aspects in nevernight, you'll definitely enjoy godsgrave more, as we as readers are already established in the world and familiar with the tone, and the author doesn't have to go out of their way to tell you how this book and story work, so the writing turns out not as in-your-face.
i could honestly write a master thesis on why this book is a masterpiece, but i'm afraid i would be the only one interested. so i'll leave this review like this: the nevernight chronicle has its flaws and its shortcomings, and not everybody enjoys it. but if you think there's a slight chance you might enjoy it, that you might come to love this series just a fraction of how much i do, then please, read this series.
November 20, 2022
You should read this if you like: murder, stabbings, multiple murder via stabbings, devious girls, assassins, Hogwarts School of Assassins, bisexual protagonists, sexy times, murder during sexy times, multiple plot twists, adrenaline rush that feels kind of like a heart attack, shadow cats, shadow wolves, way too much sarcasm, and more stabbings.
I’m going to preface this review with a little note about Jay Kristoff. I love him, I really do. He is one of my current favorite YA authors and on a very short list of authors I would love to meet in person someday. His books are always fantastic, with their badass heroines, impossible quests, snarky banter, and lots of action. A Kristoff book is one that’s bound to be chock full of metaphors and melodrama. And above all else, they are always, always entertaining.
Which is why I tend to buy and binge read them the day they are released. And you know what? Sleep deprivation riding on an adrenaline high is, ideally, the best state in which to read his books. Everything feels so much more epic and urgent; it’s all one big adrenaline rush from start to finish. Down in one shot like fine whiskey, burning all the way to the end.
The plot: One of the reasons I was so freaking excited about this book was because of the way things were left off in book one. It seemed to me that by murdering someone not assigned by the Red Church, Mia had summarily cut her ties to them and was now free to go off into the world and seek revenge. I was very interested to see to see where things would go from there. And boy, the first half of this book not disappoint.
We start off with bloody murder, with our heroine smack dab in the middle of things with her revenge plot well underway. From then, we weave back and forth between the present and the past, in what is one of my favorite narrative styles, as we try to piece together the events that lead Mia to this point in the story.
This aspect of Kristoff’s writing is something that I really love. He masterfully parallels both narratives in such a way that the stakes in one timeline is informed and then intensified by events in the other. It’s some really stuff right there! In fact, everything leading up to the first half of the book, is pretty damn epic! It’s only in the second half that the plot starts to go downhill.
At the end of Nevernight, there is still so much we don’t know about Mia and where her powers originate from. I had hoped Godsgrave would answer some of these questions. And yet, beyond a couple mentions of Mia’s power in the beginning and some cryptic hints at the very end, the book doesn’t address any of the questions I had regarding Mia’s powers.
The main plot of Godsgrave is set up for some gladiator style hunger games which gives Mia plenty of opportunities to bloody things up. This is the first time that Mia has been alone and without (many) allies and it was very entertaining to watch her plan things out as she goes. One of the best things about her character is that for all her badassery she is not infallible; something that we are constantly reminded of in this book. Despite being an assassin of the Red Church, she is not automatically proficient in all fighting techniques no is she the best at defense; which makes sense since the acolytes of the Red Church are basically thieves and murderers and only know basic fighting techniques in case they need to fight their way out when on a job.
Therefore, Mia learning the Gladiatii style of combat and merging it with her own cunning and intellect was one of the plot highlights. The fights themselves were very creative and reminiscent of the one between The Mountain and Oberyn from Game of Thrones. However, I soon started losing interest as they started to get repetitive and seemed to drag on forever! There was so much of the fighting going on when all I could think of was that it’s a waste of time better spent learning more about her powers and how to use them.
Characters: Speaking of powers, I was actually very excited to learn there was someone else who shared Mia’s powers. Furian started off as a potentially strong character. To learn that he has chosen to shun his powers thinking them abhorrent, instead of using them like Mia, was such an intriguing concept. And yet, we get nothing substantial out of his character. Furian spends the whole book alternating between a red herring love interest and a colossal pain in the ass! So much time is spent hammering on Mia and Furian’s lust/hate relationship. And yet, his only real purpose in the book is to serve as a foil for Mia. Which would have been very interesting had we gotten to explore their diverging ideologies, moralities, or motives and how that shapes their characters and relationships with the people around them. I wanted reluctant friendships! Barring that, I wanted begrudging acceptance of the other’s ways. At the very least, I wanted training montages! But instead, we get disapproving Furian who, by the way, is one half of the most annoying characters in this damn book! He spends the entire book glaring daggers at Mia and fuming in disapproval or reproaching her character. I get it. Mia’s not a good person. But damn it, if she isn’t a billion times more interesting than Furian!
Which is not to say that I don’t want people disapproving of our protagonist. She’s an assassin! Of course someone needs to question her character. I want to see Mia being questioned and prodded and poked at. I want her to question her own intentions. Especially in light of the reveal about Mia’s family, which I thought was an excellent plot twist. I want to see that Mia be the lowest of the low and still somehow find a way to redeem herself to the readers.
What I don’t want is to root for Mia at the cost of someone else’s character development. Make me like Mia, by making her flawed; by making her human. Not by making everyone else around her turn out to be a complete moron!
This happens not just in Furian’s case, but also for Donna and Arkades. All three of these characters start off very strong, driven characters. All three of them are later revealed to be weak, pathetic, fools driven my childish motives and love/lust for the other. Donna is a spoiled brat seeking revenge on her father with no means of actually accomplishing them. She talks big and yet her actions make her seems very silly and indecisive. Arkades, on the other hand, had the potential to actually be a good teacher for Mia. And yet, he’s reduced to a foolish old man brought low by love for his mistress. Also, can we stress that she was just a child when he began to have “feelings” for her??? Any respect I had for his character just disappeared for me after that.
The only characters I actually liked in Godsgrave were the other Gladiatii, specially Sid, and Mia’s interaction with them. Although at one point toward the end everyone pretty much started sounding the same. And of course, Mr. Kindly and Eclipse (although can Eclipse please stop calling Mr. Kindly “moggy”?? It sounds pretty ridiculous and I hate it. Up your diss game Eclipse!).
Sexuality: Mia’s bisexuality and subsequent relationship with Ashlinn was actually done pretty well. I like how complex their relationship is and especially in light of the fact that Ash betrayed and then killed Mia’s former lover in book 1. However, despite how complex their relationship is, it is believable and happens quite organically. Moreover, Mia’s love for one does not automatically lessen her love for Tick. They are just two very different relationships between people who have undergone a lot of change in the past year and emerged from that as very different people. I could’ve done without those needlessly long sex scenes though.
Less believable was the reveal about Mia’s father. Unlike the reveal about Mia’s mother’s character, where the twist was kind of hinted at in Nevernight, this one seemed a little out of nowhere. In the end, it seemed a little like unnecessary drama added in for pure shock value.
I wish they had explained the idea of sexuality more in terms of world building. I’m still unclear about the stance on sexuality taken up in Mia’s world; it’s never really mentioned how people of the LGBTQ community are treated here. Are people of all sexual orientations treated equally? Are there prejudices in place against non-heteronormative individuals? From what I have seen so far, sexuality doesn’t seem to be much of a big deal in this world. Whether you are bisexual like Mia or gay like her father, everyone just seems to roll with it.
World building: I have always been very fascinated with ancient Roman culture so the world building works for me. The Gladiatii match on Chariots was a particularly good touch as it showcased how much of this world is influenced by Roman culture. The games were underscored with a sense of dread and desperation; the slaves performing like animals at the circus, highlighting the barbaric nature of the people in power.
But slavery itself is not fully explored, despite it being one of the main issues in Godsgrave. Slave culture not fully explored. We are constantly told, rather than shown, that slavery is an issue in Godsgrave; that the master’s exert complete control over their slaves and disobedience is severely punished. And yet, Mia often breaks those rules. She not only talks back to her Donna, but goes so far as to advise, reproach, and even order her around on one occasion. And yet, no punishment is ever doled out for Mia (save for that one time in the beginning). I can understand that since Mia is not a slave, obedience is not something she’s used to. But for the Donna to let her treat her that way seems questionable. It's a bit of a plot-hole that wasn't executed particularly well.
Writing: I generally enjoy Kristoff’s overly dramatic writing style. He has a flair for melodrama and for writing some really good action sequences. There are two standout instances of this in Godsgrave: one, which I already mentioned earlier, was the way he experiments with time in the beginning of the book. The second, is the way in which Kristoff draws parallels while narrating the story. We saw some really beautiful writing in the first chapter of Nevernight when Mia’s sexual encounter is paralleled with her first murder. In Godsgrave, we see the same style of writing when Kristoff describes both Mia and Furian’s having sex with their respective partners, mirroring each other’s actions and dialogues while simultaneously bringing out the contrast between the two couples. It’s beautifully done in both books, and is something that I particularly enjoy about Kristoff’s writing.
That and the excess metaphors, I kind of miss them now that Kristoff has toned it down in this book.
I do think Kristoff tends to get a bit over dramatic at times. Especially with some of Donna’s high handed manner of speaking that just grated on my nerves. Or maybe that was just her character. But those are minor complaints since I really do enjoy his writing.
Overall, 4 stars as I liked this book despite all my criticisms. It is still a vastly entertaining novel and Kristoff's writing keeps you on the edge of your seat, makes it hard to put this book down. I just did not enjoy it as much as Nevernight.
I’m going to preface this review with a little note about Jay Kristoff. I love him, I really do. He is one of my current favorite YA authors and on a very short list of authors I would love to meet in person someday. His books are always fantastic, with their badass heroines, impossible quests, snarky banter, and lots of action. A Kristoff book is one that’s bound to be chock full of metaphors and melodrama. And above all else, they are always, always entertaining.
Which is why I tend to buy and binge read them the day they are released. And you know what? Sleep deprivation riding on an adrenaline high is, ideally, the best state in which to read his books. Everything feels so much more epic and urgent; it’s all one big adrenaline rush from start to finish. Down in one shot like fine whiskey, burning all the way to the end.
The plot: One of the reasons I was so freaking excited about this book was because of the way things were left off in book one. It seemed to me that by murdering someone not assigned by the Red Church, Mia had summarily cut her ties to them and was now free to go off into the world and seek revenge. I was very interested to see to see where things would go from there. And boy, the first half of this book not disappoint.
We start off with bloody murder, with our heroine smack dab in the middle of things with her revenge plot well underway. From then, we weave back and forth between the present and the past, in what is one of my favorite narrative styles, as we try to piece together the events that lead Mia to this point in the story.
This aspect of Kristoff’s writing is something that I really love. He masterfully parallels both narratives in such a way that the stakes in one timeline is informed and then intensified by events in the other. It’s some really stuff right there! In fact, everything leading up to the first half of the book, is pretty damn epic! It’s only in the second half that the plot starts to go downhill.
At the end of Nevernight, there is still so much we don’t know about Mia and where her powers originate from. I had hoped Godsgrave would answer some of these questions. And yet, beyond a couple mentions of Mia’s power in the beginning and some cryptic hints at the very end, the book doesn’t address any of the questions I had regarding Mia’s powers.
The main plot of Godsgrave is set up for some gladiator style hunger games which gives Mia plenty of opportunities to bloody things up. This is the first time that Mia has been alone and without (many) allies and it was very entertaining to watch her plan things out as she goes. One of the best things about her character is that for all her badassery she is not infallible; something that we are constantly reminded of in this book. Despite being an assassin of the Red Church, she is not automatically proficient in all fighting techniques no is she the best at defense; which makes sense since the acolytes of the Red Church are basically thieves and murderers and only know basic fighting techniques in case they need to fight their way out when on a job.
Therefore, Mia learning the Gladiatii style of combat and merging it with her own cunning and intellect was one of the plot highlights. The fights themselves were very creative and reminiscent of the one between The Mountain and Oberyn from Game of Thrones. However, I soon started losing interest as they started to get repetitive and seemed to drag on forever! There was so much of the fighting going on when all I could think of was that it’s a waste of time better spent learning more about her powers and how to use them.
Characters: Speaking of powers, I was actually very excited to learn there was someone else who shared Mia’s powers. Furian started off as a potentially strong character. To learn that he has chosen to shun his powers thinking them abhorrent, instead of using them like Mia, was such an intriguing concept. And yet, we get nothing substantial out of his character. Furian spends the whole book alternating between a red herring love interest and a colossal pain in the ass! So much time is spent hammering on Mia and Furian’s lust/hate relationship. And yet, his only real purpose in the book is to serve as a foil for Mia. Which would have been very interesting had we gotten to explore their diverging ideologies, moralities, or motives and how that shapes their characters and relationships with the people around them. I wanted reluctant friendships! Barring that, I wanted begrudging acceptance of the other’s ways. At the very least, I wanted training montages! But instead, we get disapproving Furian who, by the way, is one half of the most annoying characters in this damn book! He spends the entire book glaring daggers at Mia and fuming in disapproval or reproaching her character. I get it. Mia’s not a good person. But damn it, if she isn’t a billion times more interesting than Furian!
Which is not to say that I don’t want people disapproving of our protagonist. She’s an assassin! Of course someone needs to question her character. I want to see Mia being questioned and prodded and poked at. I want her to question her own intentions. Especially in light of the reveal about Mia’s family, which I thought was an excellent plot twist. I want to see that Mia be the lowest of the low and still somehow find a way to redeem herself to the readers.
What I don’t want is to root for Mia at the cost of someone else’s character development. Make me like Mia, by making her flawed; by making her human. Not by making everyone else around her turn out to be a complete moron!
This happens not just in Furian’s case, but also for Donna and Arkades. All three of these characters start off very strong, driven characters. All three of them are later revealed to be weak, pathetic, fools driven my childish motives and love/lust for the other. Donna is a spoiled brat seeking revenge on her father with no means of actually accomplishing them. She talks big and yet her actions make her seems very silly and indecisive. Arkades, on the other hand, had the potential to actually be a good teacher for Mia. And yet, he’s reduced to a foolish old man brought low by love for his mistress. Also, can we stress that she was just a child when he began to have “feelings” for her??? Any respect I had for his character just disappeared for me after that.
The only characters I actually liked in Godsgrave were the other Gladiatii, specially Sid, and Mia’s interaction with them. Although at one point toward the end everyone pretty much started sounding the same. And of course, Mr. Kindly and Eclipse (although can Eclipse please stop calling Mr. Kindly “moggy”?? It sounds pretty ridiculous and I hate it. Up your diss game Eclipse!).
Sexuality: Mia’s bisexuality and subsequent relationship with Ashlinn was actually done pretty well. I like how complex their relationship is and especially in light of the fact that Ash betrayed and then killed Mia’s former lover in book 1. However, despite how complex their relationship is, it is believable and happens quite organically. Moreover, Mia’s love for one does not automatically lessen her love for Tick. They are just two very different relationships between people who have undergone a lot of change in the past year and emerged from that as very different people. I could’ve done without those needlessly long sex scenes though.
Less believable was the reveal about Mia’s father. Unlike the reveal about Mia’s mother’s character, where the twist was kind of hinted at in Nevernight, this one seemed a little out of nowhere. In the end, it seemed a little like unnecessary drama added in for pure shock value.
I wish they had explained the idea of sexuality more in terms of world building. I’m still unclear about the stance on sexuality taken up in Mia’s world; it’s never really mentioned how people of the LGBTQ community are treated here. Are people of all sexual orientations treated equally? Are there prejudices in place against non-heteronormative individuals? From what I have seen so far, sexuality doesn’t seem to be much of a big deal in this world. Whether you are bisexual like Mia or gay like her father, everyone just seems to roll with it.
World building: I have always been very fascinated with ancient Roman culture so the world building works for me. The Gladiatii match on Chariots was a particularly good touch as it showcased how much of this world is influenced by Roman culture. The games were underscored with a sense of dread and desperation; the slaves performing like animals at the circus, highlighting the barbaric nature of the people in power.
But slavery itself is not fully explored, despite it being one of the main issues in Godsgrave. Slave culture not fully explored. We are constantly told, rather than shown, that slavery is an issue in Godsgrave; that the master’s exert complete control over their slaves and disobedience is severely punished. And yet, Mia often breaks those rules. She not only talks back to her Donna, but goes so far as to advise, reproach, and even order her around on one occasion. And yet, no punishment is ever doled out for Mia (save for that one time in the beginning). I can understand that since Mia is not a slave, obedience is not something she’s used to. But for the Donna to let her treat her that way seems questionable. It's a bit of a plot-hole that wasn't executed particularly well.
Writing: I generally enjoy Kristoff’s overly dramatic writing style. He has a flair for melodrama and for writing some really good action sequences. There are two standout instances of this in Godsgrave: one, which I already mentioned earlier, was the way he experiments with time in the beginning of the book. The second, is the way in which Kristoff draws parallels while narrating the story. We saw some really beautiful writing in the first chapter of Nevernight when Mia’s sexual encounter is paralleled with her first murder. In Godsgrave, we see the same style of writing when Kristoff describes both Mia and Furian’s having sex with their respective partners, mirroring each other’s actions and dialogues while simultaneously bringing out the contrast between the two couples. It’s beautifully done in both books, and is something that I particularly enjoy about Kristoff’s writing.
That and the excess metaphors, I kind of miss them now that Kristoff has toned it down in this book.
I do think Kristoff tends to get a bit over dramatic at times. Especially with some of Donna’s high handed manner of speaking that just grated on my nerves. Or maybe that was just her character. But those are minor complaints since I really do enjoy his writing.
Overall, 4 stars as I liked this book despite all my criticisms. It is still a vastly entertaining novel and Kristoff's writing keeps you on the edge of your seat, makes it hard to put this book down. I just did not enjoy it as much as Nevernight.
November 11, 2019
#1 Nevernight ★★★★★
#2 Godsgrave ★★★★★
#3 Darkdawn ???
If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.
I don't even know how to start this review. I think I could honestly just write several paragraphs of assorted expletives and shocked/devastated/adoring/amused/enraged/amazed emojis, and it would get the same point across, really. This book is everything I hoped it would be and so much more, and I don't know how I'll ever recover from the traumatizing glory that is this series.
The storm begs no forgiveness of the drowned.
Mia Corvere. My sweet, angry, wounded little Crow. I love her so much, on so many different levels and for endless reasons, and she put me through hell in this installment, but I enjoyed every moment of it. Every move she makes is so calculated and brilliant, and I could honestly spend thousands of pages just watching the wheels in her head turn. My heart broke a million times over for her during these chapters, and it's brutal to know that this book was probably nothing compared to what the finale will bring.
“You can keep the glory. I'm just here for the blood.”
And the story and pacing in this one! Many trilogies assuredly suffer from the infamous "Middle Book Syndrome", but this is not one of them. If I thought I was on the edge of my seat during Nevernight, that was nothing. Once Godsgrave gets rolling, it brings with it such a whirlwind of action and bloodshed and ruin, you positively can't look away. Despite a terrible reading slump delaying me during the first 20% or so of this book, I think I flew through the last 80% in a few days because it was all I could think about and I found myself reaching for more in every possible free moment I had.
“Our scars are just gifts from our enemies... Reminding us they weren't good enough to kill us.”
And finally, the romance in this one. If you don't know anything about it, I won't be the one to spoil you, but what a roller coaster. I was spoiled for this particular pairing ages ago, and went into this book wondering how on earth I could possibly root for these characters together, but by the time it came to fruition, I was just as invested as everyone told me I'd be. And Mia's queer rep and questioning? It was everything, watching her slowly piece together why she found herself so fascinated with other women. As another bisexual woman who didn't admit it to myself out until my late teens (hello, Mia, I see you ♥), her journey and realization resonated so soundly with me, I might have even shed a few happy tears. (Thank you, Jay, for telling the story of so many queer ladies like me and Mia, and telling it so damn well.)
“That’s Fear talking. Never listen to him. Fear is a coward.”
There's so much more I want to say, but it would all just be redundant at this point, friends. Let me just say that as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the greatest series ever written, and I can't imagine ever losing the feeling of utter amazement at how beautifully crafted this story, these characters, and this world is. I want to dive right into Darkdawn, and when that's over, I want to start the whole series over — again, and again, and again.
July 13, 2019
O, gentlefriends, he has done it again!
I'm still a bit in shock of what transpired in the last few chapters. One cannot say that Jay Kristoff does not know how to keep his readers on their toes.
SPOILERS FOR NEVERNIGHT BOOK 1 BELOW
After the slaughter at the Red Church and the death of Lord Cassius, the Ministry has had to heal from the destruction left behind. Mia is still set on her revenge but now she has more names for her list. The Ministry, although grateful to her for saving them those months ago are not happy with the fact that despite failing her final test, Mia is a fully fledged Blade now, whether they like it or not.
Solis, the new Revered Father of the Red Church has banned Mia from going after Julius Scaeva, from going after her revenge. But as we know, Mia is not fond of following instructions. And Ashlyn Jarnheim is back with the biggest explanations and answers to questions Mia didn't even think to ask.
Mia is faced with difficult decisions and trials and it was just pheonominal how she dealt with each one. I am under no delusion that Mia is a good person, but she is most definitely a fucking great character to read about.
I enjoyed meeting all the new characters. Some I loved (Sidonius) and some made me so mad (Furian). As much as Mia struggled not to form attachments to her new comadrades, so did I. Because as we know, Kristoff has no problem killing off beloved characters and I didn't want to be emotionally attached when that happened. (I failed)
Mr. Kindly and Eclipse's banter gave me life! And the footnotes, though much less than they were in NN, were highly entertaining.
This book was filled with reveals and plot twists. Some of the theories I had while reading Nevernight were revealed and it was still mind blowing. Others came as a complete shock.
I am filled with unanswered questions. But the biggest question of all, is whether I'm going to survive the Darkdawn.
________
My reviews for:
Nevernight
Darkdawn
I'm still a bit in shock of what transpired in the last few chapters. One cannot say that Jay Kristoff does not know how to keep his readers on their toes.
In every breath, hope abides.
SPOILERS FOR NEVERNIGHT BOOK 1 BELOW
“Conquer your fear,” she whispered, “and you can conquer the world”
After the slaughter at the Red Church and the death of Lord Cassius, the Ministry has had to heal from the destruction left behind. Mia is still set on her revenge but now she has more names for her list. The Ministry, although grateful to her for saving them those months ago are not happy with the fact that despite failing her final test, Mia is a fully fledged Blade now, whether they like it or not.
Solis, the new Revered Father of the Red Church has banned Mia from going after Julius Scaeva, from going after her revenge. But as we know, Mia is not fond of following instructions. And Ashlyn Jarnheim is back with the biggest explanations and answers to questions Mia didn't even think to ask.
Mia is faced with difficult decisions and trials and it was just pheonominal how she dealt with each one. I am under no delusion that Mia is a good person, but she is most definitely a fucking great character to read about.
I enjoyed meeting all the new characters. Some I loved (Sidonius) and some made me so mad (Furian). As much as Mia struggled not to form attachments to her new comadrades, so did I. Because as we know, Kristoff has no problem killing off beloved characters and I didn't want to be emotionally attached when that happened. (I failed)
Mr. Kindly and Eclipse's banter gave me life! And the footnotes, though much less than they were in NN, were highly entertaining.
This book was filled with reveals and plot twists. Some of the theories I had while reading Nevernight were revealed and it was still mind blowing. Others came as a complete shock.
I am filled with unanswered questions. But the biggest question of all, is whether I'm going to survive the Darkdawn.
________
My reviews for:
Nevernight
Darkdawn
December 19, 2017
Full review finally up after 16 years
Everytime I think about writing a review for this book my brain goes into full-fledged panic mode
so here’s my attempt
- So godsgrave takes place sometime after nevernights ending
- Mia is still out to get revenge for her familia by any means possible
- Note that in this book mia progresses to get even more bada*s, which yeah, I didn’t think was possible either
- There are more brutal deaths, more blood, more anguish, more deceit and betrayal and friendship and more of your favs dying!!! Yay!!
- Everyone has daddy issues in this book, I swear its like contagious
- Every single page is packed to the seams with witty remarks and someone being stabbed
- Jay kristoff needs to be sentenced to a life in candyland, his brain seems like a really scary place
- LIKE SOMEHOW A CHARACTER WILL BE INTRODUCED AND NOT 10 PAGES LATER THEY ARE DEAD AND I AM IN TEARS BC HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO NOT GET ATTACHED TO THEM
- Seriously tho
- Kristoffs ability to create a character and make you so bloody invested in them in a matter of seconds is unbelievable
- I went into this book like ‘ha, as long as mia lives I don’t care what happens’ BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BINCH YOU CARE SO MUCH
- Also its hilarious
- Everyone is a foul mouthed toad but it’s so funny youre laughing through the pain
- Around 84% of the time I had NO idea what was happening but I was like shaking from excitement bc that’s how this entire series works
- The little bixch gets better, I mean, I don’t FORGIVE her but her character does a lot of developing and plays a very necessary role in the plot
- The real star of the series tho: Mr. Kindly
- Where are eclipse and Mr. kindly and where can I find them bc I need them to help me plz
- And yes ofc Mia is stabby as always and very precious even though shes a terrible person that has done terrible things but I would die for her
- The real brotp is mia and mercurio tho
- Every time I read and something bad happened I was like lolz this is just a bad dream watch someone is gonna wake up soon but no it gets worse and then somehow it gets betters and then worse and basically it’s a seesaw that is set on fire and you just get hurt
- But “Never Flinch.' A cold whisper in her ear. 'Never fear. And never, ever forget.'
- There are so many aspects of this book I cannot cover bc im so inadequate but im just letting you know that if you want gruesome and scary and gross all mashed together, then this book is going to murder you
- The wolf does not pity the lamb,
And the storm begs no forgiveness of the drowned.
- Also there are approximately 15 things that WERE JUST LEFT IN THIS CLIFFHANGER STATE WE ARE IN AND I CANT FUNCTION WITHOUT KNOWING ANY LONGER
- Also things are now gonna get a hell of a lot more complicated with that ending :) :) :) :)
- I don’t think jay kristoff is human, there is no other way to explain this book
(s)
Remember when books didn’t cause us physical pain? Yeah…me neither.
5 stars!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
yes, here i am, 2 months late, finally reading this book.
jay, i'm trusting you not to hurt any of my babies...except i know you are. just be nice to me, okay?
also i want a special little binch to go bye bye
Everytime I think about writing a review for this book my brain goes into full-fledged panic mode
so here’s my attempt
- So godsgrave takes place sometime after nevernights ending
- Mia is still out to get revenge for her familia by any means possible
- Note that in this book mia progresses to get even more bada*s, which yeah, I didn’t think was possible either
- There are more brutal deaths, more blood, more anguish, more deceit and betrayal and friendship and more of your favs dying!!! Yay!!
- Everyone has daddy issues in this book, I swear its like contagious
- Every single page is packed to the seams with witty remarks and someone being stabbed
- Jay kristoff needs to be sentenced to a life in candyland, his brain seems like a really scary place
- LIKE SOMEHOW A CHARACTER WILL BE INTRODUCED AND NOT 10 PAGES LATER THEY ARE DEAD AND I AM IN TEARS BC HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO NOT GET ATTACHED TO THEM
- Seriously tho
- Kristoffs ability to create a character and make you so bloody invested in them in a matter of seconds is unbelievable
- I went into this book like ‘ha, as long as mia lives I don’t care what happens’ BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BINCH YOU CARE SO MUCH
- Also its hilarious
- Everyone is a foul mouthed toad but it’s so funny youre laughing through the pain
- Around 84% of the time I had NO idea what was happening but I was like shaking from excitement bc that’s how this entire series works
- The little bixch gets better, I mean, I don’t FORGIVE her but her character does a lot of developing and plays a very necessary role in the plot
- The real star of the series tho: Mr. Kindly
- Where are eclipse and Mr. kindly and where can I find them bc I need them to help me plz
- And yes ofc Mia is stabby as always and very precious even though shes a terrible person that has done terrible things but I would die for her
- The real brotp is mia and mercurio tho
- Every time I read and something bad happened I was like lolz this is just a bad dream watch someone is gonna wake up soon but no it gets worse and then somehow it gets betters and then worse and basically it’s a seesaw that is set on fire and you just get hurt
- But “Never Flinch.' A cold whisper in her ear. 'Never fear. And never, ever forget.'
- There are so many aspects of this book I cannot cover bc im so inadequate but im just letting you know that if you want gruesome and scary and gross all mashed together, then this book is going to murder you
- The wolf does not pity the lamb,
And the storm begs no forgiveness of the drowned.
- Also there are approximately 15 things that WERE JUST LEFT IN THIS CLIFFHANGER STATE WE ARE IN AND I CANT FUNCTION WITHOUT KNOWING ANY LONGER
- Also things are now gonna get a hell of a lot more complicated with that ending :) :) :) :)
- I don’t think jay kristoff is human, there is no other way to explain this book
(s)
Remember when books didn’t cause us physical pain? Yeah…me neither.
5 stars!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
yes, here i am, 2 months late, finally reading this book.
jay, i'm trusting you not to hurt any of my babies...except i know you are. just be nice to me, okay?
May 4, 2018
Well, pierce my ears and call me drafty. I did not see that coming.
March 3, 2021
Rejoice, O gentlefriends! Devious, gripping and fast paced, Godsgrave is a worthy sequel that delivers the expected and the unexpected in equal amounts.
Godsgrave reunites us with that daughter of shadows, Mia, as she continues her quest for vengeance. Taking place shortly after the events of Nevernight, the story has two alternating timelines, four months apart. The present timeline is where we first meet up with Mia again, wondering what in the blazes is going on as she finds herself being sold as a slave to a Collegium of gladiatii or gladiators. While mysterious, it of course holds the promise of seeing our girl as a gladiator, fighting in an arena. No complaints here. As for the past timeline, it will need to stay a mystery for now, as it contains spoilers for the first book. I will say however that it is the continuation of Nevernight’s denouement until some possibly devastating information crosses Mia’s path. Consequently, she is left to question much of what she knows and to formulate a new plan of attack, sending the plot in an entirely different direction. We get to follow both these timelines until their convergence, as the reasons for Mia’s current path is laid bare.
Patience, she’d tell herself, whispering the word like a prayer.
If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.
While we get to see many of the characters from book one, Mia’s entry into the collegium and the world of gladiatii goes hand in hand with new locations and new characters. I did miss hanging out with most of the Nevernight crew, but I should have known that Kristoff would not drop the ball in Godsgrave, and the characters in it were once again well realized. I grew quite fond of a few of them and in hindsight, I should have guarded against that. The author’s pen uses blood for ink and is never afraid to yield it most savagely… Mia of course is fantastic and has grown leaps and bounds since we first met her. She is everything you could want in a protagonist; strong, snarky, courageous and brilliant. She rolls with the punches and always rises to the challenge. And while she does not always succeed, she gets up every time. But before you start thinking I’m all praise, I found her decision making wanting at times.
“If you can't see your chains, what use is a key?”
So, here we go. A couple (pun, gentlefriends) of my dislikes of the books. Mia gets in a relationship with someone that I am not a fan of. That was the very mild version of my feelings. To be more truthful, I, unequivocally, hated it. In fact, hated sounds too tame. Although being the same thing, loathed and abhorred make better descriptors, for this other person has gone beyond forgiveness in my esteem, and should never, ever have been given even a whiff of Mia’s time of day again. Harsh on my part, but I side with the much-beloved Mr Darcy here: “My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”* In fact, the only way the odium I have attached to this character could be removed is through their violent death. I guess my feelings are clear on this point? :) (*Darcy was wrong, so who knows, I may change my mind one day. After a few rereads though, that day is not here yet.)
Secondly...see the first reason. AAARGGHHH! I just know I am in the minority with this though, but at least two of my co-bloggers kind of feel the same. It’s the one thing that keeps me from giving this book five stars.
Mia Corvere by KuraiGeijutsu
As for the prose, Jay Kristoff’s writing style just works for me and I think Godsgrave is even better written than Nevernight. Much of what we saw in book one is once more and used to great effect again. Brilliant uses of word placement on a page to denote specific actions. Cleverly juxtaposed paragraphs denoting vastly different acts but with similar wording. And footnotes. The author once again employs footnotes throughout the story, and if you read Nevernight you will already know whether you love them or hate them. Personally, I’m a fan, and there were some delightful ones in Godsgrave. On this reread however I found myself skimming the longest ones as they do tend to take you out of the story at times. For the most part an excellent addition though.
“The choice between looking plain and pretty isn't really a choice at all. But any fool knows looking dangerous is preferable to both.”
On my first read, I felt that this book, whilst compelling and fast-paced throughout, never quite reached the level that Nevernight set the bar at. It hovered just below that level throughout most of the story, only reaching it and momentarily surpassing it with a pull out all the stops finale. (And WHAT. A. FINALE.) I have changed my mind with this reread though. This book is every bit as good. The tale is action-packed and enthralling, the author's worldbuilding continuing to provide more and more insight into the fascinating place Mia calls home. Pacing is upped and relentless, with those action scenes mentioned being staggered perfectly through the book. And the twistiness, o daughters, the twistiness. Mr Kristoff has shown his true, sly colours. He giveth and he taketh, he is ever so tricky.
At the end of the day, Godsgrave is a superb sequel to Nevernight, holding its own and then some. I would have gladly given it five stars, had I not taken issue with that relationship, but other than that it gets two thumbs up from me.
Highly recommended.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions
PS: My hat off to Mr Kristoff on imagining the Retchwyrm - the most disgusting creature I have ever read about. Take a bow, sir. *shudders
PSS: Just taking a minute to acknowledge that both Jason Chan and Kerby Rosanes did magnificent work respectively on the US and UK covers for this series.
Mia Corvere by JujuFei
Godsgrave reunites us with that daughter of shadows, Mia, as she continues her quest for vengeance. Taking place shortly after the events of Nevernight, the story has two alternating timelines, four months apart. The present timeline is where we first meet up with Mia again, wondering what in the blazes is going on as she finds herself being sold as a slave to a Collegium of gladiatii or gladiators. While mysterious, it of course holds the promise of seeing our girl as a gladiator, fighting in an arena. No complaints here. As for the past timeline, it will need to stay a mystery for now, as it contains spoilers for the first book. I will say however that it is the continuation of Nevernight’s denouement until some possibly devastating information crosses Mia’s path. Consequently, she is left to question much of what she knows and to formulate a new plan of attack, sending the plot in an entirely different direction. We get to follow both these timelines until their convergence, as the reasons for Mia’s current path is laid bare.
Patience, she’d tell herself, whispering the word like a prayer.
If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.
While we get to see many of the characters from book one, Mia’s entry into the collegium and the world of gladiatii goes hand in hand with new locations and new characters. I did miss hanging out with most of the Nevernight crew, but I should have known that Kristoff would not drop the ball in Godsgrave, and the characters in it were once again well realized. I grew quite fond of a few of them and in hindsight, I should have guarded against that. The author’s pen uses blood for ink and is never afraid to yield it most savagely… Mia of course is fantastic and has grown leaps and bounds since we first met her. She is everything you could want in a protagonist; strong, snarky, courageous and brilliant. She rolls with the punches and always rises to the challenge. And while she does not always succeed, she gets up every time. But before you start thinking I’m all praise, I found her decision making wanting at times.
“If you can't see your chains, what use is a key?”
So, here we go. A couple (pun, gentlefriends) of my dislikes of the books. Mia gets in a relationship with someone that I am not a fan of. That was the very mild version of my feelings. To be more truthful, I, unequivocally, hated it. In fact, hated sounds too tame. Although being the same thing, loathed and abhorred make better descriptors, for this other person has gone beyond forgiveness in my esteem, and should never, ever have been given even a whiff of Mia’s time of day again. Harsh on my part, but I side with the much-beloved Mr Darcy here: “My good opinion once lost is lost forever.”* In fact, the only way the odium I have attached to this character could be removed is through their violent death. I guess my feelings are clear on this point? :) (*Darcy was wrong, so who knows, I may change my mind one day. After a few rereads though, that day is not here yet.)
Secondly...see the first reason. AAARGGHHH! I just know I am in the minority with this though, but at least two of my co-bloggers kind of feel the same. It’s the one thing that keeps me from giving this book five stars.
Mia Corvere by KuraiGeijutsu
As for the prose, Jay Kristoff’s writing style just works for me and I think Godsgrave is even better written than Nevernight. Much of what we saw in book one is once more and used to great effect again. Brilliant uses of word placement on a page to denote specific actions. Cleverly juxtaposed paragraphs denoting vastly different acts but with similar wording. And footnotes. The author once again employs footnotes throughout the story, and if you read Nevernight you will already know whether you love them or hate them. Personally, I’m a fan, and there were some delightful ones in Godsgrave. On this reread however I found myself skimming the longest ones as they do tend to take you out of the story at times. For the most part an excellent addition though.
“The choice between looking plain and pretty isn't really a choice at all. But any fool knows looking dangerous is preferable to both.”
On my first read, I felt that this book, whilst compelling and fast-paced throughout, never quite reached the level that Nevernight set the bar at. It hovered just below that level throughout most of the story, only reaching it and momentarily surpassing it with a pull out all the stops finale. (And WHAT. A. FINALE.) I have changed my mind with this reread though. This book is every bit as good. The tale is action-packed and enthralling, the author's worldbuilding continuing to provide more and more insight into the fascinating place Mia calls home. Pacing is upped and relentless, with those action scenes mentioned being staggered perfectly through the book. And the twistiness, o daughters, the twistiness. Mr Kristoff has shown his true, sly colours. He giveth and he taketh, he is ever so tricky.
At the end of the day, Godsgrave is a superb sequel to Nevernight, holding its own and then some. I would have gladly given it five stars, had I not taken issue with that relationship, but other than that it gets two thumbs up from me.
Highly recommended.
You can find this review and more at Novel Notions
PS: My hat off to Mr Kristoff on imagining the Retchwyrm - the most disgusting creature I have ever read about. Take a bow, sir. *shudders
PSS: Just taking a minute to acknowledge that both Jason Chan and Kerby Rosanes did magnificent work respectively on the US and UK covers for this series.
Mia Corvere by JujuFei
May 4, 2018
NEEEEEEIN! Warum bist du denn schon zu Ende?! Und warum hast du den fiesesten Cliffhanger seit es Cliffhanger gibt?! 😱😱😱
Wie nicht anders zu erwarten hat mich der zweite Teil genauso sehr begeistern können wie der erste und hatte zum Glück nicht mit typischen "zweiter Teil einer Trilogie Problemen" zu kämpfen.
Die Welt und die Story sind einfach so gut durchdacht und inszeniert, dafür muss man Jay Kristoff echt Respekt zollen!
Mia finde ich nach wie vor klasse, da sie einfach keine typische Protagonistin ist und auch nicht versucht etwas zu sein. Ich kaufe ihr ihrem Charakter auch einfach ab und das ist immer enorm wichtig bei einer guten Geschichte.
Und nach wie vor ist Kristoffs Schreibstil und Humor einfach genial, besonders die Fußnoten haben es mir hier wieder angetan 🙌🏻
Wie oben bereits erwähnt: über das Ende reden wir einfach mal besser nicht, ABER wie genial und spannend und blutig muss denn bitte der letzte Band werden?! Ahhhhhh! 😱😱😱
Wie nicht anders zu erwarten hat mich der zweite Teil genauso sehr begeistern können wie der erste und hatte zum Glück nicht mit typischen "zweiter Teil einer Trilogie Problemen" zu kämpfen.
Die Welt und die Story sind einfach so gut durchdacht und inszeniert, dafür muss man Jay Kristoff echt Respekt zollen!
Mia finde ich nach wie vor klasse, da sie einfach keine typische Protagonistin ist und auch nicht versucht etwas zu sein. Ich kaufe ihr ihrem Charakter auch einfach ab und das ist immer enorm wichtig bei einer guten Geschichte.
Und nach wie vor ist Kristoffs Schreibstil und Humor einfach genial, besonders die Fußnoten haben es mir hier wieder angetan 🙌🏻
Wie oben bereits erwähnt: über das Ende reden wir einfach mal besser nicht, ABER wie genial und spannend und blutig muss denn bitte der letzte Band werden?! Ahhhhhh! 😱😱😱
September 18, 2017
3.5 stars!
This book is a tough one to rate. I was super hyped for it but I spent about 300 pages of it really bored and confused because it was super dense. I just don't think I have a grasp as to what the fuck was happening the entire time which definitely frustrated me.
I went in with the expectation that I would either super love it or really hate it and I'm kinda in the middle. I'm not sure how to feel about it.
I. Need. Tric.
This book is a tough one to rate. I was super hyped for it but I spent about 300 pages of it really bored and confused because it was super dense. I just don't think I have a grasp as to what the fuck was happening the entire time which definitely frustrated me.
I went in with the expectation that I would either super love it or really hate it and I'm kinda in the middle. I'm not sure how to feel about it.
I. Need. Tric.
June 7, 2021
Read #2, 2019 - 5 stars
Still as neck-twistingly, gut-punchingly and mind-numbingly wild and merciless and unpredictable as the first time around (and this was my second time reading it). I love the layers Godsgrave adds to the series, the new characters it introduces and the phenomenal plot twists it throws your way towards the last 10%. Probably the most unpredictable book I have ever read. I love Mia so, so very much. And while I don't want to let go, I cannot wait to finally read Dardawn after the endless wait. Especially knowing that this story will always be this great, no matter how many times I read it.
Read #1, 2018 - 5 stars
"Dark delight in her belly.
Warm blood on her hands.
Mia closed her eyes.
Raised her blade.
'O, Mother, blackest Mother, what have I become?'"
Back when I wrote down some of my thoughts on Nevernight, my conclusion was that while I thoroughly enjoyed it, there was still a bit of... room for more. More blood, more revenge, more cruelty.
Well, something listened.
You know how second books in trilogies are often described to suffer from a "second-book-syndrome"? Godsgrave does not. In a way, it almost felt like I was reading the first book in a series, only that it was full of characters I already loved, a world I already knew and mythology I was already familiar with. Which meant that this time, there was no introductory period. It was guts and dubious morality right off the bat, and it was so unbelievably exhilarating. Yet at the same time, we got to see such a different side of Itreya, got to meet so many new characters I got attached to, just to see them killed, hOw FuN. In a way, I guess it felt like I was coming home, but I had just gone decor-shopping and was now redecorating. So, IT WAS AWESOME.
This sequel packs exactly the punch I was hoping it would. The new setting and life as a gladiatii is, in a way, even more dangerous and ruthless than the Red Church was, Mia's competitors more unforgiving. And the battle scenes - I'm not gonna lie, they had me breathless most of the time, and even brought tears to my ears occasionally just because they were so intense? It was a strange experience, and one that hit me somewhat unexpectedly.
But I am quite certain that the characters are to blame, because at this point, Mia is basically one of my all time favorites, and seeing her constantly putting her life on the line does things to my heart that it does not approve of. She had such a wonderful evolution in this book, started to see darkness beyond the shadows she herself was causing, and once more proved that although she is intent on having her revenge, she remains loyal to those she calls her friends. Also, I don't want to give too much away, but... THE ROMANCE IN THIS? I WAS BLESSED BY AA AND ALL FOUR OF HIS DAUGHTERS. One of my favorites from book 1 returned (as I was desperately hoping they would), and everything progressed so slowly and then unfolded so beautifully and wow.
Nonetheless, it never lost sight of bigger plot points, and gave a few hints here and there, obviously without ever giving away too much and setting up most of the bigger reveals for the final installment. (Which will end me.)
Another major thing that I absolutely loved and that Godsgrave newly introduced, I feel like, was doubt. First and foremost when it came not only to Mia's own motivations, but also to those of others. And again, not trying to spoil anything here, but there was an impressive amount of gray areas that made it difficult to tell good from bad, hero from villain. I would feel secure in my beliefs one second, only to question them in the next chapter.
And finally... I am mad. Mad, because NO ONE seemed to deem it a good idea, maybe, to put a limit to Jay Kristoff and his apparent obsession to destroy his readers with all. These. P L O T T W I S T S. There were just too many turns that I never saw coming, some smaller, some bigger, until that ending... cut my throat to the bone. Ear to ear. Just the way I like it.
Godsgrave is what I wanted, mixed with a good amount of stuff I never wanted because it hurt too much, so basically it was all I ever wanted. And my thirst for blood is quenched. For now.
Still as neck-twistingly, gut-punchingly and mind-numbingly wild and merciless and unpredictable as the first time around (and this was my second time reading it). I love the layers Godsgrave adds to the series, the new characters it introduces and the phenomenal plot twists it throws your way towards the last 10%. Probably the most unpredictable book I have ever read. I love Mia so, so very much. And while I don't want to let go, I cannot wait to finally read Dardawn after the endless wait. Especially knowing that this story will always be this great, no matter how many times I read it.
Read #1, 2018 - 5 stars
"Dark delight in her belly.
Warm blood on her hands.
Mia closed her eyes.
Raised her blade.
'O, Mother, blackest Mother, what have I become?'"
Back when I wrote down some of my thoughts on Nevernight, my conclusion was that while I thoroughly enjoyed it, there was still a bit of... room for more. More blood, more revenge, more cruelty.
Well, something listened.
You know how second books in trilogies are often described to suffer from a "second-book-syndrome"? Godsgrave does not. In a way, it almost felt like I was reading the first book in a series, only that it was full of characters I already loved, a world I already knew and mythology I was already familiar with. Which meant that this time, there was no introductory period. It was guts and dubious morality right off the bat, and it was so unbelievably exhilarating. Yet at the same time, we got to see such a different side of Itreya, got to meet so many new characters I got attached to, just to see them killed, hOw FuN. In a way, I guess it felt like I was coming home, but I had just gone decor-shopping and was now redecorating. So, IT WAS AWESOME.
This sequel packs exactly the punch I was hoping it would. The new setting and life as a gladiatii is, in a way, even more dangerous and ruthless than the Red Church was, Mia's competitors more unforgiving. And the battle scenes - I'm not gonna lie, they had me breathless most of the time, and even brought tears to my ears occasionally just because they were so intense? It was a strange experience, and one that hit me somewhat unexpectedly.
But I am quite certain that the characters are to blame, because at this point, Mia is basically one of my all time favorites, and seeing her constantly putting her life on the line does things to my heart that it does not approve of. She had such a wonderful evolution in this book, started to see darkness beyond the shadows she herself was causing, and once more proved that although she is intent on having her revenge, she remains loyal to those she calls her friends. Also, I don't want to give too much away, but... THE ROMANCE IN THIS? I WAS BLESSED BY AA AND ALL FOUR OF HIS DAUGHTERS. One of my favorites from book 1 returned (as I was desperately hoping they would), and everything progressed so slowly and then unfolded so beautifully and wow.
Nonetheless, it never lost sight of bigger plot points, and gave a few hints here and there, obviously without ever giving away too much and setting up most of the bigger reveals for the final installment. (Which will end me.)
Another major thing that I absolutely loved and that Godsgrave newly introduced, I feel like, was doubt. First and foremost when it came not only to Mia's own motivations, but also to those of others. And again, not trying to spoil anything here, but there was an impressive amount of gray areas that made it difficult to tell good from bad, hero from villain. I would feel secure in my beliefs one second, only to question them in the next chapter.
And finally... I am mad. Mad, because NO ONE seemed to deem it a good idea, maybe, to put a limit to Jay Kristoff and his apparent obsession to destroy his readers with all. These. P L O T T W I S T S. There were just too many turns that I never saw coming, some smaller, some bigger, until that ending... cut my throat to the bone. Ear to ear. Just the way I like it.
Godsgrave is what I wanted, mixed with a good amount of stuff I never wanted because it hurt too much, so basically it was all I ever wanted. And my thirst for blood is quenched. For now.
August 28, 2018
4.5 stars
The Nevernight Chronicle is, in a nutshell, about a teenage girl mastering new and creative ways to murder people. Last time, it was the art of assassination. This time, it's the way of gladiatii— gladiator.
What can I say about this series that I haven't thoroughly gushed over? It's gloriously plotted, with complex, morally grey characters and a fictional world—complete with extensive history—that keeps expanding book after book like embroidery on a tapestry.
We learn more about the Republic and the Red Church in Godsgrave, building on the already layered foundation Nevernight offered. I'm fairly certain I've mentioned this in other reviews, but I love this style of world-building. It's comprehensive without overwhelming, and gives readers a chance to digest information before adding details. (Don't skip the footnotes. Seriously, don't. That's where the fun stuff happens.)
Readers who felt Nevernight's prose was too purple will be pleased to know Godsgrave dials down on that aspect. While no less absorbing, there are less "weird" metaphors and similes. It's not something I had a problem with, but I know some did. I did feel it got repetitive at times, with Mia constantly reminding herself of her dead family, though that's a minor annoyance.
Villains are amazing and lovingly written. There are people you're very clearly not supposed to like, such as Leona, owner of Mia's gladiatorial collegium and her slave master. Aside from the obvious (slave owner, yo), she's a proud rich girl who hasn't quite understood she's not rich anymore. But Kristoff invites us to sympathize with her, or at least understand her.
The ending will kick your mind across the room and play skip-rope with it. A few of the twists I guessedbut the final kicker I didn't see coming at all and it fucking nailed my heart to the basement wall.
Some minor things that irked me:
1) Where's Naev?? She and Mia were pretty tight back in the Red Church.
2) Carlotta deserves a mention. She was a slave and given what Mia experiences, the very least she deserves is a passing thought.
3)
But like I said, they're minor annoyances, and five shimmering stars are sitting on top of this review. I can't recommend this series enough.
P.S. If the third book isn't called Truedark, I'll eat my sweater.
My review of Nevernight
"No matter what you face on those sands, fear is the only enemy in your path. Conquer your fear, and you can conquer the world."
The Nevernight Chronicle is, in a nutshell, about a teenage girl mastering new and creative ways to murder people. Last time, it was the art of assassination. This time, it's the way of gladiatii— gladiator.
"If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience."
What can I say about this series that I haven't thoroughly gushed over? It's gloriously plotted, with complex, morally grey characters and a fictional world—complete with extensive history—that keeps expanding book after book like embroidery on a tapestry.
We learn more about the Republic and the Red Church in Godsgrave, building on the already layered foundation Nevernight offered. I'm fairly certain I've mentioned this in other reviews, but I love this style of world-building. It's comprehensive without overwhelming, and gives readers a chance to digest information before adding details. (Don't skip the footnotes. Seriously, don't. That's where the fun stuff happens.)
Readers who felt Nevernight's prose was too purple will be pleased to know Godsgrave dials down on that aspect. While no less absorbing, there are less "weird" metaphors and similes. It's not something I had a problem with, but I know some did. I did feel it got repetitive at times, with Mia constantly reminding herself of her dead family, though that's a minor annoyance.
Villains are amazing and lovingly written. There are people you're very clearly not supposed to like, such as Leona, owner of Mia's gladiatorial collegium and her slave master. Aside from the obvious (slave owner, yo), she's a proud rich girl who hasn't quite understood she's not rich anymore. But Kristoff invites us to sympathize with her, or at least understand her.
The ending will kick your mind across the room and play skip-rope with it. A few of the twists I guessedbut the final kicker I didn't see coming at all and it fucking nailed my heart to the basement wall.
Some minor things that irked me:
1) Where's Naev?? She and Mia were pretty tight back in the Red Church.
2) Carlotta deserves a mention. She was a slave and given what Mia experiences, the very least she deserves is a passing thought.
3)
But like I said, they're minor annoyances, and five shimmering stars are sitting on top of this review. I can't recommend this series enough.
P.S. If the third book isn't called Truedark, I'll eat my sweater.
My review of Nevernight
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