#BookevinReads Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (9th Aug 2016)
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #1

Blurb:
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

I'd like to thank Macmillan USA International for sending me a copy of Nevernight for review.

Rating: 4/5

Nevernight was probably one of the most-talked-about books last year, because Jay Kristoff is an overall badass who has a penchant for writing badass heroines and gory, brutal killings. #stabstabstab

So, I have finally read Nevernight and I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series, but with more blood and gore, you will surely want to pick this one up!

Being the first book of The Nevernight Chronicle, Nevernight follows the story of Mia Covere, who’s childhood has been stolen from her when her father is executed for treason against the Republic. Set on avenging her family, Mia has been living a life as a shadow under her Shaahid, Mercurio and she’s been training in the arts of killing to secure her spot in the Red Church, where she will be apprenticed to the most dangerous assassins in the Republic.

If I have to persuade you to read Nevernight, this would be my pitch.

A heart-stopping, action-packed story about a girl who’s hell-bent on killing those who destroyed her family so she attends a school like Hogwarts where she masters several arts of killing and there are really badass scenes where we see Mia who slays like no other and some smutty bits that would make you fan yourself.

Also, lots of brutal killings. And blood. And sass. Did I mention that Mia’s companion is a shadowcat? And Mia can manipulate shadows and blend into the darkness and walk through shadows? Yes, she’s capable of all those.

The thing about Nevernight that made it quite hard to get into, would be the writing. Don’t get me wrong. I liked the writing. It was very rich and descriptive, but at times, it was a bit too flowery for me and it verged on purple prose. But. It was a fun story to read and I doubt anyone writes brutal fighting and killing scenes like Jay Kristoff. #stabstabstab

I have to admit this, I found the footnotes annoying at times, though they provided the story with more depth, but it totally set me back on my reading speed. Other than that, the footnotes did provide some snarky commentary!

The characters in the book were nuanced! And likeable. And Mister Kindly is the ideal pet for me because who doesn't want a creepy shadowcat that stalks you and scares your enemies and drinks your fears? I'd be a fearless sass queen!

As they are set on graduating the school as they have backstories that drove them to become assassins. I thought every one of them made reading Nevernight enjoyable. I admit, I didn't really like Jessamine but there's always a mean girl in every book and I guess her redheaded ass was she.

Though the plot follows the ‘whodunnit’ trope, I enjoyed finding out who was behind the mysterious murders of the acolytes in the Red Church. The ‘halls’ which are actually the classes the acolytes attend, were quite fun to read, whether it was training with steel, poisons, theft or the subtle arts, I liked reading about Mia and the other acolytes’ progress in their halls.

Verdict:

All in all, Nevernight is a very thrilling, entertaining read and I loved that it was different, though not plot-wise as some parts were quite predictable, but the mood of the book coupled with the writing was dark as Mia’s wisps of shadows.

The ending was quite surprising which has definitely piqued my interest to pick up the sequel, Godsgrave which will be out later this year.