ARC Review: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicles #1) by Jay Kristoff

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?

**** Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!****

It’s official….Jay Kristoff cannot disappoint me.

This book has everything! Deadly assassins, a badass heroine, plot twists galore, magical shadow creatures, and some fantastic world building! Plus it’s a story all about revenge and who doesn’t love that? Honestly, “Nevernight” is perfection.

 Getting into “Nevernight” took me a while and it took me longer still to actually finish it, I felt like I was flung into Kristoff’s world without any information whatsoever and therefore it took some time for me to get a handle on the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys. Don’t worry though we do get provided with plenty of information after a bit and after that  it was smooth sailing! So I will say that “Nevernight” takes some patience at first but is ultimately very worth it!

There also seems to have been a lot of debate about what genre this book actually is, some say it’s YA but others say it’s Adult because of the graphic violence and sex scenes. I, however, think it’s a hybrid of both. The main character, Mia, is very much a young adult but the plot has elements that most people would consider adult. So I will say if you’re not comfortable with detailed scenes of sex and violence as well as plenty of profanity then maybe this isn’t for you!

“Nevernight”, to put it simply, is all about revenge. Mia wants revenge against the people who killed her family and becoming a deadly assassin is how she plans on doing it. I love a good revenge tale and this book nails it, you can really get behind Mia’s motives and root her on. I wanted Mia to succeed in her schemes to destroy her enemies so desperately, I really felt her loss and wanted her to get her vengeance.

Another aspect of the plot I really enjoyed was the “school” setting, Jay Kristoff really meant it when he said it’s like Hogwarts but instead of being filled with witches and wizards it’s full of vicious killers. Here they learn how to become more skilled with weaponry, poisons, theft, and even secrets. Mia and her peers are tested constantly with their instructors actually trying to kill them to see who has the necessary skills to make it as an assassin. It is intense!

The plot is also filled with insane twists and turns, I did NOT see that ending coming whatsoever! The entire story is action-packed but that ending went at break neck speed, in my opinion, I was screaming in rage and loved every second of it and I absolutely adored Kristoff’s shock factor there!

I also noticed a lot of people have mentioned in their reviews that they hated the writing style in this book and while it is very different from what most of us normally read, I really enjoyed it. Kristoff’s writing is loaded with metaphors and similes making it very lyrical and fun to read. I didn’t find it too elaborate in the least bit. I also really loved the inclusion of footnotes throughout the story they added so much humor as well as background to the world Kristoff built.

Speaking of the world building…..definitely no disappointment there. The world in which “Nevernight” is set is based a lot on Ancient Rome as well as Venice which is apparent from the titles given to certain characters such as Consul Scaeva and Justicus Remus and the many canals that run through the city, a lot of the character names are Italian as well. There is also quite a bit of information provided on the gods and religions of this world as well as bits of magic and “mythical” beasts. Fantasy at it’s finest.

Mia Corvere is a badass to put it simply and the kind of heroine I wish were in every book I read. She’s flawed, strong, fierce, clever, and absolutely unwavering in her determination to take down the people who destroyed her family. She also has a really cool ability – she’s able to manipulate and even speak with shadows. Mia is also the opposite of all talk and no action, she’s a deadly killer and will do whatever it takes to get her revenge. I loved how we got a heroine who actually kills people and is great at it, unlike the very popular Celaena Sardothien from the Throne of Glass series.

We also see quite a few flashbacks to Mia’s past which slowly reveal what really drives her down this path of vengeance. I loved getting this background and insight into her character.

There’s also Tric, who is a sort of secondary protagonist as well as Mia’s love interest. I really enjoyed his character as well, he comes off as being sort of goofy and humorous but don’t make the mistake of underestimating him because he’s one of the most determined and deadliest people in the bunch.

The romance (if you can even really call it that) is definitely not overwhelming at all and very much secondary to both the plot and Mia. It was definitely enjoyable for what it was though, which is mostly sex with some confused feelings thrown in. Remember when I mentioned those very graphic sex scenes? Yep.

The secondary characters are all fantastic as well, they’re very well developed, complex, and add a lot more depth to the story. From the other students to the instructors to the corrupted men in charge of the Republic, I loved so many of them and loved to hate some others. If there’s anything I love in a fantasy book it’s well done secondary characters and “Nevernight” definitely has them!

“Nevernight” is an amazing book full of action, twists and turns, fantastic world building, great writing, and even greater characters. I definitely was not disappointed and very much look forward to the next book in the series or anything else Jay Kristoff writes for that matter!

Do you want to read an amazing book? Then yes I highly recommend “Nevernight”! If you want a deadly assassin as a heroine who actually kills people or a story fueled by revenge and betrayals then this is for you! However, I will once again warn any of you who are not fans of graphic violence, graphic sex scenes, or large amounts of profanity may want to steer clear!

Also if you’re interested in reading something by Jay Kristoff but may not necessarily want to read “Nevernight” or you’ve already read “Nevernight” and are looking for more of this author’s amazing work then definitely check out  “Stormdancer” and “Illuminae” which I will provide links to my reviews for!

Get your copy of “Nevernight” now!

Links: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository