ARC and Audiobook Review: Godgsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Title: Godsgrave Series: Nevernight Chronicle #2 Written by: Jay Kristoff Published: September 5, 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: A ruthless young assassin continues her journey for revenge in this new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.   Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.  When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.  Set in the world of Nevernight, which Publishers Weekly called “absorbing in its complexity and bold in its bloodiness,” Godsgrave will continue to thrill and satisfy fantasy fans everywhere.

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher at ALA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

Sometimes when I really liked a book and it left me reeling I need to wait to review it to get my feelings together. But even twelve hours later I am still not over Godsgrave, which while annoying is actually a really good thing. Because this book, this book was so good.

Let's not beat around the bush because Jay doesn't. This book is dark. It's full of so much sex and violence that even some executives at HBO would take notice. What I'm saying is that this book is not for the faint of heart. If you don't want a super adult book that kills people left and right without a second thought or has explicit sex scenes then do not read this book. But if you are looking for a book that goes there then this is the book for you. Because Jay definitely goes there in this book. But none of it is gratuitous. It perfectly captures what it would be like for an assassin, a gladiator, a girl out for revenge. It all worked to make a dark and brutal story that I totally enjoyed.

Speaking of that story, oh boy is this a thrilling and action packed read. I remember Nevernight being a super slow book. It took me awhile to get into it but it was worth the wait. There was no waiting in Godsgrave. From the word go this book took off running with crazy action scenes, mystery, and adventure. And it didn't let up until the very end. There was so much going on in this book. When it first started there was a little weirdness because we had some before and after plot points that I wasn't sure how they were connected but they absolutely were and in a completely interesting way. I think the basis for this book is a story about revenge which I loved but this book really delved deeper than that and took it to a more political level which I kind of enjoyed even more.

The other thing this book took us deeper into was the world. Jay has absolutely created a fascinating world with this series. First off we have the setting of Itreya. it's a brutal Romanesque world that I thoroughly enjoyed and here we got to explore more of it including a much deeper dive into the city of Godsgrave. As I said there is more politics in this book so of course that was an aspect of the world that we explored and I enjoyed as well. But what I really loved about this world is the magical system, and by that I mean the Darkin. We learned a lot more about Darkin in this book but it still just brought up more questions. I am so fascinated by them and I cannot wait for the next book to hopefully get some answers because I have some theories! Seriously, the world of this book is just so cool and so creative. I love it.

Finally, we have the characters. I'm definitely a fan of the characters in this series. For one thing I feel like Jay just has a way with the snark. His characters are so sassy and sarcastic and I love it. No one is more snarky than Mia Corvere. In the course of two books I have become so in love with Mia. She's not usually the kind of strong female character I connect with. I'm not a big fan of the kickass female who only cares about revenge. But the great thing about Mia is while she is totally ruled by her desire to get back at the people who killed her father she isn't a mindless killing machine. Jay has done a great job in making her more complex and humanized her in a way that I totally appreciate. I'm absolutely Team Mia Corvere.

But Mia isn't the only complex character. The secondary characters here are thoroughly engaging and complex. Every single character here is odious in the best possible way. I seriously don't trust anyone. They're all devious and out for themselves in a way that makes them really interesting to me. Many characters from the first book are back, including the villains of Duomo and Scaeva as well as allies like Mercurio and members of the Red Church. Even Ashlinn and Jessamyn come back in this book and I kind of loved being able to see them again. But seriously I didn't trust any character in this book because they are all assassins and liars and selfish assholes. But that is a serious compliment from me.

I also want to take a second to talk about the romance in this book. I had previously mentioned that this book is full of sex and violence and it totally is. One of the first scenes is a sex scenes because Jay does not waste any time in letting you know what this book is all about. I thought I would hate the romance in this book because I loved it in the first book and reasons but I didn't. I loved it. I wanted to smoosh the characters faces together at one point because they obviously liked each other and they just needed to kiss already. But the wait was worth it. And in case you didn't know this book has a f/f romance and it is seriously excellent. I ship it so hard.

Okay, I think I have said enough about this book. Just know that it's absolutely amazing. It's a thrilling read full of action and bloodshed, has a fascinating world I want to learn more about, complex and odious characters, and a great romance. Basically it has everything.

I give Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy! Adult fantasy fans need to read this series. It is seriously so good. If you don't mind sex and blood in your books you will love Godsgrave. If you liked Nevernight stop waiting and read this book!

Have you read Godsgrave? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Title: Nevernight Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #1 Written by: Jay Kristoff Published: August 9, 2016 by Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.  In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.  Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.  Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.  Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I have been so excited to read Nevernight since I first learned about it. I love a dark fantasy and books about assasins and rogues. And I was not disappointed. So now comes the challenge of attempting to write my thoughts on this book in a coherent way. Nevernight is a fantastic read with complex characters and a plot that really built.

I will say though that this book had a bit of a rocky start. I'm not sure if it just took me awhile to get into it or it took me awhile to get used to the style but it wasn't a book I fell in love with instantly. Like a lot of fantasy, the beginning was all world-building and exposition. Here that meant alternating between flashbacks and plot development that mostly just getting the character to where they needed to be. Both of these things are tough for me sometimes and that was the case a little bit here. But I was interested enough to keep reading and I glad I did. It was a book that slowly worked it's way into my mind and then didn't let me go. And in the end, it was absolutely worth the slog that was the first 100 pages.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is a slower paced book. It's not one that you can read in a few days. It's dense and there is a lot going on. Not to mention that the writing style kind of forces you to slow down and take your time. Even when I was so engaged in the story I still kept wondering why it was moving so methodically. But it's just that kind of book. It's one of those books that slowly builds to an absolutely thrilling conclusion though. For me it read a lot like some of my favorite adult fantasies. It starts slowly, developing the world and the characters and then takes you on a ride full of action, adventure, and really dark scenes.

Because while Nevernight is a slower paced book, it wasn't a slow book in terms of the plot. When the main plot finally kicks in, it was incredibly thrilling and suspenseful. Which honestly made for such an interesting feeling because a slow pace with an exciting plot meant my anxiety level was through the roof. Seriously, there was so many fantastic fight scenes and action sequences throughout the book that had me on the edge of my seat, not to mention a fantastic mystery that kept me guessing as the book built to the ultimate conclusion. And keep in mind, this book is not for the faint of heart. There is a ton of graphic violence and explicit sexual scenes but it all worked to make an entertaining read. But I loved that about. It was the dark fantasy I was hoping for.

And speaking of the romance. It may surprise you to now that the romance was one of my favorite things about the book. You know me, you know how I usually don't go in for that kind of stuff. But the romance here was handled really well. This is a book that doesn't shy away from the graphic parts of life and relationships so it should come as no surprise that that's how the romance was too. It was far from perfect but it was steamy. And I liked the steamy scenes. They were explicit, sure, but they added to a complex plot and were just one more dimension to the story that made it complex and entertaining.

But probably the most complex thing about this book was the characters. I love books where the characters walk the line between good and evil, which is exactly what happened here. I mean it is a book about people training to be assassins so that should come as no surprise. But so many of these characters were odious at best which made for not only interesting characterizations but forever shifting antagonists. As far as the protagonist goes though, she was fantastic. I absolutely loved Mia. She's had a hard life and it's made her cold and calculating but she also has this great sense of justice which makes her somehow more likable. She was like the perfect combination of Adelina from The Young Elites and Arya from A Song of Ice and Fire. You want to see her succeed and get her revenge, so when she does terrible things you cheer for her. Kristoff has definitely done a great job in writing complex and likable characters who are truly dark at the same time.

But that's Nevernight in a nutshell. It's dark, complex, and entertaining. It's a slowly paced book with a thrilling plot that will have you so hooked that your nerves will be shot by the end, but you'll love that about it.

I give Nevernight by Jay Kristoff 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. Fans of adult fantasy should definitely pick this book up. It's dark and complex and compulsively readable. I know a handful of people DNF'd it because of the slow start but I gotta say, it was worth sticking with it in the end.

Have you read Nevernight? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!