Thursday, October 06, 2016

REVIEW: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Nevernight

Title: Nevernight
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: August 11th 2016
Genre: Adult, High-Fantasy
Rating: 5 GAZILLION STARS
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?

My Review

* Non-spoilers *

This book is a new favourite. I would give this book a million stars if I could and I would never ever regret it. Stunningly written, gripping storyline and enthralling characters. I. Loved. It. All.

This is my first time reading a Jay Kristoff novel, and I have to say, Mr. Kristoff has earned himself an instant fan from page 10. Before starting this book, I was unsure about the synopsis, and I was hesitant about picking it up because there was so much hype around this book that I was scared I might be disappointed. But disappointed I was not. And reaching the end of this book absolutely killed me.

This book was just exquisite. No other word to describe it (at least none I can think of at 11pm on a school night). Mr. Kristoff's writing was beautiful, so poetic and so lyrical. I drew all over my copy of this book, just noting and underlining tons and tons of beautifully written texts. I love poetic writing, and Mr. Kristoff's just recently became one of my favourites. The way he describes the characters and the scenes makes it as if everything was jumping off the page, and the world-building was amazing! The way history and religion and beliefs and locations were set out, it was almost like having a walk through paradise (if only paradise was as brutal and savage as Nevernight, of course). And I loved the extra footnotes, some were absolutely hilarious and some were just outright gory. But either way, Kristoff's writing was just so captivating. This book was just a page-turner of endless heaven.

“A traitor’s just a patriot on the wrong side of winning.”
pg. 107

In this book, we meet Mia. A girl no more a woman than a child with eyes aged fast from countless blood-stained murders. I loved Mia. She wasn't good, and wholeheartedly, she wasn't bad either. She was the kind of character that was born and reborn throughout the whole book, a rarity in any story. I felt her fear, excitement, happiness and sadness. I felt it when she was angry, and I felt it when she was hungry. And her character was enchanting. Oh, and I forgot, she's an assassin and can control shadows and kill people and I think she should become my best friend.

Yep.

"Own nothing. Know nothing. Be nothing. Because then you can do anything."
pg. 110

Talking about killing, the murders in this book was oh so so gory. Bloody and riveting, brutal and alluring. This book was purely about the art of murder. And I freaking loved it all

Every single character in this book was an irresistible puzzle piece, and I fell in love with all of them, even the villains. But I guess, all of them were villains here. The book itself was just freaking awesome, and the plot twists put knives in my ribs like paper to skin. It left me bleeding and raw, oh so so raw for more. But let me just say one more thing:

Cassius. And Tric. 

“He fixed Mia in his stare, and she felt it in her bones. Something primordial; crushing gravity, agonising chill, a terrible endless rage. Something beyond the hunger and the sickness she felt when he was near. Something closer to longing. Like lovers parted. Like an amputee. Like a puzzle, searching for a missing piece of itself.”
pg. 418

And I will leave it there for those who have read this book. 

Cassius. Tric.

"If you can't hurt the ones who hurt you, sometimes hurting anyone will do."
pg. 210

Mr. Jay Kristoff did a beautiful job at crafting this masterpiece. And that is what it is: a total masterpiece. Not only did I fell in love with the writing, but the story captured and hooked me all the way to the end. I want more. No, I need more. I need answers, I need the wolf Eclipse, I need the cat who was not a cat, I need the shadows too dark for one, and last but not least, I need the tales of three.

Nevernight is now a new favourite, and it deserves more than a million stars bigger than suns. 

About The Author

Jay Kristoff is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of THE LOTUS WAR, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE. He is the winner of two Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, nominee for the David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards, named multiple times in the Kirkus and Amazon Best Teen Books list
and published in over twenty-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 13030 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.
He does not believe in happy endings.

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