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July 22, 2016

{Spoiler-free ARC Review} Nevernight by Jay Kristoff —–HOLY MOLY WHAT A BOOK!

Nevernight
by Jay Kristoff

Releases: August 9th 2016
Publisher: Thomas Dunne BooksSummary:
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 was sent Nevernight by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I KNEW I had to get Nevernight from the moment I closed the last page on Illuminae. Illuminae, co-written by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kauffman was my favorite book in 2015, it truly was mind blowing!  I previously hadn’t read any books written by Jay and knew this book was for me!

A girl out for vengeance who attends a school for assassins? Count me in!

The Story

Nevernight is the story of Mia Corvere who was ripped away from her life and family because of her dad’s treasonous acts. She lost everything and vows to kill the men responsible for destroying her life and murdering her father. She spends her life training in hopes of becoming a Blade (assassin) for the Red Church.

What I loved:

  • Mia: Mia is one of those characters that is impossible not to love. She’s fierce but also has a good heart. Which is out of place in her world.
  • Talking Cat (that wasn’t a cat)! Any book with a talking cat is a winner for me! YES!
  • The Footnotes! I’ve never seen a fictional book with them before. This integration of footnotes was such a wonderful way to expand on the world building. They are great tidbits about the culture, people, weapons, the characters and much more. They were pretty heavy in the beginning and it did make the story a bit choppy, but the book nerd in me was easily won over by them!
  • The Backstory. I loved how the book alternated between Mia’s adventure to the Red Church to when she was a  little girl and how she got to where she is today. I loved this! I am a huge fan of backstories and honestly believe they make stories great! This was so well done.
  • The Red Church: Basically, this felt like Hogwarts with The Hunger Games training center combined (and everyone wanted to be there). A little potions here, a little fighting there, a little killing the weakest links everywhere. I fell in love with all the teachers and the “students” who attended.
  • The Characters: All great books have wonderful secondary characters. Nevernight was pouring them out everywhere (and killing some of them along the way 😅).
  • Killer Ending (pun intended? Maybe 😉) : Books NEED strong endings for me to love them. If they end weak then even if the rest of the book is genius I will forever be disappointed. Nevernight is one of those books that just gets better and better as it goes along!
  • Religious Element: I really enjoyed this aspect of the book! It’s always good to question are you really on the right side?

What I didn’t like:

  • Even though I was enjoying it, the first 50 pages of the book are very dense. I found many people online struggled with the beginning and wanted to quit the book. I did feel like it took quite a while for the story to really kick in and I strongly encourage everyone to get to the 100 page mark. To me, that’s where it got really good!
  • The very beginning was very confusing. I loved the writing but I felt it started the book off on a weird foot.

Controversial?

There is some debate online with regards to what Nevernight should be categorized as. Is it YA, Adult?

For me, there’s no question, it is 100% Adult Fantasy. Why?

  • Graphic violence
  • Language
  • Explicit Sex

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my kids reading it until they were 18+. I’ve seen lots of opinions online in regards to this book specifically but if you compared the content of Nevernight to ratings for TV or Movies, it’d be rated R or NC-17.

Overall

I loved Nevernight! It was a mash of up The Hunger Games and Harry Potter BUT a world completely it’s own!  The writing was impeccable with a story and characters to back up the hype! If you want a great fantasy that will leave you desperately wanting more, read Nevernight!

5 Stars!

*Side note: I splurged for the red stained signed UK edition! That’s how much I loved it!

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Filed Under: Fantasy, Review 22 Comments

Comments

  1. Zoey says

    July 22, 2016 at 3:46 am

    If I had a coin for all the “It was amazing!” reviews about Nevernight 😀
    Oh my god, is there such a thing as too much anticipation for a book? Because I’m pretty sure my anticipation for Nevernight is in the sky. I’m terrified of being disappointed by it. I want to love it. I absolutely loved Illuminae and… well (:

    I’ve heard a lot about the discussion of how to categorize Nevernight. I think it really depends on your personality and preferences. I, for exapmple, am 18. I don’t have a problem reading a book like that now, and I also would have been able to read a book like that at 16. On the other hand, I don’t this I was mature enough to read a book like that at 15 and before. So, really, it depends (:

    Great review!
    You just brought my anticipation up in a notch ^^

    My blog: http://magiverse.blogspot.co.il/

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:27 am

      The hype is definitely high. I think most people struggled with the beginning because the world building is pretty dense. But the pay off is worth it and it does pick up pace as the good goes along.

      Reply
  2. Flowlessbooks says

    July 22, 2016 at 5:24 am

    Aaaand another highly positive review for this book ! I can’t wait to buy it !

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:26 am

      It was so good!!! I can’t wait for you to buy it too! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Pili @ In Love With Handmade says

    July 22, 2016 at 8:54 am

    I’m massively excited about this one and I’m really glad to hear you loved it! I’ve preodered for the US signed ed & the red stained signed UK edition too! 😉

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:25 am

      It’s so amazing Pili! I was blown away by his storytelling and all the fantastic characters. I think you’ll love it! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally says

    July 22, 2016 at 10:49 am

    I’m so glad you loved this in the end. I’ve definitely heard that a lot of people were struggling with the beginning. But I think with a lot of fantasy that first book is really dense because they have to establish the world and exposition can be complicated and dull. I can’t wait to read it though. I’m down for a really dark adult fantasy. It’s been awhile since I have read something like that.

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:25 am

      Definitely! It’s a lot of world building but the pay off is so high! I am curious to see if maybe I’m starting to like Adult better? I’m not sure!

      Reply
  5. Helen says

    July 22, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    A mash up of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter? AWESOME back story? I NEED THIS BOOK ASAP! Lovely review!

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:24 am

      YES YOU DO! It was so amazing. Truly top notch writing!

      Reply
  6. Wren says

    July 22, 2016 at 4:23 pm

    Wow! I’ve heard a lot about this book. I saw the cover when it first came out and was a little freaked by it. But so many have cried love for it. I might check it out. Plus, footnotes?!?! SO COOL.

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:23 am

      The footnotes were really snarky and sarcastic too. They were fabulous!

      Reply
  7. Carina Olsen says

    July 22, 2016 at 4:47 pm

    Yaaay 😀 Gorgeous review Sarah. <3 So glad you loved Nevernight 🙂 I did too. Beyond words. Sigh. It is PERFECT 😀 I ordered so many copies, haha 🙂 Cannot wait to get them all. <3 But aw, I didn't have any issues with the beginning.. but I can totally see why you did 🙂 Gah. I just. This book murdered me. And I loved it so much 🙂

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:21 am

      I didn’t particularly have issues with the beginning other than it was a bit slow, BUT I know others did and that’s my main frustration. I loved it all! 😀

      Reply
  8. Giselle says

    July 22, 2016 at 6:21 pm

    Love this review Sarah! You hit every point right on, and I agree with all of them! Now, if only I could find where to order the BLACK stained edge UK edition…..

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:20 am

      I hope you’re able to get one! The black stained ones look super awesome too!

      Reply
  9. Lauren @ Always Me says

    July 22, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    Great review! I need this one!

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:19 am

      YES YOU DO! And thanks!

      Reply
  10. Jessica says

    July 22, 2016 at 10:39 pm

    I didn’t know that I could get more excited for this book and your review has done it! I ordered the UK pretty so who knows when it will get here, but it is worth the wait. I am even glad that you wouldn’t consider it YA because I am mid twenties and enjoy a little more ‘adult’ content. Great non-spoiler review!

    Reply
    • Sarah K says

      July 23, 2016 at 9:18 am

      I loved it!!! It was so worth the payoff in the end. It’s so hard watching people dnfing because the beginning is a bit slow. But honestly, I loved it!

      Reply
  11. Geraldine @ Corralling Books says

    July 30, 2016 at 8:51 am

    Ohmygosh, I’m so glad you liked it! Seems like Jay Kristoff is writing really well – I have to pick up one of his books someday! I’ve got Illuminae lined up…hopefully that impresses me like it did for you! 🙂

    Reply
  12. Gabi @ Let's Gab About Books says

    August 18, 2016 at 2:42 am

    You SOLD me at the mention of the footnotes, my inner history major is so ready for that! I also love that there is a great MC but also awesome secondary characters! I can’t wait to read this.

    Reply

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