 |
| Mia Corvere booksleeve and Nevernight Chronicle stack |
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Jay Kristoff
Age Group: Adult
Source: Received as a gift
Review
The one thing you should never do when reading a book about assassins is to become attached to the characters. This could be as deadly a mistake as the deaths given out by those very same assassins. When I first read Nevernight I wasn’t sure what to expect and from what other reviews said it didn’t completely sound like my kind of book. But I was super lucky to receive the series as a gift and I’m so glad I did because I consumed both Nevernight and Godsgrave within days. If you have read the first book than this series only gets better and more intense, if you haven’t then what are you waiting for? Seriously though if you haven’t yet read either of the books in the Nevernight chronicles then its one I’d suggest to readers who enjoy morally questionable characters, a strong female protagonist, and a complex mythology that isn’t instantly resolved by the end of the first two books. And very quickly for those that have read Nevernight this sequel is fantastic for the very reason that the world Mia lives in is expanded beyond the Red Church and the mystery of the Darkin is developed too.
If you’ve read Nevernight then you are probably aware
of Kristoff’s writing style but if you haven’t then it can potentially put
readers off from reading the book. Personally, I struggled too to begin with because
I wasn’t sure, but my advice is to give his writing a chance because once you
get past the first few chapters and allow the story to develop you won’t even
think about the style of writing in such an active way. Godsgrave is written
in the same style as the first book and its actually become rather enjoyable. I
personally now really admire the complexities of Kristoff’s writing style and
the use of parallel scenes that I feel are tropes specific to Kristoff’s works.
For me, and hopefully other readers of this series, I find that Kristoff is
a very clever and creative writer. I think this is showcased very well
during the opening chapters when Godsgrave shifts between past and present
narration that builds up curiosity and confusion (but in a good way!) that
merges very well into the whole books story.
What I really loved about Godsgrave, besides the development of
Mia, was the introduction of the gladatii. Kristoff creates such complex and intriguing
characters that are always fully developed, even when they are supporting
characters. But he’s also super cruel too because readers can’t help but develop
a love for these supporting characters only to have terrible things happen to
them, I will not say what these events are, and I will only happily remind you
along with myself that this is a book about a church of assassins so don’t expect
nice things to happen! I fell very quickly into the trap of coming to like some
of the new characters especially Sid, Maggot, and Bladesinger and very quickly
felt my heart ripped apart by the events that occurred (more fool me, what was I
expecting, nothing good happens when there are blood thirsty assassins!). It’s
not only the readers who fall into the trap of falling for these characters and
investing time in caring for them, but Mia our protagonist does too, and watching
the fallout of her newly found relationships only serves more pain for ourselves
and Mia. One scene that I think was worth sharing was between Maggot and Mia
who has her wounds tended by the young physician and demonstrates why you’ll
love the new characters too (some swearing included):
‘Maggot looked her digits over, stroking her chin. And gentle as falling leaves, she took hold of Mia’s smallest finger. “It won’t hurt,” she promised. “I’m very good at this.” “All riiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAGHH!” Mia howled as Maggot popped her finger back into place, quick as silver. She rose from the slab and bent double, clutching her hand. “That HURT!” she yelled. Maggot gave a solemn nod. “Yes.” “You promised it wouldn’t!” “And you believed me.” The girl smiled sweet as sugar-floss. “I told you, I’m very good at this.” She motioned to the slab again. “Sit back down.” [..] The little girl took hold of Mia’s ring finger, looked up at her with big, dark eyes. “I’m going to count three,” she said. “All riiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaFUCK!” Mia roared as Maggot snapped the joint back into place. She rose and half-danced, half-hopped about the room, wounded hand between her legs. “Shit cock twat fucking fuckitall!” “You swear an awful lot,” Maggot frowned. “You said you were going to count three!” Maggot nodded sadly. “You believed me again, didn’t you?” Mia winced, teeth gritted, looking the girl up and down. “ . . . You are very good at this,” she realized. Maggot smiled, patted the bench. “Last one.”
The
other relationship worth mentioning that is rather enjoyable throughout Godsgrave
is the interactions between Mia, Mr Kindly, and Eclipse. There are honestly far too many great
examples that I could pick and share but what I will say is that I love the way
that each time these three spend time together I’m left in fits of laughter and
leaves me feeling less tense after some of the more violent events that occur
throughout the book. Though, I would suggest that you don’t fall into the trap
of thinking Mr Kindly and Eclipse nice beings, like many characters in this series
beware of their double dealings and selfish motives. I leave you with this scene
where Mr Kindly introduces himself and his kind personality to Sid (again, some swearing):
“You know. What I am.” Sid winced, trying to swallow. He whispered almost lower than she could hear. “Darkin.” Mia said nothing, dark eyes locked on his. “And that deserves a bloody strangling?” he pressed. “Keep your fucking voice down,” Mia spat, looking about the other cells. “ . . . advice best followed by everyone concerned . . . ?” Sidonius’s eyes grew wide as the shadowcat faded into view on Mia’s shoulder. “Bugger me . . . ,” he breathed. “ . . . a generous offer, but no, thank you . . .” “And thank you for telling me all looked clear,” Mia whispered. The not-cat tilted his head. “ . . . i can’t be perfect in every way . . .”
Synopsis (Goodreads)
Key Quotes
‘The Hanging Gardens of Ashkah. Its flowers made of flesh and bone.’
‘She was still covered in dried blood, old sweat, dust. Sitting in the straw, she tried not to picture the faces of the men she’d killed in the Pit. She’d needed to impress, and she’d done so . . . after a fashion. She’d killed dozens who’d stood in her way before now. But still, those Pit fighters had only been doing as they were bid . . . “I feel like shit,” she sighed. “ . . . you do not smell particularly pleasant either . . .” “That’s not what I—” “ . . . you cannot afford to pity those men, mia. swimming this deep, your compassion will only serve to drown you. you must be as hard and as sharp as the men you hunt . . .”
‘She felt her shadow ripple, the dark swelling at her feet. “ . . . dangerous, that one . . .” “The same could be said of every woman I know.”
‘Nothing brings the familia together like a nice afternoon of slaughter.’
No comments:
Post a Comment