Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication: September 5th 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books

Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #2

Length: 384 pages

Format: ARC from publisher (Thank you!)

Goodreads

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.

You can read my review of the first novel, NEVERNIGHT, here!

Wow. I thought I loved NEVERNIGHT, but GODSGRAVE takes the cake. I’m completely shocked. To give you a sense of how I flew through the pages, I read this novel in two sittings – one during which I read 30 pages, and another during which I read the other 410-some pages. I literally could not put this book down.

GODSGRAVE is just as bloody, ruthless, and all-around fantastic. There are so many new developments to the story, to Mia, to her plan to exact revenge on her family. Mia’s time at Godsgrave is such an interesting turn in events, reminiscent of the settings of THE VALIANT and AN EMBER IN THE ASHES, both of which I enjoyed. Mia’s newfound powers in regards to the shadows is a new development that I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the final book. Mia’s characterization is furthered, and I actually felt a bit more connected to her based on her experiences and the changes she goes through.

This novel is just so full of twists and turns. For one, it took me a very long time for me to be on board with the romance, this time with Ash, especially after my devotion to Tric in NEVERNIGHT. However, I’m enjoying the fluidity of Mia’s sexuality (she’s bisexual in a f/f romance!!!!!!!!!), and I’m sure the next book will be just as twisty and drama-filled with Tric back in the picture. Just in case you’re wondering, the sex scenes are incredibly smutty, which I really appreciated.

The writing style is different and better, in my opinion. GODSGRAVE is told in shifting time periods, between the present and the past leading up to events in the present. I really liked this disruptive chronological story-telling, especially because there were no boring parts at all throughout the novel. There was also a major decrease in the amount of footnotes that was presented – I didn’t read many of them but the ones that I read were very interesting in terms of the world-building and magical aspects.

Overall, GODSGRAVE completely blew my mind. It’s easily one of my favorites of this year, and I cannot wait for the third and final book in this trilogy. If you liked NEVERNIGHT at all, definitely pick the next book up. It will exceed your expectations and leave you wanting more.

Alice is an 18 year old college student who loves the oxford comma, television shows, and the company of dogs. She finds writing in the third person odd yet enjoyable. You can find her scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, and forever organizing her shelves on Goodreads.

Are you planning to read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!