Review of Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Read for: TBR & came highly recommended

Synopsis: "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: I kept hearing about this book over the past year and everyone raved about it, but I put it off in fear of the book not holding up to the hype. I have to say that there was no need to hold off and it held up to all of my expectations! While this book may not be suited to everyone, there is a lot of cursing and brutality and is definitely not for the faint of heart but if you are up for it, do not hesitate to pick this one up. It did start off a little rocky for me since I tried the audio book first, but it wasn't making a whole lot of sense, turns out it has footnotes on nearly each page to build the history of the world, so the narrator didn't really distinguish when it was a foot note was being read (a different tone would have been helpful). Once I picked up the print version and digital from the library, I quickly became absorbed. The other thing that kind of threw me for a loop was the first couple of chapters jump between flash back and current, but other than italics defining the two, we don't really know what is going on. It becomes much more clear as the story continues and the flashbacks are lumped together instead of broken up in a chapter. Regarding the footnotes, I read them at first but I don't think they are really 100% necessary for the enjoyment of the book, it may help with world building and piecing things together in later books, but I only read them for about half the book and then just became to absorbed into what was going on in the main part of the story. The cast of characters in this one is wide and each intriguing in their own way; I have a bit of of a love hate relationship with Mia, is she villain or hero, is she violent and uncaring but at other times she is sentimental and emotionally attached. I did love several of the side characters Lotti, Lord Cassius, Naev and of course Tric but Mister Kindly is the ultimate side kick! The pace of the story builds as we near the conflict of the story and by the end we are being steamrolled and the pages are flying. This is definitely a story that will grab hold of you and take you for a ride. I cannot wait to pick up Godsgrave!

My Rating: I know that was a long review but there are a lot of elements that factor into this book, but when it all comes to an end this is without a doubt a Four Paw and a Stump Wag book for me!