mlottermoser's review
3.0
Mia’s world is shattered when her father is hunt for treason. Her mother and brother are thrown in jail and she escapes her own brutal murder. Mia meets a man who teaches her about the world of assassins. In order to get her revenge she must pass several tests to join the church of assassins.
Pros: Strong female lead, new magic system, character development, and world building
Cons: Adult content -murder, betrayal, and sex scenes.
Recommended for older audiences
Pros: Strong female lead, new magic system, character development, and world building
Cons: Adult content -murder, betrayal, and sex scenes.
Recommended for older audiences
kspear22's review
5.0
'Byss and blood, fuck yes. This book, you guys.
Wow.
So, I've been dying to read this since the summary was announced. Hell, maybe even before that. An assassin school? Another teen girl out for revenge after the slaughter of her family? Yes! Sign. Me. Up.
I swear I heard angels sing when the NetGalley approval came through, so I've gotta thank St. Martin Press right off the bat. And still, I didn't want to read it right away. I think I knew just how incredible it was going to be.
I admit, the first 10 pages or so I was confused. I had to go back and reread things. I wasn't sure if I had a faulty copy. But then, it just hooks you. And by 20 pages, you never want the story to end. Ever.
Anyway, we've got Mia Corvere, a 16 year-old whose family had been destroyed years ago. Her father, hung for treason. Mother and baby brother sent to prison. Even at 10 and untrained, she was kind of a bad ass. She escaped her own death, and was "found" by a Shahiid (I suppose a master of sorts) and they began training. Somewhat. However, he sends her on a journey to the Red Church — a school for wannabe assassins. And this is where the story really rocks. Because there are tests along the way, and she must pass to even gain entrance to the school. The trick? She doesn't even really know where it is. She meets up with Tric, an attractive Dweymeri boy, who also happens to be seeking the Church. Together, they meet up with interesting characters and creatures BEFORE even arriving. It's crazy cool and unique.
Most of Nevernight is Mia's training. There are less than 30 acolytes when things begin, and they are slowly killed off (by various things or persons). We get to know several quite well. All of the classes are leading up to finals, when initiation will take place. There's a whole to it, but it's more fun to read about than explain. Just know that it's awesome and very Harry Potter-esque.
This book is so incredibly plotted and well-written. I don't think I have any complaints. Well, other than the first few pages. But I loved that we got pieces of the past mixed in with her time at the school. It really added depth to Mia's character. And the taste for revenge that she so desperately craved. I wanted it too. I have to warn people that this is TRUE fantasy. The development takes time and patience, but again, the crafting is absolute perfection. The writing is intense, but amidst the seriousness is plenty of snark, humor, and heck yeah – sexy times. A little steam never hurt anyone, and Mr. Kristoff knocked those scenes out of the park. It doesn't hurt that they were completely unexpected, too! But I digress.
The ending scenes. My gosh. For the last 20 - 30% of the story I was glued to my Kindle. At the same time I was savoring it. Things were so intense, and the twists! I really didn't see the big one coming, so kudos on that! I did love how this ended, but I admit that it blows having to wait another year or so for the next book in the series. It's too far away! This book is easily a top read of 2016 for me. In fact, I'd place it second only to Maas's ACOMAF.
In my opinion, this is the best "girl-power" book I've read in a long time. Especially regarding the topic of revenge. Kristoff has built a world that makes me want to become an assassin the way I wanted to be a wizard in Rowling's world. Move over, Celaena Sardothien. There's another resident bad-ass female assassin in the literary world. Mia Corvere. Never flinch. Never fear. Never forget.
Wow.
So, I've been dying to read this since the summary was announced. Hell, maybe even before that. An assassin school? Another teen girl out for revenge after the slaughter of her family? Yes! Sign. Me. Up.
I swear I heard angels sing when the NetGalley approval came through, so I've gotta thank St. Martin Press right off the bat. And still, I didn't want to read it right away. I think I knew just how incredible it was going to be.
I admit, the first 10 pages or so I was confused. I had to go back and reread things. I wasn't sure if I had a faulty copy. But then, it just hooks you. And by 20 pages, you never want the story to end. Ever.
Anyway, we've got Mia Corvere, a 16 year-old whose family had been destroyed years ago. Her father, hung for treason. Mother and baby brother sent to prison. Even at 10 and untrained, she was kind of a bad ass. She escaped her own death, and was "found" by a Shahiid (I suppose a master of sorts) and they began training. Somewhat. However, he sends her on a journey to the Red Church — a school for wannabe assassins. And this is where the story really rocks. Because there are tests along the way, and she must pass to even gain entrance to the school. The trick? She doesn't even really know where it is. She meets up with Tric, an attractive Dweymeri boy, who also happens to be seeking the Church. Together, they meet up with interesting characters and creatures BEFORE even arriving. It's crazy cool and unique.
Most of Nevernight is Mia's training. There are less than 30 acolytes when things begin, and they are slowly killed off (by various things or persons). We get to know several quite well. All of the classes are leading up to finals, when initiation will take place. There's a whole to it, but it's more fun to read about than explain. Just know that it's awesome and very Harry Potter-esque.
This book is so incredibly plotted and well-written. I don't think I have any complaints. Well, other than the first few pages. But I loved that we got pieces of the past mixed in with her time at the school. It really added depth to Mia's character. And the taste for revenge that she so desperately craved. I wanted it too. I have to warn people that this is TRUE fantasy. The development takes time and patience, but again, the crafting is absolute perfection. The writing is intense, but amidst the seriousness is plenty of snark, humor, and heck yeah – sexy times. A little steam never hurt anyone, and Mr. Kristoff knocked those scenes out of the park. It doesn't hurt that they were completely unexpected, too! But I digress.
The ending scenes. My gosh. For the last 20 - 30% of the story I was glued to my Kindle. At the same time I was savoring it. Things were so intense, and the twists! I really didn't see the big one coming, so kudos on that! I did love how this ended, but I admit that it blows having to wait another year or so for the next book in the series. It's too far away! This book is easily a top read of 2016 for me. In fact, I'd place it second only to Maas's ACOMAF.
In my opinion, this is the best "girl-power" book I've read in a long time. Especially regarding the topic of revenge. Kristoff has built a world that makes me want to become an assassin the way I wanted to be a wizard in Rowling's world. Move over, Celaena Sardothien. There's another resident bad-ass female assassin in the literary world. Mia Corvere. Never flinch. Never fear. Never forget.
stensianfox's review
4.0
About near halfway through this book I was prepared to give it a 3.5/5. The plot was keeping me engaged but it took me a while to get into the rhythm of Kristoff's writing. The similes seemed to just stack onto each other and my attention span was put to the test. I can deal with some amount of flowery writing, but this started as a struggle for me.
Once the plot picked up and it seemed like most of the descriptions and world building were over, I was finally into it and the book finished at a fully deserved 4/5 for me.
The story revolves around Mia Corvere, the daughter of a traitor executed when she was ten. Through the trauma of witnessing her father's murder, and watching her mother and younger brother be taken away from her by a corrupt government, Mia's affinity for shadows is awakened, along with her bloodlust.
Mia is an angry and talented killer, or at least she hopes to be. Training for years to join a guild of the finest assassins who kill for their goddess, she finally goes there and finds herself conflicted with the ruthlessness surrounding her and her fellow classmates.
Mia was refreshing to me as a protagonist, because she was not in any way the perfect and badass heroine you see so much these days. She is flawed and quite frankly, not really a great person. She has her own code of morals but she is not above selfish means to get what she wants. She cares for those around her who get close enough to befriend her, but even then the competition for the title of a Blade doesn't get covered up by that affection.
The secondary characters were also a huge sell for me, they all seemed so colorful in their own way, and also so morally grey. The unpredictability of motives was a nice change from some of the more cliche plots. Plus, Mia has a talking shadow cat. How cool is that?
Overall this book gave me a lot of what I look for lately. Strong main character, great supporting cast, mystery, and of course, a Hogwarts-esque assassin school with plenty of grit to go along with that. I would definitely recommend but there is a TW for gore and slavery and abuse. It's a brutal world and Kristoff was not shy in some of his descriptions.
Once the plot picked up and it seemed like most of the descriptions and world building were over, I was finally into it and the book finished at a fully deserved 4/5 for me.
The story revolves around Mia Corvere, the daughter of a traitor executed when she was ten. Through the trauma of witnessing her father's murder, and watching her mother and younger brother be taken away from her by a corrupt government, Mia's affinity for shadows is awakened, along with her bloodlust.
Mia is an angry and talented killer, or at least she hopes to be. Training for years to join a guild of the finest assassins who kill for their goddess, she finally goes there and finds herself conflicted with the ruthlessness surrounding her and her fellow classmates.
Mia was refreshing to me as a protagonist, because she was not in any way the perfect and badass heroine you see so much these days. She is flawed and quite frankly, not really a great person. She has her own code of morals but she is not above selfish means to get what she wants. She cares for those around her who get close enough to befriend her, but even then the competition for the title of a Blade doesn't get covered up by that affection.
The secondary characters were also a huge sell for me, they all seemed so colorful in their own way, and also so morally grey. The unpredictability of motives was a nice change from some of the more cliche plots. Plus, Mia has a talking shadow cat. How cool is that?
Overall this book gave me a lot of what I look for lately. Strong main character, great supporting cast, mystery, and of course, a Hogwarts-esque assassin school with plenty of grit to go along with that. I would definitely recommend but there is a TW for gore and slavery and abuse. It's a brutal world and Kristoff was not shy in some of his descriptions.
drexdari's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rora114's review
4.0
On the whole, it's a good book. However the writer thinks he's rather clever with his footnotes: I took to skimming them or skipping them all together.
carlyhamilton7's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
monika_stefekova's review against another edition
5.0
To a girl with a story to tell:
“If I don´t come back... remember me, neh? Not just the good parts. The ugly parts and the selfish parts and the real parts. Remember all of it. Remember me.”
Oh, I will.
It is a rare and precious thing, finding a series as fine-tuned and evenly balanced as The Nevernight Chronicle. Not only is it action-packed, gore-filled, funny and touching in equal measure, but moreover, I found both sequels to be just as enjoyable, gripping and heartbreaking as the first book.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit I have not actually read the books, rather I have listened to the audio versions which are absolutely perfect. Holter Graham is a skilled narrator, and he truly squeezes the most out of this story.
I am not going to talk much about the plot itself; it has been described well enough in the synopses and various reviews. I will say is that it´s a mixture of all the best parts from Arya Stark´s journey in A Song of Ice and Fire, Assassin´s Creed, Kill Bill, Gladiator and Black Sails. It´s not for the prudish or the faint-hearted; it´s violent, rude, gory, full of piss and blood and sex, and none of it feels out of place. Sarcasm and quips are practically dripping off the pages, but the author is clever and funny, and confident enough to make jokes at his own expense. I suppose it could be described as a guilty pleasure read, but it touched my soul on a far deeper level (I´d tell you why, but that would be spoiling the plot :)
I would like to express my awe of Jay Kristoff´s skill as a writer. He throws a lot at a reader. The style of these books is definitely not going to be to everyone´s liking. There are copious footnotes used to familiarise the reader with Mia´s world (its geography, history, theology, etc.). Often, there is a split timeline and various flashbacks. On top of all that, the author tends to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the reader. It is a lot to take in. The very first scene is quite confusing, and it took me a while to make any kind of sense of what was going on.
I am not sure I would enjoy reading a physical copy quite as much as the audiobooks, but once again, the narrator guided me through all these features with effortless grace. I devoured the 62 hours of narration in less than two weeks, and I can honestly say this series has lodged itself firmly in my heart. I laughed, I cried, I was surprised, furious and relieved over and over again.
However, what I enjoyed the most are the characters. They are inspiring, lovable, infuriating, hateful, but you simply cannot be indifferent to them. They are all well-rounded and feel real enough to touch. They are all morally grey and deeply flawed, they make you furious, yet you find yourself respecting them and rooting for them. And even though I wished for a slightly different ending (most of the fans probably understand what I mean), I hold no grudge for the author. Despite my personal preference, he wrote the story in a way that makes sense to me. I will always prefer a bittersweet ending that feels true to a fairytale conclusion that only serves to pander to the fandom.
Just a final warning - this story will give you a wicked book hangover. I find the only cure is to dive into it once more and savour every detail. And just like that, my re-read begins anew :)
“If I don´t come back... remember me, neh? Not just the good parts. The ugly parts and the selfish parts and the real parts. Remember all of it. Remember me.”
Oh, I will.
It is a rare and precious thing, finding a series as fine-tuned and evenly balanced as The Nevernight Chronicle. Not only is it action-packed, gore-filled, funny and touching in equal measure, but moreover, I found both sequels to be just as enjoyable, gripping and heartbreaking as the first book.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit I have not actually read the books, rather I have listened to the audio versions which are absolutely perfect. Holter Graham is a skilled narrator, and he truly squeezes the most out of this story.
I am not going to talk much about the plot itself; it has been described well enough in the synopses and various reviews. I will say is that it´s a mixture of all the best parts from Arya Stark´s journey in A Song of Ice and Fire, Assassin´s Creed, Kill Bill, Gladiator and Black Sails. It´s not for the prudish or the faint-hearted; it´s violent, rude, gory, full of piss and blood and sex, and none of it feels out of place. Sarcasm and quips are practically dripping off the pages, but the author is clever and funny, and confident enough to make jokes at his own expense. I suppose it could be described as a guilty pleasure read, but it touched my soul on a far deeper level (I´d tell you why, but that would be spoiling the plot :)
I would like to express my awe of Jay Kristoff´s skill as a writer. He throws a lot at a reader. The style of these books is definitely not going to be to everyone´s liking. There are copious footnotes used to familiarise the reader with Mia´s world (its geography, history, theology, etc.). Often, there is a split timeline and various flashbacks. On top of all that, the author tends to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the reader. It is a lot to take in. The very first scene is quite confusing, and it took me a while to make any kind of sense of what was going on.
I am not sure I would enjoy reading a physical copy quite as much as the audiobooks, but once again, the narrator guided me through all these features with effortless grace. I devoured the 62 hours of narration in less than two weeks, and I can honestly say this series has lodged itself firmly in my heart. I laughed, I cried, I was surprised, furious and relieved over and over again.
However, what I enjoyed the most are the characters. They are inspiring, lovable, infuriating, hateful, but you simply cannot be indifferent to them. They are all well-rounded and feel real enough to touch. They are all morally grey and deeply flawed, they make you furious, yet you find yourself respecting them and rooting for them. And even though I wished for a slightly different ending (most of the fans probably understand what I mean), I hold no grudge for the author. Despite my personal preference, he wrote the story in a way that makes sense to me. I will always prefer a bittersweet ending that feels true to a fairytale conclusion that only serves to pander to the fandom.
Just a final warning - this story will give you a wicked book hangover. I find the only cure is to dive into it once more and savour every detail. And just like that, my re-read begins anew :)
jaydesbookaddiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The last 100 pages...