Review: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff

Firstly, thanks to Harper Voyager Australia for this review copy <3



Date Read: September 2 - 10 2017
Date Released: September 7th 2017
Publisher: Harper Voyager Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating:

Synopsis:

"Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church hierarchy think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending the men who destroyed her familia; in fact, she’s told directly that Consul Scaeva is off limits. But after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia suspicions about the Red Church’s true motives begin to grow.

When it’s announced that Scaeva 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 him. 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 love and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world."

---

There’s something about a really good… No… Really amazing book that leaves me speechless. A book that makes me angry is easy to review because all I want to do is rant my heart out. Something like Godsgrave though? All I want to do is yell at you READ THIS BOOK. Thus I’m here yelling at you through the screen, notice my caps: READ THIS BOOK. READ THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE. START NEVERNIGHT IF YOU HAVEN’T YET.

I’m going to attempt stringing some words together for some semblance of a review but be warned, it’s probably just going to be heaps of cussing and yelling at you to READ THIS DAMN BOOK through caps lock.

Shit guys (oops strike one) Kristoff has really done a number on me with book 2. I thought Mia was ruthless in Nevernight but she is nek level goals and ambition here. I freaking loved her for it. “Eyes on the prize Corvere” is a common mantra and damn (strike two) is it accurate. Mia lets nothing stand in her away, nobody she won’t kill to get what she ultimately wants. Girl is all daggers, knives, poisons, punches, everything in her arsenal. Girl is the type to kick a man while he’s down to make sure he stays down! Yet at the heart of it all Mia is not a bad person. She is a girl with morals – albeit questionable ones – so there are numerous moments that had me going “FUCK NO. YOU DID NOT. OMG YOU DID.” But then my girl comes through and I’m like yeah truuuuuust you did good. I just love Mia Corvere so much and she is lethal, hilarious AND OMG I WISH SHE WOULD QUIT SMOKING THOUGH?

Kristoff introduces new characters but brings back familiar faces from Nevernight and y’all should really just read Nevernight to know what I’m talking about. We can love and hate the characters together! No spoilers but there is one person who re-appears that when I first saw them again I wanted to KILLLLLL THEM. STABBY STABBY KILL DIE I HATE THEM SO MUCH. Buuuuut Kristoff really does a number on me so that I eventually warm to this person. I’m still not sure if I completely trust them but not gonna lie I really like them now. Then there’s this group of FRANS that Mia meets (Mia won’t admit they’re her friends but I swear they buddy buddy) and I couldn’t help but grow attached to them. They’re all different and loveable and memorable.

There is romance and omg sexy times are sexy but I’m not sure I’m totally onboard with the person given their actions previously. Also I’m sorry but I’m attached to a particular someone from Nevernight haaah. Buuuuut Kristoff writes such seductive sexy times and I was shipping Mia and this person so hard I was so invested in these scenes LOL :shrug:

Everything is accentuated by Kristoff’s sensual and lush writing. The gritty, gory imagery is in full swing and I love the dark vibes. The descriptions are intense and totally draws me into this unforgiving ancient Roman-inspired world. One of the techniques I loved in Nevernight that I’m really glad continues in Godsgrave is the use of parallels to show juxtapositions between characters. Have two different characters in nearly the same situation, but change a few things as we go back and forth between views and the differences are so much more profound. There’s a lyrical nature to it and I couldn’t help but look for these moments.

Of course the story is amazing and I’m on the edge of my seat the whole time cheering Mia on as she progresses through her killing spree, AHEM I mean journey. Kristoff doesn’t make it easy for her so every tiny victory seems like a big step in the grand scheme of things. AND THEN. AND THEN. Kristoff totally blindsided me because THAT ENDING. THAT DAMN ENDING. My brain is still a grey mess it’s literally been blown to smithereens. Talk about fucked up. I was like fuck. FUCK. FUUUUUUUCK NO WAY. NO FUCKING WAY. I’m still not over it. Conspiracies layered within conspiracies and the mind fuckery is so real. One more book. One more book and Kristoff needs to get Mia out of this cesspool he’s thrown her in. GOOD LUCK MATE.

Basically read this book, READ NEVERNIGHT. READ EVERYTHING JAY KRISTOFF WRITES because we’re all masochists here and love having our feelings slayed. Embrace the dark, gritty, seductive world of Nevernight and rise with Mia Corvere.

Review: Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1) by Jay Kristoff

Firstly, thanks to HarperCollins Australia for this review copy <3



Date Read: June 29 - July 7 2016
Date Released: July 25th 2016
Publisher: Harper Voyager Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating:

Synopsis:

"Destined to destroy empires Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in the shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student. The shadows loves her. And they drink her fear."

---


Never flinch. Never fear. Never forget.

That is the mantra to live by. The words that are the driving force behind Mia Corvere’s story. I’m sorry Jay, but when I finished, I can’t say I didn’t flinch or fear throughout the story. But damn this was unforgettable.

Told by a narrator who knew Mia during her lifetime, Nevernight chronicles the first part of Mia’s life as she enters the Red Church to become an assassin and exact revenge on those that wronged her.

Holy sheeeet I adored Mia. She is sassy and witty and completely unforgiving. She gives no shits but I found that at the heart of everything she did, she still had a moral compass. It was definitely my favourite aspect of her growth throughout the book – the Red Church has Mia participating in and witnessing questionable deaths in the name of the goddess of the night. She has to wade through what’s right and wrong, and what she’s willing to do to achieve her goals. The internal conflict underlying her actions was so relatable.

There are a lot of secondary characters and my goodness does Kristoff write them so vividly that each person sticks after just a read. There are the other assassins-in-training like Mia, each with their own agenda, the teachers who we got some glimpses into and I reckon still have their stories to be told. Everybody has a purpose in the story, adding layers, creating a depth to the plot that instils fear and made me flinch at each of their actions. Like hello Shahiid Solis what even with that HACK HACK ELBOW BLOOD. Mother Drusilla, kindly grandmother or…? Then that Speaker and Weaver WHAT IS THIS SORCERY (legit). Did I mention there’s a shadow cat too? The not-cat is hilarious and so loveable.

Got to hand it to the Kristoff. He can write some hot sexy times wow *fans self* Good thing I wasn’t in public because I would be blushing like mad. To say he leaves one hot and bothered is an understatement. In the same way that the bloodshed in Nevernight is unforgiving, so is the sex. Y’all gotta appreciate a good sex scene. NO SHAME. As Jay pointed out in his tweets (go read the thread, it’s so important), why should it be a problem that his book has explicit sex scenes in it when it has gore and murder?

On the topic of murder, danggggg all them guts and gore. There’s spillage of intestines, flying limbs, flayed backs and blood, sooooo much blood the characters swim in it – literally! Kristoff writes this all in its gory detail, not sparing a moment so that the reader can feel the weight of Nevernight in full force. There’s lots of knife chucking, blade twirling, and slice and dice and hack and oops sorry was that your skin *cackles* your loss you were in the way, nah jokes I really wanted to kill you HAH.

I really cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy so that I can see the map because the world-building is fantastic and I want to see where things are in relation to how my mind imagined them. The setting is based off what I think is ancient Rome with tweaks here and there, mixed with other races and a lot of magic! My favourite part was the way supernatural elements were interspersed like mythical creatures popping up, creeptastic blood rituals and flaming swords. For some reason they all felt so natural yet managed to surprise me too.

The plot is so intricate and wonderfully constructed. There are heaps of books with revenge at its core out there. But it’s all about the way it’s done. The reasons, the next steps. There is no telling; Kristoff shows us the reasons why Mia wants revenge. Shows us in heart wrenching full force slam in your face grief. And with each memory and flashback, more questions are raised about the ruling force behind Godsgrave. Kristoff being Kristoff there’s surprises at every turn and the ending knocked me off my feet.

Obviously I cried guys. I was punched in the gut and then Kristoff reached his darned hand into my chest and yanked my still beating heart out, all the blood pooling beneath my collapsed body. This book had me hating, it filled me with hope, it made me love, it left me feeling betrayed. Nevernight is dark, sexy, delicious and utterly unforgiving. As you can see, I flinched, I feared, but I will never forget.

Honestly, no amount of gushing will Nevernight justice so just go buy the book and devour it in all its glory. Then come join me in the foetal position so we can weep together.

Review: Kinslayer (The Lotus War #2) by Jay Kristoff

Firstly, thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for this review copy <3

This review contains mild spoilers for Stormdancer but not for Kinslayer

Date Read: August 20 - 27 2013
Release Date: September 1st 2013
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Source: ARC via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 

Synopsis:

"A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of
civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken
dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires
nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé
rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the
thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin,
the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets,
and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins.
A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy
gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to
survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no
katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past."

---

“We will all turn the waters red when we bathe once this is finished.”

Why is this book called Kinslayer? Seriously Kristoff named it wrong. Heartslayer would be more accurate. Because he did just that. Took my heart and slayed it. Slashed it to pieces. Slowly and torturously. And I loved every moment of it. I’ve mentioned I’m a book masochist right?

As the sequel to his stunning 2012 fantasy debut, Kristoff had a lot to live up to. I absolutely adored Stormdancer and I’d never read a fantasy quite like it! So you can imagine my absolute fear when I received Kinslayer in the mail. I mean I was debating whether I should even request a review copy because I was so SCARED. But you know what? Kristoff blew me away. IZANAGI’S BALLS Kinslayer was even better than Stormdancer, how is that possible? My feels were an infinite amount more heightened, my swearing increased exponentially, my laughing progressed to cackling and I 100% mastered my “WTF” face.

Let’s start with our protagonist. Yukiko. Damn this girl is kick-ass! She is so strong, resilient, selfless, brave and at the core just a 16-year-old girl who had her heart broken so WHYYYYY would you put her through so much Kristoff? She took on a LOT in Stormdancer. But Kinslayer? Yukiko goes above and beyond what any heroine needs to face. In the bleakest of times, she doesn’t stop fighting, she keeps persevering and pushing forward despite fates worse than death just a hair breadth away. I loved her growth from Stormdancer, and her continuous growth in Kinslayer.

When Buruu was first introduced in Stormdancer, he was limited to nouns and growls. His growth throughout and into Kinslayer has been amazing. He is now an arashitora that speaks in eloquent sentences, but the most amazing thing is his humanity. There is no denying his care and devotion to Yukiko and their cause. What I adore most about Buruu is his humour. Kristoff has interwoven Kinslayer with Buruu’s humour and sarcasm, giving the book the balance it needs to its sometimes depressing content.

“TELL THEM IT IS RUDE TO STARE. EVEN AT MAGNIFICENCE.”

Kristoff introduces some new characters to the story line and also puts more emphasis on the secondary characters as a mechanism to show the events around Shima. There’s Michi, the girl from the Kage who continues the work of the rebellion; there’s Kin who plays a very integral part in this story as he struggles with his Guildsman teachings and wanting to be part of the Kage but always an outcast; and new additions Hana, her brother Yuri and his boyfriend Jurou are three people who completely moved me with their plot lines from the slums of Shima.

“Be it made of scales or brass, a snake who sheds his skin is still a snake.”

One of the things I didn’t like about Stormdancer was the over-flowery language style that I felt went right over my head. Either Kristoff downplayed it in Kinslayer or I’ve grown accustomed to it because I adored the writing in Kinslayer – sophisticated, powerful and so much imagery that accentuated the stunning world-building.

So a rebellion is rising, there’s apparently a new Shogun and rumour has it it’s someone familiar – oh dear – and while all this is happening in a crumbling Shima, Yukiko and Buruu are flying across oceans trying to understand a mystery of their own. Phew, that’s a lot happening in one book; it certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. Wait til you get to the bombshell *cackles* I fell off my seat. I will say no more about the complex and delectable plot!

If you haven’t read Kinslayer yet, READ IT. If you haven’t even heard of Stormdancer… Well, I don’t know you.

“The lotus must burn.”

Review: Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff

Date Read: September 20 - 23 2012
Release Date: September 1st 2012
Publisher: Tor
Source: Bought
Genre: Steampunk/High Fantasy
My rating: 

Synopsis:
"Griffins are supposed to be extinct. So when Yukiko and her warrior father Masaru are sent to capture one for the Shogun, they fear that their lives are over. Everyone knows what happens to those who fail him, no matter how hopeless the task.

But the mission proves far less impossible, and far more deadly, than anyone expects – and soon Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in her country's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. But trapped together in the forest, Yukiko and Buruu soon discover a friendship that neither of them expected.

Meanwhile, the country around them verges on the brink of collapse. A toxic fuel is slowly choking the land; the omnipotent, machine-powered Lotus Guild is publicly burning those they deem Impure; and the Shogun cares about nothing but his own dominion. Yukiko has always been uneasy in the shadow of power, when she learns the awful truth of what the Shogun has done, both to her country and to her own family she's determined to do something about it.

Returning to the city, Yukiko and Buruu plan to make the Shogun pay for his crimes – but what can one girl and a flightless griffin do against the might of an empire?"

---

When my friend recommended me this book I was totally excited for it. Japanese steampunk? Hells yeah! But I had to result to the "what I didn't like" and "what I did like" format for this review as those were my thoughts whilst reading - "oh this is good", "oh wait WHAT?! No..."

What I didn't like about this:
This was a great book but not as great as the hype made it out to be. It took me AGES to read it - a book of this size should only take me tops 2 days to read with uni in between. However, this took me like 4 days to read. It was extremely hard to read. The descriptions didn't create imagery easily, I had to really really concentrate for the pictures and setting to form in my mind. I would read 1 chapter on the train and think "oh my god this is going right over my head". Is it possible to be overly descriptive? I mean, I understand Kristoff was being cautious and detailing as much as possible as his Shima wasn't a place people would be familiar with. But gosh the amount of times he repeated things made me want to rip my hair out:
"The sky hung heavy with a pall of fumes..." and in the following sentence "trailing a suffocating plume of blue-black exhaust".

"Masaru squinted through the pall of greasy smoke at the cards in front of him. The dealer watched him through half-closed lids, a blue-black wreath coiled in the air around his head."
Throughout the whole book, this blue-black is attached to the end of half the paragraphs like a leech. I mean far out I GET IT... IT'S POLLUTED BY LOTUS, PEOPLE GET HIGH OF THIS SHIT, IT RUNS THE CITY RAH RAH RAH. Half the time I was thinking "I swear I just read that... oh wait". It's an endless cycle these dreaded words. I get it, he wants to emphasise this thing that is a poison to Shima but it's not required to the point where I wanted to just stop reading this.

Then there is the sheer amount of Japanese used in this. Had I not watched a shitload of subbed anime and Japanese dramas I would have no bloody idea what half this book is about. The Glossary at the end is a failed attempt at saving face. At least Kristoff waited until the second page to unleash his flurry of Japanese "She drew her tanto..." For the most part, it's eventually explained what the word means. Tanto I figured meant some kind of sword and further reading tells me it's a 6 inch knife. But things like "Hai" you'd have no idea what it meant - only some kind of submission (for the record it means 'yes'). Weapons like "wakizashi" and "katana" are easily thrown around and although described, the too many adjectives just went right over my head (thank you Yojimbo and Auron from Final Fantasy for teaching me what these actually look like).

The more I read I couldn't help thinking "this guy needs to chillax on the Japanese". I felt I read more Japanese than English a lot of the time.

*SPOILER ALERT* Aisha was a predictable character among all of this - of course the resistance is right under the Shogun's eyes.


What I liked about this book:
Despite sensory overload to the point of being uncomfortable, the setting IS spectacular. And again, despite me ranting about being overly descriptive and a lot of things going over my head, once things were absorbed I was definitely transported into the polluted and ruined world of Shima or the beautiful rainforests.

Kristoff's idea of how this one plant can be a source of fuel, drug and basically support an empire is extremely cool. Even cooler was the concept of the life/fertiliser that sustained these plants. When I read about how, I was horrified yet fascinated - quite an original idea. Actually, an extremely original idea and I loved it and I was like HOLY SHIT OMG WAIT DID I JUST READ THAT? I had to re-read it a few times to make sure what I thought was correct.

I also did love most of the characters, I really took a liking to Kasumi but I really loved Buruu. There was just something so grounded about him, despite his ferocity there was this calm whenever I read about him. And dang the heroine of the story, Yukiko, is a force of her own. I loved her growth throughout the book - from a seemingly naive, curious girl to a brave and strong young woman by the end wearing her scars proudly.

I think what I loved the most was Hiro. I so did not see that coming. And that twist is what made me give this book 4.5 stars. I think I actually laughed when it was written in plain ink and smacked me in the face... of all the people! Some people might have seen the twist, but I was so absorbed in what was unfolding and the suspense that I totally missed it - now THAT is great writing!

I do love a good steampunk and this was one of them - I've always dreamed of flying in an airship.

Since getting back into reading I'd read so many dystopians/sci-fi/paranormal books that this steampunk was something so totally different - a real breath of fresh air. The concept was unique and unlike anything I'd ever read!