Godsgrave
by Jay Kristoff
Published by St. Martin's Press
Book 2 in the Nevernight Chronicles
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's suspicions about the Red Church's true motives begin to grow.
RATED: 18+ CATEGORY: MOOD:
Violent New Adult Intriguing
Steamy High-Fantasy
Romance
Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff is the second book in his Nevernight Chronicles, and centers around Mia Corvere, eight months after the events of the first book, Nevernight. Mia is now a Blade of Our Lady of Blessed Murder. Since many members of the Red Church do not believe she has earned her place, she is placed far away, and given low profile kills, until she is called back to the mountain, as a patron has chosen her to carry out his murders. After events begin to unravel, Mia starts to think that the Red Churches motives are not what she thought they were.
No one can deny that this series is incredibly unique in its genre. It really is, despite feeling very Gladiator/Hunger Games at times. Godsgrave, without giving anything away, was a great way to show the readers the ugly underbelly of the republic. I did have one problem with this book, though. It had a VERY slow build up. I had a hard time getting through it, but once I got to the last 100 pages, I couldn't put it down. Then it was like boom, BOOM, BOOOOOOM! Was some of it predictable? Yes ... and thats why Jay decided to fuck with the readers by (highlight for spoiler)-------------> making us think Mia truly executed her friends. I was expecting a play, like Furian said, and honestly, I wanted to stop reading when she went ahead with it. I figured I got this far ... and was thoroughly relieved when it was, in fact, a coup. <---------.
I'm not sure I like Mia. Okay, well I do like her. I like her attitude, and how insanely strong she is. We get so few female characters that can stand on equal footing with the men in a story. I like her moments of compassion more, because they are so rare. She isn't a "soft" woman, but her quiet moments with the people she loves and cares for are when she really shines. I also enjoy that she explores her sexuality, and we get a character who discovers her bi-sexuality. I think it was pretty clear in the first book that Ash had feelings for Mia, but it took a while for Mia to get there ... especially with the trust issues. Which brings me to Ash. I hate that I like her. I liked her in the first book, and I like her now ... I just hate that she killed Tric, because I liked him. Her remorse over it seems genuine, but still. Put that aside, and I do think that her and Mia are a good match. Neither of them are truly good people, after all.
That one small part in Godsgrave in Mister Kindly's perspective has me VERY interested into what his and Eclipse's stories are, and what their motivations are. Mister Kindly rubs me the wrong way most of the time, but his moment of questioning whether they were pushing Mia in the right direction warmed me to him. I can't wait to find out more on these two in the last book. AND what happened when -------------->Mia killed Furian? Did she somehow absorb his shadow? I must know! <--------------
Other things I must know: I want to know more about her family. What we learn is interesting, and I would love to know more about that dynamic. I LOVED that Jay ------------> humanized her parents. What she finds out about them ... well, it doesn't make them bad people. But it dents that golden armor that Mia has surrounded them in for sure. Especially her mother. How she is going to react to finding out that Scaeva is her biological father? I can't imagine it will be good. I doubt it will stop her in her quest to kill him. He did have the man who raised her hanged, her mother starved and tortured in prison, and order her drowned ... knowing she was his daughter. <------------. Another thing I must know about immediately: -----------> TRIC?!?! He is alive? What is he now? What's his part to play in this story? <------------
There were several times in Godsgrave where I wasn't sure I wanted to finish. Some aspects of it were interesting, sure, but it took me a long time to get through it. This books best moments were definitely the last third of the book, where SO much is thrown at you, you can't help but quickly buy the next book to see how Mia's story ends. If you like dark, anti-hero books, you will very much enjoy these books.
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