Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Title: Godgrave (The Nevernight Chronicles #2)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Hardcover, 419 pages

Summary: 
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.

If I have to sum up this whole entire book in one GIF:


THAT ENDING. WHAT. HOW. JAY HOW CAN YOU!? *SOBS*

I thought my heart was finally going to start mending after the events of Nevernight, but hell that didn't happen. If anything I probably spent a decent chunk of this book crying, angry or angry crying because WHY? If you read my review for Nevernight (check it out here!) you know that I originally DNFed the first book four times but finally pushed through and now I am obsessed with Mia Corvere. So here I am, messing up my sleep schedule because I stayed up until 4a.m. to finish this book and now I will be a sobbing mess until Darkdawn is here (Note: This review was written in July.) 

Mia Corvere is a bad ass and that is all there is too it. This girl, who is 16 years old (Possibly 17 now.) has put herself through hell after hell to avenge her family and loved ones. If we want to discuss an epic heroine? Mia Corvere. Yes, she is 16 and no, this isn't a YA novel so I am not grouping her in with YA characters. Mia stands on her own two feet in her own category. If you thought there was a lot of blood, gore, stabbing and profanity in Nevernight? Just wait until you open Godsgrave, there is so much more and I've grown to love it. We continue to watch Mia make hard decision after harder decision in this installment of the series. In the first few chapters I wasn't all too sure what was happening, but after a few chapters everything falls into place and it is told in a similar style that Nevernight was. 

Conquer your fear, and you can conquer the world.

Mia has one of my favorite character arcs that I have ever read. Seeing where she has come from page one in the first book of the series, to where she is now at the end of book two. It's mind blowing. I don't want to give too much away because there is so much that is going to happen, but I left Nevernight with a general understanding of everything that was going on to be told in Godsgrave "hahaha sike." 

Again, this is an adult novel and there are graphic sex scenes and quite vulgar language. I been trying to put this part of my review into words for a while (I been writing this review for about an hour now 😅) but I can't find the correct words. I loved that Jay took to opportunity to explore Mia's sexuality more in Godsgrave. In Nevernight we see Mia loose her virginity to a "sweet boy" and then take up sexual relationship with Tric (*still not over him*) but in Godsgrave it all changes. As an acolyte they were taught that there would be times they would use their bodies and seductions and pleasure to kill their marks and we see that used a few times in Godsgrave. But I'm more referring to the relationship that Ash and Mia have taken up. They aren't girlfriends, there was merely a couple of sex scenes BUT it is very different then with Tric. 


Want to talk about last pages that will have you shrieking like the GIF above? Jay basically all but killed me with the ending. How can he do this? What does this mean? Does it mean what I think it does? WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Needless to say after Godsgrave I am all but slain and will not be alright again until I read Darkdawn. If you are hesitating on picking up this series and love books that are going to destroy you in all the best ways, I highly recommend The Nevernight Chronicles to you. 

The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.







1 comment

  1. I'm just over here eagerly awaiting your Darkdawn review. ;) It was so good.

    ReplyDelete

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