Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Signed First Edition

The second thrilling installment of the award-winning Nevernight Chronicle, from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a ruthless assassin continues her quest for vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

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.

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.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff plays the long game. Legit, there’s all these moving pieces and they come together so spectacularly in the end. I should back right up though and say that this is the sequel to Nevernight which I quite enjoyed. So if you’re worried about spoilers and such, maybe look at that review, read Nevernight, and then come back here.

So, Godsgrave basically picks right up where Nevernight leaves off. The Red Church is in dire straits after the attack on it from within. Mia is a Blade because she’s the only option the church has left. She is sent on these different jobs for the Church. Interwoven with these jobs is a separate storyline where Mia is sold to flesh traders and becomes a gladiatii. As a reader, you find yourself questioning how it ended up like this. And so, eventually everything comes together and makes sense. We get to meet another character who is Darkin. There’s plenty of stabbing in this book too – in addition to a few adult scenes. Balance.

As expected, Mia Corvere only gets more badass as the books go on. She puts so much on the line in pursuit of vengeance. We get to learn a little bit more about her family. There are some BIG reveals dropped about her parents. Honestly, I can’t wait to see how it all plays out in book three, Darkdawn. I also like that Mia was willing to be a bit vulnerable in this book. She lets herself have friends — reluctantly though.

In the end, revenge is important to her, but she finds a way to get that without stepping all over people. I think she finds a way to get her revenge to align with helping out some downtrodden people. Plus, I think with Mia it is like a blindfold is ripped away and she truly sees how awful the Republic is — like beyond what happened to her family.

I liked that we got to explore the underbelly of Itreya in Godsgrave. So, the first book Nevernight is basically all set at that Red Church school. I liked that this book really builds the world up and takes us beyond. We get to see this whole world of Gladiatii and just how bad it is. As readers, I think we’re forced to look at the hubris of the Republic and a government that happily enslaves people. It’s just so awful. I am here waiting for Mia to break everyone’s chains and for endgame, whatever that may be, I know it is going to be spectacular.

On a final note, there’s a romance in Godsgrave that I absolutely was not expecting. You see, Mia sees an old “friend” from her days at “school.” She doesn’t quite know if she should trust this friend. In fact, she wants to kill her when she first encounters her. However, as it turns out, the girl may have some information Mia didn’t bargain for. Also? They have this wild chemistry between them. I think the romance was written in a way that seems natural. It will be interesting to see how it will all end up.

Other reviews of Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff:

• The BiblioSanctum – “Another aspect that is much improved is the writing“
• The Eater Of Books - “an excellent follow-up“
• Read At Midnight – “a worthy sequel“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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