I am still in a weird emotional state. This wasn´t what I was expecting. Not at all. With Godsgrave the author throws you into a world where the sun burns mercilessly down on everything, where Mia has to prove to herself that she is more than an ordinary assassin and where blood means nothing to some of the folks. Good, I had some trouble getting into the novel, for quite some chapters, but that wasn´t because of the novel, but because of me. If you like the way how Jay Kristoff writes his stories, you might like the story about Mia as well.
Nevernight-Das Spiel*
by Jay KristoffThe Nevernight Chronicle #2
Translation Kirsten Borchardt
Original Title Godsgrave
Publisher Fischer Tor on April 25, 2018
Genre Fantasy
Pages 697
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶✶
Mia returns to Godsgrave, the city of bridges and bones. As a contract killer of the Red Church, she follows their orders to the word and kills without asking questions. Her real goal, however, are the men who have her family on their conscience: Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo. When Mia finds out that the Assassin Order is protecting Scaeva, she turns her back on him and commits her greatest stupidity to date: she sells herself into slavery to become a gladiator in the Big Games. For the winner, it is said, is granted a private audience with the consul … (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary)
Story
Mia wants revenge. But when she discovers, that the Red Church is protecting the men she wants dead, she has to change her plans. Becoming a gladiator and fighting in the Big Game seems the only way for her, to come close to those, who killed her family. Under the mercilessly burning sun, she trains and does everything to get what she desires the most. And maybe even more.
Style
I hate footers. And this book has quite some of them. Good, they are all written in Mia´s very sarcastic and ironic voice, but still. They are disturbing, no matter how much information I get out of them.
But enough of that.
I was, again, impressed by how the author has created the world Mia lives in. Mia works now as an Assassin, does what the Red Church wants her to do and her private revenge is well underway. Good, the romantic part of this novel wasn´t necessary, at least not for me, but well. Be prepared, that there is a lot of bloody scenes, cruelty, and sex. Mia´s world is merciless. If you can´t fight your life is worthless and if you´re not smart, you are already dead. I was very impressed by all the twists and turns the author has put into this novel. There was never a dull moment or something I was expecting all along.
Characters
Mia can use all the things she has learned in book one to survive the evil things that happen in this second book. Someone isn´t happy that her Domina is using her to get what she wants and does everything to prevent her from becoming a winner in the Big Game. This time we see a bit more of the private Mia. The female side she is using to get what she wants. I missed a bit of the action that had happened in book one, and I missed some of her sarcasm and irony she used to show. This time she seems more settled, quieter, and not as rebellious as before. But still one hell of a great girl!
Conclusion
An intensive, gloomy, sexy, and very thrilling fantasy novel. Mia is on a path of revenge and shows some sides I´d never expected to see. And after that end, I am looking forward to seeing, how things will finally unfold. A book that gives you for sure some wonderful reading pleasure.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Fischer Tor in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
The book was published originally under the title Godsgrave.
Jay Kristoff
Jay Kristoff is an internationally bestselling author of The Lotus War, The Illuminae Files and The Nevernight Chronicles. He is the winner of four Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, nominee for the Locus award. David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards, named multiple times in the Kirkus and Amazon Best Teen Books list and published in over thirty countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6´7 and has approximately 12,665 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife and the world´s laziest Jack Russel. He does not believe in happy endings.
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