Book Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff
Genre(s): Dark Fantasy
Book Synopsis:
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.
Review:
Wow, what a book. It’s intense, it’s bloody, and it’s brilliant.
I read the first book in the series, Nevernight, a little over a year ago, and while I liked it, I think the sequel surpasses it by leaps and bounds. The major theme of Godsgrave is the gladiatii and their battles, which is at least half the reason why I loved this book so much. Gladiatorial fights are fascinating and brutal, and this book has them in spades. Each bout is different, the stakes are always sky-high, and the author writes some incredible fight scenes.
And Mia is determined to prove herself, no matter the cost. She’s an interesting character; calculating, ruthless, and yet, she’ll risk herself for those she considers friends. Just don’t betray her. Ever. She’ll stop at nothing to get her revenge.
Mia learns more about who and what she is in this book, not all of it good. Truths are revealed about her past—at least one of them a major twist I was not expecting—and she uncovers another aspect of what it means to be darkin.
But this book ended leaving me with more questions than answers. I have no choice but to move straight on to book 3, because I need to know how this story ends.
Godsgrave was a wild ride, and so, so good.
Side note: I originally read Nevernight as an ebook, and did not realize this series is accompanied by a plethora of footnotes (the footnotes show up at the very end of the ebook edition, and I’m one of those who doesn’t read past the end of the novel. I didn’t know they were there.) I was gifted the series in paperback a few months ago, and the footnotes are interspersed throughout the novel. While they’re interesting and sometimes amusing, they’re not really my thing. I know some readers absolutely love content like that, but I just find them distracting.
Author website: jaykristoff.com
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