Baby Chick’s Pick | Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

By Birdie

Nevernight

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Baby Chick’s Thoughts!

Before I start, I just want to say that this is not a children’s book.  This is an adult book, from the adult section.

Nevernight definitely started out with a bang! *pun intended*

We learn right away that Mia is training to join a school of assassins, which means that this is a very violent book.  Very.  Jay Kristoff doesn’t leave out any of the deadly details.  He writes about the feeling and taste of blood in your mouth, to the way blood sprays when a body is decapitated.  And I love it.  Actually, it’s not overly descriptive which can be annoying, it’s that the words he uses to describe death paints a perfect bloody picture in your mind.

I love the depth and the background that we subtly get about all the characters.  Even though they’re training to be assassins, you can still see the desire to have connections.  Of course my favorite character is Mia, because she’s awesome and badass, but other than Mia my favorite would have to be Mister Kindly.  You’d have to read the book to truly understand who and “what” Mister Kindly is, but I’ll say that he’s the character that will make you laugh when everything else is so serious.  He’s sarcastic at the worst time, which actually reminds me a little bit of myself, and he knows how to push Mia’s buttons in a way that makes the readers giddy with amusement.

After reading Nevernight I can easily say that Jay Kristoff is my favorite author.  First, I love the way something small will happen at the start of the book, and you don’t think it’s a big deal, until it impacts everything.  Everything he writes has a purpose.  I also like that Jay Kristoff says that he doesn’t believe in happy endings.  It’s kind of refreshing to read a book that probably won’t be rainbows and sunshine in the end.  Sometimes all you want in life is a book that’s sinister and dark.

I really hope that this review inspires people to pick up Nevernight and read it.  I can’t guarantee that you will love it as much as I do, but can guarantee you some laughs, some sadness, and some adventure.

About Birdie

Don’t look for her in any bar, club, crazy raging party, or anywhere there may be a large gathering of strangers. She’s more likely to be found tucked into the corner of the couch watching one of her favorite shows, or preferably under a comforter with her current novel.

16 Responses

  6. Jackie B @ Death by Tsundoku

    Great review, Baby Chick– as always. I love reading your selections and thoughts! I probably won’t ever read Jay Kristoff’s solo works because I don’t enjoy reading graphic violence. I’ve heard things are really… well, let’s just say I shouldn’t be picking it up any time soon. That said, I’m certain his writing must be STELLAR as I love The Illuminae Files. Have you read either of those books yet?

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