The Definition of a PERFECT, Jaw-Dropping Sequel // REVIEW: Nyxia Unleashed by Scott Reintgen

Title: Nyxia Unleashed (Nyxia Triad #2)
Author: Scott Reintgen
Publication Date: July 17th 2018
Publisher: Crown Books (US) // Michael Joseph (UK)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2 on 3 of the Nyxia Triad
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Getting to Eden brought Emmett and his crewmates one step closer to their promised fortune. But surviving Eden may be the biggest reward of all. Discover book two in the trilogy Marie Lu called, “a high-octance thriller.”
Emmett Atwater thought Babel’s game sounded easy. Get points. Get paid. Go home. But it didn’t take long for him to learn that Babel’s competition was full of broken promises, none darker or more damaging than the last one.
Now Emmett and the rest of the Genesis survivors must rally and forge their own path through a new world. Their mission from Babel is simple: extract nyxia, the most valuable material in the universe, and play nice with the indigenous Adamite population.
But Emmett and the others quickly realize they are caught between two powerful forces—Babel and the Adamites—with clashing desires. Will the Genesis team make it out alive before it’s too late? 

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOOK ONE, NYXIA 

“We’re weapons. They made us this way.And we’re coming for them.”

I READ Nyxia Unleashed IN ONE SITTING. I started this book just yesterday, got invested again on page 2, and LOOKED UP FOUR HOURS LATER, on page 400, HAVING TURNED THE LAST PAGE, DONE WITH THIS MARVEL AND DESPERATELY WANTING MORE.

THIS BOOK WAS THE DEFINITION OF A PERFECT SEQUEL, WITH HIGH STAKES, A BRILLIANT, EVER-EVOLVING PLOT AND STELLAR WRITING. I am BLOWN AWAY by how Scott Reintgen’s ability to write and to keep changing the game and always keep me at the edge of my seat. Nyxia Unleashed was everything I hoped it would be and more, and I NEED the next book in my life.

ALL THE THINGS I LOVED:

1.       The World-Building: This was SUCH a crucial element to me, because Nyxia, book one, ended with the winners of Babel’s ‘competition’ hurtling down towards a new planet. I LOVED the descriptions of the Adamites (or the Imago), the planet Eden itself, the Sevenset, the creatures (especially the Century) within and even the people and their customs. There was this particular scene in a restaurant in the Sixth Ring, with such vivid descriptions to the cuisine that I absolutely loved! It was all these small details that made me feel like I was learning about an alien planet like I was actually there and it was brilliant.

2.       The Genesis: We learn later in the book that Imago call the humans the Genesis. I feel like I didn’t know enough about the crew on Genesis 12 during the last book, and I struggled to remember the names of the ten kids IN the original Genesis 11 before Genesis 12, but I loved how Scott Reintgen wrote them all as complex characters, each with a different storyline and I TRULY enjoyed getting to know each of them. I absolutely ADORE Anton, Parvin, Omar, Katsu, Longwei (strangely enough) and, of course, Morning and Emmett right now.

3.       Morning, the Genius Leader and Plotter: I have some SERIOUS respect for Morning. I couldn’t like her because she was (sort of) the enemy in the previous book, but I TRULY TRULY grew to love her in Nyxia Unleashed. I loved her fierce loyalty, her cunning mind and her skill.

4.       ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS: I couldn’t attempt to predict this book and this series, even if I tried my level best. The game kept evolving, the stakes kept rising, there was so many bonds being made and broken, and so many truth coming to light that I found it IMPOSSIBLE to tear myself away from it all. It was truly a riveting read.

At the end of my review of Nyxia, I distinctly remember calling Scott Reintgen an ‘evil genius.’ After finishing Nyxia Unleashed, I’ll amend that statement and just call him a genius because THIS BOOK AND THIS SERIES AND THESE CHARACTERS AND ALL THEY GO THROUGH, FIGHTING BETWEEN TWO POWERFUL FORCES, AND THE STAKES AND THE PLANS AND THE PLOT TWISTS ARE JUST SO PERFECT, AND MIND BOGGLING THAT I’M IN AWE.

Basically, I’m obsessed. I will now return to by bookworm shell until book three is in my hands. Goodbye. 

Scott Reintgen grew up in North Carolina, and took full advantage of the fact that he lived on the same street as fourteen of his cousins. It could be a little crowded, but he threw a few elbows and carved out a space for himself as the family storyteller. He enjoyed the role so much that he decided to spend most of college and graduate school investing in the world of literature. This led to a career teaching English and Creative Writing in the great state of North Carolina, where he currently lives with his wife and family. 

To his great delight, the demand for stories and storytellers is alive and well. As such, he can often be found at local coffee shops laboring over stories that he hopes his family, and fans, will love.

Have you read either of Scott Reintgen's books?! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM?

What are some of your favourite space/ sci-fi books?

What books in this genre do I NEED to read?

 

Space Battles + Badass Characters + AIDAN = Best Finale Ever // REVIEW: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Title: Obsidio (The Illuminae Files _03)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: March 13th 2018
Publisher: Rock The Boat
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3/3 of the Illuminae_Files
I Got A Copy Through: Rock The Boat (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo ||

Blurb Description: Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? 
Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. 
With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

The review below is SPOILER FREE, so feel free to read on! 

 

It is VERY hard to describe what I feel for this book, these authors and the Illuminae series because I AM A BROKEN SHELL that sympathises with a mass murdering artificial intelligence system (#WhatAreMorals?) and at the same time, I NEED 756320496 more stories from this world and no less because I’m a hungry bookdragon and I MUST BE FED.

In non-rambling, simple terms, I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS

SERIES. I hold Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman in the highest regard as professional tormenters of hearts authors and I will read ANYTHING they write.

Let me (attempt) explaining my thoughts to you:

1.       When Illuminae (Book 1) initially came out, I wasn’t sure WHAT to think. There was so much hype, and it left me jaded until the day I saw this AMAZING deal on Amazon and hit the buy button. I picked it up *months* later, after I got sent a Gemina ARC and HOLY CRAP I WAS HOOKED TO THIS SERIES. It was intense, insane and nothing like ANY book I’d ever read before. Fifty pages into Illuminae, I knew I would need the then unnamed book three ASAP.

     2.       Obsidio was… heartbreakingly beautiful, filled with action, death, badassery, my favourite characters of all time and an artificial intelligence who, really, is one of my favourite parts of this series. There are so many elements and factors that come into play, with our eight favourite characters fighting for their lives and HOLY CRAP, Amir Kaufman and Jay Kristoff somehow managed to pull it off.

    3.       ALSO, AND I WILL REPEAT THIS UNTIL THE END OF TIME – I WAS KILLED OFF IN THIS BOOK. My name appears in the middle of page 100 (I was a Kerenza Resident) and I NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE SO HAPPY TO BE FICTIONALLY KILLED OFF.

4.       I woke up, bright and fresh, last Sunday morning and read the last 223 pages in one shot. I had to stop so many times to BREATHE and PROCESS and CRY and shout in happiness and it took me two hours to properly read it, but I was crying at the end because I was happy, broken, relieved, shocked and most of all, AMAZED at everything these two geniuses have created.

5.       I can’t say much more without spoiling the series, but I was SO HAPPY to re-meet Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Nik, Ella, AIDAN and the rest of the crew. There was mutiny, murder, rebellion, love, family, death, space, sarcasm and mass murdering artificial intelligences and HAVE YOU EVER REALLY ASKED FOR ANYTHING MORE?

I can shout this for FOREVER – GO READ THE ILLUMINAE FILES.

They’re nothing like anything you’ve EVER read before, and you will find yourself lost in the craziness of this world before you know it.

ALL THE GLOWING STARS IN THE WORLD FOR THIS MIND-BLOWING SERIES.

Can I have more books now, Amie and Jay?

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Illuminae (with Jay Kristoff) and These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, and Their Fractured Light (with Meagan Spooner.) She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping. 

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

Jay Kristoff is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE LOTUS WAR. He is the winner of four Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, nominee for the 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 13030 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

HAVE YOU READ THE ILLUMINAE FILES? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM?
Who is your favourite character/ ship?
I'd LOVE to fangirl with you over in the comments section!

Lush, Magical, Addicting // REVIEW: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: April 26th 2016
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 4 on 4 of the Raven Cycle
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: The fourth and final installment in the spellbinding series from the irrepressible, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater.
All her life, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love's death. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem, but as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore. 

There's always something nostalgic about coming to the end of a series. You've been waiting years and years for this moment, and when you flip past the last page, you honestly can't believe it's over. 

This is currently me, with The Raven King. It's so strange to think that a series I've followed for years is OVER, because it certainly doesn't feel like it. I read the last 200 pages in one fell swoop, and it just got over SO FAST, you know? I keep hoping that someone will pop up from behind a bush and say "It's not over! WE GOT YOU GOOD! Here's the next 10 books."

I'll move out of my slightly delusional, slightly denial filled phase and tell you what I thought about the book: 

MY THOUGHTS: 

1. I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR MAGGIE STIEFVATER'S WRITING TO GET BETTER BUT HOLY COW IT DID. From the very first page, she gorgeously drew us back into her magically realistic world and I WAS ABSOLUTELY ENTRANCED.

2. My main problem with book three, Blue Lily, Lily Blue was the PACE. It was just so slow with so many unnecessary tiny plot developments and I was scared that The Raven King would be the same. IT WASN'T. I was sucked in from the first page with some delicious writing and plot lines and just the anticipation that THIS WAS THE BOOK WE'D FIND GLENDOWER. 

3. I officially have a new favourite couple in YA Literature that take me breath away every time they interact or kiss or hang out. SPOILER: 

"Ronan wrenched his tie loose. "You working after school?""With a dreamer."He held Ronan's gaze over his locker door. School had improved....Adam smiled cheerily. Roman would start wars and burn cities over that true smile, elastic and amiable. "

***

"His feelings for Adam were an oil spill; he'd let them overflow and now there wasn't a damn place in the ocean that wouldn't catch fire if he dropped a match."

LIKE I SAID. I FELL, AND I FELL HARD. Please tell me this means that Adam will be there in the Ronan Trilogy because NEED. HELLO? I will combust into a puddle of happiness and feels to have an entire TRILOGY about these two. 

Buy this quote from Angelina Werner's RedBubble

4. The ending was very... Abrupt. There was a particular revelation about one of the Raven Boys that was SHOCKING but other than that, I found it sub-par and lacking the greatness I expected from it. Still, with Adam and Ronan and my heart soaring, I honestly didn't care much for this aspect of the ending. 

5. I don't know WHAT I felt about certain characters including the Laumoniers, Piper Greenmantle and ESPECIALLY Henry Cheng. I sort of begrudged them a space in the story, but I did t care for them at all. 

Let's be honest, I'm TRASH for this series. It's one of the best out there, in my opinion BECAUSE it's so different. I cannot recommend it enough because when you fall, you will FALL HARD AND THERE WILL BE NO COMING BACK AND, really, ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANT ANYWAY? 

The Raven Cycle is an addicting, magical, lush, spellbinding quartet that will leave you gasping for more. 5 stars. 

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

HAVE YOU READ THIS SERIES? 

Are you AS in love with Adam and Ronan as I am? What is your favourite part of this series?

ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE RONAN TRILOGY?

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

 

It's EVERYTHING You Never Knew You Needed // ARC Review: Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

Title: Daughter of the Siren Queen
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publication Date: February 27th 2018
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2/2 of the Daughter of the Pirate Kind Duology
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan Intl (Thank You!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.
When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen. 

Read my review on Book One, Daughter of the Pirate King here 

Actual Rating 4.5 Stars

The minute I saw an ARC of Daughter of the Siren Queen in a parcel from Macmillan International, I SCREAMED. I read Daughter of the Pirate King, the prequel and Tricia Levenseller’s debut a few months ago and ever since then, I’d been ITCHING to get my hands on this book.

Despite the fact that I had so many pending ARCs and finished copies to review, I couldn’t help the itch to reach out and read this BEAUTIFUL book and within a week or two of receiving it, I caved.

Daughter of the Siren Queen was a BRILLIANT book filled with pirates, love, family, betrayals, battles, twists, mythical creatures, chemistry and FEMINISM. It was the perfect combination of everything good in the fantasy world and I loved every second of being immersed in this book.

In fact, I NEED MORE BOOKS WITH ALOSA AND RIDEN AND THE AVA-LEE AND EVERYONE ONE IT because HOLY CRAP THEY ARE ALL SUCH AMAZING CHARACTERS AND DESERVE MORE STORIES.

My Thoughts:

1.       While the prequel, Daughter of the Pirate King, took me by surprise with how good it was, I pretty much EXPECTED it from Daughter of the Siren Queen. I expected it to be great, and this book lived up to my expectations.

2.       Like the first book, this story is mostly told on sea, aboard a pirate ship but this one is different because Alosa is no longer a prisoner and is back on her own ship. Most of her crew is made up of badass female pirates and I loved getting to know them especially Mandsy, Nirida and Sorinda.

3.       THE ALOSA AND RIDEN SCENES IN THIS BOOK ARE LIFE. I absolutely loved how he tried to understand her as a half siren, and how she tried to deal with what she felt for him and why he kept her human. Their character development in this book was stunning, just like all their illicit kisses and arguments.

4.       Apart from her journey with Riden, Alosa made HUGE strides as both a Siren and a daughter in this book and how Tricia Levenseller made it all come to life was brilliant. I loved the way her mind worked, her Slytherin attitude, her fearlessness and her loyalty. I will truly miss reading from her perspective.

5.       While this book was GREAT, it somehow just missed the magic that made Daughter of the Pirate King one of my favourite 2017 reads. I don’t know if it was the fact that there were so many new characters, or the fact that I was expecting it to be brilliant, but this book ranks second to its prequel.

Would I recommend this series? HELL YES.

Daughter of the Siren Queen filled with feminism, sirens, magic, pirates, friendship, treasure and chemistry filled banter and IT’S EVERYTHING YOU NEVER KNEW YOU NEEDED IN YOUR LIVES. 4.5 Stars.

Tricia Levenseller writes historical fantasies for young adult readers. Her debut, DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING, released earlier this year from Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers.

Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing and is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.

Have you had a chance to dive into this series?! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?

What are some of your favourite YA Feminist Fantasy Novels? PLEASE DO GIVE ME RECOMMENDATIONS BELOW!

 

Whimsical and Consuming // REVIEW: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date: October 21st 2014
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3 on 4 of The Raven Cycle
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: The third installment in the all-new series from the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!
Blue Sargent has found things. For the first time in her life, she has friends she can trust, a group to which she can belong. The Raven Boys have taken her in as one of their own. Their problems have become hers, and her problems have become theirs. 
The trick with found things, though, is how easily they can be lost.
Friends can betray.Mothers can disappear.Visions can mislead.Certainties can unravel.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IN AWE of Maggie Stiefvater and the whimsical, magical books she writes. She brings magic into the normal, which is the main reason I have LOVED her Raven Boys Quartet to date. That is, until Blue Lily, Lily Blue.

I went into the third book of the Raven Cycle MORE THAN A YEAR after I read The Dream Thieves and I immediately got pulled back into the intrigue, the dreams, the magic and the hunt for Glendower. I couldn’t believe HOW MUCH I’d missed Blue and her Raven Boys and all the whimsicalness that came with them.

And yet, about 200 pages into the book, I suddenly found that the pace of the book had dropped radically, and that I was forcing/ pushing myself to read further because this book was DRAGGING. A lot of the sub-plots suddenly felt unnecessary (a whole murder set up? Really?) and I honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

So, let’s split this up:

THINGS I LIKED:

1.       THE WHIMSICAL WRITING STYLE: If you’ve read a Maggie Stiefvater book, you KNOW her writing style is unlike anybody else’s. A story like The Raven Boys wouldn’t work if her writing didn’t personify every magical and strange thing happening in the book and I will FOREVER be in awe of how Maggie Stiefvater writes.

2.       BLUE AND HER RAVEN BOYS: I AM OBSESSED WITH THESE FOUR TEENAGERS, their friendship, their loyalty and their devotion all while being such different people by themselves. I absolutely loved this one phrase Blue used to describe their friendship, because I FEEL THE SAME WAS WHEN I READ ABOUT THEM: ‘Consuming.’ This series and this friendship is consuming and I can’t wait to read the final part.

3.       THE ANGST: Like I kept saying (yelling, really) on Goodreads, ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK DESERVE TO BE KISSED. There is so much angst, and I absolutely love the build-up but I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE DAY THAT ALL OF THEM JUST. KISS. THAT. PERSON. THEY’VE. BEEN. WANTING. TO. KISS.

THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE PACE: Like I mentioned in the very beginning, as I reached the end of this book, the face fell, and it fell RAPIDLY. It couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing was happening, and that things we’re just being dragged out until The Raven King. I liked the book, but I WISH IT HAD BEEN PACED BETTER.

2.       WHERE WAS NOAH, EVEN? I couldn’t shake the feeling that Noah was MISSING through the course of the book. While we focused so much more on Colin Greenmantle and his wife (WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM) and the ladies of 300 Fox Way and there was a certain death which I DON’T UNDERSTAND EITHER (How? Why? WHAT?) because it was too whimsical but I felt like we lost out on so much Noah Czerny, one of my favourite Raven Boys.

Do I like this book and this series? HECK YES

Will I be reading The Raven King? As SOON as I possibly can.

I only wish that Blue Lily, Lily Blue was better paced and had more Noah but I hope that the finale in simple perfect.

New York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.

All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

Have you read The Raven Cycle? What do you think of it?

Who is your favourite Raven Boy? 

Don't spoil it for me but DID YOU LOVE The Raven King? Is it everything I'm hoping it will be?

 

Bloody, Insane, Dark, Perfect // REVIEW: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Title: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2)
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publication Date: September 7th 2017
Publisher: Harper Voyager UK
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2 on 3 of The Nevernight Chronicle
I Got A Copy Through: Harper Collins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery ||  Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: A ruthless young assassin continues her journey for revenge in this new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.
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 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.
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.

Jay Kristoff is an EVIL MASTERMIND that manages to warp my perceptions of what great books are every time I dive into another one of his masterpieces. BASICALLY, GODSGRAVE AND THIS ENTIRE SERIES WAS BRILLIANT AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF AFTER THAT CLIFF HANGER OF AN ENDING.

I’ve been holding on to my review copy of Godsgrave (Thank you Harper India!) for a while now because I was waiting for the perfect time to put myself through ALL THE INSANITY that makes up The Nevernight Chronicles.

Godsgrave, the second book in this trilogy, was INTENSE, even MORE #StabStabStab than the first book (is that even possible?) and really showed you the Republic of Itreya in a brutal, harsh light. There was so much Roman culture like Gladiators and the very republic itself and IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST WORKS OF (BLOOD FILLED) LITERATURE I’VE EVER READ.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       If you’ve read Nevernight, or even my review of Nevernight, you’ll know that the world and the book had a slow start, and it took a while for me to really get into the series. Once I did, though, Nevernight was one of my few five star reads of last year and Godsgrave found it’s wat on my most anticipated list!

2.       Godsgrave rivalled Nevernight when it came to pacing, the book throwing you into the fast paced deep end from the very first chapter. The pace and with it, the bloodshed, gore and dark humour worked perfectly in co-ordination with each other and it resulted in this EVIL, STABBY MASTERPIECE.

3.       THE CLIFF HANGER ENDING AT THE END OF GODSGRAVE WAS 32 DIFFERENT KINDS OF INSANE. Do you know how normal plot twists have only one major reveal at the end that makes your jaw drop? Godsgrave had FOUR reveals, at the very least. I sped read my way through the last few chapters and then flipped backwards and read it all again because THE ENDING WAS STUNNING AND TWISTED AND I LOVED IT AND ALSO NEED BOOK THREE.

4.       I loved how much more of the Republic we saw in Godsgrave. It really highlighted the problem of slavery that Iterya was built upon, the few rich feeding off the many, gladiatii and everything else.

5.       I also loved that this book was SO INCLUSIVE, and despite the fact that the Republic is a less than ideal place to live in, it was still completely accepting of absolutely anyone on the LGBT spectrum because it was the NORM in this world.

6.       I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN HOW THE STORY, THE WORLD, MIA, MISTER KINDLY AND ECLIPSE EVOLVED IN THIS BOOK BECAUSE EVEN SAYING A SINGLE THING IS SPOILING IT, BUT IT WAS ALL SO SO BRILLIANT. I loved reading each and every of the 400+ pages in this book because it kept your undivided attention throughout.

7.       I SIMPLY MUST MENTION ALL THE SASS IN THIS BOOK because it made a laugh, snort and FALL IN LOVE. Yes for ominous shadow creatures that eat fear and spill sass like there’s no tomorrow.

If you can’t already tell, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Godsgrave. Jay Kristoff somehow managed to OUTDO himself with the book and I am so in awe of every book he writes. 5 Blood Encrusted Stars. 

Jay Kristoff is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE, THE ILLUMINAE FILES and THE LOTUS WAR. He is the winner of four Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, nominee for the 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 13030 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

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