From the Bookshelf of SOS: Serious Overload of Series…

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)

Jay Kristoff

Start date: September 1, 2016

Finish date: September 30, 2016

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Voted as our "Most Popular Books Published in August 2016" September BOM…more
[close] Voted as our "Most Popular Books Published in August 2016" September BOM

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 14 topics — 259 comments total

Book of the Month

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* BOM: Group Read History [2025]
By Steph , Serious series addict · 10 posts · 22 views

last updated Sep 27, 2025 10:28PM

* BOM: Comments & Suggestions
By Steph , Serious series addict · 38 posts · 229 views

last updated Mar 15, 2012 06:15PM

showing 10 of 17 topics view all »

What Members Thought

May 26, 2015 Shannon marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, adult, owned, color-red, color-black, novels, color-grey, assassins, bought-2017

Sooooo ... guess who was just approved for this on NetGalley?

(pouting tabi stays below until I write a review)

"Lies of Locke Lamora meets Harry Potter."

Spring/Summer 2016???

...more

52 likes · Like · see review

Dec 26, 2020 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: aussie-author

I was gifted Nevernight by bestselling Australian fantasy/SciFi author Jay Kristoff, in 2019 from my Secret Santa (thank you again Little Miss Starr) via the Aussie Readers + Bloggers Secret Santa Exchange, and had hoped to have read it long before now, but better late than never!

“Never flinch. Never fear. And never, ever forget.”

In a land of three suns, where darkness falls just once a year, a young girl hides amongst the shadows. Mia Corvere, the orphaned daughter of a highborn family, is dete I was gifted Nevernight by bestselling Australian fantasy/SciFi author Jay Kristoff, in 2019 from my Secret Santa (thank you again Little Miss Starr) via the Aussie Readers + Bloggers Secret Santa Exchange, and had hoped to have read it long before now, but better late than never!

“Never flinch. Never fear. And never, ever forget.”

In a land of three suns, where darkness falls just once a year, a young girl hides amongst the shadows. Mia Corvere, the orphaned daughter of a highborn family, is determined to avenge the murders of her parents and younger brother by the corrupt members of The Republic, no matter the cost. Chance leads her to the door of a mentor who prepares her to join the Red Church, a secretive organisation of assassins where she may earn a position as a Blade of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and thus the skill to vanquish her enemies, if she can survive among a hall of killers to graduate.

Nevernight is an entertaining fast paced read, offering plenty of action, intrigue and interesting worldbuilding. Though the main thrust of the plot isn’t particularly unique, Kristoff does add his own imaginative touches so that the story doesn’t feel stale, and I was quickly engrossed in the tale from the first few pages.

Mia is plucky, pragmatic, deadly and determined, but it’s her gift of weaving shadows that gives her an edge as an assassin. Mis doesn’t really understand her ability, she thinks of it as something that found her, in the form of Mr Kindly - a cat made of shadows that also feeds on her fear, rather than something that is part of her. I liked Mia a lot, like all fantasy heroines she has a streak of idealism that conflicts with her ability to create mayhem and murder. The cutthroat competition of the Red Church apprenticeship isn’t always easy for her, especially when it pits her against those she has befriended.

Nevernight is both more violent and more sexually suggestive, and explicit, than I expected, as I was under the mistaken impression it was considered a YA novel. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it’s perhaps important to note that despite its teenage protagonist, Nevernight is written for an adult audience.

The overall tone of Nevernight is quite dark, what with deaths and monsters, but there is also plenty of wit and sarcasm which I appreciated. I confess Nevernight occasionally feels a touch overwritten, but not so much that I cared, I enjoy a creative metaphor and Kristoff supplies plenty. I can take or leave the author’s fetish for footnotes though, I found it easiest to read through them at the end of each chapter.

An exciting tale of love and loss, bloodshed and betrayal, dark and light, Nevernight is the first book in the Nevernight Chronicle trilogy. Godsgrave and Darkdawn are already available, I hope to read both soon. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2015 Steph rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: author-유, sos-games-bsb-r14, series-completed, series-ended, series-i-love, age-group-ya-na, year-read-2017, series-book1, favorites-all-years, author-first-time-read

When first delving into Nevernight, readers may be a bit thrown by the almost identical, yet slightly differing POVs told in the first chapter. Thankfully, this only proved to intrigue me not dissuade me; and so, I continued on and urge you to do the same. In the end, you will not be sorry.

As of this writing, 268 Goodreaders have shelved the book 'Young Adult'. I suggest you to read the book first before sharing it with any YA in your life. While the main characters are teens, they are set on a When first delving into Nevernight, readers may be a bit thrown by the almost identical, yet slightly differing POVs told in the first chapter. Thankfully, this only proved to intrigue me not dissuade me; and so, I continued on and urge you to do the same. In the end, you will not be sorry.

As of this writing, 268 Goodreaders have shelved the book 'Young Adult'. I suggest you to read the book first before sharing it with any YA in your life. While the main characters are teens, they are set on a path that leads them to be "apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic — the Red Church"; there is blood, death, sex and swearing. You've been warned.¹

A girl some called Pale Daughter. Or Kingmaker. Or Crow. But most often, nothing at all. A killer of killers ...

There are three suns in the skies above the Itreyan Republic, therefore its citizens experience truedark "for only a brief spell every two and a half years"; for the rest of the time they "endure the constant light of so-called nevernight". Mia Corvere, however, is very comfortable in the shadows - shadows that speak to her. She may only be sixteen and appear to be armed with nothing more than a pig-sticker² but those who stand in her way to the Church and her vengeance quickly learn different.

¹ You'll soon realize most chapters hold more in-depth description and/or discussion on subjects marked within.
² Much of Mia's beginning reminded me of Arya Stark's. The lives of both girls are forever changed by loss forced upon them by others - others who become the names on the girls' lists, the lists of those who must die so that they may avenge the death of their loved ones.

Moreover, there are parallels between the Red Church's apprenticeship program and Arya's experiences within Game of Thrones 'Hall of Faces'. None of which should diminish your enjoyment, but rather may prove to enhance it, as was the case for me.

"Never flinch. Never fear. And never, ever forget."

Mia is certain of her path, certain of what she must and will do in order to see it come to fruition or so she thought. While in the Church's apprenticeship program she meets others much like herself set on their path. Some of those paths converge to forge bonds, others fuel fires. Through it all, as she learns the stories of the others, her life becomes clearer as well. What once was hidden is revealed yet more questions remain. Questions that will surely be answered in future installments ...

"Do you really know her at all?
Not yet, little mortal. Not yet by half.
But after all, this tale is only one of three.
Birth and life and death.
So take my hand now.
Close your eyes.
And walk with me.

O, gentlefriends, to say I'm anxiously and impatiently awaiting parts two (Godsgrave) and three (Untitled) of Mia's story would be a wild understatement.

(✮✮✮✮½) ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2022 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: zz-rrrc-mag-jun-2022-all, zz-rrrc-mag-jun-2022-picks, i-like-it-dark-and-twisted, side-characters-giving-me-life, book-girlfriends, books-that-wrecked-me, i-will-go-down-with-this-ship, love-it-to-the-moon, new-adult, own-audiobook-read

Read this book's synopsis and you will be chomping at the bits to dive into this story. I mean, honestly, if fantasy and assassins are your cup of tea then you should give this one a go.

I really like Jay Kristoff's gritty writing style. He has a style all his own and you can tell because he wraps humor, wit, and his personality into the writing. I admit that I had a hard time at first with this one. There was a back and forth that I wasn't expecting but once I realized what was going on I was r Read this book's synopsis and you will be chomping at the bits to dive into this story. I mean, honestly, if fantasy and assassins are your cup of tea then you should give this one a go.

I really like Jay Kristoff's gritty writing style. He has a style all his own and you can tell because he wraps humor, wit, and his personality into the writing. I admit that I had a hard time at first with this one. There was a back and forth that I wasn't expecting but once I realized what was going on I was really into it. The plot of this story is so magnificently severe. I loved the savagery of it. The world-building in this book was deliciously atmospheric. I was so in awe of everything.

Mia and Tric really won me over. I was floored by them. Their characters were so distinct and full of personality. Both of them were quite mysterious at first. I mean, they are assassins after all. But the reader gets glimpses into their minds as the story progresses and we get to know them a little better. I felt like they were both relatable even when the reader didn't have the whole picture yet. They both felt genuine. I really liked the large ensemble cast of secondary characters. They were all so interesting and added so much depth to the story. Each character brought something to the table.

I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story. I felt like Mia and Tric formed a solid bond when they were traveling to the Red Church. They always had a very natural way with one another that felt genuine and never forced. I loved their chemistry and how they could banter back and forth like they had known each other forever. I loved the steamy scenes and felt they were appropriate for the characters.

Overall, this was a massive win from Jay Kristoff. I never know what to expect when I read one of his books and I am always left satisfied and awed. I love the way that he incorporates ideas into his stories. The concepts that he comes up with are always compelling and interesting. If you haven't picked this one up yet then I strongly recommend it.

BLOG FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM GOODREADS TIKTOK TWITTER BOOKBUB AMAZON PINTEREST ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 21, 2018 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

WOW what a ride this book takes you on. If I could rate it more stars I definitely would. It was gripping and such a roller coaster ride of emotions. I buddy read this book with my daughter and loved every second of reading it.

I hate to spoil books for anyone and trying to tell you what this book is about without spoilers is really hard.

Mia was a young girl who had some very tragic things happen to her. It set the pace for the way she ended up in the Red Church training to be an assassin. She h WOW what a ride this book takes you on. If I could rate it more stars I definitely would. It was gripping and such a roller coaster ride of emotions. I buddy read this book with my daughter and loved every second of reading it.

I hate to spoil books for anyone and trying to tell you what this book is about without spoilers is really hard.

Mia was a young girl who had some very tragic things happen to her. It set the pace for the way she ended up in the Red Church training to be an assassin. She had a shadow that was looked like a cat but not a cat she named him Mister Kindly and he helped take away her fears. He might be my second favorite character of this book. Mister Kindly and Mia had these conversations and most of the time they were so funny. He was always with her. She could control the shadow and was considered a darkin and even though throughout the whole book when never know what a Darkin is we know she can do some pretty bad ass things doing it. She is training in this secret church to be be a Blade and to exact revenge on some people who caused her a lot of pain when she was 10.

The Red Church has other students called Acolytes and there were some murders taking place at the training school of assassins. Most of the students I liked but a couple I really didn't like at all.

You find out a lot about what they kids that are there went there and what they are all working towards. There was a lot of world building in the beginning but it was still worth it to get to the action that was amazing. The end was sad but incredible. If I say anything about the end then it will ruin it but just know if you like fantasy then this book is so for you.

I read this book in OverDrive and I guess the physical books have a lot of footnotes there are no footnotes when you read it on OverDrive. I watched a couple reviews on this book and most of the people reviewing the book said the footnotes helped the world building but you didn't have to have them to understand what was going on. I don't know if I missed anything by not having them because I didn't know there were any until I watch a couple booktubers. One of the booktubers said she didn't read them her first time reading the book and the second time she read it she took her time and read all the footnotes and she said they added to world building. I'm just letting you know that if you pass on reading them or just skim them you will still get understand exactly what is going on in the book. Book 3 is not due to come out until Sept. of 2019 and I will probably reread book 1 and 2 and I will read get a physical copy so I can read the footnotes the second time around.

I recommend this book to fantasy lover 1,000% it was so worth the hype. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2020 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, 2020

The footnotes were killing me at the beginning. It was so distracting practically every time, even toward the end. However, I’m glad I kept with it because I am all in now. I loved how this ended and I’m looking forward to the next.

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2018 Purple rated it it was amazing

Shelves: girlpower, trilogy, young-adult, suspense, action, assassins

Who doesn't love assassins? They're so twisted and angry and are allowed to kill people that annoys them. Mia Corvere reminds me of Ms Universe Q&A, confidently ruthless, cunning, cold, and beautiful...with a heart.
Storyline is they all went to a 'church' for killers where they compete against each other to become the four selected Blades. Cheating and Backstabbing is allowed. Friendship is..for the stupid. Winning is the end goal no matter what means you can get away with. Isn't that scarily al ...more

Like · see review