Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Nevernight, Lifel1k3 (Lifelike), DEV1AT3 (Deviate)
Published by St. Martin's Press on September 5th 2017
Genres: Epic, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical
Pages: 448
A ruthless young assassin continues her journey for revenge in this new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff.
Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.
When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo 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 them. 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 loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.
Godsgrave, book two in the Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff, is a book I have been waiting to get my hands on pretty much since I finished Nevernight. If you’re looking for a dark and gritty fantasy definitely get started on this series. I will say that while this is coded as YA, I would definitely not consider it in that category.
I love how Kristoff has created this world where danger lurks around every corner and you never know what will happen next. There is no guarantee that any character you like will make it out of this story intact (or alive) so brace yourself.
Mia is Mia…that is really all I can say. She is still looking for her revenge and she has a plan no matter what the Red Church says and when she finds out what their motives are, I’m sure you can imagine what happens. As for other characters, we get to see some return from book one but there are also some new ones too.  Not only do they help move the story forward but they all keep Mia on track.
One thing that was in book one and carries over to this book is the use of footnotes. The structure is not my favorite and I found it distracting so I chose not to read them but went back to read after I finished. I know some people like them but they weren’t really for me.
I do think Mia shows some growth in this book. Yes, she is still angry and still looking for revenge. She also pretty much does what she wants but when she is sold to the gladiatii, she finds herself in a place where she has to follow direction and in some cases, get along with those around her. There were some twists and turns I didn’t see coming during Mia’s time under the Domina’s rule but her abilities help her get around some of the rules.
There isn’t a lot I can say about what actually happens because I don’t want to ruin a second of Mia’s story for anyone. Instead what I will tell you is that if you enjoyed book one, I don’t think you will be disappointed by Godsgrave. So much happens that I can’t even talk about it all. And of course, in the way that he does, Kristoff has ended this book by ripping out my very soul. Ok, ok…that might be a bit dramatic but HOLY CRAP that was completely unexpected and now I need to figure out who I need to talk to (read: BRIBE) to get a copy of book three.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
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