Book Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Publication date: 07 September 2017

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 496 pages/19 hours and 51 minutes

Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

 

This is a spoiler-free review for Godsgrave, but will contain spoilers for Nevernight.  You can read my review of the first book here.

 

There is always a danger in reading sequels to book you love.  Will they be as good? Will the dreaded Second Book Syndrome strike?  You never know until you give the book a try. For me, I figured there was no way Godsgrave could hold a candle to Nevernight, one of my favourite books of the year.  The school narrative was gone, Mia has become a full-fledged Blade, and all her friends were dead or traitors (don’t you just hate it when that happens?).  But once again, I was completely, utterly wrong. Godsgrave is just as good as Nevernight, despite a huge shift in the story.

 

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.

I really don’t want to say too much about this book because the twists! The turns!  Godsgrave is absolutely batshit crazy in the best way possible.  I’m going to be purposefully vague and say nothing of value in this review because I really think you should go in blind.  I didn’t even bother to read the summary of Godsgrave before diving in, and that provided the best listening experience possible.

Despite Mia’s departure from the classroom, I still found myself completely engrossed in her story.  Her time as a gladiatii is a spectacular roller coaster, and the secondary story line is just so thrilling.  I continue to adore Mia and her murdery, stabby ways. This book features some old favourites, as well as new characters to fill the void left behind by Mia’s murdered schoolmates.  Mia and her companions, new and old, will not disappoint.

Stop reading this review now and pick up Godsgrave.  Once again, I listened to the audiobook and it is spectacular.  It is narrated by the same man who did Nevernight, and he continues to be my favourite audiobook narrator.  I couldn’t recommend these books more highly, and I cannot wait for Darkdawn in  September 2019 — particularly after the cliffhanger ending.

 

Want to buy Godsgrave? You can find it at the following sites (affiliate links), but again I urge you to pick up the audiobook:

Amazon | Book Depository | Blackwells

 

Have you read Godsgrave?  What did you think?  Is it in your TBR?  Let me know!