Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis
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’s suspicions about the Red Church’s true motives begin to grow.
Review
Godsgrave was a huge surprise read, as I was not the biggest fan of Nevernight. I continued, because I had bought the entire trilogy and also wanted to see how it ended. I am however hugely glad I did continue this series, as Godsgrave was a phenomenal read! It seemed as though the plot really took off and the cast of characters had some truly gritty situations to deal with.
What really made this book stand out was how much actually happened in 500 pages. And it NEVER got boring. The book opens up with Mia “getting captured” to get her closer to certain people in need of killing. Very quickly she finds herself part of a new ensemble of very colourful characters, being trained to take part in Roman Colosseum style fights. I had always pictured Mia as being a very powerful and skilled fighter, which she is, but she quickly finds out that her skills are not suited for the brutality of the arena. Because of this, it was very interesting to see such a powerful character humbled and having to deal with a new type of training and character development to become strong enough to fight in the arena.
The cast of characters in Godsgrave had a huge impact on the flow of the story. I found them, including Mia, much more likeable than the cast in Nevernight. Mia felt like the female version of Spartacus…in other words a complete badass. Her character felt much more fleshed out in this novel, and despite huge new hurdles she knew what she wanted – revenge. There are a bunch of characters she meets that make for some engrossing reading due to their interaction and hilarious banter. One really comes to mind, but hey, I’ll let you discover that for yourself.
The writing felt like an improved version of Nevernight, possibly to due it feeling more novel- like, rather than narrative. It feels like Kristoff really went to town in this novel and wrote some truly hilarious yet gritty scenes. This really allowed me to become much more immersed in the story. The pace felt better, making the story more action packed and literally had me on the edge of my seat.
So yeh…if you didn’t like Nevernight, do not despair my gentlefriend, take the plunge and continue on.
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