Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

Right. Where to start?

OK, how about this. You remember how much I loved Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy? And how I’d pester you mercilessly about reading it until you finally gave in and read it^[1]?

Move aside, Brown. There’s a new kid in town and his name’s Kristoff. Jay Kristoff^[2].

Nevernight is just simply wonderful. The worldbuilding is astonishingly good. Shades of Locke Lamora, with a ton of Pratchett-esque footnotes^[3]. Superb, complex characters. And a sand kraken called Alfi^[4].

Imagine if Hogwarts was a school for assassins where a young girl goes to learn how to avenge her father’s murder^[5]. A school where you learned how to kill or be killed, with a blade, with poison, or with your wits. And you might learn some of the more… subtle^[6] arts too.

The characters are plentiful and wonderful. Even the bad ones. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry^[7], you’ll tell yourself ‘just one more chapter’^[8]

And this is just book #1. I cannot wait to see where Mr Kristoff will take us next.

Many thanks to the lovely folks at Harper Voyager for the advance copy. You can find them on Twitter at @HarperVoyagerUK. Whilst you’re there, you should also say hi to Jay (@MisterKristoff) . He’s ace, and won’t bite^[9].

^[1] and then you loved it and started doing the same to all of your friends? SEE I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!
^[2] OK, so it turns out he’s not *that* new and has written many other things. You should probably check them out. I know I will.
^[3] I *love* footnotes. Possibly a little too much, some would say.
^[4] I mean, how could you not love a sand kraken? Especially Alfi. Alfi is awesome.
^[5] Shades of The Princess Bride as well then. Seriously, have you not already ordered and read this book? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
^[6] You might blush. No, seriously. I didn’t blush. Much.
^[7] no, really. Page 553. I’ve still not forgiven Jay for *that*
^[8] and we all know how *that* ends, don’t we?
^[9] Much. Probably. He does look rather like that Dave Grohl chap though, but much, much taller