Originally published on http://www.novelfaire.com

“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, a sixteen year old Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic ― the Red Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church’s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires.

Revenge.”

Oh my lord. We have finally found it. A character that is worthy of being called an assassin. Sure, we had Celaena Sardothien before but she was no master assassin. But, Mia. Mia Corvere. Gifted with the power overshadows and daemons that take away her fear. She is worthy of the title. First prize with a giant teddy bear and floor to ceiling trophy. My chosen one.  

Everything about this book felt unique and fresh tome. A steampunk fantasy with an omniscient narrator telling the tale of our Mia Corvere. The very first chapter captivated me. Two different point of views,one of a girl losing her virginity, the other taking her first life. Kristoff uses the most beautiful language to describe these scenes that makes the sex dirty and the murder sexy. And we find out those girls are one and the same. Woah Jay. Alright, you’ve already won my respect with your writing chops. Damn son.

To better illustrate this, I gotta give you guys an example quote.

“The boy was beautiful.

Caramel-smooth skin, honeydew-sweet smile. Black curls on the right side of unruly. Strong hands and hard muscle and his eyes, O, Daughters, his eyes. Five thousand fathoms deep. Pulling you in to laugh even as he drowned you.”

Awesome, right? Now here’s the other side.

“The man was repugnant.

Sclerosis skin, a shallow chin lost in folds of stubbled fat. Sheen of spittle at his mouth, whiskey’s kiss scrawled across cheeks and nose, and his eyes, O, Daughters, his eyes. Blue as the sunsburned sky. Glittering like stars in the still of truedark.”

See what I mean? Beautiful language, and a true master over his words. Ugh, I can’t rave enough.

The narrator switches back and forth between flashbacks to show how Mia comes to be where she is in the present. This is also the only book I’ve seen that uses footnotes to build upon the world we are reading. It really is fun to read about the legends of Itreya without it being unnaturally incorporated within the story itself. But, the setback of using this method was that sometimes it felt like reading a textbook. I pride myself in reading fast but the footnotes made me take twice as long to read. I didn’t particularly like having to stop in the middle of an intense scene because an asterisk made an appearance and the footnote took up almost an entire page.But, while it annoyed me, I can’t deny that the universe that Kristoff created felt richer than any I’ve ever read. And the narrator is a sarcastic little shit that makes my funny bone laugh out loud. Yes, Jay Kristoff successfully made my elbow laugh. I know what I’m about.

While the story is your typical revenge-for-killing-my-parents-you-goddamn-bastard-and-guess-what-now-I’m-Batman,it didn’t feel like something I’ve seen before countless times. The city of Godsgrave is built around the bones of a fallen god. There are three suns in the sky that are the three eyes of the god Aa. Niah is the Goddess of Night and murder who gifted Mia with her powers over shadow. While Mia tries to avenge her parents, she is also trying to figure out what it means to be the chose none. Hook, line, and sinker, Kristoff. You got me. Now, I’m gasping for more of your books like a fish out of water.

There are countless twists, most of which I saw coming, however, Kristoff always takes those twists a step further, and that is what I never expect. I think I know what’s happening but I don’t know why. I was constantly left shocked and on the edge of my seat.

Alas, I can’t talk about this book without mentioning those sex scenes. This isn’t a YA book, my gentle friends. This is dark,murderous, and smutty. Smut upon smut galore. Tastefully done, yes, but also hot as hell. Jay knows how to craft a good sex scene and we get quite a few with the beloved love interest Tric, which, by the way, you WILL cry after hearing his backstory.

And lucky for me, Godsgrave delivers more. . .

4.5/5 stars (because of my love-hate relationship with the footnotes)