Darkdawn

Starred review from May 13, 2019
Fearless assassin Mia Corvere, a darkin who bends shadows to her will, continues to pursue vengeance against the man who destroyed her family in the gripping conclusion of Kristoff’s Nevernight Chronicles. Mia thought she’d killed Consul Julius Scaeva, her power-hungry nemesis, but she was wrong. Pursued by assassins, towing her little brother Jonnen (Scaeva’s son) along, and aided by her loyal friends and her lover, Ashlinn, Mia crosses treacherous seas and a brutal wasteland to reach the place where her education in the fine art of death began: the Red Church. That’s where Scaeva, who wants Jonnen back, holds Mia’s mentor hostage. Mia dares to hope for a future without bloodshed, but the price of claiming it may be too much to pay. Kristoff effortlessly draws together multiple threads from the first two volumes and packs in plenty of wickedly sharp, beautifully choreographed, and gloriously bloody fight scenes while offering humor, heartbreak, and a few jaw-dropping surprises. This is a poignant and exhilarating finale to a superb fantasy series. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.

July 15, 2019
One girl is about to take on the world--and even the gods. You'd think achieving the revenge you've sought for eight blood-soaked years would earn you a bit of a rest. But unfortunately for Mia Corvere, Julius Scaeva, the most powerful man in the Republic, isn't really dead. And given that Mia has kidnapped his son, who's actually Jonnen, the brother she thought was dead, not to mention apparently killed him in front of a screaming mob at the gladiatii arena, Julius is probably more than a little annoyed. Oh, and the Red Church, the cult of assassins that trained Mia, will be after her, too. On the plus side, Mia's former lover Tric has come back from the dead to help her...although that's also a little awkward given that she's currently sleeping with Ashlinn, the girl who killed him. And he seems to think Mia has a destiny to restore the balance between night and day by bringing back something called the Moon. So, no rest for the wicked, as it turns out. This conclusion to Kristoff's (DEV1AT3, 2019, etc.) Nevernight trilogy picks up right from the cliffhanger ending of Godsgrave (2017) and rockets along from there. Between Jonnen and Ashlinn, Mia has people to love as well as people to kill, and that makes the stakes for our heroine feel higher than ever. Will claiming her revenge and fulfilling her destiny prevent her from ever living a peaceful life? Fans will love the fast-paced, epic conclusion to this dark and bloody tale.

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September 1, 2019
The second book in the Nevernight Chronicle (Godsgrave, 2017) ended with a singularly unexpected cliffhanger, and Kristoff begins the finale in the series with a bang: Mia Corvere, assassin, gladiatrix, and Nevernight heroine, is faced with her ultimate journey, and the understanding that at the end of it, she will know the truth about who she is and her place and purpose in the world. The twists and surprises start early in this volume, and readers expecting wry humor and high body counts will not be disappointed. Familiar characters make return appearances and relationships are tested. Kristoff doesn't shy away from characters exploring romantic relationships, and Mia's openness feels refreshing in contrast to more coy fantasy pairings. Kristoff's characters are fully formed and jump off the page. The world building, borrowing its structure from Italian political history, remains as intricate and fascinating as it was in Nevernight (2016). This series will appeal to fans of historical fantasy and of epic sagas with strong female protagonists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

June 14, 2019

In the highly anticipated conclusion to the "Nevernight" trilogy, assassin Mia Corvere escapes the arena with her newly discovered younger brother reluctantly in tow. She discovers that a mortal enemy is still alive and that she must rescue her mentor from captivity in the Red Church's Quiet Mountain stronghold. Mia has a destiny to fulfill, revenge to take, and a plethora of enemies to murder violently. Running afoul of vengeful gods, pirates, and her former assassin colleagues in her quest, she discovers bonds of both blood and chosen family in some surprisingly heartfelt scenes. Kristoff's (Godsgrave) action sequences are well done, although Mia's shadow magic and use of animal passengers leads to some one-sided encounters. The metacommentary is a bit much, but humorous footnotes provide wry asides and additional info about this well-imagined realm. VERDICT Readers who enjoyed the first two books will not be disappointed by this dark, addictive story that contains coarse language and plenty of sexual content. [See Prepub Alert, 3/17/19.]--Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 14, 2019

Nevernight heroine Mia Corvere has trained as an assassin so that she can wreak vengeance on those in power for her family's destruction. Now, in this grand finale to the trilogy, she's on the run.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.