Review: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Overview:
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
This book put me into a reading slump and then pulled me out of it. The structure, world-building, narration took some getting used to, but I was completely hooked on the story by the end. Overall, the plot and building of suspense made this a standout read. It’s one of those books that you can’t put down because you HAVE TO find out what’s going to happen next.
Content Warning:
Nevernight contains familial death, execution, homicide, torture, extreme gore, profanity, references to slavery, and sexual content.
Book Description:
Taking place in 1800s London, Stalking Jack the Ripper is a YA horror novel with a pinch of historical fiction. Audrey is a young woman with a wealthy family and an interest in science. By day she tries to fit into polite society, by night she secretly helps her uncle perform autopsies. When a string of murders is committed by the infamous Jack the Ripper, her uncle is implicated as a potential suspect. With the help of another student, she must solve the crime before more innocent lives are lost.
On the Structure and Pacing:
Initially, this book put me into a major reading slump. The split narration that Kristoff begins the story with is very muddled, using similar words and phrases but distinctly different fonts to mirror two separate scenes of murder and romance. Later these alternate “perspectives” are applied to effectively help the reader distinguish Mia’s past and future. However, because this is not initially explained, the first 30-40 pages of the were book nearly impossible to understand without the aid of Google. My interest was not piqued until both timelines were firmly established much later, and even then I felt that the story of Mia’s past held much more intrigue than her future (which involved a very long, very slow journey across a desert without much character or plot development).
Thankfully, the story picks up upon Mia’s arrival at the Red Church. After this point, the remaining two-thirds of the book were completely gripping. The reader is exposed to a high stakes competition, several mysteries (some of which involve murder), and the dark academia aesthetic of the Red Church. It’s Hunger Games meets Deadly Education meets Assassins’ Creed, and I could not put it down.
On the Characters:
While the characters in this book are not poorly written, they are not its most interesting components. Mia in particular, because she cannot feel fear when her shadow friend is with her, doesn’t often face internal conflict beyond romantic feelings for a classmate. With a few exceptions, the reader only experiences her calm assurance and single-minded focus on becoming a Blade of the Red Church. She’s not overly complicated or even particularly memorable in terms of her personality. Her story is still engaging, however, because of the mystery that surrounds her gifts, the building anticipation regarding her ability to get a position within the Church, and the larger implications of the political war that she is involved in.
On the World-Building:
The world-building in this book is in-depth but, at times, irrelevant. The author makes many brief references to the larger cultures, religions, and political systems that exist within the Republic. Instead of fully exploring these broader institutions, however, he uses footnotes to provide lengthy backstories relating to minor characters and non-important historical details. At times, it was funny to learn about the drug habits of a long-dead king or the debts of a local barman, but it could also be incredibly distracting. By the time I finished reading many of these added tidbits of information, I had forgotten where I was in the actual story and had to retrace my steps. Overall, the entire process of reading the footnotes muddled the reading experience for no extra benefit.
On the Author’s Writing Style:
In addition to the sometimes trivial world-building, the author’s writing style is another element of the text that I have mixed feelings on. The narrator of the book is self-aware, oftentimes directly addressing the reader with dark humor and sadistic commentary. Again, at times this was funny, but it was generally too heavy-handed. Consequently, instead of entering a state of suspended disbelief while reading, I found myself PAINFULLY aware of the author’s attempts at adding shock value and flashiness to the story.
On Who Might Enjoy Nevernight (an incomplete list):
I recommend you read Nevernight if you:
enjoy The Hunger Games series, The Testing series, and/or Assassins’ Creed games
are a fan of dark humor and sadistic narrators
appreciate Chosen One tropes in literature
want to experience a read with similar amounts of lore and world-building as Lord of The Rings