Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1), by Jay Kristoff

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And for the first time in months, I'm writing a review! 

But I finished Nevernight on Friday, and I can't think of a better book to launch me out of my review slump! 

Enjoy! 

Title: Nevernight

Author: Jay Kristoff 

Genre: Fantasy 

Status: Book 1/3 in "The Nevernight Chronicle" 

Pages: 463 

Blurb: "Mia Corvere is only

ten years old when she is 

given her first lesson in death. 

Destined to destroy empires, the child 

raised in shadows made a promise on the 

day she lost everything; to avenge herself on 

those that shattered her world. 

But the chance to strike against such powerful 

enemies will be fleeting, and Mia must become 

a weapon without equal. Before she seeks 

vengeance, she must seek training among the te

infamous assassins of the Red Church of Itreya. 

Inside the Church's halls, Mia must prove herself against 

the deadliest of opponents and survive the tutelage of 

murderers, liars and daemons at the heart of the murder cult. 

The Church is no ordinary school. 

But Mia is no ordinary student." 

My Thoughts 

Let me start with the point that I experienced something rare regarding this book: I didn't love or hate it particularly. It seems I'm alone in that, considering how far people are going to show how much they despise/ love this book on Goodreads! 

And even now as I'm writing this review, I'm not certain on my rating for this book because some aspects I loved, but I had some problems with it as well. 

For example, the writing took a while to get into. In fact, for the first 100-150 pages, I was loath to pick this up. The writing was just so dense, I struggled to find the motivation to pick it up. It took me maybe 3-4 days for me to make it past the first 150 pages, and then I was soaring through. But if each  sentence wasn't as detailed as it was, I know it wouldn't have taken me half as long to read as it had. (I finished it in a week.) 

Really, that was the only negative thing I have to say. 

However, I'm not going to say that it was an insignificant problem, because it wasn't. 

But there was an awful lot I did like about Nevernight. 

First off, I loved Mia as a protagonist. It was unbelievably easy to fall into her story, I never tired of reading from her perspective. I liked how she was always sure of herself, her next move, yet she didn't appear cocky or overconfident. That's not to say she didn't attract her fair bit of trouble (my heart was beating so fast at some parts, I swear I was close to a heart-attack!) But aside from that, she never stepped away from a challenge. I very much enjoyed following Mia through the halls of the Red Church.

Speaking of the Red Church, the lessons were crazy! They constantly kept the students on their toes, and although I won't disclose what happens in these lessons, I will say that I have never read about a school as cut throat as the Red Church. 

Not just the lessons, but seeing Mia's will to survive the challenges that awaited her throughout the school year, was fantastic to see. One of the best parts of the story was not knowing what was coming next, which is kind of what it was like being a student in the Church- but a lot less terrifying! 

All of those things were fantastic, but what I enjoyed reading about was the relationships.  The students were always trying to one up each-other, the teachers scared me with their trials and tribulations, but my favourite companionship was between Mia and her shadow cat. (Yep, there's a shadow cat!) 

The students in the Red Church all had their eye on something: becoming a blade for the Church. And they will stop at nothing to reach that goal. They're all full of bloody-minded determination, and they will say and do almost anything to reach the top. Some of the fights I saw in this book were bloody-thirsty and violent, and they set my heart on edge! 

Overall, I kind of liked this book. The parts I enjoyed, I really really enjoyed. Unfortunately it was kind of the same for the parts I disliked too. However, I will continue on with the series, (mainly because it's already arrived at my house), but I think I'll take me time with this trilogy, instead of rushing through it in one month, like I originally planned because, even though I've now noted down my thoughts, I'm still not sure on my rating.

Here's hope for the second book, Godsgrave! 

I hope I enjoy it! 

Okay! That's my review of Nevernight! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you've read it, feel free to comment what you thought! 

I hope you have a good evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

End of the Year Book Tag

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And because this tag is currently making the rounds on booktube, I figured now would be the perfect time to do this tag too! 

If you've followed this blog for a while, you know that I love making plans, so this is the perfect tag for me! 

Enjoy! 

1. Are there any books that you started this year that you still need to finish?

At this point of the year, there aren't any books that I've started that I still need to finish (aside from my current read). I'm not really the type of reader to put books aside to come back to them later, I'd just forget the whole plot! I prefer to either keep going until the point where I'm just bored, or I consider the book DNF'ed. 

2. Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

I don't have any particular books that I automatically pick up every year for the seasonal/end of the year, but here are some that I've read in the past:

Autumnal reads

1. Pumpkin Heads, by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Higgs (graphic novel set on Halloween)

2. The Girl in Red, by Christina Henry (red riding hood retelling)

Christmassy reads 

The Harry Potter series' of course! 

(Need more Christmassy reads, please recommend me some guys!) 

3. Is there a new release you're still waiting for?

The Cousins, by Karen M. McManus! It follows cousins Milly, Aubrey and Jonah story when they are invited to work on their Grandma's island resort, despite never having met her, and barely knowing each-other. But their parents have made one thing clear: none of them can say no, for they were disowned by their grandmother when they were born- this could be an opportunity to get back into her good graces. But when they arrive on the island, it's clear she has other plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more mysterious they become. Whatever pulled the family apart all those years ago isn't over- and this summer, the cousins will learn everything. 

I kind of wish this had come out earlier in the year, because it feels more like a summer read, or a Halloweenish read, but I'm looking forward to reading it regardless. Karen M. McManus is an autobuy author of mine, I've always found her books quick and easy to fly through, but always engaging, with a twist at the end that I don't tend to see coming. Release date is 1/12/20. 

4. What are three books you want to read before the end of the year? 

My December is mostly filled up with a Christmassy series (you will know what series I'm talking about if you follow my Instagram) but there are still a few books that I want to get to. They are:

1. The Cousins, by Karen M. McManus- (As mentioned above.) 

2. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Sibling #2), by Mackenzie Lee- (I finished The Gentleman's Guide this month and loved it, so I want to be up to date on the trilogy, for the final release next year.) 

3. Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicles #3), by Jay Kristoff (I'm reading Nevernight now, so this would mean that I finish the series this year.) 

5. Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year? 

Honestly, I doubt it, but there's always a chance! 

6. Have you already started making reading plans for 2021? 

Absolutely! I know what series' I want to try and conquer, some kind of idea what number I'll try and achieve for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, I'm looking forward to sharing them all with you! I won't disclose the list now, but there will certainly be a post planned for December! 

Comment down below whether you've started making reading plans for 2021 too and if so, what they are! 

Okay! So that's the "End of the Year Book Tag!" 

As always, anyone who wants to do this tag, can! You're welcome to try it if you want to! 

Right, that's all I have for you today, so I'll see you all soon! Enjoy your reading and I'll see you very soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

Series' I'm Intimidated to Start

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And today I will be listing the books/ series that I'm intimidated to read (because they're huge!) 

Just a disclaimer, I'm pretty sure these will all be adult fantasy series', so if you're not into that genre, you might want to skip this post! 

Enjoy! 

1. Robin Hobb books! 

I don't know how, but all of a sudden, maybe half way through the year, everybody was picking up this book (and the other nine books that take place within this world.) But there's so much hype for these books that I definitely want to read them soon. The only problem is, it's a ten book series (within books of three and four) and they're all huge. If I get the time to prioritise them, then maybe I'll start them in the new year. 

Series': The Farseer Trilogy 

(Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest)

Liveship Traders 

(Ship of Magic, The Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny)

Tawny Man 

(Fool's Errand, The Golden Fool & Fool's Fate)

2. The Stormlight Archive series, by Brandon Sanderson 

The Stormlight Archive series is kind of the same instance as the Robin Hobb books, but there are less of them! (Even though the fans of this series have had to wait a lot longer for these books to come out- a decade for four books) I'm likely to get on board with this series before the Robin Hobb books for that reason, but they're still intimidating because they're all 600+ pages. 

Books currently out: The Way of Kings 

Oathbringer

Words of Radiance 

Released 17/11/20: Rhythm of War

3. A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R. R. Martin 

This series isn't about how long or how large it is (though these are huge too.) But this is about the hype, and how everybody loves this series (and the tv show too) when I've not even seen the tv show. I have no idea what I'm going to think, when I eventually pick it up. Will I even enjoy it? I hope so. 

(Though I think I will- I mean, how could I not? 

Books: A Game of Thrones 

A Clash of Kings 

A Storm of Swords

A Feast of Crows

A Dance with Dragons 

4. The Daevabad trilogy, by S.A. Chakraborty 

Another trilogy that everybody's been talking about recently! Again, I've heard absolutely amazing things about this series, the covers are absolutely beautiful (this version of the covers anyway), and it just sounds so interesting that I feel like I could polish off the whole trilogy in a week and a half if I was in the right mood. Why am I intimidated? Because again, they're all in the 600+ pages range, and I have no idea if I'm going to like them or not. The good news, the series is finished! The third book has just recently been released, so I wouldn't have to wait for another release after I've read them. 

Books: The City of Brass

The Kingdom of Copper

The Empire of Gold

5. The Poppy War trilogy, by R.F. Kuang 

It's ridiculous how long I've wanted to start reading this. I heard about The Poppy War back when it was released and somehow there are two new books out now and the trilogy is finished! I've heard the most about this trilogy (well, the first book) out of all of these, and everything I hear sounds super exciting, so I can't wait to get my hands on the first book (despite the intimidating size/ hype.) 

Books: The Poppy Wars

The Dragon Republic

The Burning God

Okay! So those are all the series I'm intimidated to start! I'm sure I'm going to love all of them, because they're all adult fantasy, but that doesn't mean I'm not scared to start them. I hope to get to some of these in the new year (most like City of Brass and The Poppy War, but we'll see.) 

Okay! That's all I have for you today, I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx