Jay Kristoff

Darkdawn

The epic conclusion to the internationally bestselling Nevernight Chronicle from New York Times bestselling author Jay Kristoff. The greatest games in Godsgrave’s history have ended with the most audacious murders in the history of the Itreyan Republic. Mia Corvere, gladiatii, escaped slave and infamous assassin, is on the run. Pursued by Blades of the Red Church and soldiers of the Luminatii legion, she may never escape the City of Bridges and Bones alive. Her mentor Mercurio is now in the clutches of her enemies. Her own family wishes her dead. And her nemesis, Consul Julius Scaeva, stands but a breath from total dominance over the Republic. But beneath the city, a dark secret awaits. Together with her lover Ashlinn, brother Jonnen and a mysterious benefactor returned from beyond the veil of death, she must undertake a perilous journey across the Republic, seeking the final answer to the riddle of her life. Truedark approaches. Night is falling on the Republic for perhaps the final time. Can Mia survive in a world where even daylight must die? New York Times and internationally bestselling author Jay Kristoff’s writing has been praised by critics and readers alike and has won many awards, including four Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, and David Gemmell Morningstar and Legend awards.

Book Three of the Nevernight Chronicle

Hannah Nugent

Fear was a poison. Fear was a prison. Fear was the bridesmaid of regret, the butcher of ambition, the bleak forever between forward and backward.

To never fear was to never hope. Never love. Never live. To never fear the dark was to never smile as the dawn kissed your face. To never fear solitude was to never know the joy of a beauty in your arms. 

Part of creating is the fear of it breaking. 

Part of beginning is the fear of your ending. 

You never know what can break you until you're falling apart. 

You never miss your shadow until you're lost in the dark. 

What is the difference between courage and stupidity? 

Who would you be, how would you act, gentlefriend, if you were truly unafraid?

Christine

”You never know what can break you until you're falling apart. You never miss your shadow until you're lost in the dark.”

”Dark and bloodstained and scarred to the bone. She had every reason in the world to be nothing but rage and hatred and misery. But he knew, as much as she tried to hide it, she hadn't let life turn her cold. She loved with a heart as fierce as lions. Gave in a way that left her bleeding, but never broken. Because even with all she'd lost, all she'd sacrificed, all the hurt heaped upon her shoulders, she'd still come back.”

”To live in the hearts of those we leave behind is to never die.”

An assasin with shadow magic. Good story. Had issues sticking to one topic in the last book tho.

Enya Atrium 

Anna 

** spoiler alert **
           ⚠️tato recenze je se spoilery⚠️
. 
rozetmění bylo... příjemným zakončením celé série.
 bála jsem se toho, že se mi to bude číst opravdu hodně špatně, a že se mi to nebude líbit, stejně jako tomu bylo u většiny českých čtenářů. nakonec jsem ale byla překvapená - třetí a závěrečný díl nikdynoci byl pro mě zdaleka tím nejlepším. 
ano, pravda, většinu knihy se cestovalo a jeden ani pořádně nevěděl kam, ovšem když mám rozetmění porovnat s předešlými díly, dělo se tam toho ve skutečnosti mnohem víc. a taky to bylo zajímavější. konečně jsme se dozvěděli veškerá tajemství co se scaevy a mii jako takové týče, všechny dílky zapadly do sebe, byli tam nové, skvělé vedlejší postavy a celkově se KONEČNĚ NĚCO ZAČALO DÍT. a další plusový bod: bylo tam málo slovo 'bastard' díky bohům.
co se negativ týče, kniha rozhodně nějaké ty chyby měla. moje nejoblíbenější postava, a celkově jediná postava, ke které jsem si během čtení vyrobila nějakou citovou vazbu, se v tomto díle vrátila z mrtvých jen proto, aby si hrála na ublíženého. trochu (dost) mi připomínal svým chováním jace z nástrojů smrti. celý díl se plazil za miou a když něco náhodou řekl, bylo to buď 'nejsi jako ostatní, mio' a nebo 'já jsem takový chudák že spíš s mým vrahem, mio'. sakra, tohle není moje nejoblíbenější postava, kterou jsem si tak zamilovala v prvním díle. ne, tohle je 'vstal jsem z mrtvých abych byl deus ex machina který pláče' type of character. takže s tím jsem měla asi největší problém. když už jsme u toho vstávání z mrtvých, dostávám se k tomu, co většině čtenářům asi vařilo krev - naše milovaná, úžasná mia, o které jsme věděli už od prvního dílu, že zemře, nezemřela. nebo vlastně zemřela, ale vrátila se zpátky za svou milenkou, no není to supr!? a mimochodem - ta milenka taky umřela, ale TAKY se vrátila z mrtvých!
ano, kristoff neumí zabít postavy, a ve své podstatě nám oživil všechny, kteří byli v ději nějak důležití. a to mě vážně naštvalo. zatím jsem moc trope 'oživení postavy' nečetla, ale upřímně.. jsem za to ráda. protože tohle úplně, ale úplně zkazilo celé poselství knihy.
a ta bonusová kapitola?? nevím, co k tomu říct :)
.
I tak ale knihu hodnotím velmi pozitivně, protože mě po předchozích dvou dílech, které mě zklamaly, překvapila.
.
5*/5*. se sérií se tímto loučím a myslím, že víckrát už si ji bohužel nepřečtu. moje celková očekávání k tomuto fenoménu byla rozhodně mnohem výš. protože jsem nečekala young adult, ale ono to svým způsobem vlastně young adult bylo. akorát tam byl sex a krev.

Mel 

** spoiler alert **
           I have several issues. There’s just no way Mia and Ash have a deeper connection than Mia and Tric. Mia/Ash is literally just a lust-fueled relationship. It’s not built on much else. I was fine with this in the second book because there was so much action and gore occurring. I despise having lazy romantic plots in book and it’s unfortunate that was the case with Mia/Ash. It would have made more sense for Mia to be single/dead at the end. End of rant.

Tatiana

I want to start this review by saying I do not pity people often. I do, however, find myself pitying those who do not want to read this story, due to Kristoff’s unique style of writing. 

Story aside, his writing style throughout the entire Nevernight chronicle has been so gripping. Kristoff’s ability to tell a well thought out, entertaining, and meaningful tale is simply undeniable. I have never encountered a book with this writing style, and I understand why some could be turned off by it, but I truly you would be better off with an open mind. The way the books are written adds an entire new level and meaning to the trilogy and is seriously one of the most enjoyable facets of the chronicle. 

Style aside, I could literally talk about Darkdawn, and the trilogy, forever and ever (if you know you know). I devoured 3/4ths of this book in one day because I simply could not put it down. Mia has an incredible character arc in this last book that I know many are not a fan of, but I simply couldn’t get enough. 

I don’t want to go into detail about the plot and spoil any part of the trilogy, but know that every piece of this story has a purpose, and it is just beautiful. Full of plot twists, heartbreak, vengeance, love, and of course tasteful smut, the whole story is breathtaking and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

To say that I am devastated that this series is over is an extreme understatement. I’m gonna have an extreme book hangover, I just know it.

If you’re at all debating reading this series, just do it. Please. Then message me after so we can talk about it. It is definitely a series I will..

..never, ever forget.

I am so happy I found The Nevernight Chronicles. What an emotional rollercoaster this has been. I actually think I have hated these books more than I have loved them because Kristoff sure knows how to mindfuck his readers and tear their hearts out, but my god what a story. 

When all is blood, blood is all.

I am so happy I found The Nevernight Chronicles. What an emotional rollercoaster this has been. I actually think I have hated these books more than I have loved them because Kristoff sure knows how to mindfuck his readers and tear their hearts out, but my god what a story. 

grace richards

oh to have mia corvere run me through with her sword

Rachel Kanyid

Leonor Ribeiro 

Elisa Bieg

It has taken me until now to face reviewing this conclusion to one of my favorite series.

It has taken me until now, because this was definitely a disappointment. 

Ok — I have strong feelings and tend to get head of myself every time I talk about this, so let me tidy up my thoughts for a second.
*deep, calming breaths*

Alright, let’s begin:

The book features many of the things we loved in the previous two: drama; that deeply sarcastic, bittersweet banter; and a fair number of exciting sequences that left me gasping and anxious (even if smirking, on occasion, when it turned out mostly “alright”).

The world building doesn’t fail us either; Jay delves more deeply into the mythology behind the story and it is simply incredible how the puzzle pieces come together and how they affect the way the story turns. Truly, the mythology and amazing world building are the main reason for the rating I gave this book. 

BUT... there were a lot of underwhelming aspects.
The pace is uneven, and I was shocked to find myself bored more than once.
The narrator reveal happens in a very cheesy way and it made me roll my eyes every.damn.time.it was brought up. It was simply taken too far and it went from being an in-joke to simply a joke, in a very unflattering way.
And that ending... WHY. It was sooo anticlimactic, and it dulled the impact of all the shocking events thus far to such a degree that even months later, I find myself feeling 
  soooo
 bitter. I felt a bit betrayed by this particular instance of fan-service.

*sigh*

So where did the 3 1/2 stars come from?? Well... I didn’t have the heart to go lower. And even with all its faults, the book is still an impressive conclusion in some aspects, as Jay stays so true to the world building and even expands it further, and I LOVED that part.
So yeah, 3 1/2 STARS; but I’m still salty, and I’ll say this: if you’ve come to love these characters and have strong opinions about them, 
  approach with caution
. (As will I, when I chill out about it enough to reread the trilogy.)

Rikki Welch

The final book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Twist after twist. The perfect bloody end to the trilogy.

Megan Lowe

A great end to a great series.
I love the romance, even though I still ship Tric!
I adore the humour. I love the intrigue.
I did find it a little predictable, but it’s still a great book, and a great series!

Catarina Silva

4.5 stars

That was amazing, and compared to the other ones the pacing was really good and I was never bored. 

That ending…. Damn.

Savannah Winchell

Lmfao how the fuck do I rate this?????? 
It’s both a 3 star and a five star but 4 suits neither

From bestselling and award-winning author Jay Kristoff comes the thrilling and heart-breaking conclusion to The Nevernight Chronicle.

Livia

Ben Bastow

(4.5)

Beautiful, Great Ending to a series that I've really enjoyed over the past few weeks

Celeste Richardson

I am completely blown away by this trilogy. Finding a series that I love all the way through is rare for me. And I just found one to add to that very exclusive list. There’s a bloody beauty to Mia’s story. A vulgar elegance, if you will. The world Kristoff created here managed to be both stark and lush in equal measures, and something about that dichotomy resonated strongly with me. As did Mia. Her heartache, her rage and fear and determination, all felt honest. I found her and her journey utterly captivating.
“I am a daughter of the dark between the stars. I am the thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. i am the vengeance of every orphaned daughter, every murdered mother, every bastard son. I am the war you cannot win.” 
First of all, let’s talk plot. In Nevernight, Kristoff gives us his spin on a school setting, one of my favorite tropes both in and outside of the fantasy genres. This school for young assassins is one of the harshest, deadliest I’ve ever come across in fiction. In Godsgrave, Kristoff gives us another favored fantasy trope: gladiatorial games. And he did so with wicked aplomb. The balance of bloodletting and emotion was perfect. Finally, in Darkdawn, Kristoff gives us his take on pirates, hero’s journeys, and epic battles on a magical, godlike scale. All of these tropes are among my favorites, and I absolutely love when an author can take one of these and put a fresh, unique spin on it. Kristoff did so again and again, and I was honestly a bit awed by how deftly he was able to seamlessly weave these tropes together into a tight, compelling narrative.
“To live in the hearts we leave behind is to never die.”
While I truly loved Mia and enjoyed the supporting cast immensely, they weren’t the biggest draw for me. Nor was the plot or the setting, though I was thoroughly invested in both. No, what actually drew me in and kept me coming back for me was the prose. Kristoff is a phenomenal author. Some writers want their prose to disappear as the reader sinks into the story, allowing their work to become a film of sorts in the readers’ minds. Others see the prose itself as the most important element of their work. Kristoff falls between these two mindsets, and actually made his prose into a character in its own right. I mean this both literally and figuratively; things get pretty meta in this final installment. The writing is brimming with humor and emotion and is often achingly beautiful and shockingly vulgar in the space of a single paragraph. I was delighted by every single sentence.
“You never know what can break you until you're falling apart. You never miss your shadow until you're lost in the dark.”
If there’s one thing I could change about this series, it would be the inclusion of a love triangle. It’s my least favorite trope in literature. I can honestly say I wasn’t invested in either outcome. But for some reason, I was able to basically just skim over the romance throughout the entire trilogy without being genuinely annoyed by it. While I would’ve been happier without it, the presence of the triangle wasn’t enough for me to downgrade my rating for any of the three books. 
“You can’t know how sweet it is to breathe ’til you’ve had your ribs broken. You can’t appreciate being happy ’til someone has made you cry. And there’s no point blaming yourself for the kickings life gives you. Just think about how much it hurt, and how much you don’t want to feel that way again. And that’ll help you do what you need to do the next time to win.”
Kristoff has no problem killing off his darlings, but I was totally okay with that. Even though the deaths of characters I had come to love hurt my heart, I appreciated the fact that Kristoff didn’t pull his punches. This is a story with incredibly high stakes, and it wouldn’t have been as strong a tale without heartbreaking sacrifices along the way. There were a couple of instances where I thought Kristoff took the easy road but, as it served the plot, I could let those slide. Again, my frustration here wasn’t enough for me to drop the rating.
“Fear was Can't.
Fear was Won't.
But fear wasn't ever a choice.
To never fear was to never hope. Never love. never live. To never fear the dark was to never smile as the dawn kissed your face. To never fear solitude was to never know the joy of a beauty in your arms.
Part of having is the fear of losing.
Part of creating is the fear of it breaking.
Part of beginning is the fear of your ending.
Fear is never a choice.
Never a choice.
But letting it rule you is.”
The Nevernight Chronicle is everything I hoped it would be, and more. I don’t know that I could possibly be any more excited for Kristoff’s upcoming release, Empire of the Vampire. I think I just found a new author to add to my “immediately preorder everything they ever write” list.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Mary Rose Luksha

“To live in the hearts of those we love is to never die.” 🖤🖤

mary

5⭐️
non ho paura di affermare che quella di nevernight è una delle trilogie più belle che abbia mai letto. ho pianto tantissimo, mi sono letteralmente scompisciata dalle risate, ho sorriso per la tenerezza, mi sono innamorata, ho avuto i brividi. è stato un viaggio breve ma incredibilmente intenso e mi sono affezionata a ogni singolo personaggio. ho amato mia più di tutti, forse. è una protagonista perfetta: sembra così umana ma lo è così poco. mia corvere sbaglia, commette errori, ma poi si rialza sempre a testa alta, con un cuore gigante e un’imprecazione sempre pronta sulla punta della lingua. in questo libro, più dei precedenti, mia ha dimostrato di saper amare, e tanto. ha donato il suo cuore e io ho lasciato un pezzo del mio in queste pagine. non so cosa dire se non che è tutto dannatamente perfetto. non voglio lasciare questa saga, ma nevernight vive nel mio cuore, quindi non morirà mai.

cláudia

i dont know what to say.... 
tric ilysm. 
mia you're the most strong son of bitch i ever know and ily.
jonnen, i will wait for your book.

Meg Cornhill

Until you read it, you won’t understand it but the absolute love and unfathomable hate I have for this series will, I guess you could say, live on in my heart for turns to come. I have never been more thankful than I am right now for a bookish heart because this story is poignant, deliciously murderous and full of crude language that makes me feel right at home.

Flavia Louise

To be honest parts of this flew over my head but I do think it's a good conclusion overall.

Alexa Jade

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

This felt very having your cake and eating it too which was kinda disappointing tbh.

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

Caraca, acho que esse foi um dos melhores finais de saga que eu já li na minha vida. Envolvente, faz todo sentido com a história e o autor não deixou nenhuma pergunta em aberto. A Mia manteve sua personalidade, nunca vi personagens tão fiéis ao que foi criado no começo da história. O final não foi fantasiado, não foi subestimado. Incrível, muito bom mesmo, estou animada para ler outros livros do autor!

Trinity Hebert

You know... this whole series has been a friken rollercoaster of WTFs and me genuinely being awestruck. 

The third book did NOT disappoint. 

I AM SO MAD WHEN THE CHARACTER I LOVED DIED THAT I STOPPED READING FOR A HOT MINUTE. 

AND THE FACT THAT THE SERIES IS NOW DONE??? like WTF am I supposed to do now:(

Darkdawn

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