Holy fuck, you guys. Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff pretty much killed me. From the opening paragraph of the very first book in the Nevernight series, we know Mia’s fate. We don’t know how it is going to happen, but we know that she dies. The first two books then proceed to put Mia through the proverbial shit. They are spectacularly gory and disturbing. In spite of, or maybe because of that, I fell in love with Mia.
Because Mia Corvere is my all-time favorite character, I dreaded reading Darkdawn with every fiber of my being because I didn’t want to know how she dies. I put it off as long as I could stand and finally took the plunge. My reading experience was horrible. My stomach ached with tension the entire time I was reading it. My heart pounded. I was physically a mess because I was SO anxious about her fate.
Mr. Kristoff did not make the reading any easier either. I didn’t think it was possible for Mia to have to deal with even more than she already has, but he makes sure his girl continues to suffer and kill in the most gruesome ways possible. And every time she faced another enemy, every time she had to draw her blade, my heart stuttered and my stomach sank.
The thing is for all my physical ailments while reading Darkdawn, it was all worth it. It blew away my every expectation. Plus, I can state without any doubt that Mr. Kristoff did right by his girl.
The Nevernight series is unlike anything I have ever read. It is disturbing. It is grotesque. Yet, it has some of the best lines to ever come out of a book. The characters are put through absolute hell again and again, but they all maintain their sense of humor and ability to love. Mia is one of the fiercest, most driven women you will ever meet, and you will adore her. I’m going to miss my girl, but she has led me on one hell of a ride.
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