Неночь (Джей Кристофф). 2016г.

Книга "Неночь", автор Джей Кристофф, стала бестселлером "The New York Time". В основе сюжета лежит мир, в котором неожиданно начинают светить сразу три солнца вместо одного. Где постоянно царит день вместо ночи, там проживает юная девушка с уникальным даром, из-за которого её семья была уничтожена. Чтобы отомстить за потерю всего, эта девочка теперь обучается в Школе убийц, готовясь к миссиям профессионального киллера. Правда, благодаря скрытому потенциалу тела и духа, героиня может применить свой дар не только убийства в темноте, но также и для эффективного сражения со своими противниками.

My first read from epic fantasy worlds in 2023 -- this is an absolute must-read. Written in first-person, Netherlander (previously introduced as "J") tells the story of a woman named Mia, one of the few people with the ability to use the shadows for illicit purposes. Taken from an alternate reality where at least three suns shine in the night sky, Mia's path is paved with deceit and tragedy, but it that stems from a great adventure and sordid world of assassins, mercenaries, infiltrators, royal corruption, and gods gone mad. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of locales and character interactions, Tindalos was an amazing influence who comes through in the narrative as one herself whose identity was forgotten by the world. This companion to Nynne (which I also loved) gives us enough to get our toes wet in the enigmatic world of Torenth, the neutral land between the capitals of Ariel and Gavin, where we meet Rhian, a gifted artificer, Kaiterin, an ornate client of sorts who later becomes Mia's lover, Soren, Mia and Rhian's stableman prior to their meeting with former mercenary Lark, and Miri, also an assassin, along with her brilliant little brother. The many backstories and relationships between these characters were intriguing, and J does an superb job in detailing their various motivations and styles. And with just the first book, are we seeing the earth-shattering events that will unfold to end the threat of an all-powerful rogue god who has taken interest in Mia? Yes and no. Despite all that I disliked about the scheming Senate group, in particular a particular individual woven into the shadows, that she inevitably ends up conspiring with despite the entirety of Mia's past, Torenth itself, I feel, is in dire straits, adding to the underlying reason for Mia self-exiling. It gave a worldalready thriving with blood and dark operatics, and made into something flashier. The sexual awakening of the two women throughout the book absolutely did not come by playing safe, rather took place in large part in the wake of perilous moments, which honestly made their last gut-churning reunion heartbreaking. Sameness in tone and world-building felt like a selling point, and personally, I thought it cheapened their actions and connections on more than one occasion. Seeing new beings, factions, and abilities present themselves every few chapters only made me more invested in the final arc. The prose felt aimless and overly once at times, like there were sometimes missed, or sporadic probing of what was hidden beneath the surface of each event and fact. Javichiel himself, the fiend or nightmare that brought chaos to Nylasiel's people and caused their isolation from the other principalities, fared far beter. Mia's progressions and descent into peril was always gripping, perhaps more so because the landscape of her own life seemed to be subject to the whims of a contradictory deity informing the events of the book (a change I honestly hope to see explored further in mystical format - Will She Become Queen Innate Again? Is Netherind On The Brink? Or Has Killing Princess Lette Only Limited Mia'Inheritable Claim to the Throne Of Ariel For A Time?), and the conflict of aspects of religion and identity clashing was written very creatively and provided much needed room to revel in the growing turmoils that Mia is facing. Her twin taunts of hatred and fascination for Tindaloso returns to tinge her every action. About expectation set forth before the closure. There are arguably some redundant events, character depictions, and plot points, as well as some redundant statements. Some of Mia and Soren's bonding seems a little...unnatural on second thought, while the resolution of their issues reached a line I think would have been better suited for a later announcement or expansion of a potentially epic promise I started to strongarm.