Nevernight

Nevernight just missed our assassin fantasy list, but thankfully it fits this sub-genre too. Jay Kristoff tells, in thick prose, the story of outcast to assassin. Mia is aa traitor who, after her father’s failed rebellion, finds herself scared and in hiding. All the while, her gift for talking to the shadows grows, eventually leading her to the Red Church, an organization that trains killers. Naturally, that training is every bit as deadly as its profession, including poisons, manipulation, and dangerous competition. However, there’s also threats from Mia’s past. The ones who opposed her father are still after her, and a string of murders in the Church provide further tension. Kristoff’s work may not reach the heights of the similar Red Sister, but it definitely presents a more mature picture. The book is bloody and brutal, the anti-hero protagonist nuanced. It makes the small slivers of humanity shine through even more, and an emotional experience as Mia works her way up.