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A review by readwithria
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
EDIT TO ADD: about a year after I read this book I learned about some tropes that I want to call out. This entire written review is a slight spoiler.
TW for antisemitism.
There is one particular character that, in my current opinion, is thinly veiled antisemitism. This character is the blood sorcerer, Adonai (For cultural sensitivity purposes I will no longer be using his name).
Right of the bat, this character’s name is the Hebrew word meaning God, which in Judaism is NEVER to be said aloud except during prayer. This on its own could be a coincidence, however, practices magic from the Ashkahi culture. The name for people who are ethnically Eastern European Jews (as opposed to culturally or religiously) is Ashkenazi. Again, this is an ethnic group and not specifically a religious or cultural group, but the ethnicity was originally jewish.
Okay, so this man who’s name is the Jewish word for God practices magic from a culture that’s name is similar to a jewish ethnic group. So? WELL. The magic that he practices is blood magic, specifically he drinks blood so that he can manipulate it. This feels to me like the medieval Christian idea of blood libel. How is this antisemitic? This was a belief held by Christian people that Jews practiced blood sacrifices, and this belief led to many Jewish people being killed from the medieval times all the way to early modern Europe.
These three things in combination make me feel really uncomfortable with promoting the text. I will not be changing my original rating, but I would no longer recommend this book because it perpetuates harm.
I also think this character is a strong case for having sensitivity readers be a part of the publishing process. Making sure you have people who are familiar with these types of less publicly known stigmas read books before they are published will help limit their publication. Changing this character’s name and the name of culture the blood magic is from would have drastically decreased the antisemitic undertones without changing much of the book.
While I can see a non Jewish person not knowing that these things are antisemitic, I think that there are too many coincidences for it to have been unintentional on Jay Kristoff’s part. Based on this knowledge, as well as reviews I have read regarding relationships in his other books, I will no longer be supporting his work. If you are interested in reading his books, please consider checking them out from the library or buying them secondhand. If you have a platform, try not to promote his books without context. I hope that this review is helpful for folks who may not be aware of the discourse surrounding Jay Kristoff (as well as Emily A Duncan, but I haven’t read her books).
TW for antisemitism.
There is one particular character that, in my current opinion, is thinly veiled antisemitism. This character is the blood sorcerer, Adonai (For cultural sensitivity purposes I will no longer be using his name).
Right of the bat, this character’s name is the Hebrew word meaning God, which in Judaism is NEVER to be said aloud except during prayer. This on its own could be a coincidence, however, practices magic from the Ashkahi culture. The name for people who are ethnically Eastern European Jews (as opposed to culturally or religiously) is Ashkenazi. Again, this is an ethnic group and not specifically a religious or cultural group, but the ethnicity was originally jewish.
Okay, so this man who’s name is the Jewish word for God practices magic from a culture that’s name is similar to a jewish ethnic group. So? WELL. The magic that he practices is blood magic, specifically he drinks blood so that he can manipulate it. This feels to me like the medieval Christian idea of blood libel. How is this antisemitic? This was a belief held by Christian people that Jews practiced blood sacrifices, and this belief led to many Jewish people being killed from the medieval times all the way to early modern Europe.
These three things in combination make me feel really uncomfortable with promoting the text. I will not be changing my original rating, but I would no longer recommend this book because it perpetuates harm.
I also think this character is a strong case for having sensitivity readers be a part of the publishing process. Making sure you have people who are familiar with these types of less publicly known stigmas read books before they are published will help limit their publication. Changing this character’s name and the name of culture the blood magic is from would have drastically decreased the antisemitic undertones without changing much of the book.
While I can see a non Jewish person not knowing that these things are antisemitic, I think that there are too many coincidences for it to have been unintentional on Jay Kristoff’s part. Based on this knowledge, as well as reviews I have read regarding relationships in his other books, I will no longer be supporting his work. If you are interested in reading his books, please consider checking them out from the library or buying them secondhand. If you have a platform, try not to promote his books without context. I hope that this review is helpful for folks who may not be aware of the discourse surrounding Jay Kristoff (as well as Emily A Duncan, but I haven’t read her books).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Slavery
This book contains a character who, in my opinion, is thinly veiled antisemitism. For more information, see my full review.