Returning to books I’ve read before is always an interesting undertaking for me. Logically, it shouldn’t be much different from re-watching a movie or revisiting a favorite video game. Still, there is a certain thrill that I feel when I crack open an old copy of a book. It’s exciting thinking about reliving the moments within, from the victorious action scenes to the heartbreaking tragic ones.

But much as I enjoy returning to books, I’m always hesitant because I can only read so much at a time; sometimes I feel like I ought to be moving ahead with something brand new rather than risk wasting my time retreading old territory.

I’ve not reread a book in a while, but I famously reread the Eragon series multiple times in my teen years, one read-through (at least) before each new book came out. The last time I read it, a few years after the Inheritance Cycle was finished, I felt this sense of finality as I closed Inheritance. I kind of knew that that was likely the last time I’d explore Alagaësia as I said a fond farewell to the land I knew and loved. Years later I still haven’t touched those books, and beyond a brief but fun collection of short stories Paolini released in the interim, I haven’t returned to the series (though I’m still dying to see where Murtagh’s story goes – I mean, come on).

So that brings me to the topic at hand. I first read Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight around the time Darkdawn (book three of the series) came out. I knew nothing about it going into it, though something about the dust cover summary of cutthroat assassins fanatically devoted to a goddess piqued my interest. As a habitual Warlock player with my D&D group, the presence of a mysterious shadow familiar named Mister Kindly certainly sweetened the deal.

What followed was a captivating tale of thievery, murder, and revenge starring a cast of characters that, if I knew in real life, I might honestly dislike. The narrator makes it clear from the very beginning that this wasn’t going to be a heroic story, and though our heroine has her redeeming qualities, you’d be hard pressed to call her a good person. There was a pulp-like attraction from page one, like I was peeking into a world of secrets and taboo. Married with an almost poetic prose, I knew I’d stumbled onto something special.

Don’t believe me? Just drop by your local bookstore and glance through chapter one. Fair warning: it starts off with both smut and bloody murder near-simultaneously. If you can stomach that, I promise you’ll be sold.

Fast forward to 2022 and I catch word of a new printing of the Nevernight Chronicles from Litjoy. In addition to goodies including color illustrations, engraved leather binding, and a couple art prints to boot, the entire trilogy would be filled with handwritten annotations from Jay Kristoff himself. This was the true selling point for me,which also convinced me to begin a second reading of the series.

The books on their own stand as a good repeated read due to masterful foreshadowing that honestly enthralled me as I caught the double entendres I’d missed before. But as someone who has finally managed to get their first real writing project off the ground, these annotations have already proven immensely helpful. Social media is a godsend for keen insights into the writing process from my favorite authors, but these page-by-page notes provide illumination and lessons that I immediately took and applied to my own writing.

This special edition came out at the perfect time for me as I try to find my footing as a writer. As I worked through Nevernight again, I noticed an irony unique to these editions (slight Darkdawn spoiler ahead). The original books themselves stand as in-universe texts written by a character that becomes very familiar to the reader. The footnotes included in the original text are written in their hand which I took as a fascinating way to undergo worldbuilding that I’ve seen a sadly small number of authors try out. Coupling that with Kristoff’s new annotations, it began to feel like something of a non-fictitious, educational book for me. It moved the book from an in-universe historical account to what can almost be a textbook that I was studying. From my perspective as an aspiring writer, I honestly plan on referring back to these notes for tips and pointers in the future.

Worldbuilding will always be one of the primary ways I evaluate media that I enjoy. That’s part of why I love Lord of the Rings and Star Wars so much; there’s a massive world beneath the pages themselves that I can just fall into and believe can be real. Going back to Eragon, I’ve spent far too much time just staring at the maps inset into the books, tracing the paths that the main characters took throughout the series.

Thanks to the annotations, my second reading of Nevernight provided just as much utility in analyzing the writing itself as enjoying the story once again. The footnotes of the original Nevernight Chronicles and now the added annotations make the Republic of Itreya feel all the more real and contribute to making this book one of my absolute favorites. It was a pleasure to return to Mia Corvere and Mister Kindly, and I will certainly be continuing to Godsgrave soon.