Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

NKJ is a continuous safe go-to for great stories. Of course I loved Nahadoth, but Yeine and Sieh were amazing protagonists. Even the villains were great, although I would've liked it just a touch more if Yeine had had at least one positive female relationship in the story. With that said, the men (and/or male presenting) on her side were diverse in personalities and enjoyable. Can't wait to read more!

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pizzasprite's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Being a big fan of The Broken Earth trilogy and The City We Became, I wanted to read Jemisin's first novel. However, I felt a little let down by this one. Jemisin is a master of lore and world building, and this book is no exception. Her narrative style, as always, blows me away. However, I felt the characters weren't as fleshed-out as they could be. The incest and sexual abuse were also hard to get over. This is not to say that any story that depicts dark topics are automatically bad, but it's just not my cup of tea. Still, I wanted to stick through it to the end, and will admit the ending's payoff is good. Casaundra Freeman's narration is also excellent.

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ruthlessreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time. It is spectacularly written with characters that you love & grow close to quickly and some that you hate. It has a plot that would satisfy even the most discerning of readers and I can't wait to read the next book & find out where the story is going next.

When Yeine Darr's mother dies, she is called to the throne of the king & given the shock of a lifetime: she is the granddaughter of the king & he has named her heiress, throwing her into the middle of a vicious & brutal competition for the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. However, as her relationship with the Enefadah (gods who were enslaved by the ruling class after losing a cosmic war against their sibling) deepens & begins to change, Yeine learns more secrets about the throne than she ever could have imagined. When she finally learns something about herself that shakes her to her core, she must decide how to use this new discovery to her advantage before time runs out & the next heir to the throne is chosen!

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anxiousnachos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

5.0

So mad at myself and the world for the fact I didn’t know N.K Jemisin had a god/monster fucking book ARE YOU KIDDING. And it’s amazing. Of course it is, it’s N.K Jemisin. Okay so this is a fantasy romance (ish) between a monster god who is enslaved alongside his god children and a mortal girl who is forced into the plans to free his family by the scheming of her dead mother. This is one of those books where you will have no idea what is going on at times but you will love it and if you just go along with it, it will all begin to make sense. There is a mystery as Yeine tries to work out the truth behind her mother’s death and the slavery of the gods, there is an absolutely incredibly interesting religion that is built wonderfully (I do think worldbuilding is always one of the things N.K Jemisin does best), and there is just an amazing sexy, kinky dynamic between Nahadoth and Yeine, in this god/mortal romance. I LOVED IT. Inject this trope into my veins please and thank you. There is such an interesting parallel to the behaviour of the gods and the behaviour of the human characters, made clear by a line one the gods says ‘we made you in our image’, and just, gah, it’s so clear where the passion and selfishness and ambition of the human characters come from. SO WELL DONE. I read 50 pages of this book and immediately went out and bought the sequels to prepare, because I knew I’d need to read them as soon as I finished, it was that good.

Content warnings: violence, murder, death, incest, torture, body horror, blood, gore, slavery, sex, consensual violence during sex, cannibalism, pedophilia, death of a parent, alcoholism, war

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