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joeillereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i’m honestly not quite sure how to rate this book so it’s quite likely that my rating could change in the future.
pros: i loved hoa and learning more about his backstory. the world building is beautiful as always. this book like the rest of the series touches on themes of motherhood, generational trauma, climate change, colonialism and racism in a profound way. i also loved the found family aspects from castrima. i thought the ending was very satisfying and it brought all the threads together.
cons: i just couldn’t connect with nassun and by extension schaffa, and that was half the book. i missed characters from the previous books, esp alabaster. i literally found myself trying to get through the nassun chapters as fast as possible so i could get back to essun, who really did not ever get the credit she deserved. i also wanted more reasoning for why hoa was so attached to essun… like im a fan of it but it was so underexplained. and the technical aspects once again could have done with being explained in a clearer way.
overall this is a very very good fantasy series and definitely worth the read. but i would say the best book in the series is the first one, and when expectations are set so high in book one, it is hard to live up to them. it was still a wild and enjoyable ride, and n k jemisin is a masterful writer.
pros: i loved hoa and learning more about his backstory. the world building is beautiful as always. this book like the rest of the series touches on themes of motherhood, generational trauma, climate change, colonialism and racism in a profound way. i also loved the found family aspects from castrima. i thought the ending was very satisfying and it brought all the threads together.
cons: i just couldn’t connect with nassun and by extension schaffa, and that was half the book. i missed characters from the previous books, esp alabaster. i literally found myself trying to get through the nassun chapters as fast as possible so i could get back to essun, who really did not ever get the credit she deserved. i also wanted more reasoning for why hoa was so attached to essun… like im a fan of it but it was so underexplained. and the technical aspects once again could have done with being explained in a clearer way.
overall this is a very very good fantasy series and definitely worth the read. but i would say the best book in the series is the first one, and when expectations are set so high in book one, it is hard to live up to them. it was still a wild and enjoyable ride, and n k jemisin is a masterful writer.
elliefs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
vqdo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cottonmouse42's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
randombookreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
janivewe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.75
violet_j_rose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
djorgenson112358's review against another edition
5.0
This is just stellar story telling. This is a world that feels so real. There just keeps being more layers to it. I love the sense of time she gives this world. Everyone knows that others came before them and were destroyed. The wreckage of past ages come and gone are always on the horizon.
It's a harsh world and quite often so are the people. They just feel real. There's complexity to them. You can find everything; good, bad, heroic, funny, brittle, sad, caring.
I love the scope of the story. I love the writing. I love the characters. I love the way she writes. When I started the second book in this trilogy, I had this feeling that I'd made it home after a long time away. Her style is just that distinctive and engaging.
With this book, I reached a point where it was just a compulsion to read through to the end. I'm going to be recommending this series till the end of time.
It's a harsh world and quite often so are the people. They just feel real. There's complexity to them. You can find everything; good, bad, heroic, funny, brittle, sad, caring.
I love the scope of the story. I love the writing. I love the characters. I love the way she writes. When I started the second book in this trilogy, I had this feeling that I'd made it home after a long time away. Her style is just that distinctive and engaging.
With this book, I reached a point where it was just a compulsion to read through to the end. I'm going to be recommending this series till the end of time.