rainbowyeticorn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the third book of the series. The first is a short story, which the following two books including this one being full length novels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Confinement, and Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Colonisation, Deportation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Ableism
I really loved this series so much. The narrator does such a fabulous job bringing all the characters to life. I highly recommend reading the audiobook version over the print version or maybe reading and listening to both at the same time because in my opinion this is the best way to experience this fabulous book!therainbowshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
A super fun conclusion to this epic story! I'll miss meeting all of the city avatars and watching New York fight an otherworldly entity that weaponizes hate, political unrest, and corporate stores. I feel like I wanted a little more from the ending than this whole Digimon-esque wrapup, but was not deebly disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Police brutality, Racism, Transphobia, Gun violence, Deportation, Xenophobia, and Classism
pandact's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m sending this straight to Alex Kasman and MathFiction, because this is some quality speculative fiction! I’d say it’s four stars for literary content, leaving me fully satisfied, and five stars for my favorite audiobook production. The ambience and voice distortions gave me chills, and the narration pretty much voice acting (similar to The Original, but 100% less Audible)! It’s packed with scenes giving every beloved character a good payoff, and all the twists had satisfying, subtle hints that readers of the Broken Earth series will be familiar with. (I love seeing Padmini and Neek interact 🤩)
I liked the references to Lovecraftian lore (including the gory colors that I know from OSP), plus the witty pop culture and self-aware social justice. Most of all, the thing that this book excels at is the reason I love fiction: The Great Cities series is fantastic at giving you a new way of seeing the world. It flawlessly pulls off blending the real world with fictional battles, while also describing concepts from social justice with optimism. Thematically, it makes sense that almost every chapter is a different person as they all build a story, just like the cities of the world are built from the interaction of every person. The World We Make is well worth your time, and I’m going to spend money on it too since I promised myself I would if my favorite character made it (no spoilers)!
Similar stories: Middlegame, Wendell & Wild, Broken Earth, Lovecraft County
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Hate crime, Body horror, Colonisation, and Gun violence
zone_a3's review
challenging
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Although I love Jemisin's body of work as a whole, and I enjoyed The City We Became, this book missed the mark for me. I understand and sympathize when the author's expressed difficulties in tackling this series' premise given the state of the real world at the time of writing, but I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge that it clearly negatively impacted the book.
While there were certainly elements I enjoyed, (every glimpse at other Cities was excellent), when I look back at this book and compare it to its prequel, its faults become very apparent.
While there were certainly elements I enjoyed, (every glimpse at other Cities was excellent), when I look back at this book and compare it to its prequel, its faults become very apparent.
Spoiler
In Book 1, there is clear, pervasive, present danger. In Book 2, any time danger starts cropping up, it is immediately resolved with no consequences.Spoiler
In Book 1, a lot of effort is made to humanize all sides of the conflict. Jemisin makes it very clear that the villain doesn't "turn people evil", but rather people with certain (bigoted, hateful) beliefs are susceptible to evil influence. Useful idiots, if you will. If the villain disappeared in Book 1, many of the problems facing the heroes would persist. In Book 2, however, this nuance is completely gone. Useful idiots have been replaced with brainwashed zombies; and when the villain is defeated, it magically fixes all of the massive institutional problems the heroes were facing.Spoiler
A large portion of the conflict in this book stems from mature (in many cases, literally multiple centuries old) adults deliberately failing to communicate. This is attempted to be justified, but I don't think it worked.Spoiler
And of course there's the issue of pacing and the unavoidable plot rush of crunching a planned trilogy down into a single (significantly shorter) sequel. There just wasn't time to explore the ideas Jemisin had set up in Book 1 before Book 2 was over. It really felt like we gasped over the finish line; or maybe more accurately, we stopped short and just moved the finish line up.
I've been really harsh in the spoiler tags, so I want to pull back a bit and reiterate that the book does have good qualities; it just wasn't what I've come to look for from Jemisin as an author.
If you are largely discouraged/depressed by the state of the world, and want to have a bit of escapism to a version of reality where bad people get what's coming to them and evil is an external force which can be defeated, you'll probably have a good time with this book. If you prefer a more difficult, nuanced view of humanity and the nature of evil, with fewer clean, easy answers, you're probably better off sticking with Jemisin's other works.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Deportation, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, Homophobia, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Classism, Police brutality, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation
Minor: Deportation, Mental illness, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
azrah786's review
4.25
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I received a copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, body horror, hate crime, police brutality, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, deportation, toxic friendship
--
Another Jemisin gem, The World We Make is an action packed finale to the wonderfully whacky Great Cities duology.
The conflict between the boroughs of New York and the eldritch being that is hellbent on destroying them comes to its head, and with the Woman in White’s chaos putting the entire planet at stake the other Great Cities of the world are called upon to join the fray.
I loved being back with the avatars and with them being together more in this sequel we get a chance to appreciate the little found family they have formed. There are a lot of moving parts to the plot around the ongoing dispute at the heart of the saga including a dash of modern day politics, some character backstories, a continuation on the apt commentary on real world social issues, as well as multiverse shenanigans. It all makes for an entertaining conclusion to the story.
As ever Jemisin’s writing and storytelling immediately transports you, immersing you right back into the colour and noise of "the city that never sleeps". I mentioned in my review of The City We Became that being someone who has never visited New York myself I didn’t feel like I was able to appreciate all the nuances and allusions to the place but you definitely get a very vivid picture.
I absolutely loved that even more city avatars from around the world were introduced! Tokyo, Turkey, London – the handful of pages in the perspective of these other cities were so much fun and further displayed the vibrancy of Jemisin’s imagination. I just wish we could have had more time with them.
The only major let down for me was the final showdown that occurs as a result of everything that went down. It felt a little lacklustre and rushed.. However, considering the fact that the length of the series was reduced and the direction of the overall story was shifted (a completely understandable decision made by the author) I feel like everything was adequately wrapped up.
If you liked book 1 then this one is just as enjoyable! And if Jemisin ever decides to return to this series or world in the future I just want to put it out there again that this kind of story would be pretty cool in graphic novel form.. 👀
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
**I received a copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, gore, body horror, hate crime, police brutality, racism, racial slurs, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, deportation, toxic friendship
--
Another Jemisin gem, The World We Make is an action packed finale to the wonderfully whacky Great Cities duology.
The conflict between the boroughs of New York and the eldritch being that is hellbent on destroying them comes to its head, and with the Woman in White’s chaos putting the entire planet at stake the other Great Cities of the world are called upon to join the fray.
I loved being back with the avatars and with them being together more in this sequel we get a chance to appreciate the little found family they have formed. There are a lot of moving parts to the plot around the ongoing dispute at the heart of the saga including a dash of modern day politics, some character backstories, a continuation on the apt commentary on real world social issues, as well as multiverse shenanigans. It all makes for an entertaining conclusion to the story.
As ever Jemisin’s writing and storytelling immediately transports you, immersing you right back into the colour and noise of "the city that never sleeps". I mentioned in my review of The City We Became that being someone who has never visited New York myself I didn’t feel like I was able to appreciate all the nuances and allusions to the place but you definitely get a very vivid picture.
I absolutely loved that even more city avatars from around the world were introduced! Tokyo, Turkey, London – the handful of pages in the perspective of these other cities were so much fun and further displayed the vibrancy of Jemisin’s imagination. I just wish we could have had more time with them.
The only major let down for me was the final showdown that occurs as a result of everything that went down. It felt a little lacklustre and rushed.. However, considering the fact that the length of the series was reduced and the direction of the overall story was shifted (a completely understandable decision made by the author) I feel like everything was adequately wrapped up.
If you liked book 1 then this one is just as enjoyable! And if Jemisin ever decides to return to this series or world in the future I just want to put it out there again that this kind of story would be pretty cool in graphic novel form.. 👀
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Transphobia, Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Body horror, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gore, Deportation, and Blood
jazhandz's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
It’s never a good sign when the author says outright that the primary reason they’re writing a book is because they hate leaving things incomplete. The flaws of the first book are on full display here, and everything is painfully on the nose. The ending is a bit of an anticlimax, which makes sense because the pacing is a little off. All in all I was just disappointed. Not a terrible book but definitely not as good as the first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Body horror, Hate crime, and Toxic friendship
laguerrelewis's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-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
N.K. Jemisin does it again (is anyone surprised?)! I was both eagerly awaiting this installment to see what was next for these brilliant characters and incredibly imaginative world, but I had no clue how the story would pick up from its predecessor—and wrap things up in one go. Of course, however, Jemisin is not only a master of fiction, but is also a particular talent when it comes to sequels, and this is no exception. With our avatars more sure footed in their city-powers, the fun of this book comes in their found family dynamic and creative problem solving, which now takes on a grander scale to save the entire multiverse! It’s Epic, and an excellent final return to a fantastical NYC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Hate crime, Racism, Gun violence, Cultural appropriation, and Violence
kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Hate crime, Racism, and Xenophobia
travelseatsreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The City We Became was a fantastic read which tugged at my heartstrings for all things NYC, so I was very excited to get my hands on The World We Make. While I did enjoy it, unfortunately it wasn't the long awaited page-turner I was expecting.
Pretty much all the things I loved from TCWB have crossed over into TWEM including all the boroughs and the magic of the city itself. However, the author notes in her acknowledgments that she struggled to finish this book and it can be felt within the pages. Jemisin, like us all, has been drained by the effects of the pandemic and the many other unfathomable things occurring within our world over the last couple of years and sadly this therefore story suffered. It completely makes sense why, when the reality is in ways stranger than the fiction she was trying to write.
So a trilogy became a duology and while at times this condensing can be felt, all is not lost. It was still a really enjoyable book full of emotion and tension and the quirkiness of her well-developed characters. Sure some plotlines were left unfinished but I am hoping that maybe this was a subconscious thing and that someday she will come back to fill in the blanks.
Reading both TCWB and TWEM has shown me what an amazingly skilled writer Jemisin is, especially how well she crafts her characters and her world building, so I know I will definitely be checking out her back catalogue and keeping an eye out for what's to come!
Pretty much all the things I loved from TCWB have crossed over into TWEM including all the boroughs and the magic of the city itself. However, the author notes in her acknowledgments that she struggled to finish this book and it can be felt within the pages. Jemisin, like us all, has been drained by the effects of the pandemic and the many other unfathomable things occurring within our world over the last couple of years and sadly this therefore story suffered. It completely makes sense why, when the reality is in ways stranger than the fiction she was trying to write.
So a trilogy became a duology and while at times this condensing can be felt, all is not lost. It was still a really enjoyable book full of emotion and tension and the quirkiness of her well-developed characters. Sure some plotlines were left unfinished but I am hoping that maybe this was a subconscious thing and that someday she will come back to fill in the blanks.
Reading both TCWB and TWEM has shown me what an amazingly skilled writer Jemisin is, especially how well she crafts her characters and her world building, so I know I will definitely be checking out her back catalogue and keeping an eye out for what's to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Violence, War, Hate crime, and Xenophobia