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brynalexa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.5
I don’t have much to say about this as it has run together with the first which I think is a strength of the series. The completely intertwined storylines are smart and intricate and hold the story together perfectly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, and Alcohol
leguinstan's review
dark
emotional
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 am just amazed at how this series breathes new life into the epic fantasy genre AND the apocalyptic genre. The magic system is unlike anything I've read in other fantasy novels and the world-building is beautifully done *chef's kiss*. You really get a good sense of how the setting influences the behavior of individuals and the social mores of larger communities. I have a hard time picturing any of the characters existing in other fictional universes.
One of my biggest pet peeves in (post-)apocalyptic stories is the abundance of cartoonishly self-serving characters. I'm happy to say this is very much NOT the case in this series. While several character act in a self-serving manner I never got the sense that any of these characters were inherently selfish and each individual self-serving act is understandable considering the past experiences and current circumstances of these aforementioned characters.
I also love how there are not just two, but several groups in this novel with opposing goals and priorities. It's not just Essun and her allies vs. a singular group in direct opposition to her plans. I also really like that we got a better understanding of the stone eaters in this novel.
My only complaint about The Obelisk Gate in particular is that the pacing drags during the many discussions between Essun and Alabaster. Luckily the relationship and history between the two characters are absolutely fascinating and their discussions are very relevant to the plot. Regardless, a fantastic follow-up to The Fifth Season!!
One of my biggest pet peeves in (post-)apocalyptic stories is the abundance of cartoonishly self-serving characters. I'm happy to say this is very much NOT the case in this series. While several character act in a self-serving manner I never got the sense that any of these characters were inherently selfish and each individual self-serving act is understandable considering the past experiences and current circumstances of these aforementioned characters.
I also love how there are not just two, but several groups in this novel with opposing goals and priorities. It's not just Essun and her allies vs. a singular group in direct opposition to her plans. I also really like that we got a better understanding of the stone eaters in this novel.
My only complaint about The Obelisk Gate in particular is that the pacing drags during the many discussions between Essun and Alabaster. Luckily the relationship and history between the two characters are absolutely fascinating and their discussions are very relevant to the plot. Regardless, a fantastic follow-up to The Fifth Season!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Genocide, Racism, and Cannibalism
Minor: Ableism and Sexual content
The racism is fantastical in nature and has very little to do with our real-world understanding of race. Ableism: so this is an apocalyptic setting and there is talk of physically disabled characters being a drain on resources and not contributing as much to the survival of their communities. Not a major theme in the novel, but it does come up several times. Cannibalismthewileyseven's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, and Murder
talasterism's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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
4.75
SLIGHTLY worse than the first one but still SOOO good, i love the lore of this world so much and the povs of this one were !!!! AND ALABESTER BEING A STONE EATER jt makes so much sense no???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Torture and War
sarasreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
Knocking a little off only because I am somehow still confused about which side is which in this war triangle, who they are, what they want, and how they want to get it. I feel like it was explained several times, but also not really?
And so much of the theory in the world building is confusing to me. Either it is as complex as I think it is, or it was just hard for me to understand because I was on a lot of medication while reading this. All in all a good portion of this book was difficult for me to follow.
Still, I absolutely could not put this down and flew through it in like 2 days, staying up well into the wee hours of the night. I'll just read more about it on wikipedia or something to try and understand the magic and political systems.
I cannot wait for the last installment!
And so much of the theory in the world building is confusing to me. Either it is as complex as I think it is, or it was just hard for me to understand because I was on a lot of medication while reading this. All in all a good portion of this book was difficult for me to follow.
Still, I absolutely could not put this down and flew through it in like 2 days, staying up well into the wee hours of the night. I'll just read more about it on wikipedia or something to try and understand the magic and political systems.
I cannot wait for the last installment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror and War
ecmbeanie's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Cannibalism, and Colonisation
emilymia's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Cannibalism
farleighelse's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
expands on stone eaters. more on what happens during a season and how it affects environment. a guardian lost, losing his original drive. starts to care for oregones. Fucked up moon. child abuse and trauma. multiple POVs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, and Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual content and Torture
ergogretchen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
savvylit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
(Review is for the whole trilogy but still spoiler-free:)
This series was absolutely riveting and compelling. The Broken Earth trilogy is not only a sci-fi/fantasy epic but also a centuries-spanning mystery. Jemisin's characterization and world-building are perfection. Personally, I do not usually enjoy books with heavily detailed world-building, but my interest in the characters kept me invested long enough to accept and eventually delight in the setting of Broken Earth. Syenite, Alabaster, Essun, Lerna, Innon, Tonkee, Hoa, Nassun, Ykka... I truly fell in love with each of these often deeply flawed humans being stretched to the limits of survival.
This trilogy is stunning for its honesty and nuance regarding the spectrum of humanity. Among the known characters, there is no strict good vs. evil dichotomy. There are just humans with or without the knowledge to make the right decisions. Even characters who seem to be enemies are more complex than that. Additionally, Jemisin's characters often challenge the gender binary and celebrate love in all forms. Lastly, beyond the multi-faceted people, this series contains disturbing and thought-provoking analogies for real world oppression and hatred. The subject matter is heavy but realistically and compassionately portrayed. I can't wait to read more of Jemisin's work!
This series was absolutely riveting and compelling. The Broken Earth trilogy is not only a sci-fi/fantasy epic but also a centuries-spanning mystery. Jemisin's characterization and world-building are perfection. Personally, I do not usually enjoy books with heavily detailed world-building, but my interest in the characters kept me invested long enough to accept and eventually delight in the setting of Broken Earth. Syenite, Alabaster, Essun, Lerna, Innon, Tonkee, Hoa, Nassun, Ykka... I truly fell in love with each of these often deeply flawed humans being stretched to the limits of survival.
This trilogy is stunning for its honesty and nuance regarding the spectrum of humanity. Among the known characters, there is no strict good vs. evil dichotomy. There are just humans with or without the knowledge to make the right decisions. Even characters who seem to be enemies are more complex than that. Additionally, Jemisin's characters often challenge the gender binary and celebrate love in all forms. Lastly, beyond the multi-faceted people, this series contains disturbing and thought-provoking analogies for real world oppression and hatred. The subject matter is heavy but realistically and compassionately portrayed. I can't wait to read more of Jemisin's work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail