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cramming's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
anonymous_blobfish's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
This was a fantastic conclusion to the Great Cities duology and another masterclass from Jemisin in how to say a huge fuck you to Lovecraft while still embracing the delight of cosmic horror.
Picking up shortly after the events of book 1, The World We Make follows the same cast of colourful characters who make up the New York City avatars. The Woman in White struck a heavy blow to the city but they are holding on. Until things get a whole lot worse. With a Trumpian mayoral candidate spouting harmful and discriminatory rhetoric, a collective of white supremacists inciting xenophobic violence, and a corrupt police force, the avatars cannot afford to lose sight of the Enemy, as her swirling mass of white tentacles hover over Staten Island. Can they find support among the other Great Cities? Or will New York need to handle this their own damn selves?
For anyone thinking of reading this book having loved book 1, I would encourage you to start by reading the authors note. I think there are some valid criticism of this book (which I will make shortly), but I also think Jemisin raised some incredibly important points in her note, especially regarding how this series was intended to go (initially planned as a trilogy) and how the realities of our world (no matter how closely they fit into the narrative) impacted her ability to write it.
Jemisin is truly a master of her craft. This book tells a very real and heavy story once you peel back the layers of tentacles: racism, fascism, homophobia, gentrification and exploitation. But she does it in a way that is entertaining and funny and sassy, all while being incredibly respectful. I laughed so many times reading this book, even while I was preparing to go to war to protect those that needed it.
That being said, I do not think this book was as good as book 1, no was it as good as it might have been. Jemisin acknowledges that much of her oomph for writing it was zapped away by the real-world horrors of COVID-19, and by the political parallels that were taking place. What this meant for this book is that its a bit rushed – after all, it’s a book shorter than first planned – and it relies on some pretty conveniently tidy plot revelations that didn’t feel entirely authentic to the story or the characters. It was a bit too neat and not quite as harrowing as I expected for this series and whilst I don’t hate that at all, it just didn’t ring authentic for me.
However… I still just loved this book. The characters are all so loveable and I’m sad I don’t get to spend more time with them. The plot was fascinating and I had a really fun time with a genre that is newer to me. I also think a special shout out needs to be given to Robin Miles for one of the best audiobook narration I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. She brings such life to this already lively story and really made it feel like home (if that makes any sense at all).
I highly recommend everything I’ve read by Jemisin so far but especially this duology. It was the perfect balance of seriousness and levity, whilst still holding with its cosmic horror themes.
Picking up shortly after the events of book 1, The World We Make follows the same cast of colourful characters who make up the New York City avatars. The Woman in White struck a heavy blow to the city but they are holding on. Until things get a whole lot worse. With a Trumpian mayoral candidate spouting harmful and discriminatory rhetoric, a collective of white supremacists inciting xenophobic violence, and a corrupt police force, the avatars cannot afford to lose sight of the Enemy, as her swirling mass of white tentacles hover over Staten Island. Can they find support among the other Great Cities? Or will New York need to handle this their own damn selves?
For anyone thinking of reading this book having loved book 1, I would encourage you to start by reading the authors note. I think there are some valid criticism of this book (which I will make shortly), but I also think Jemisin raised some incredibly important points in her note, especially regarding how this series was intended to go (initially planned as a trilogy) and how the realities of our world (no matter how closely they fit into the narrative) impacted her ability to write it.
Jemisin is truly a master of her craft. This book tells a very real and heavy story once you peel back the layers of tentacles: racism, fascism, homophobia, gentrification and exploitation. But she does it in a way that is entertaining and funny and sassy, all while being incredibly respectful. I laughed so many times reading this book, even while I was preparing to go to war to protect those that needed it.
That being said, I do not think this book was as good as book 1, no was it as good as it might have been. Jemisin acknowledges that much of her oomph for writing it was zapped away by the real-world horrors of COVID-19, and by the political parallels that were taking place. What this meant for this book is that its a bit rushed – after all, it’s a book shorter than first planned – and it relies on some pretty conveniently tidy plot revelations that didn’t feel entirely authentic to the story or the characters. It was a bit too neat and not quite as harrowing as I expected for this series and whilst I don’t hate that at all, it just didn’t ring authentic for me.
However… I still just loved this book. The characters are all so loveable and I’m sad I don’t get to spend more time with them. The plot was fascinating and I had a really fun time with a genre that is newer to me. I also think a special shout out needs to be given to Robin Miles for one of the best audiobook narration I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. She brings such life to this already lively story and really made it feel like home (if that makes any sense at all).
I highly recommend everything I’ve read by Jemisin so far but especially this duology. It was the perfect balance of seriousness and levity, whilst still holding with its cosmic horror themes.
cgriffiths4's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kitkatsbookden's review against another edition
5.0
Ok I definitely need to go back and re read The City We Became because I rated that one 2.5 stars and this was completely fantastic.
kaitlyn_murgatroyd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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? No
4.75
alreadyemily's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 somehow not as charming as the first book; took me a while to warm up but I still enjoyed it and N.K. is such a talented writer it's impossible not to appreciate the work.
tay_b7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.0
ecos9's review against another edition
I needed some time to think about this one before drafting a review.
I love NK Jemison. I adore all of the novels I’ve read of hers. The City We Became was brilliant, and funny, and scary and … alive.
This one, however, was tired. The story was excellent and the characters were who I’ve known and loved. But I had such a hard time getting through this one. In the afterword she mentioned changing the series from a trilogy to a duology, and that she considered stopped after the first book altogether. Part of me wishes she had waited a few more years before revisiting this series. I wonder if more distance would have been refreshing instead of exhausting.
I still love Jemison and will read everything of hers I can get my hands on. I just feel like this deserved more.
I love NK Jemison. I adore all of the novels I’ve read of hers. The City We Became was brilliant, and funny, and scary and … alive.
This one, however, was tired. The story was excellent and the characters were who I’ve known and loved. But I had such a hard time getting through this one. In the afterword she mentioned changing the series from a trilogy to a duology, and that she considered stopped after the first book altogether. Part of me wishes she had waited a few more years before revisiting this series. I wonder if more distance would have been refreshing instead of exhausting.
I still love Jemison and will read everything of hers I can get my hands on. I just feel like this deserved more.
edgiles4's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0