azrah786's review against another edition
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
lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Police brutality and Transphobia
jazhandz's review against another edition
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
ninjamuse'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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Injury/injury detail and Transphobia
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
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
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The World We Make is not as strong as The City We Became, IMO, but it was still fun and smart and definitely worth reading.
For you if: You have ever lived in NYC.
FULL REVIEW:
The World We Make is the much-anticipated follow-up to N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became, which tells the story of New York City’s essence coming to life in human avatars as they battle an opposing force intent on preventing the city’s birth. I really loved TCWB — especially as someone living in Jersey City (IYKYK) — and liked TWWM, although not as much as the first one.
The good stuff: A lot! Jemisin is clever and funny and so smart. I loved spending more time with these hilarious, big-hearted characters. And she just really knows how to write an exciting, engaging story.
The neutral: TWWM goes much deeper into the sci-fi part of the story, whereas the first book concentrated more on personifying NYC and each of its boroughs — this duology is an homage and critique of Lovecraftian sci-fi in a super smart way. I am afraid it might lose steam for some of TCWB’s readers who don’t do as much sci-fi, but it’s absolutely worth a shot.
The less-than-stellar part was that the ending did feel rushed and not as surprising as I would have expected from Jemisin. The reason is pretty clearly laid out in her acknowledgments: She started this series, originally planned as a trilogy, before COVID and Trump. Those things changed us, and changed NYC, while she was in the middle of the project. It took all of her emotional labor just to give the story an ending — and as a reader, you can feel it.
Still, I really enjoyed this duology and I think it’s 100% worth reading, especially if you’re from or have ever lived in NYC!
TL;DR REVIEW:
The World We Make is not as strong as The City We Became, IMO, but it was still fun and smart and definitely worth reading.
For you if: You have ever lived in NYC.
FULL REVIEW:
The World We Make is the much-anticipated follow-up to N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became, which tells the story of New York City’s essence coming to life in human avatars as they battle an opposing force intent on preventing the city’s birth. I really loved TCWB — especially as someone living in Jersey City (IYKYK) — and liked TWWM, although not as much as the first one.
The good stuff: A lot! Jemisin is clever and funny and so smart. I loved spending more time with these hilarious, big-hearted characters. And she just really knows how to write an exciting, engaging story.
The neutral: TWWM goes much deeper into the sci-fi part of the story, whereas the first book concentrated more on personifying NYC and each of its boroughs — this duology is an homage and critique of Lovecraftian sci-fi in a super smart way. I am afraid it might lose steam for some of TCWB’s readers who don’t do as much sci-fi, but it’s absolutely worth a shot.
The less-than-stellar part was that the ending did feel rushed and not as surprising as I would have expected from Jemisin. The reason is pretty clearly laid out in her acknowledgments: She started this series, originally planned as a trilogy, before COVID and Trump. Those things changed us, and changed NYC, while she was in the middle of the project. It took all of her emotional labor just to give the story an ending — and as a reader, you can feel it.
Still, I really enjoyed this duology and I think it’s 100% worth reading, especially if you’re from or have ever lived in NYC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Police brutality and Transphobia
dgarrison's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.75
If you enjoyed the first book then you will most likely enjoy the sequel. The book was originally intended to be a trilogy, but was changed to a Duology for reasons Jemisin explains in the acknowledgments section at the end.
Unfortunately, it kind of shows that it was intended to be a trilogy. The ending feels really rushed. Things start happening and then it just ends.
But still I’m glad she finished it up even though it was so hard for her. Yet, it’s still a good book and very well written. And like I said if you enjoyed the first book then you will likely enjoy this one as well.
Unfortunately, it kind of shows that it was intended to be a trilogy. The ending feels really rushed. Things start happening and then it just ends.
But still I’m glad she finished it up even though it was so hard for her. Yet, it’s still a good book and very well written. And like I said if you enjoyed the first book then you will likely enjoy this one as well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism
literaryintersections's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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
I absolutely love this duology. It’s funny, it’s wild, it’s true and realistic while being extremely fantasy. As I said in my review of TCWB, there are some of the best representations of Staten Island in Aislyn. I adored seeing avatars from other cities and learning about those cities. This book is just so NYC: hard and tough, loyal, sweet, vulnerable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Transphobia
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
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
ok7a's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Hate crime, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and Classism