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escowhat2's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
butkerfingers's review against another edition
70 pages in, I still had absolutely no idea what was going on. I'm not a huge fan of literary impressionism.
allieo104's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
chasinggrace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
An adult dystopian masterpiece like no other. The main character’s development is immaculate.
I loved how Syen was a unique view into motherhood, and how Essun looked at motherhood so differently that it’s almost unbelievable that they are the same person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
baileyrando's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
elliefs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
rebeccazh's review against another edition
4.0
That was good! Heavy spoilers near the end of my review.
The bad: this book had some pacing issues. The premise of the book is really strong - Essun just lost her son and is looking for her daughter - but the middle part was really slow, and then it suddenly gets really intense in the last part. The book is sort of light on plot, heavy on worldbuilding. I was also not a huge fan of the writing. It's evocative and descriptive, but sometimes it's too vague and I was confused about the sensory details of a scene. I couldn't picture what was happening.
The good: It's a fascinating world that Jemisin has created. This is a whole society built around the earth and it's reflected in the language. I was thankful there was a glossary, unlike Gideon the Ninth, where I had to fumble my way through and was still confused by the end of the book. Jemisin built a whole history, with lore (!), and different segments of society, in this book. Through the course of the book, we discover the dark secrets of this world - the society is built heavily on the exploitation of an underclass, the orogenes.
Two things that really stood out to me. I've read Jemisin's other series and really loved them, but this was the first series of hers that I felt like there was quite a bit of social commentary. The parallel between the exploitation and oppression of the orogenes, and real world events, felt very real. The lived experience of being born an orogene, hated and feared, less than human, was so sharply written.
The second thing I really liked was the characters, Damaya, Syenite and Essun. They are the same woman, at different points in her life. This is the biggest plot twist. I was totally blown away. The three of them are so different, but there is a thread of similarity. In hindsight, certain things make a lot of sense, and I loved that I could see this continuity - Damaya's adherence to the rules, excelling in the system; Syenite fully internalising the teachings of the Fulcrum, appearing to believe everything that was forced onto her; Essun hiding her identity and living a life built on lies, albeit a happy one, for the past few years. At the heart of it, as Essun reflects, she doesn't really know who she is. She camouflages to fit in, and did so in all three 'stages' of her life. It makes a lot of sense to me. Oftentimes with othering and exploitation, people internalise the harsh external gaze of society and lose their sense of self and don't really know who they are, what they're capable of, and how to accept and like themselves. I particularly loved how both Damaya and Syenite struggled with this - Damaya reminding herself that she is a weapon and she's fine being alone, and Syenite's subtle dislike and prejudice of other orogenes (who are exactly like her). It was so well written. I loved the chapter titles too.
The second person narration worked surprisingly well for Essun. There is really a sense of disorientation, like she's cut adrift.
The audio book was very good. It was thanks to this that I got through the rather slow middle part.
The bad: this book had some pacing issues. The premise of the book is really strong - Essun just lost her son and is looking for her daughter - but the middle part was really slow, and then it suddenly gets really intense in the last part. The book is sort of light on plot, heavy on worldbuilding. I was also not a huge fan of the writing. It's evocative and descriptive, but sometimes it's too vague and I was confused about the sensory details of a scene. I couldn't picture what was happening.
The good: It's a fascinating world that Jemisin has created. This is a whole society built around the earth and it's reflected in the language. I was thankful there was a glossary, unlike Gideon the Ninth, where I had to fumble my way through and was still confused by the end of the book. Jemisin built a whole history, with lore (!), and different segments of society, in this book. Through the course of the book, we discover the dark secrets of this world - the society is built heavily on the exploitation of an underclass, the orogenes.
Two things that really stood out to me. I've read Jemisin's other series and really loved them, but this was the first series of hers that I felt like there was quite a bit of social commentary. The parallel between the exploitation and oppression of the orogenes, and real world events, felt very real. The lived experience of being born an orogene, hated and feared, less than human, was so sharply written.
The second thing I really liked was the characters, Damaya, Syenite and Essun. They are the same woman, at different points in her life. This is the biggest plot twist. I was totally blown away. The three of them are so different, but there is a thread of similarity. In hindsight, certain things make a lot of sense, and I loved that I could see this continuity - Damaya's adherence to the rules, excelling in the system; Syenite fully internalising the teachings of the Fulcrum, appearing to believe everything that was forced onto her; Essun hiding her identity and living a life built on lies, albeit a happy one, for the past few years. At the heart of it, as Essun reflects, she doesn't really know who she is. She camouflages to fit in, and did so in all three 'stages' of her life. It makes a lot of sense to me. Oftentimes with othering and exploitation, people internalise the harsh external gaze of society and lose their sense of self and don't really know who they are, what they're capable of, and how to accept and like themselves. I particularly loved how both Damaya and Syenite struggled with this - Damaya reminding herself that she is a weapon and she's fine being alone, and Syenite's subtle dislike and prejudice of other orogenes (who are exactly like her). It was so well written. I loved the chapter titles too.
The second person narration worked surprisingly well for Essun. There is really a sense of disorientation, like she's cut adrift.
The audio book was very good. It was thanks to this that I got through the rather slow middle part.
sadtourist's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Seriously stunning book. Jemisin is my dream author: wonderful storyteller; has a unique and stunning writing style; doesn't assume that the reader is stupid and over-explains things, but rather challenges you to follow along and make connections yourself; and actually closes open-ended questions and doesn't leave any obvious plot holes.
I'm not usually a fantasy reader, but I like dystopian, speculative, and science fiction, but I'm so glad I decided to give this a go! (I was looking up books in genres I like that are by women authors and have 4+ stars on Storygraph, so that's where I discovered this series).
I'm not usually a fantasy reader, but I like dystopian, speculative, and science fiction, but I'm so glad I decided to give this a go! (I was looking up books in genres I like that are by women authors and have 4+ stars on Storygraph, so that's where I discovered this series).
mehon123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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