mossgoblins's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Excrement, Body horror, Gore, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Grief, Pregnancy, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
studydniowka's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, Confinement, Classism, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child death, Torture, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Medical trauma, Body horror, and Blood
paigeinabook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Medical trauma, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Violence
gogoisopodranger's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Medical trauma, and War
decklededgess's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A biting allegory for the atlantic slave trade and the treatment of enslaved folk, representation of generational trauma and the pain of choices made to protect and survive, and so much more.
It's a three part timeline following three characters in different eras of this world leading up to the catastrophic natural disaster that will lead to the next seasonal change that occurs in this universe. Each character is living an entirely different life: a child getting recruited into an academy to train her powers, a trainee going on her first mission, and a women with powers who was in hiding and is now in search of her kidnapped child.
I had no idea where anything was headed nor what the goal of the book was outside of survival. In that way I suppose this is a dystopic apocalypse survival book as well as a fantasy. Every new detail revealed was a depressing shock to the system as I read yet everything that led me to say, well what the hell else did I expect that's the dire reality of this world and the real world tragedies it's referencing.
I look forward to the next two books with trepidation.
Graphic: War, Trafficking, Slavery, Murder, Domestic abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, Body horror, Vomit, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death
pabuk's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Slavery, and Classism
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Trafficking, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
rebeccajost's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Genocide, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy and Vomit
shoekins's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Medical trauma
hanarama's review against another edition
- 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
- Slow, organic world building
- Thorough character examinations
- Surprising reveals
The Bad:
- Sad, at times the story feels very hopeless.
You Might Like this if You Like:
- Creative fantasy worlds and magic systems
- Character-driven narratives
- Slowly revealed twists/mysteries
The Broken Earth Trilogy has been on my tbr for a long time, and now I'm kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. N. K. Jemisin is a master in storytelling and world building.
In a world that has ended more times than can be remembered, human society has become adept at picking up the pieces. The Fifth Season explores the lives of three orogens, people with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy and influence the tectonic activity of the earth. They are also widely regarded as dangerous and volatile, able to bring about the end of the world with a shrug.
Damaya is a young girl, a newly discovered orogen. She works to survive her training and to prove herself as smart and talented.
Syenite, is a skilled orogen, paired with a new mentor. She chaffs against the establishment and her off-putting new teacher.
And Essun, a grieving mother searching for her daughter and the man that killed her son.
Through them, Jemisin introduces us to a tumultuous world that threatens to break people down at every turn. It's hostile, but magical and breathtaking. And the stories of the main characters reveal how drive, love, and personal strength can alter the laws of nature.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Slavery