galacticvampire's review against another edition
5.0
"Stupid, stupid woman. Death was always here. Death is you."
I was enamoured by the concept of The Fifth Season from the first time I heard about it years ago, added to overall praise for the series, I was coming with high expectations.
And it delivered. Everything and more.
The execution not only lives up to the concept, but surpasses it. The suspense isn't there to pull the rug from under your feet in a gotcha moment, it's carefully crafted into the story, where the reveals are satisfying and spark the need for more, even when you caught what the foreshadowing was trying to tell you.
The world is so rich and complex that the initial struggle to follow what was going on (including the recurrent second person pov) has an immense pay-off. The feeling of wonder didn't leave me for a second.
I'm very much on the transition from YA to Adult Fantasy, so the very real darkness and grittiness surrounding everything was unexpected, but I couldn't have picked a better book to make me fall in love with the genre.
This is a story about Pain. This is a story about Grief. This is a story about enduring them and surviving them, because you have no other option.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Sexual content, Rape, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Racism, and Xenophobia
ghostofefrant'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: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Body horror, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
ecmbeanie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Racism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
zaharya'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? Yes
4.75
The characterisation is brilliant! The world building is very unique, and delivered very well as it gradually expanded.
Definitely darker than I initially expected — I went in knowing basically nothing about it, so that’s not very difficult — but not in a way that felt like it was just for shock.
The writing itself is extremely good, and the second person POV is an interesting change from the usual third or first person — which are also included though.
Definitely picking up the second one right away.
Graphic: Violence and Racism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, and Slavery
Minor: Cannibalism and Sexual content
abmochapman'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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Child abuse
Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Misogyny, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cannibalism and Slavery
laraveliants'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
The Fifth Season seemed hella intimidating before I started it, and it still kind of is after reading it because it’s a book with so much complexity to it. All the new words, places, and terms were really confusing at first so I became best friends with the glossary lol. This book has three POVs and one of them is in the second person which was uncommon, if not, new for me to read. It was an interesting experience to read in the second person and I found that I didn’t mind it. I liked Jemisin’s writing and her world-building was immaculate.
How the Orogenes used their abilities fascinated me and it just proved that they’re really powerful. Essun, Syenite, and Damaya are the main characters of the book and I love when the connection between the three of them revealed itself.
I loved the representations this book gave. The majority of the characters were people of color. There’s also LGBTQIA+ representation in the book. There were gay, bi/pan, and trans characters and a poly relationship.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Grief, Slavery, Racism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Cannibalism
katiev9beb5'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
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Child death, Racism, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Bullying, Police brutality, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Body horror
Minor: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
tiffanykw'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: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Animal death, Classism, Genocide, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Physical abuse
chthonicgod'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
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Rape, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
vivavia'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Slavery, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Torture, Vomit, Violence, and Classism