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ludiviin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.25
this book was overall very intriguing and compelling. it started out very nice; jemisin has a good foundation laid out and she eases you into the world building so smoothly. but towards the middle-end, i felt things start to drag out a bit, and the resolution felt super quick. there was soooo much building up and up and up and so much tension and so many factors to look out for, and then the way things got cleaned up in maybe 5 minutes of reading upset me a bit. i wouldn’t say it was detrimental to the feel of the book, it was still done well and in good writing, but it’s just something i noticed. the characters are so much fun to follow along with as they all really guide the story. there’s a glossary at the end of the book if you’re having trouble keeping up with everyone or the world’s specific vocabulary, but THE GLOSSARY DOES SPOIL. i think if you’re looking for a world to feel super immersed in and characters to adore, it’s definitely worth your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
iinavarro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Slavery, and War
_forestofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to like this because it's written by one of my favorite authors, but this was just not the book for me. I am fully aware this was a debut, but I was so utterly disappointed by this book, I must rant, just a little...
reasons why I didn't like this book (strap in, it's not a short journey)
- the characters were fairly 1-dimensional (Ehiru's entire personality is his religion; Nijiri is basically the same and he is wildly naïve, and Sunandi is supposed to be a spy but is the most temperamental and rigid of all of them)
- the villain was boring and predictable (as were their motivations)
- the world building was interesting, but unfortunately the descriptions left a lot to be desired, specifically the environments. I couldn't picture anything because Gujareeh (where you spend the majority of the book) is never really described in any kind of detail.
- the society is absolutely sexist, classist, racist and ableist and none of these issues are ever challenged by the characters or even seen as wrong. It's just part of the world building. The main societal issue that is addressed is if killing is bad
- adding on to the last bit ^^ the morality in this is absolutely black and white for the characters until the end where some of them go "oh I guess I can see where you are coming from, even though I have been an absolute nightmare toward you and hoped you would die since I've known you" and then two pages later they are at each others throats again. (I just really don't like a black and white morality system in anything I read, I find it boring, but if you like that you might enjoy the characters more than I did.)
- the age-gap crush really made me ill; not because the character who is underage was crushing on someone twice their age, that happens sometimes, but because the crush (the man in this scenario who is in his 50s, and the mentor and father figure of this teenager) knew the kid had a crush on him and allowed it, didn't talk to him about it and even had a line where he said he was being selfish but he wanted to accept that "love" from this teenager because he had no one else to love him. Which is somewhat understandable until you remember that this CHILD spends half the book calling him his father figure and his lover in the same breath?? no thank you.
- the hypocrisy of the characters
the things I liked:
- the writing itself, the prose (minus the strange lack of description)
- the world-building (names, the magic which was kinda cool, but not very original)
- the fact this was standalone, because despite the fact there is a second book it's not following these characters
- the tension and intrigue of the first act, which was honestly great, it just fell apart after that
in summation:
- I was constantly expecting a deeper meaning, a deeper more interesting conversation, a lesson or something, and it never happened
- overall this was just disappointing
reasons why I didn't like this book (strap in, it's not a short journey)
- the characters were fairly 1-dimensional (Ehiru's entire personality is his religion; Nijiri is basically the same and he is wildly naïve, and Sunandi is supposed to be a spy but is the most temperamental and rigid of all of them)
- the villain was boring and predictable (as were their motivations)
- the world building was interesting, but unfortunately the descriptions left a lot to be desired, specifically the environments. I couldn't picture anything because Gujareeh (where you spend the majority of the book) is never really described in any kind of detail.
- the society is absolutely sexist, classist, racist and ableist and none of these issues are ever challenged by the characters or even seen as wrong. It's just part of the world building. The main societal issue that is addressed is if killing is bad
- adding on to the last bit ^^ the morality in this is absolutely black and white for the characters until the end where some of them go "oh I guess I can see where you are coming from, even though I have been an absolute nightmare toward you and hoped you would die since I've known you" and then two pages later they are at each others throats again. (I just really don't like a black and white morality system in anything I read, I find it boring, but if you like that you might enjoy the characters more than I did.)
- the age-gap crush really made me ill; not because the character who is underage was crushing on someone twice their age, that happens sometimes, but because the crush (the man in this scenario who is in his 50s, and the mentor and father figure of this teenager) knew the kid had a crush on him and allowed it, didn't talk to him about it and even had a line where he said he was being selfish but he wanted to accept that "love" from this teenager because he had no one else to love him. Which is somewhat understandable until you remember that this CHILD spends half the book calling him his father figure and his lover in the same breath?? no thank you.
- the hypocrisy of the characters
the things I liked:
- the writing itself, the prose (minus the strange lack of description)
- the world-building (names, the magic which was kinda cool, but not very original)
- the fact this was standalone, because despite the fact there is a second book it's not following these characters
- the tension and intrigue of the first act, which was honestly great, it just fell apart after that
in summation:
- I was constantly expecting a deeper meaning, a deeper more interesting conversation, a lesson or something, and it never happened
- overall this was just disappointing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Religious bigotry
mallorypen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
I liked this book but didn’t enjoy the book … if you know what I mean. The world building was super interesting, and the twists and turns of the plot were unexpected. The characters all felt fully formed, and though they filled specific roles they weren’t subject to flat depictions of their archetypes. Even the Prince who was undoubtably evil had a reason for some of his actions, with the “control” the priests kept over him by administration of the dream blood. There were excellent questions about morality and power, and at the end of the novel I still couldn’t decide who was the hero, or which belief system was the right one.
That said, some of the relationships were hard to read about. An apprentice in love with his master who was also like a father to him, and the one person with the most control over his life; Ehiru even told Samundi that her own similar father-figure/teacher could never abuse the power he held over her, and yet he abused the power he had over Nijiri by knowing Nijiri would Gather him with love.
It was also sometimes challenging to follow who everyone was; that could be attributed to the way I read the book, in small chunks versus sitting with the story for longer.
That said, some of the relationships were hard to read about. An apprentice in love with his master who was also like a father to him, and the one person with the most control over his life; Ehiru even told Samundi that her own similar father-figure/teacher could never abuse the power he held over her, and yet he abused the power he had over Nijiri by knowing Nijiri would Gather him with love.
It was also sometimes challenging to follow who everyone was; that could be attributed to the way I read the book, in small chunks versus sitting with the story for longer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
aileena99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings: Murder, death, gore, suicidal thoughts, attempted rape, mention of child grooming and predatory behavior, war themes, and genocide.
I’ve heard so many amazing things about the writings of N. K. Jemisin and decided I needed to dive in. The world-building within these pages is beautiful and has me desperately wanting to explore more within this realm. The characters are complex and well-rounded and have me wanting to know more about all of them.
We bounce between a few different perspectives while reading, which I always love in general, but especially in fantasy novels. What one character could see as helpful and good another could easily see as harmful and bad. I feel all great stories show us that nothing is ever fully evil or fully good but in fact are shades of grey that depend on your experiences and perspective.
I will say this book felt a lot heavier to read than most fantasies I’ve read lately. Recently I’ve read fantasies that have a small subplot, of romance, to where I sometimes ignore a lot of the darkness and chaos going on around and focus on the hope and happiness that romance brings to a story. Where there are characters, within this story, that fiercely hold on to the hope of a better future for their lands it was hard to ignore the darkness they faced. Really this is just a me problem where I yearn for everyone to have a happy ending and, just like real life, that’s just not possible for everyone.
This was one of those books where I also thoroughly enjoyed reading through the author’s notes, interview, and dictionary listed after the story ended. Hearing what inspired the lore and world Jemisin wrote was really fun to read and has me wanting to dive back into the world mythology, and religion, obsession I had in my youth. The interview in the back was also fun as you could see their friendship where the banter and teasing have you wishing you were a fly on the wall during that interview.
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with political intrigue/manipulation, a fascinating magic system, war themes, and characters with strong compasses…this will be a great read for you!
I’ve heard so many amazing things about the writings of N. K. Jemisin and decided I needed to dive in. The world-building within these pages is beautiful and has me desperately wanting to explore more within this realm. The characters are complex and well-rounded and have me wanting to know more about all of them.
We bounce between a few different perspectives while reading, which I always love in general, but especially in fantasy novels. What one character could see as helpful and good another could easily see as harmful and bad. I feel all great stories show us that nothing is ever fully evil or fully good but in fact are shades of grey that depend on your experiences and perspective.
I will say this book felt a lot heavier to read than most fantasies I’ve read lately. Recently I’ve read fantasies that have a small subplot, of romance, to where I sometimes ignore a lot of the darkness and chaos going on around and focus on the hope and happiness that romance brings to a story. Where there are characters, within this story, that fiercely hold on to the hope of a better future for their lands it was hard to ignore the darkness they faced. Really this is just a me problem where I yearn for everyone to have a happy ending and, just like real life, that’s just not possible for everyone.
This was one of those books where I also thoroughly enjoyed reading through the author’s notes, interview, and dictionary listed after the story ended. Hearing what inspired the lore and world Jemisin wrote was really fun to read and has me wanting to dive back into the world mythology, and religion, obsession I had in my youth. The interview in the back was also fun as you could see their friendship where the banter and teasing have you wishing you were a fly on the wall during that interview.
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with political intrigue/manipulation, a fascinating magic system, war themes, and characters with strong compasses…this will be a great read for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
hanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Violence, Blood, and Murder
hannahr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Murder
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Sexism, and Grief
bethwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! Jemisin is a genius writer and worldbuilder, I would highly recommend if you want a rich world that explores complex themes and ideas as well as telling a deeply compelling story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, and Violence