Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

19 reviews

chrisljm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

This was so fucking SAD omfg N.K. Jemisin is SICK. 

I love how this sequel builds upon the world we’re shown in the first book, but from a completely new setting and perspective, so despite how familiar it is, it’s still a unique experience.  

In the first book we see through the POV of the elite and the magical city they live in, while in this we read the story through the lens of regular citizens who live in the shadows far below the city in the sky, more removed from the gods, where suddenly one day a large tree blooms and integrates into their lives. The events of the first book seemed so cosmic and important, and so it’s fascinating to see how in this book majority of the citizens aren’t even aware of the events that transpired with the gods and the specific reasons why their lives have changed so drastically. 

I enjoyed this book far more than the first. The plot was gripping, and ultimately so <i>sad</i>. If I were to have been the author of this novel, I'm not sure what choices I would've made, the conclusions I would've settled on. I don't disagree with the decisions in this book but I just hate (in the most neutral sense) how sad it was.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

alyanna_dm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

One of the rare times the second book was better than the first. And that tragic ending just killed me! I want more of Oree! I want to know what happened to Itempan afterwards!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Incest, Slavery, Vomit, and War

barda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Rape and Sexual violence

emilycfox's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Liked this one a lot better than the first in the series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and War

kemrick19's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Incest, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

debthebookworm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I read this book 8 years ago, and listening to it, it remains my favorite of the series. Oree is one of my favorite characters N.K. Jemisin has written so far. I love the character progression of Shiny and the deeper insight into the Three.

Seeing Shadow, Sky, and all the gods and godlings through Oree's eyes painted such an interesting picture. N.K. once again created a beautifully vivid new world for readers to get lost in, and the plot was so good. I still marvel to think this was her debut series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Kidnapping

Minor: Ableism, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ecmbeanie's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, and Classism

Minor: Death of parent

libraryraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

carolined314's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

4.75

A total shift of focus within the world, revealing yet more about the gods and their creations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Child death, Incest, and Medical trauma