A review by ailsaod
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
  • 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

 This book is really good but oh boy does it get dark. I've seen a lot f recommendations of this book but no one talks about the messed up stuff that happens. There were a few times I just had to put the book down and be like 'oh wow that is atrocious'. Warnings for
child deaths, implied paedophilia, referenced cannibalism, dubious/non-consensual sex and mass death from various natural disasters
If any of these are deal breakers for you then maybe steer clear as it can get a bit horrifying.

The writing of this book is excellent. It begins following three perspectives - which you quickly realise
cannot be happening simultaneously because only one of them is experiencing the actual END of the world!
and I really enjoyed figuring how the perspectives were connected. I suspect I was quite slow in figuring out the link between the perspective characters but it was still very satisfying and wasn't played as a shock twist at any point. There are also a few sections written with an omniscient narrator that were great as they served to put the very personal tragedy Essun is experiencing into context with the wider world. I found it impressive how these interludes were written in a very detached manner but still communicated the devastation that occurred and wow, is thinking about it too long scary!

I also really liked the setting. Clearly a lot of research had been done into natural disasters and what circumstances could cause a 'season'. The ruins of all the dead civilisations and the obelisks were also very intriguing and I am desperate to know more about how the stone eaters fit into all this. Will be thinking about this book for a while yet!
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