A review by tesshuelskamp
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

5.0

Tagged this with spoilers because I wanted to discuss the themes of the series but this should be largely spoiler free :)

This trilogy is set in a post apocalyptic earth where every few decades the earth enters a “fifth season” of a climate disaster where communities struggle to survive. This series follows a few characters who have an “earth magic” as they navigate the politics and hard work of living through the Fifth season.

What I liked about this series:
* There’s a lot of tension in the first book that made it hard to put down.
* I LOVED the characters and was invested in their growth. Some of the deaths in this series made me cry :)
* This book was complicated enough to be a satisfying read but not so complicated that reading it required a lot of focus.
* N. K. Jemison’s writing is wonderful. She’s a funny in a subtle way and has a great way of revealing events and letting you figure out what that implies for the world.
* Loved the themes in this series (oppression, the environment, racism, family & abuse, politics) and love that they weren’t overtly discussed. It’s more engaging to think about how the themes interact with the world & characters instead or reading an explicit discussion on it.

What I didn’t like:
* the magic in the first book seemed cohesive but felt like a stretch i the second and third books.
* I read a review that said the anti-capitalist themes in the third book didn’t complete gel with the rest of the series. I agreed and thought that they could’ve been foreshadowed better.