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A review by moirwyn
The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin
5.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/04/10/kingdom-gods-n-k-jemisin/
I recently participated in a readalong of The Kingdom of the Gods, book three in N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy. To conclude most readalongs, I like to post a spoiler-free review for anyone who didn’t read along but is curious about the book.
The first two books in The Inheritance Trilogy are narrated by mortals, but The Kingdom of the Gods gives us the chance to experience the world from the gods’ perspective. Sieh is a godling and the first child of the Three. He’s the god of childhood, and like most children, he can can be a selfish little brat or a perfect angel. Then one day Sieh’s world starts changing. He starts growing up. This is bad for Sieh, because maturing is antithetical to who he is, as he takes on more adult responsibility, he begins to age faster and faster.
As Sieh’s life begins to change, he begins to care about a set of twins who are from the same family that enslaved Sieh and the other gods for generations. Sieh doesn’t want to like Deka and Shahar because they are from the Arameri family, but he finds himself opening up to them. They become friends, have fights, and build a lifelong relationship that’s strong enough to weather betrayals and drama. Sieh’s relationship with Deka and Shahar help him to heal from his lifelong loneliness and the aftermath of his enslavement.
Oh, and the world is ending.
The Kingdom of the Gods was easily my favorite book in the trilogy. I liked seeing Sieh’s perspective because we know from the first two books that he isn’t some benevolent or innocent force. When we see the world through his eyes, we know he’s not a wholly reliable narrator, and we bring to the table what we’ve learned about him already. And even though he can be a dick and cares nothing about human life, we begin to feel sorry for him and realize why he lives the way he does.
I also liked the fact that even though Sieh can be shortsighted, he has a lot of insight into what went wrong in his parents’ relationship. He understands why they all felt the way that they did and knows where all the hurt is coming from. And, more importantly, he learns from their mistakes. He realizes that he isn’t destined to be the same way.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It’s a fitting conclusion to a remarkable series.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2014/04/10/kingdom-gods-n-k-jemisin/
I recently participated in a readalong of The Kingdom of the Gods, book three in N.K. Jemisin’s Inheritance Trilogy. To conclude most readalongs, I like to post a spoiler-free review for anyone who didn’t read along but is curious about the book.
The first two books in The Inheritance Trilogy are narrated by mortals, but The Kingdom of the Gods gives us the chance to experience the world from the gods’ perspective. Sieh is a godling and the first child of the Three. He’s the god of childhood, and like most children, he can can be a selfish little brat or a perfect angel. Then one day Sieh’s world starts changing. He starts growing up. This is bad for Sieh, because maturing is antithetical to who he is, as he takes on more adult responsibility, he begins to age faster and faster.
As Sieh’s life begins to change, he begins to care about a set of twins who are from the same family that enslaved Sieh and the other gods for generations. Sieh doesn’t want to like Deka and Shahar because they are from the Arameri family, but he finds himself opening up to them. They become friends, have fights, and build a lifelong relationship that’s strong enough to weather betrayals and drama. Sieh’s relationship with Deka and Shahar help him to heal from his lifelong loneliness and the aftermath of his enslavement.
Oh, and the world is ending.
The Kingdom of the Gods was easily my favorite book in the trilogy. I liked seeing Sieh’s perspective because we know from the first two books that he isn’t some benevolent or innocent force. When we see the world through his eyes, we know he’s not a wholly reliable narrator, and we bring to the table what we’ve learned about him already. And even though he can be a dick and cares nothing about human life, we begin to feel sorry for him and realize why he lives the way he does.
I also liked the fact that even though Sieh can be shortsighted, he has a lot of insight into what went wrong in his parents’ relationship. He understands why they all felt the way that they did and knows where all the hurt is coming from. And, more importantly, he learns from their mistakes. He realizes that he isn’t destined to be the same way.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. It’s a fitting conclusion to a remarkable series.