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

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

An adult dystopian masterpiece like no other. The main character’s development is immaculate. 

I loved how Syen was a unique view into motherhood, and how Essun looked at motherhood so differently that it’s almost unbelievable that they are the same person.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic