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brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Why I read it: women of fantasy book club
The Plot: Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.
The Characters: I felt like Yeine was kind of a weak character. She didn't really seem to care about anything, and in turn, neither could I. There was this odd sort of detachment that I felt all throughout the book, and I really think it was because of the first person narration, and the fact that Yeine seemed so blah and accepting of everything. Some of the secondary characters were almost cartoonish in how one note they were--like her cousins who were fighting for the throne; there just wasn't any depth. I did think some of the gods were interesting, but again, some were not fleshed out at all.
The Setting: This is another area that I couldn't really get a feel for. There weren't many descriptions of Sky, and besides what I see on the front cover, I really can't picture the place at all.
A Sample of the Writing:
I am not as I once was. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore.
I must try to remember.
My people tell stories of the night I was born. They say my mother crossed her legs in the middle of labor and fought with all her strength not to release me into the world. I was born anyhow, of course; nature cannot be denied. Yet it does not surprise me that she tried.
Who Should Read This? I think most fantasy fans will enjoy this, but there will be others like me who won't care for it. It's a toss-up.
Final Thoughts: I really felt that the style of the writing wasn't very coherent, and while that may work for some people in building up suspense, it mostly just annoys me. I know how popular this one is, and I wanted to like it more than I did, but if it wasn't such a quick read, I don't know if I could even have finished it. That said, there are some interesting concepts here, and I would be willing to give the author another try in the future.
Grade: C-
Cover Thoughts: I find this cover very interesting, and I actually didn't even notice that there was a woman's face in the background until I looked more closely.
The Plot: Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had. As she fights for her life, she draws ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Yeine will learn how perilous it can be when love and hate - and gods and mortals - are bound inseparably together.
The Characters: I felt like Yeine was kind of a weak character. She didn't really seem to care about anything, and in turn, neither could I. There was this odd sort of detachment that I felt all throughout the book, and I really think it was because of the first person narration, and the fact that Yeine seemed so blah and accepting of everything. Some of the secondary characters were almost cartoonish in how one note they were--like her cousins who were fighting for the throne; there just wasn't any depth. I did think some of the gods were interesting, but again, some were not fleshed out at all.
The Setting: This is another area that I couldn't really get a feel for. There weren't many descriptions of Sky, and besides what I see on the front cover, I really can't picture the place at all.
A Sample of the Writing:
I am not as I once was. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore.
I must try to remember.
My people tell stories of the night I was born. They say my mother crossed her legs in the middle of labor and fought with all her strength not to release me into the world. I was born anyhow, of course; nature cannot be denied. Yet it does not surprise me that she tried.
Who Should Read This? I think most fantasy fans will enjoy this, but there will be others like me who won't care for it. It's a toss-up.
Final Thoughts: I really felt that the style of the writing wasn't very coherent, and while that may work for some people in building up suspense, it mostly just annoys me. I know how popular this one is, and I wanted to like it more than I did, but if it wasn't such a quick read, I don't know if I could even have finished it. That said, there are some interesting concepts here, and I would be willing to give the author another try in the future.
Grade: C-
Cover Thoughts: I find this cover very interesting, and I actually didn't even notice that there was a woman's face in the background until I looked more closely.
calciferrous's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
Came for the worldbuilding, did not expect there to be so much romance. Overall a good book imo, just not for me.
victoriajolly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
emily613's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
evieburrows's review against another edition
4.0
excellently original, but I kept zoning out when listening to the audiobook so I was a bit confused (but that's my fault and not the book's fault). It's so refreshing to read fantasy that isn't super generic though!
16marym's review against another edition
5.0
i always start my reviews off by saying ‘i didn’t expect to like this book’ but i really was pleasantly surprised by this one! there were a lot of things that shouldn’t have worked— the setting never changed, there were only like seven important characters and i literally couldn’t for the life of me remember the main character’s name (yeine lol)
despite this, i really enjoyed this book. every time i picked it up it was hard to put down, and i really had no issues understanding the lore or magic system even though it was a bit confusing. all of the characters were so human— their emotions and motivations were written so well, i didn’t feel anyone was truly an ‘enemy’ just an antagonist.
the end was crazyyy and i loved the build-up to that moment. i like that human yeine didn’t end up with a all encompassing god as a lover. that would have been pretty unbalanced and i really enjoyed the avatar moment at the end. i liked the creativity and the parallels.
i think a lot of my interest in reading this came from my mythology class! i loved the way jemisin portrayed the gods.
i really can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy! i want to know what’s up.
despite this, i really enjoyed this book. every time i picked it up it was hard to put down, and i really had no issues understanding the lore or magic system even though it was a bit confusing. all of the characters were so human— their emotions and motivations were written so well, i didn’t feel anyone was truly an ‘enemy’ just an antagonist.
the end was crazyyy and i loved the build-up to that moment. i like that human yeine didn’t end up with a all encompassing god as a lover. that would have been pretty unbalanced and i really enjoyed the avatar moment at the end. i liked the creativity and the parallels.
i think a lot of my interest in reading this came from my mythology class! i loved the way jemisin portrayed the gods.
i really can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy! i want to know what’s up.
vivix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cleoc's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
klarial's review against another edition
5.0
For me this is one of those books. I stayed up far too late to finish it, I fell asleep thinking about it, I am fairly certain I had dreams about it, and now it is well into the next day and I still cannot get it out of my head. So what else is a girl to do but write a review?
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has a setup that may feel familiar to many fantasy fans. Yeine, still reeling over the recent death of her mother, is summoned by her estranged maternal grandfather to the seat of the kingdom, where he rules with ruthlessness and a set of very powerful weapons. There he names her as one of his possible heirs. Intrigue, political maneuvering, betrayals, and ultimately self discovery follow. Include a mythology about the Three Gods and what ultimately happened to them (a war, one dead, one enslaved, one left to rule alone), with those gods being central characters in the story, and you have The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I am greatly simplifying here, but those are truly the key points you need in order to know if you will be on board with the story, and also the key points necessary for this review.
What is it about this novel that did it for me? There are many things, but I will try to keep it to a short few. First, there is the writing, both the prose itself (which includes lovely passages like, “I am not as I once was. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore. I must try to remember”.) and the structure of the narrative. The story jumps backwards and forwards in time and is told in a mix of styles, plot narrative, childhood stories, and inner thoughts. It all comes together in such a beautiful way, it seems as though you are sitting across from Yeine hearing her tell the story, but she tells it so adeptly you feel it as if you were there. The worldbuilding specifically, an element so crucial to fantasy, is dealt with mostly in the form of childhood stories or myths, combined with Yeine discovering the truth of what she has been told all her life.This is what pulled me in immediately, the lovely writing combined with intense, first person storytelling.
Next, this story is sexy. No, sexy isn’t the right word, perhaps sensual is better. Whatever you would like to call it, it really works. The love story, though it seems too simple to call it that, is wonderful. It wasn’t what I was expecting and it was quite different than anything else I have read, even in fantasy.One of the reasons this sensuality and romance works so well is the characters. Yeine is a great protagonist and audience surrogate. She is a good combination of strong and smart, but also lost and trying to find her way in this world. The cast of side characters add a wealth of depth both to the world and to Yeine’s character (especially Sieh, the centuries old godling who takes the form of a child). Then there is Nahadoth, the Nightlord, who is probably the most compelling character. I won’t say more than that he is both hero and villain, and I found myself devouring each of his scenes. Plus there is the bending of gender roles and defiance of heteronormative culture embedded in the DNA of this story. Add all of this up, and you have one sexy, or sensual, tale.
Some may find the structure of this novel confusing or distracting, but if you are willing to dive into this world I think the way the story is told will only add to your enjoyment of the novel. The only disappointment I felt was near the end of the story, when it became apparent that this set of characters would likely not be central to the next chapter of the series (though I am certain/hopeful that they reappear in the final installment). I find myself wanting more of them, to pick up exactly where this story left off. Nonetheless, I will be eagerly picking up the next installment, hoping it can recreate the magic of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has a setup that may feel familiar to many fantasy fans. Yeine, still reeling over the recent death of her mother, is summoned by her estranged maternal grandfather to the seat of the kingdom, where he rules with ruthlessness and a set of very powerful weapons. There he names her as one of his possible heirs. Intrigue, political maneuvering, betrayals, and ultimately self discovery follow. Include a mythology about the Three Gods and what ultimately happened to them (a war, one dead, one enslaved, one left to rule alone), with those gods being central characters in the story, and you have The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I am greatly simplifying here, but those are truly the key points you need in order to know if you will be on board with the story, and also the key points necessary for this review.
What is it about this novel that did it for me? There are many things, but I will try to keep it to a short few. First, there is the writing, both the prose itself (which includes lovely passages like, “I am not as I once was. They have done this to me, broken me open and torn out my heart. I do not know who I am anymore. I must try to remember”.) and the structure of the narrative. The story jumps backwards and forwards in time and is told in a mix of styles, plot narrative, childhood stories, and inner thoughts. It all comes together in such a beautiful way, it seems as though you are sitting across from Yeine hearing her tell the story, but she tells it so adeptly you feel it as if you were there. The worldbuilding specifically, an element so crucial to fantasy, is dealt with mostly in the form of childhood stories or myths, combined with Yeine discovering the truth of what she has been told all her life.This is what pulled me in immediately, the lovely writing combined with intense, first person storytelling.
Next, this story is sexy. No, sexy isn’t the right word, perhaps sensual is better. Whatever you would like to call it, it really works. The love story, though it seems too simple to call it that, is wonderful. It wasn’t what I was expecting and it was quite different than anything else I have read, even in fantasy.One of the reasons this sensuality and romance works so well is the characters. Yeine is a great protagonist and audience surrogate. She is a good combination of strong and smart, but also lost and trying to find her way in this world. The cast of side characters add a wealth of depth both to the world and to Yeine’s character (especially Sieh, the centuries old godling who takes the form of a child). Then there is Nahadoth, the Nightlord, who is probably the most compelling character. I won’t say more than that he is both hero and villain, and I found myself devouring each of his scenes. Plus there is the bending of gender roles and defiance of heteronormative culture embedded in the DNA of this story. Add all of this up, and you have one sexy, or sensual, tale.
Some may find the structure of this novel confusing or distracting, but if you are willing to dive into this world I think the way the story is told will only add to your enjoyment of the novel. The only disappointment I felt was near the end of the story, when it became apparent that this set of characters would likely not be central to the next chapter of the series (though I am certain/hopeful that they reappear in the final installment). I find myself wanting more of them, to pick up exactly where this story left off. Nonetheless, I will be eagerly picking up the next installment, hoping it can recreate the magic of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.