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rorikae's review against another edition
- 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
As the world ends, the story follows three perspectives. Damaya is pulled from her home and her family because she has a feared and mighty power. Brought to the Fullcrum, a school for people with her powers, she begins to learn how to control her gift. Syenite, a Fullcrum graduate, is sent by their leadership to complete a strange task with one of the most powerful men to come out of the Fullcrum's programs. And Essun, who finds her son murdered and her husband has fled with her daughter, begins a trek across the continent to find them so she can act her revenge and save her daughter.
I am honestly kind of speechless over how good 'The Fifth Season' is. For a book that has a lot of high praise and has won the Hugo, 'The Fifth Season' lived up to every single expectation that I had and surpassed them. It is clear that Jemisin has crafted this world and this plot down to the smallest detail and gone through so much work to figure out the precise way to share details and unwrap the story. Second person perspective can be very temperamental but Jemisin makes it so that the story seamlessly flows with the other perspectives.
It's hard to talk about this book without going into spoilers but it is so incredibly well paced and each reveal is set up throughout the pages before with questions and dropped hints. Honestly, I'm just in awe of the craft level of this book. If you have ever had any interest in this series or wondered if you would like it, I implore you to read it. It goes beyond all expectations and I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series. I feel like I need to start it immediately.
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Pregnancy
boglord's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Classism, Confinement, and Sexual assault
geekywoman14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Slavery, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Colonisation, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, Classism, Pedophilia, Stalking, Abandonment, Animal death, and Sexual violence
elica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
zarazim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Animal death, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
Representation
- protagonist and side characters of color
Minor: Death, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, Grief, and Mental illness
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
cleverlynot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Mental illness and Murder
Minor: Transphobia and Vomit
cappuccino136's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
There is a war, largely waged in secret, between different human and non-human factions and also Father Earth, who vents his anger at the inhabitants of the planet through violent earthquakes and volcanoes. Ragas are humans who are born with power to manipulate the tectonic plates and quiet or ignite volcanoes. Perhaps Ragas once cooperated with Father Earth, but no longer. The Sanze Empire emerged from the ashes of previous human civilizations and survived through a number of apocalyptic disasters called Fifth Seasons. The empire seeks to control all Ragas - or kill those who won't be enslaved - for their own ambitions. Hated and blamed for their gift, Ragas are hunted and killed or sent to The Fulcrum to be trained and kept in slavery. This is all done in the name of the common good. The story opens with the beginning of an apocalypse. Could this be the tipping point in the larger war? Plenty of trigger warnings: child abuse (mental and physical), rape, child murder, depression, forced reproduction (Fulcrum breeding program).
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In addition to fabulous character development regarding the three narrators, there is dense world-building. As with most great speculative fiction, the world-building can be boiled down to one characteristic (devastating earthquakes), but Jemisin has really thought about all the ways it impacts every aspect of geography & human societies, down to some we would never have thought about but which make perfect sense. In her world, magic isn't about creating something, it's about stopping "natural" disasters through energy transfer. There's also hints of lockdown and curfew and masks, which would have sounded exotic had I read this book before 2020 but now... Well.
TW: honestly, I felt there were all the trigger warnings in this book, but especially rape, enslavement, child abuse, child death, & emotional abuse. Heavy stuff.
Bonus point for trans & bi rep.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism