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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel sad to only be rating this 3 stars. However, it just didn’t pack the same punch the first and second one did
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The final book in the Broken Earth saga builds upon all the layers and layers of setup in the prior books and does not disappoint! I blitzed through this book, as finally we get all the answers as to what catastrophe led to the Seasons in the first place, the origin of the Guardians and much more.
All of this wrapped around the final stage of the journey of Essun and Nassun. Essun has to see her newfound people settled in their new home before she can embark on the last leg of her journey to reunite with her daughter, while Nassun's despair starts to seep deeper and deeper, leading her onto a path of destruction.
The themes of motherhood, slavery, oppression, injustice all blend together perfectly, and the tragedy of Essun comes to play out. It's so clever how the opposition between mother and daughter mirrors the Earth vs those who tried to abuse it, a potent metaphor for our current climate change crisis. The reveals are hugely impactful and were thoroughly enjoyable.
I did find the actual climax a bit quick and the aftermath a little rushed, it would have been nice to get more character thoughts, but given the POV this might've been hard to implement.
This is an absolutely masterpiece of fantasy and I'd say a mandatory read for those who want to call themselves fantasy fans. Fantastic!
All of this wrapped around the final stage of the journey of Essun and Nassun. Essun has to see her newfound people settled in their new home before she can embark on the last leg of her journey to reunite with her daughter, while Nassun's despair starts to seep deeper and deeper, leading her onto a path of destruction.
The themes of motherhood, slavery, oppression, injustice all blend together perfectly, and the tragedy of Essun comes to play out. It's so clever how the opposition between mother and daughter mirrors the Earth vs those who tried to abuse it, a potent metaphor for our current climate change crisis. The reveals are hugely impactful and were thoroughly enjoyable.
I did find the actual climax a bit quick and the aftermath a little rushed, it would have been nice to get more character thoughts, but given the POV this might've been hard to implement.
This is an absolutely masterpiece of fantasy and I'd say a mandatory read for those who want to call themselves fantasy fans. Fantastic!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a conclusion this book gave. It (and "The Obelisk gate") didn't fully live up to the love I have for the first book but nonetheless, it was damn good.
"The Broken Earth" has to be one of the most complex series of books that I have ever read. It was quite like watching a Christopher Nolan movie; you need a few re-watches to pick up on everything and fully understand it. I enjoyed this re-read because a lot of the questions I had for the series were resolved for me. (Yes, I know I could just look it up but it's more satisfying to figure it out on my own.) I honestly feel like I'll need to re-read this series again in a year or two to completely get it. The world that N.K. Jemisin created is truly astounding. I think she might be a genius.
The representation in this series is also something other fantasy authors need to take note of because it is incredible. Too many times I've read a fantasy series filled without any sort of inclusion and I've felt excluded. If someone who was queer, neurodivergent, trans, non-white, etc was in it, they were solely written on stereotypes. Jemisin writes a diverse cast of characters so effortlessly and accurately. I can't give her enough credit.
As for this book itself, I enjoyed it. It didn't feel as slow as the second book. It continues pretty much right where we left off at the end of the previous book. I like the addition of Hoa's POV from the past, for it answers a lot of questions surrounding the world like the stone-eaters, the magic system, and Father Earth. Nassun's POV was great as it was in "The Obelisk Gate" and I liked the way it merged with Essun's POV at the end of the book. The character arc of both Essun and Nassun were great: Essun's burgeoning love for the people of Castrima and Nassun's reluctant acceptance of what needed to be done at the end. This series was definitely depressing throughout but it had hope written throughout. Again, this series is a perfect display of oppression and the consequences of it: revenge, hatred, etc. It was all brilliant. Though the ending was sad, I really loved it and thought it wrapped up well.
I need to stop putting off reading N.K. Jemisin's other books because I'm sure they’ll be exceptional as well.
"The Broken Earth" has to be one of the most complex series of books that I have ever read. It was quite like watching a Christopher Nolan movie; you need a few re-watches to pick up on everything and fully understand it. I enjoyed this re-read because a lot of the questions I had for the series were resolved for me. (Yes, I know I could just look it up but it's more satisfying to figure it out on my own.) I honestly feel like I'll need to re-read this series again in a year or two to completely get it. The world that N.K. Jemisin created is truly astounding. I think she might be a genius.
The representation in this series is also something other fantasy authors need to take note of because it is incredible. Too many times I've read a fantasy series filled without any sort of inclusion and I've felt excluded. If someone who was queer, neurodivergent, trans, non-white, etc was in it, they were solely written on stereotypes. Jemisin writes a diverse cast of characters so effortlessly and accurately. I can't give her enough credit.
As for this book itself, I enjoyed it. It didn't feel as slow as the second book. It continues pretty much right where we left off at the end of the previous book. I like the addition of Hoa's POV from the past, for it answers a lot of questions surrounding the world like the stone-eaters, the magic system, and Father Earth. Nassun's POV was great as it was in "The Obelisk Gate" and I liked the way it merged with Essun's POV at the end of the book. The character arc of both Essun and Nassun were great: Essun's burgeoning love for the people of Castrima and Nassun's reluctant acceptance of what needed to be done at the end. This series was definitely depressing throughout but it had hope written throughout. Again, this series is a perfect display of oppression and the consequences of it: revenge, hatred, etc. It was all brilliant. Though the ending was sad, I really loved it and thought it wrapped up well.
I need to stop putting off reading N.K. Jemisin's other books because I'm sure they’ll be exceptional as well.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes