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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(This review is for the series as a whole)
Lays it on too thick with the horrible things. Orogeny - magic with rocks - is a fun idea, but introducing real magic made it less interesting. Interesting world. The author clearly knows more about empires than many fantasy authors. She's aware that empires are never totalizing - but still vastly overestimates how totalizing they can be. The characters were decent, but not great. The plot suffered from constant last-minute introductions of new concepts that didn't have much precedent in the book. I loved when the book the delved into details of the earth and used that as a basis for communication.
It was fun to read, which is a nothing.
Lays it on too thick with the horrible things. Orogeny - magic with rocks - is a fun idea, but introducing real magic made it less interesting. Interesting world. The author clearly knows more about empires than many fantasy authors. She's aware that empires are never totalizing - but still vastly overestimates how totalizing they can be. The characters were decent, but not great. The plot suffered from constant last-minute introductions of new concepts that didn't have much precedent in the book. I loved when the book the delved into details of the earth and used that as a basis for communication.
It was fun to read, which is a nothing.
challenging
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
The ending really changed how I see these books
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I enjoyed this one, it was harder for me to get through. There was a lot of character work that happened I think I blanked out a few times. But, the ending was tragically beautiful and I’ll remember it forever. I absolutely have to read this again to truly appreciate the beauty of it.
adventurous
mysterious
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
This was a perfect ending for a flawless series for me.
This wrecked me emotionally. I dont have much else to say except read this series.
This wrecked me emotionally. I dont have much else to say except read this series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a trilogy! Uniquely written, powerful, with an epic geological magic system that is a visceral delight for a geology nerd like me, and this book is an awesome finale, with a satisfying ending. The narration is unique, with one of the characters' chapters being in 2nd person POV. This was something that took a bit of getting used to at the beginning of book 1 but took off wonderfully there in the end, then began to irritate me a bit in book 2, but was perfectly written in book 3 . This is my favourite book of the trilogy - The Fifth Season was great too, the The Obelisk Gate dragged a bit for me in places, especially chapters, but this one took the story, the world building, the magic to another level.
The only tiny downside for me is that I found it very difficult to feel fully engaged with these characters in the way I would normally want to, but I think it's because what is happening to them is so far beyond anything we could possibly imagine irl. Also, I began to realise that given the person who is writing it (I don't mean the author, I mean the in-world character), it makes total sense to feel the way it feels. I will say though that I felt emotional at the very end, and Jemisin's mention of her mother in her Acknowledgements made me tear up, and gave the mother/daughter relationship in the trilogy a little more weight, especially as I too lost my own mother in 2022 and am also a mother myself.
To conclude though, this is an awesome trilogy, definitely up there on my list of top fantasy series.
Spoiler
helped by the fact that we now know who is writing it, and, a couple of chapters before the end, I began to guess why tooSpoiler
Essun'sThe only tiny downside for me is that I found it very difficult to feel fully engaged with these characters in the way I would normally want to, but I think it's because what is happening to them is so far beyond anything we could possibly imagine irl. Also, I began to realise that given the person who is writing it (I don't mean the author, I mean the in-world character), it makes total sense to feel the way it feels. I will say though that I felt emotional at the very end
Spoiler
"I want to make the world a better place" and Hoa's joy at those words!To conclude though, this is an awesome trilogy, definitely up there on my list of top fantasy series.