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amblygon_writes's review against another edition
5.0
I was so wowed by this trilogy that I read through all three in a huge rush and now need to try to untangle all my thoughts to come up with some kind of coherent review for book 1.
This is one of those books that falls into a particular category for me. I hear about the book when it's already quite popular, I sort of sneer at it because I don't want to believe all the hype, and it sort of sticks in the back of my mind. Either I buy it or I keep seeing it somewhere, but I avoid picking it up. And when I finally do pick it up, I'm sort of fighting against it, thinking I won't like it, and then I'm suddenly caught in it and I find that I can't claw my way out until I've devoured every word and reached the final syllable. (In case anyone's interested, two other books that fall into this category are The Way of Kings and The Name of the Wind...)
I don't like to write reviews with spoilers so this'll have to remain fairly high level (so many details are fighting to slip into this review!). I was astounded by how different this book was and by how much I loved that difference. Standing out can sometimes feel too stark, too jarring, but I really enjoyed how different it was so many of the fantasy books I've read recently. I liked the POV changes, the way the characters are tied together, and the depth and colour of the world. I was reading this as a Kindle book and was so shocked when I reached the end because I hadn't kept an eye on the progress percentage. In any case, as with the other books that fall into this category, I'm so glad I eventually picked it up.
This is one of those books that falls into a particular category for me. I hear about the book when it's already quite popular, I sort of sneer at it because I don't want to believe all the hype, and it sort of sticks in the back of my mind. Either I buy it or I keep seeing it somewhere, but I avoid picking it up. And when I finally do pick it up, I'm sort of fighting against it, thinking I won't like it, and then I'm suddenly caught in it and I find that I can't claw my way out until I've devoured every word and reached the final syllable. (In case anyone's interested, two other books that fall into this category are The Way of Kings and The Name of the Wind...)
I don't like to write reviews with spoilers so this'll have to remain fairly high level (so many details are fighting to slip into this review!). I was astounded by how different this book was and by how much I loved that difference. Standing out can sometimes feel too stark, too jarring, but I really enjoyed how different it was so many of the fantasy books I've read recently. I liked the POV changes, the way the characters are tied together, and the depth and colour of the world. I was reading this as a Kindle book and was so shocked when I reached the end because I hadn't kept an eye on the progress percentage. In any case, as with the other books that fall into this category, I'm so glad I eventually picked it up.
rynflk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hatsp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
rani_reeds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
kaesrin's review against another edition
dark
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? No
4.75
lyakimov's review against another edition
DNF at 45%.
This book has a lot of potential but I feel like it’s much better to read as a physical copy and not an audiobook. The audiobook is honestly really confusing when it comes to world building and the plot in general, it just doesn’t translate well to audio. This makes me feel apathetic and like I’m dredging through the story, so I just had to stop because I don’t think I’m fully taking in all aspects of the world and plot. Maybe I will come back to this book but in a physical book form instead so that I can get the full scope of the story.
This book has a lot of potential but I feel like it’s much better to read as a physical copy and not an audiobook. The audiobook is honestly really confusing when it comes to world building and the plot in general, it just doesn’t translate well to audio. This makes me feel apathetic and like I’m dredging through the story, so I just had to stop because I don’t think I’m fully taking in all aspects of the world and plot. Maybe I will come back to this book but in a physical book form instead so that I can get the full scope of the story.
eesh25's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book. We're kinda thrown right in with stuff being referred to that we don't know yet. And it takes several chapters for the world and the magic system to start making sense. Though this isn't the first book to do that. I just wanted to mention it so you know to be a little patient.
The story follows three women. One is Essun, a middle-aged woman whose husband just murdered their infant son and ran away with their daughter, so she's trying to catch up with them. The other two are Syenite and Damaya. One is a young woman while the other is a young girl. And the book starts with a "season" kicking off. A season is when a part of the earth basically cracks, emitting smoke, lava and ash, and ruins the atmosphere around for a few, or many, years, depending on the big the crack is. Yeah, the world this book is set in is very unstable.
So anyway, we have three storylines to follow. And while none are uninteresting, I preferred Syenite's POV to the other two. I think it's because hers is the storyline that involves exploration and world-building. It's through her that we get a lot of the information we need. Still, I liked the other two as well. Essun's POV was quite sad.
Speaking of, the reason for her husband's action is kind of the main plot of the series. The thing the three protagonists have in common is that they're all Orogenes. Orogenes are people with abilities to control the earth, and they are highly (and I mean highly) discriminated against. Even the ones who aren't killed the moment their orogeny shows have no freedom. A huge part of the novel is about the horrors of how orogenes are treated. And the horrors... they're bad. Not recommended for the faint of heart.
And... yeah, that's what this novel is. We have three storylines to follow, and we slowly see how they relate. We also have a world to explore and learn about. And there are mysteries about what's really going on, but a lot of them don't get resolved since this is only the first book.
I know I'm probably not selling you on the novel. But that's because I didn't find much that pulled me in. There were things that were interesting, characters that I liked, and I did genuinely enjoy the world-building. But I kept waiting for something to happen that would have me invested and eager to read on, and it never did. And no, it had nothing to do with the second-person POV. I know people were bothered that Essun's chapters were in second person, but it was fine for me. Especially since it's later revealed that there's a reason for it.
Honestly, I liked the book but I found it underwhelming. The ending was good—though was the last line supposed to make sense? Because it didn't to me—and I will be reading the sequel. I just hope it'll have a proper plot with characters doing things instead of them wandering around with things happening to them. This one was too much of a set-up book.
The story follows three women. One is Essun, a middle-aged woman whose husband just murdered their infant son and ran away with their daughter, so she's trying to catch up with them. The other two are Syenite and Damaya. One is a young woman while the other is a young girl. And the book starts with a "season" kicking off. A season is when a part of the earth basically cracks, emitting smoke, lava and ash, and ruins the atmosphere around for a few, or many, years, depending on the big the crack is. Yeah, the world this book is set in is very unstable.
So anyway, we have three storylines to follow. And while none are uninteresting, I preferred Syenite's POV to the other two. I think it's because hers is the storyline that involves exploration and world-building. It's through her that we get a lot of the information we need. Still, I liked the other two as well. Essun's POV was quite sad.
Speaking of, the reason for her husband's action is kind of the main plot of the series. The thing the three protagonists have in common is that they're all Orogenes. Orogenes are people with abilities to control the earth, and they are highly (and I mean highly) discriminated against. Even the ones who aren't killed the moment their orogeny shows have no freedom. A huge part of the novel is about the horrors of how orogenes are treated. And the horrors... they're bad. Not recommended for the faint of heart.
And... yeah, that's what this novel is. We have three storylines to follow, and we slowly see how they relate. We also have a world to explore and learn about. And there are mysteries about what's really going on, but a lot of them don't get resolved since this is only the first book.
I know I'm probably not selling you on the novel. But that's because I didn't find much that pulled me in. There were things that were interesting, characters that I liked, and I did genuinely enjoy the world-building. But I kept waiting for something to happen that would have me invested and eager to read on, and it never did. And no, it had nothing to do with the second-person POV. I know people were bothered that Essun's chapters were in second person, but it was fine for me. Especially since it's later revealed that there's a reason for it.
Honestly, I liked the book but I found it underwhelming. The ending was good—though was the last line supposed to make sense? Because it didn't to me—and I will be reading the sequel. I just hope it'll have a proper plot with characters doing things instead of them wandering around with things happening to them. This one was too much of a set-up book.
carmapolice's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
violetspiderwitch's review against another edition
5.0
5.0
Holy fuck this book. I dont really know what to say except for that. just; go read it. GO READ IT NOW!!!
Holy fuck this book. I dont really know what to say except for that. just; go read it. GO READ IT NOW!!!
tormentalidad's review against another edition
4.0
Qué brillante la estructura narrativa, el tipo de narrador, los personajes, el mundo que ha creado Jemisin... simplemente, impecable.
Pero lo más importante de todo: la carga crítica en cada página. Exclavitud, racismo, colonialismo, rechazo, relaciones no monógamas, género, muerte y duelo... entre muchos otros temas.
No me convenció mucho el sistema de magia (me pareció demasiado abstracto), pero al final esta sensación negativa quedó eclipsada por las cosas positivas, que son muchísimas y hacen que la historia merezca mucho la pena.
Pero lo más importante de todo: la carga crítica en cada página. Exclavitud, racismo, colonialismo, rechazo, relaciones no monógamas, género, muerte y duelo... entre muchos otros temas.
No me convenció mucho el sistema de magia (me pareció demasiado abstracto), pero al final esta sensación negativa quedó eclipsada por las cosas positivas, que son muchísimas y hacen que la historia merezca mucho la pena.