Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

12 reviews

nilssjoberg's review against another edition

medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, Confinement, Child abuse, and Cannibalism

Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content

bergha1998's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.0

What an end to this series. The world building was incredible though very complex. I will ceaselessly love all three of the main characters. Very sad too, especially with getting all the background information and how everything is built on racism and xenophobia. Important for the very same reason. 

Found Family, Complex Discussions of Racism

“No need for guards when you can convince people to collaborate in their own internment.”

“Well, some worlds are built on a fault line of pain, held up by nightmares. Don’t lament when those worlds fall. Rage that they were built doomed in the first place.”

“(It bothers her that she does this, watching him constantly for shifts of mood or warnings of tension. It is another thing she learned from Jija. She cannot seem to shed it with Schaffa, or anyone else.)”

“But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fear, as conquerors. They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them—even if, in truth, their victims couldn’t care less about such pettiness and have moved on. Conquerors live in dread of the day when they are shown to be, not superior, but simply lucky.”

“I think,” Hoa says slowly, “that if you love someone, you don’t get to choose how they love you back.”

“There are stages to the process of being betrayed by your society. One is jolted from a place of complacency by the discovery of difference, by hypocrisy, by inexplicable or incongruous ill treatment. What follows is a time of confusion—unlearning what one thought to be the truth. Immersing oneself in the new truth. And then a decision must be made.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Death of parent, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Confinement, Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A truly strange and wonderful story. The themes of exploitation, community, bigotry, and fear were carried through with a clever nuance that will have me thinking about this world for weeks. There was a fairly large plot hole (

if Hoa can take Essun, or anyone, through the Earth to a known location of another, why didn’t he just do it in the first book, or after Meov?

) that was quite distracting. Overall it came together in a satisfying and frustrating conclusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, and Racial slurs

Minor: Rape, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.75

Brilliant conclusion to a brilliant trilogy. I really had no idea where this was going and Jemisin absolutely nailed the finale with remarkable precision. So inventive and truly unlike any other fantasy series I’ve ever read. Everyone who loves fantasy must read this trilogy; an absolute masterclass in set up and pay off. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Confinement and Sexual content

lizclark81's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful 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

Perfect conclusion to an incredible trilogy. The character development of Hoa especially rounded out everything so perfectly, and the fates of all the major characters (and the world!) were terrifically satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Confinement

wren_rainbow's review against another edition

4.0

Such a bittersweet feeling upon completing this trilogy. I completed it still quite not understanding the world and inner workings. A lot of questions left unanswered. < I don’t blame Nassun for her choices and understand why she was making them >. My heart aches for them all but hope that it works out in the end. <Also wish I could see a snippet of Essun and Alabaster’s reunion as well as what her and Hoa end of doing>

I will definitely reread this trilogy in a few years. It will be interesting to read this with a whole new perspective 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Genocide, Death, Body horror, Grief, War, Xenophobia, and Violence

Moderate: Cannibalism, Slavery, Gore, Confinement, and Physical abuse

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

As the ending of the series, it more than delivered, with some of if not the best worldbuilding I have ever seen in my life (the other books in the series also had really good worldbuilding but this one took it to the next level) and everything is wrapped up better than I thought possible. The character arcs & relationships between characters are really well written and I got emotional at quite a few points. Only issue with the book was that a couple chapters dragged a little but overall one of the best books I have ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Abandonment, Genocide, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Stalking, Murder, Child death, Medical content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Blood, Pregnancy, Torture, Hate crime, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Colonisation, Cursing, and Sexual content

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Murder, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Genocide, and Injury/Injury detail

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Torture

fiveredhens's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

favorite serious quotes:

Hoa says to your slumped back, "I can't die."

You frown, jarred out of melancholy by this apparent non sequitur. Then you understand: He's saying you won't ever lose him. He will not crumble away like Alabaster. You can't ever be surprised by the pain of Hoa's loss the way you were with Corundum or Innon or Alabaster or Uche, or now Jija. You can't hurt Hoa in any way that matters. "It's safe to love you," you murmur, in startled realization.

"Yes."

She draws up her feet and wraps her arms around her knees, curiously vulnerable for someone whose presence within the strata is as deep and dense as a mountain. I reach up to touch her ankle, greatly daring, and she blinks and smiles at me, reaching down to cover my fingers with her hand. I will not understand my feelings for centuries afterward.

The onyx says, in its ponderous, wordless way:

Execute Y/N?

And in the cold stone silence, alone, Nassun chooses.

YES

"It might take some time."

"I don't think I'm very patient."

But you take my hand. Don't be patient. Don't ever be. This is the way a new world begins.

"Neither am I," I say. "So let's get to it."

It's almost like the old days, except that now Hoa appears as you walk, gets left behind as you keep walking, then appears again somewhere ahead of you. Most times he adopts a neutral posture, but occasionally he's doing something ridiculous, like the time you find him in a running pose.

Remwha crouches to run a hand along the wooden slats of the floor. I don't know why he does anything.

Asked Tinimony to take me into the hole today and she said no. What's in the hole, huh? What's in the hole.

complex mother-daughter relationships fraught with abuse and they have to

catch the moon

? sign me up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit