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erinvv22's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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
4.0
kickthegecko92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
5.0
johnboyueltel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
christel_booksmart's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this series but wish this final book finally gave us more answers. I feel like there were quite a few loose ends left untied. What exactly were guardians and how were they created? The idea of ‘tuning’ wasn’t fully explained either, and how tuners were different to orogenes. Are all stone eaters the same/have the same origin or are they different? From my understanding, without putting any spoilers here, a specific subset of them have to be different from the rest, but the book did not fully explain that.
I can appreciate how complex NK Jemisin was able to make this world, but dare I say in the third book it was a little too complex. There were many head-scratching moments in this book (and this series overall, but at least in the previous books, you finally had a-ha! moments), such that I think I’d have to reread it to fully understand some of the explanations. The book was 400 pages - I don’t know if it needed more to actually fully explain things, or needed to be cut down and made simpler. I was really looking forward to getting an explanation for some things that were mysterious from book one, but didn’t really get that. The main things, however, like how the world came to be and what really happened are finally completely explained and I liked where the story went and how it ended, so still a 4 star read for me.
I also found the imagery reeeeally hard to picture in my mind - Jemisin’s world is just so unusual and her style of writing made many scenes very hard to imagine. It’s all just so complex. This has been the case from book 2, but book 3 especially had even more abstract ideas. I’m so interested to see how this world will be depicted on the big screen, so I can actually have an idea of what Jemisin was imagining when she was writing.
All-in-all, a great series that I would recommend to people wanting to read a very different sci-fantasy. Jemisin so intelligently uses a sci-fantasy setting to explore the impacts of colonisation, subjugation and insatiable human greed. This book is about so much more than climate change!
I can appreciate how complex NK Jemisin was able to make this world, but dare I say in the third book it was a little too complex. There were many head-scratching moments in this book (and this series overall, but at least in the previous books, you finally had a-ha! moments), such that I think I’d have to reread it to fully understand some of the explanations. The book was 400 pages - I don’t know if it needed more to actually fully explain things, or needed to be cut down and made simpler. I was really looking forward to getting an explanation for some things that were mysterious from book one, but didn’t really get that. The main things, however, like how the world came to be and what really happened are finally completely explained and I liked where the story went and how it ended, so still a 4 star read for me.
I also found the imagery reeeeally hard to picture in my mind - Jemisin’s world is just so unusual and her style of writing made many scenes very hard to imagine. It’s all just so complex. This has been the case from book 2, but book 3 especially had even more abstract ideas. I’m so interested to see how this world will be depicted on the big screen, so I can actually have an idea of what Jemisin was imagining when she was writing.
All-in-all, a great series that I would recommend to people wanting to read a very different sci-fantasy. Jemisin so intelligently uses a sci-fantasy setting to explore the impacts of colonisation, subjugation and insatiable human greed. This book is about so much more than climate change!
meggervais's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
An absolutely beautiful, soul crushing ending
niffigs's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
csgiansante's review against another edition
5.0
Shouldn't come together, but does. Feels applicable to the world we live in. Happy to have gone on this journey and to have done a nice little trilogy.
blegborgberg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
yomireads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
5.0
ianacook's review against another edition
5.0
Can I give a trilogy a rating of 6 out of 5? There is so much about this series that is unique and refreshing.
The world is extremely non-eurocentric (fantasy doesn't have to be!), and I love how the worldbuilding is revealed slowly, almost mysteriously at first and gradually explained over time in perhaps one of the most extreme and satisfying versions of "show, don't tell" I've seen.
The magic system is unique and well defined, with enough detail to make it FEEL plausible. And it's thoroughly integrated into the worldbuilding in a way that's very satisfying.
I also love that the main characters are a mom and her daughter in a genre so often dominated by only men and teenaged boys. It also features plenty of LGBTQ characters who are fully accepted as part of the story and as a matter of fact of the world, never scoffed at or ridiculed. In fact, although discrimination is a large part of society, it's never along the same tired lines of race, gender, or sexuality, which is deeply refreshing.
The world is extremely non-eurocentric (fantasy doesn't have to be!), and I love how the worldbuilding is revealed slowly, almost mysteriously at first and gradually explained over time in perhaps one of the most extreme and satisfying versions of "show, don't tell" I've seen.
The magic system is unique and well defined, with enough detail to make it FEEL plausible. And it's thoroughly integrated into the worldbuilding in a way that's very satisfying.
I also love that the main characters are a mom and her daughter in a genre so often dominated by only men and teenaged boys. It also features plenty of LGBTQ characters who are fully accepted as part of the story and as a matter of fact of the world, never scoffed at or ridiculed. In fact, although discrimination is a large part of society, it's never along the same tired lines of race, gender, or sexuality, which is deeply refreshing.