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alfarmer's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
nerdy_reader_9571's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Murder, Torture, and Slavery
Moderate: War and Violence
Minor: Rape
mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
This was my least favorite of the three (though still FANTASTIC) due to the pacing? Maybe it was just my own headspace, but I found the Syl Anagast chapters to be very long and a bit boring. Objectively, it was all interesting, but I probably would have enjoyed them more if it wasn’t the last book.
The ending felt anticlimactic, but I think that was my own brain wishing so badly for a beautiful embrace, apologies, and happily ever after. I am stricken by the palpable distance that remains between Nassun and Essun to the end, and by how NK Jemison wrote this while grieving the loss of her own mother.
pain pain pain pain
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Death of parent
azariamckay's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Body horror, Grief, Violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Ableism
tayindago's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Body horror, War, Blood, Cannibalism, and Violence
utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Violence, Genocide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief and Child death
Minor: Pregnancy, Cannibalism, and Sexual content
_cecilie_'s review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I'm not kidding when I say that when this trilogy gets dark, it can get DARK but the reading experience was extremely rewarding nonetheless and I may have shed some tears here and there.
Some other pros are: flawed but ultimately likable characters, great side characters that matter to the overall plot, LGBT representation and in general different types of love and relationships, POC representation, original and creative world building, and I'm sure I'm missing some other things.
Nitpicks: Sometimes the dialogue was almost too modern sounding which took me out of the story and there were times I wished the writing style had been a bit more straightforward about what was going on. And since we are talking about tiny complaints: I wish the earth had been called Mother and not Father Earth to show the vengeful love that motherhood can be as a coin of which the earth is one side and Essun is the other. But maybe there was a reason for Jemisin to write Father and I’m just predisposed to viewing earth as a mother?
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, War, and Violence
abijmieds's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Death
Moderate: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Grief, Murder, Child abuse, Violence, War, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Cannibalism
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
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.
This series is one of the best I've ever read. The only reason I didn't give the conclusion 5 stars is because I, personally, had a much better time with the first 2 books—when everything was a mystery, and my mind was racing to try and figure it all out. This is the final book, and there isn't much mystery left, which absolutely makes sense, but it did lower my enjoyment just a smidge. That, and the pacing felt slower to me.
They’re afraid because we exist, she says. There’s nothing we did to provoke their fear, other than exist. There’s nothing we can do to earn their approval, except stop existing—so we can either die like they want, or laugh at their cowardice and go on with our lives.
If you're worried that you'll still be left with questions by the end of this, don't be. I think that Jemisin skillfully explained everything you've been wondering about, and maybe more. The writing is gripping and beautiful as always, and the ways in which the characters and relationships develop stunned me with how deep it went. The journeys that Essun and Nassun go on separately, and how that impacts the way they see each other, everything was masterfully executed. This entire series, despite being heavy on the science as well, is so rooted in humanity, and I love seeing that within SFF.
But for a society built on exploitation, there is no greater threat than having no one left to oppress.
Honestly, nothing I can say can ever fully express how I feel about this series. I can only say that it's absolutely worth picking up.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism