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arithegnome'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: Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Cannibalism
griskusse'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
3.75
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child death, and Death
syllareads'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
5.0
The Fifth Season is the first book in N. K. Jemisin's trilogy "The Broken Earth" (a series that earned her 3 Hugo Awards consecutively, and I am only beginning to understand why that is) and it begins as slowly as one would expect from a first book setting up even more to come. By the end of those roughly 450 pages, that slow pace had turned into an avalanche of happenings and (in my case) uncontrollable tears.
Jemisin's worldbuilding is immaculate. The deep lore (called "stone lore") surrounding the series' characters, the way she effortlessly weaves in talks about food supplies, the way of life for the people, while not making it sound like a particularly boring lecture, the Fulcrum and its practices....I found myself engrossed in this world, unable to put the book down at any point. Painful parallels to our real world, woven into the fabric of a story of loss, regret and finally, rebellion, broke me along with the pain these characters carry all on their own - I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with them if I tried. And I didn't particularly want to, truth be told.
I don't even want to ramble on about it too much - it's a beautiful piece of art. Read it. Listen to its tales, cry your heart out as we follow Essun, Syanide, Damara...as we follow all the ones whose voices have been silenced by the Guardians. As we follow the ones for whom feelings are a luxury they cannot afford; as we observe the lives of those who are not allowed to have one to begin with.
This was one of the easiest 5 stars I ever gave a book this entire year.
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Bullying and Pregnancy
lauconn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, and Violence
Minor: Blood, Cannibalism, Torture, Vomit, and Pregnancy
cerilouisereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Vomit
troisha'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Gore, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Rape, and Racism
Minor: Bullying, Excrement, Vomit, and Pregnancy
mvvelde'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? It's complicated
5.0
This is every bit incredible as people say it is.
Jemisin’s writing is masterful, leading to gripping storytelling that keeps the reader puzzling pieces together. I really enjoyed how information was slowly funneled out. It left mystery to many bits and pieces along the way, and led to shocking connections and plot twists. It was hard to put this one down & I am already certain I’ll want to re-read it.
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Slavery, Grief, Genocide, Child death, and Bullying
dayday_reads'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
Definitely a favorite and I highly recommend.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, and Murder
ecobookworm'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, Slavery, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape and Bullying
Minor: Cannibalism, Blood, Sexual content, and Vomit
abbajane'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
The world of the Fifth Season is completely unlike anything I've ever read before -- which is part of the reason I'm unsure if it is science-fiction or fantasy... I hope as I continue through the trilogy I will be able to decide. Not only is the world of the novel lushly, carefully, and fully built, but the characters are diverse, complicated, and complex. The narrative style of this book is really incredible -- I didn't figure out what was going on until about 2/3 of the way through, and it was such a satisfying realization as I finally figured out how the three seemingly disparate stories wove into one. This book really ticks every box for me -- it was beautifully written, had great and diverse characters, a really scary and cool world, solid mythology and psychology, and overall said something really important about how we humans treat one another. This is a must read for any sci-fi/fantasy fan, or anyone trying to add some richness to their reading world.
Graphic: Violence, Slavery, Grief, Death, Child death, and Bullying
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, and Slavery