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rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
4.25
I really loved this sequel. My minor issue with it is that some aspects of it just kind of end a bit conveniently. Some parts, that’s amusing. Others, it felt like a slightly hastened storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Car accident, Misogyny, Classism, Confinement, Deadnaming, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
There are scenes where cities are put at risk en masse. There’s examples of characters that are clearly analogous to far right, kind of racist, supposedly religion based politicians. The idea of the soul of a city, the distinct things that give them personality is a big theme in this. The avatars are emblematic in the best ways possible. I overall love this duology. Frankly, I kind of hope Jemisin still makes it into a trilogy one day.maritareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
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? No
3.75
The sequel to the Great Cities duology is just as well written as the first. On that front, Jemisin does not disappoint. However it feels like it has a good pace for a majority of the book to get an anticlimactic conclusion. She explained in the acknowledgments that her cup ran over when she was writing the duology and I understand, but it still felt unfinished.
Manny is such a mystery and I wanted to know how he could become two cities at the same time. Who is his family? What is the extent of their abilities? What else don't we know about cities? Will Jemisin ever write a romance? etc.
Another thing that annoyed me was the saving the city through elections plot. Anything else would have been more creative.
I'm curious about who would be my city's avatar though and how they would be embodied. I would love to read a story about Nairobi
Another thing that annoyed me was the saving the city through elections plot. Anything else would have been more creative.
I'm curious about who would be my city's avatar though and how they would be embodied. I would love to read a story about Nairobi
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Racism
Moderate: Transphobia
beccaand's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Transphobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Body horror
Moderate: Police brutality
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Death, Classism, and Grief
Moderate: Transphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content, Abandonment, Colonisation, Car accident, and Slavery
recorderkfk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ad sequels go, this one is a solid. Everything good from the first book and better! Will make you see cities in a whole new way!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Animal death and Body horror
Minor: War and Body horror
trayslays's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deportation and Transphobia
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Here's all I can say about this book: *@(#%&_@)#*($!!!!!!! /gleeful keysmash
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Xenophobia, and Body horror
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Transphobia
a_kt's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think this book builds on a lot of what made the first book so unique and interesting. It expands on the "rules" and worldbuilding of the original while also keeping things mysterious and tense. I really liked the inclusion of other cities as characters as well, even though we only got short snippets of them.
Like many other reviewers on here I did find the ending of this book to be somewhat anticlimactic, and I really wish this series was going to be a trilogy as originally planned. However, after reading the Acknowledgements at the end I understood why Jemisin felt such burnout on this series and decided to make this end instead. I really love the premise of these books, and Jemisin's writing is top notch (as usual), I can only hope that we get a spin off or some type of sequel at some point in the future, although I will be happy to read whatever she feels like publishing.
If you read and enjoyed the first in the series, I would definitely recommend giving this one a go. If you were on the fence about the first one, you can probably skip this sequel but you would be missing out in my humble opinion.
Like many other reviewers on here I did find the ending of this book to be somewhat anticlimactic, and I really wish this series was going to be a trilogy as originally planned. However, after reading the Acknowledgements at the end I understood why Jemisin felt such burnout on this series and decided to make this end instead. I really love the premise of these books, and Jemisin's writing is top notch (as usual), I can only hope that we get a spin off or some type of sequel at some point in the future, although I will be happy to read whatever she feels like publishing.
If you read and enjoyed the first in the series, I would definitely recommend giving this one a go. If you were on the fence about the first one, you can probably skip this sequel but you would be missing out in my humble opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Body horror and Police brutality
pandact's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
I’m sending this straight to Alex Kasman and MathFiction, because this is some quality speculative fiction! I’d say it’s four stars for literary content, leaving me fully satisfied, and five stars for my favorite audiobook production. The ambience and voice distortions gave me chills, and the narration pretty much voice acting (similar to The Original, but 100% less Audible)! It’s packed with scenes giving every beloved character a good payoff, and all the twists had satisfying, subtle hints that readers of the Broken Earth series will be familiar with. (I love seeing Padmini and Neek interact 🤩)
I liked the references to Lovecraftian lore (including the gory colors that I know from OSP), plus the witty pop culture and self-aware social justice. Most of all, the thing that this book excels at is the reason I love fiction: The Great Cities series is fantastic at giving you a new way of seeing the world. It flawlessly pulls off blending the real world with fictional battles, while also describing concepts from social justice with optimism. Thematically, it makes sense that almost every chapter is a different person as they all build a story, just like the cities of the world are built from the interaction of every person. The World We Make is well worth your time, and I’m going to spend money on it too since I promised myself I would if my favorite character made it (no spoilers)!
Similar stories: Middlegame, Wendell & Wild, Broken Earth, Lovecraft County
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Hate crime, Body horror, Colonisation, and Gun violence
lordmondegreen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Jemisin's writing beautifully weaves compelling character dynamics, cosmic horror, and lush meditations on the construction of meaning. My only gripe is that it feels cramped in a way the first book didn't- this is understandable given that there are, by necessity, a larger number of primary characters. I'm more than satisfied with the ending, but I wonder if this world would have been better explored in a trilogy rather than a duology. You could just as well take that as a compliment- if Jemisin ever wants to return to this world- I wouldn't complain!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent