Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

11 reviews

azariamckay's review

adventurous challenging 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? Yes

5.0

WOW!! I officially finished the Broken Earth Trilogy and Ms. Jemisin gave us soooo much in this last book. What an epic way to end a trilogy! I can’t wait to reread this series 🩷

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Body horror, Grief, Violence, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Genocide, Pregnancy, and Ableism

abijmieds's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

I rarely give a final book 5 stars, but this book wrapped up the trilogy in such a memorable and satisfying way. You have to pay attention through the final third, but it really pays off.

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Content Warnings

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

onthesamepage's review

challenging dark 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? 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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Racial slurs, and Cannibalism

martinatan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

Really stuck the landing on this one!!! I was so skeptical reading through the middle part that the ending wouldn’t be satisfying but it turned out to be thrilling, heart wrenching, really intriguing and only a little confusing. I felt myself a little lost in the buildup of more lore every so often but that was more because I got distracted often while reading, and I had read The Obelisk Gate over a year ago. I think all the characters’ endings felt true to their character development, although

Lerna’s death was so surprising and sad and just a twist of the knife that felt it was done to in just further push how tragic Essun’s life has been as a mother and a partner

. But idk that’s my first impression having just read that scene 30 minutes ago. In terms of actual lore and thematic development as well as experimental writing style, this was a really spectacular conclusion overall to the trilogy and helped solidify the cohesiveness of all three books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Medical content, Slavery, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Violence

brynalexa's review

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

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Genocide, Death of parent, Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Classism, Violence, Murder, Medical trauma, Gore, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Xenophobia, War, and Racial slurs

deedubb's review

challenging emotional hopeful sad 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

This series is nothing short of a masterpiece. Social commentary, fantasy, great world building, interesting magic system, emotional moments, multiple POVs female main characters, POC characters. It’s got I all.

ending is bittersweet and satisfying.  All loose threads are tied up.  Not a wholly happy ending, Jemisin let’s us mourn with Nassun

this work will continue to resonate with me for many years to come. I definitely  have a book hangover after finishing the series 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Slavery

Minor: Child death, Cursing, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, and Racial slurs

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Child death, Death, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: War, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, and Genocide

studydniowka's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I couldn’t think about better end of this epic story. Everything we learn about Hoa 🤯

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Violence, War, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Genocide

Minor: Torture, Blood, and Cannibalism

yourbookishbff's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

After finishing The Stone Sky, the final installment in NJ Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy, I MARVEL at how she pulled off these story arcs across three books. How she managed to examine slavery, motherhood, intergenerational trauma AND a climate crisis - without ANY of these layered allegories feeling incomplete or forced in any way - is genius. 

And while Jemisin deals in BIG global themes, she is also incredibly intimate. She gives such grace to each character that we are consistently pushed to reevaluate our sympathies and our own assumptions. I appreciate that while the fall-out for each character is complex, leaving each in morally grey spaces, the evil at the root of all this tragedy is very clear. Jemisin doesn't leave our interpretation to chance here - she (Hoa) will interject frequently, and we're reminded that for every single crime committed, other choices were always possible.

This series is HEAVY with lots of on-page trauma (please check content warnings!). But I highly recommend. I will be carrying these characters in my heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Body horror, Racism, Torture, Murder, Abandonment, Death, Racial slurs, and Genocide

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cannibalism