Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

280 reviews

leandrathetbrzero's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

*BOOK REVIEW CATCH UP #1/54 😳*

Finished this back in July as a buddy read with Danni! Since then, we completed the series in its entirety and had so much fun.  Of the three books in the Broken Earth Trilogy, this one is my favorite. NK Jemisin does a great job interweaving multiple perspectives from characters in very different environments and at different places in their lives...all while the world is literally shaking and crumbling around them.

If you are considering this series, but you are either on the fence or feeling a bit intimidated (because it IS a complex series), my advice is as follows: FIND A BUDDY. It's always more fun to enter a book in pairs anyway :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Grief, Physical abuse, Death, Child death, and Murder

Moderate: Violence and Toxic relationship

biobeetle's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Torture, Slavery, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Abandonment, Bullying, and Death

tired_cicada's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

Do you ever go into a book knowing nothing about it and it is just gut punch after gut punch? Cause apparently that's how I need to pick my books from now on casue y'all this book had me in the palm of its hand!! 

(Check trigger warning through!)

I am I sucker for nonlinear story telling, I live pick out the lies and the half truths! I am glad I didn't know anything about this though, cause if I'd know this book was told in second person I probably wouldn't have picked it up, but...
This it was just too good! 

I would recommend this book to my friends... But maybe not my mom. If you know you know.

I need book two right now!

WE ARE GOING TO STEAL THE MOON!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Slavery, Death, Classism, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Torture, and Grief

Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, War, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Cannibalism, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

mythicsage's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Cursing, Gaslighting, Blood, Cannibalism, Grief, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, and Slavery

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Animal death, Medical content, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Torture, War, and Body horror

iteechesinglish's review

adventurous 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

4.0

 Really interesting world building and compelling storytelling. I was a little put off at first by some of the naming conventions (4-ringer to show how many rings an orogene has earned for example) but after 100 pages or so the story sucked me in. The author creatively uses different narrative voices in a way that doesn't become clear until the end. I recently had a conversation with someone who claimed that sci-fi explores social issues in a way that fantasy doesn't, but I think this book proves that fantasy can be used in the same way rather than as simple escapism. Will be reading book 2. 

Summary for myself: At the beginning of the book we are introduced to 3 separate storylines. 1) Damara is a young child who is a "rogga," someone with earth powers. She is taken from her family by a Guardian to be trained at the  Fulcrum. 2) Syenite is an adult oregene (earth wizard?) who is building a career at the Fulcrum and assigned to breed with another powerful orogene named Alabaster. 3) Essun is a "rogga" living in secret in a normal comm who has just discovered her husband has murdered their young son after discovering the boy was a "rogga." We watch as Damara turns into a star student at the Fulcrum, Syenite discovers the dark side of the Fulcrum as she accompanies Alabaster, and Essun searches for her husband and daughter in the aftermath of an apocalyptic earthquake. The entire world is built on the concept of "seasons" and the capriciousness of the earth below them. An apocalypse is a "fifth season." As the 3 stories converge, Syenite accidentally causes the destruction of an entire comm on the coast. She and Alabaster are rescued by a Stone Eater who takes them to a free island comm where roggas are valued and honored. They form a polyamorous relationship with the comm leader, Innon and have a child. But the comm is found and attacked by the Fulcrum and in desperation Syenite destroys everything and kills her child to prevent him being taken by the Guardians. The book ends with Essun, accompanied by Tonkee the geomest and Hoa the Stone Eater, discovering an underground comm built from an obelisk/geode? that is run by orogenes/roggas. She finds a dying Alabaster there who implores her to continue his work of destroying the planet. Dun dun dunnnnn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Child death

addie's review

adventurous dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Child abuse, Violence, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: War

Minor: Transphobia and Cannibalism

amsswim's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Anyone looking for a Hugo winning fantasy? THis was my first read by this author, but I really like her writing style. Full of details and feeling, I really felt my heart aches for what the characters go through. The plot and setting start a bit abstract, but in a way that pulled me in entirely. I'm not usually a series girl, or I haven't been in years, but maybe this will get me back into it. I have 2 more after this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Toxic friendship, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Child abuse, and Slavery

Moderate: Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Vomit

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

I really loved this epic fantasy packed full of earth-based powers, found family, inclusive character design, and tragedy. The 3-character style worked so well. This starts slow, as many epic fantasy do, and has such an interesting payoff as character stories come together.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Violence, Body horror, and Colonisation

Moderate: Animal death

Police brutality, destroyed homelands/refugee experience

gabbyisbaking's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Pregnancy

annamay1021's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Blood, Death, and Sexual content