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cheye13's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
There was a consistently morose tone and happy moments were few and far between, which I found trying at times. But overal an excellent book that I would recommend widely. Can't wait to see where the rest of the story goes.
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Torture
Minor: Pedophilia, Trafficking, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Slavery
galacticvampire's review against another edition
5.0
"Stupid, stupid woman. Death was always here. Death is you."
I was enamoured by the concept of The Fifth Season from the first time I heard about it years ago, added to overall praise for the series, I was coming with high expectations.
And it delivered. Everything and more.
The execution not only lives up to the concept, but surpasses it. The suspense isn't there to pull the rug from under your feet in a gotcha moment, it's carefully crafted into the story, where the reveals are satisfying and spark the need for more, even when you caught what the foreshadowing was trying to tell you.
The world is so rich and complex that the initial struggle to follow what was going on (including the recurrent second person pov) has an immense pay-off. The feeling of wonder didn't leave me for a second.
I'm very much on the transition from YA to Adult Fantasy, so the very real darkness and grittiness surrounding everything was unexpected, but I couldn't have picked a better book to make me fall in love with the genre.
This is a story about Pain. This is a story about Grief. This is a story about enduring them and surviving them, because you have no other option.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, Sexual content, Rape, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Pedophilia, Racism, and Xenophobia
malisac16's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Racial slurs and Murder
Minor: Cannibalism
ecmbeanie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Racism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, and Physical abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
omnisyncd's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Body horror
katievallin'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
4.5
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Child death, Racism, Rape, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Bullying, Police brutality, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Body horror
Minor: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
vivavia'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: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Slavery, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Torture, Vomit, Violence, and Classism
lothalbaby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Bullying
Minor: Cannibalism, Dysphoria, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Sexual violence
yourbookishbff's review
- 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
5.0
There really is no other book (I know of) that serves as a useful/direct comparison, but I do believe readers who love the Locked Tomb series (particularly for Muir's use of an unreliable narrator/second person POV in Harrow) and Legendborn (for Deonn's skillful use of fantasy to create a rich allegory for slavery and colonialism) will enjoy this.
And THE TWISTS. They were perfectly executed. Jemisin weaves clues in so subtly that you don't notice them for what they are until you've reached your first big reveal. I love an author who can pull off a well-deserved twist that all at once feels both obvious and unbelievable because they've laid the foundation so well. It's a pet peeve of mine when fantasy authors deliver a plot "twist" simply by omitting crucial information for the reader (looking at you SJM-House-of-Earth-and-Blood-and-House-of-Sky-and-Breath), and this, thankfully, is not that.
Highly recommend!
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Slavery, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Blood
Minor: Abandonment
elizabeth_lepore's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Hate crime, and Transphobia