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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into this book completely blind. I didn't know anything about the premise or the characters. I think that actually made this book much for interesting. This book did not hold back. It starts with a character dealing with a very traumatic event. I will be vague, but it wasn't something I was expecting. I found the world incredibly interesting and the way that N.K. Jemisin decided to tell the story was very interesting. I have read quite a few books this year, and this one was a fresh take on multiple POV's. I can't wait to start the second book, and depending on that book, I might update my rating, but as of now, it is a 4.35. I could see it jumping to 4.5 if I like the second book.
Spoiler Thoughts
- Typically don't like multiple POV, but having all of them be the same person was a really cool twist. I thought that each character was going to meet in some way, but I didn't expect them to be the same girl.
- This book did not hold back by starting with the death of a child. If I were Essen, I would have broken as well. The death of a child is so traumatic, but the way the child died, being beaten by her husband, is heartbreaking. She is completely justified and hope she gets her vengeance.
- I didn't love Alabaster and Syenite's relationship. What I mean by this is two people are being forced to sleep together by the Fulcrum to Syenite to conceive a child by a 10 ring. This alone, the Fulcrum needs to end, but what bothered me a bit was the trope of a girl and a guy having to work together through something, but the girl is always constantly upset and annoyed by anything the guy does. Is Alabaster the easiest person to deal with? Absolutely not, but Syenite seemed to be annoyed by everything Alabaster did. This is a trope that happens quite a bit and one that I personally don't care for, but again, that is just a personal preference.
- I really liked Hoa and didn't think that he would be a stone-eater. Also, the fact that he is the narrator of this tale was pretty crazy and means that he Essun told her everything that happened in her life, this also means that I think Essun most likely dies, and Hoa is one of the few remaining who can share her tale.
- I grew to really like Alabaster. I think that despite the circumstances I think that he grew to love Syenite in his own way. I think that they both loved each other in their own way but I felt that Alabaster loved Syenite more than she loved him.
- When he is taken by the stone eater at the end, I knew he would be back, but his life sounds horrible. It sounds like both he and Essun had hard lives.
- Syenite decides to kill her child rather than give her child to Fulcrum. She then connected with the obelisk to destroy pretty much everyone there. The scene of her floating in the water face up and her body face down was so haunting to me.
- Alabaster and Essun reunion. Alabaster telling Essun that he understood why she did what she did, but he would never forgive her.
- Alabaster reveals that he is the one responsible for the crack in the continent and asks her if she has ever heard of a moon. What does that mean? I'm so curious where the second book is going to go.
- This was heavy, and I wasn't expecting some of the dark things that happened in this book, but it was still a really good book.
Spoiler Thoughts
- Typically don't like multiple POV, but having all of them be the same person was a really cool twist. I thought that each character was going to meet in some way, but I didn't expect them to be the same girl.
- This book did not hold back by starting with the death of a child. If I were Essen, I would have broken as well. The death of a child is so traumatic, but the way the child died, being beaten by her husband, is heartbreaking. She is completely justified and hope she gets her vengeance.
- I didn't love Alabaster and Syenite's relationship. What I mean by this is two people are being forced to sleep together by the Fulcrum to Syenite to conceive a child by a 10 ring. This alone, the Fulcrum needs to end, but what bothered me a bit was the trope of a girl and a guy having to work together through something, but the girl is always constantly upset and annoyed by anything the guy does. Is Alabaster the easiest person to deal with? Absolutely not, but Syenite seemed to be annoyed by everything Alabaster did. This is a trope that happens quite a bit and one that I personally don't care for, but again, that is just a personal preference.
- I really liked Hoa and didn't think that he would be a stone-eater. Also, the fact that he is the narrator of this tale was pretty crazy and means that he Essun told her everything that happened in her life, this also means that I think Essun most likely dies, and Hoa is one of the few remaining who can share her tale.
- I grew to really like Alabaster. I think that despite the circumstances I think that he grew to love Syenite in his own way. I think that they both loved each other in their own way but I felt that Alabaster loved Syenite more than she loved him.
- When he is taken by the stone eater at the end, I knew he would be back, but his life sounds horrible. It sounds like both he and Essun had hard lives.
- Syenite decides to kill her child rather than give her child to Fulcrum. She then connected with the obelisk to destroy pretty much everyone there. The scene of her floating in the water face up and her body face down was so haunting to me.
- Alabaster and Essun reunion. Alabaster telling Essun that he understood why she did what she did, but he would never forgive her.
- Alabaster reveals that he is the one responsible for the crack in the continent and asks her if she has ever heard of a moon. What does that mean? I'm so curious where the second book is going to go.
- This was heavy, and I wasn't expecting some of the dark things that happened in this book, but it was still a really good book.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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