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zombiezami's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Child death, Gore, Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual content, Slavery, Stalking, Animal death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Torture, and War
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism
stierwood's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I didn’tunderstand the use of the 2nd person until about 2/3rds thru the book, and then thought it was rlly clever.
Characters were complex and loveable.
I have a history degree. That this book focuses on history, how it is told, and who writes it was so good to read and exceptionally well-done. The lore was sooo fleshed out.
A hard one to read in a slump. The world building was complex so thank gd for the appendix.
Dark, but never unnecessarily so.
Except every modern dystopian piece of media i have consumed recently has had cannibalism in it and my tummy hurts.
Graphic: Transphobia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Body horror, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Racism, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, and Sexual harassment
heckgoshdang'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Genocide
Moderate: Colonisation, Cannibalism, Gore, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Classism, Mental illness, Blood, Murder, Racism, Body horror, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse
galacticvampire's review
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
natalie_gumm'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Hate crime, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Classism, Racism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Body horror, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Rape, Medical content, Child death, and Pedophilia
malisac16's review against another edition
- 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
moonlitreading_'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? Yes
5.0
The Fifth Season seemed hella intimidating before I started it, and it still kind of is after reading it because it’s a book with so much complexity to it. All the new words, places, and terms were really confusing at first so I became best friends with the glossary lol. This book has three POVs and one of them is in the second person which was uncommon, if not, new for me to read. It was an interesting experience to read in the second person and I found that I didn’t mind it. I liked Jemisin’s writing and her world-building was immaculate.
How the Orogenes used their abilities fascinated me and it just proved that they’re really powerful. Essun, Syenite, and Damaya are the main characters of the book and I love when the connection between the three of them revealed itself.
I loved the representations this book gave. The majority of the characters were people of color. There’s also LGBTQIA+ representation in the book. There were gay, bi/pan, and trans characters and a poly relationship.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Grief, Slavery, Racism, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Cannibalism
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
onthesamepage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
When we say "the world has ended," it's usually a lie, because the planet is just fine.
But this is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
For the last time.
What can I even say about this book that is eloquent enough to express what a masterpiece this is? I buddy-read this book, which forced me to read it slower than I probably would have otherwise, but this book took over my brain for a couple of weeks. I had so much fun trying to figure out where everything was headed and how this world worked, and I'm not even mad I was right about some of it, because it was masterfully done. The writing hooked me from the very beginning as well; even the second person perspective that so many people seem to dislike didn't bother me at all.
One of the things I did have to get used to is to trust that the author would, eventually, explain everything. I spent the first few chapters very confused by all the new terms that aren't immediately explained, so if you find yourself having a similar experience, don't worry: she'll get to it a bit later.
"Orogenes have no right to say no. I am your Guardian. I will break every bone in your hand, every bone in your body, if I deem it necessary to make the world safe from you."
Every perspective and every chapter layers on top of the one before to really flesh out the world, in a way that feels organic instead of like an infodump. We're introduced to the idea of Orogenes and the kind of magic they have, the Guardians that watch them to make sure they don't hurt anyone, the racism Orogenes face in this world, and the concept of a Fifth Season full of calamities that can last many years. And then the book takes its time slowly giving us more information about each of these as we progress through the story. The societal structure is fascinating to me, and I really liked that I got to see it from three different perspectives.
There are a couple of interludes that feel explicitly like a tease. They pose questions that make you think about the world beyond the parts the author is showing us, and when I finally got the answer to some of them, my reaction was, "damn it, I should've known!" That's exactly the kind of reading experience I want, and I can't wait to continue in the series.
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault
elizabeth_lepore'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? 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