Reviews tagging 'War'

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

43 reviews

crybabybea's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

Mind blowing. 

All the amazing things from the first book are present here. Doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome like so many trilogies do. I appreciate the time spent in the first book world-building as it made this book read like a breeze, and the author even introduced a new magic system which was much easier to grasp thanks to what we learned in book one. Just a really great example of how to continue a series. I can't wait to see how it ends!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, War, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-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

This book was unstoppable, it had so much drive and momentum, and manages to really builds on the existing explanations of the world and its magic system as well.  Every chapter was compelling, I loved the relationships developing between the characters, the intensity of feeling, whatever the emotion. I read the second half in pretty much one sitting. Just fantastic writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Medical content, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol

shlymiller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

The perspective shifts and storytelling style in this book are masterful. A work of art. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death of parent, and Violence

madimoss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Cursing

cdc95's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder and War

Minor: Sexual content and Child death

squidnamedfinger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

4.75

almost as good as the first. really close. pacing falls just a BIT short in my eyes--understandably, being the second of a trilogy. Jemisin is excellent at driving the plot through the middle installment though. so many hard-hitting character moments and tense scenes play out in exciting ways, even if there's not as much that this book is juggling compared to the first.

the prose in this novel is even better than The Fifth Season, though. I found myself rereading certain passages several times over to glean the full depth of Jemisin's writing. the way she describes the sensations of magic use are exceptionally striking. 

her characters continue to shine through as well. Schaffa was a surprise hit with me, and Tonkee and Hjarka are my favorites in Castrima. 

very much looking forward to seeing how this series concludes. lots of tension still lingering even after the end of this installment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Racism, War, and Violence

biobeetle's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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: Medical trauma, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Violence, War, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Abandonment, and Terminal illness

Minor: Chronic illness and Stalking

ericageorge91's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective 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

4.5

“To those who have no choice but to prepare their children for the battlefield.”

This book was a study in generational trauma and I was here for every second of it. After all of the world building of the first book in a series, I love being able to hit the ground running in a sequel 😌 

***SPOILERS***

As heartbreaking as it was, I loved getting Nassun’s perspective. We knew that Essun was fucked up. After everything she’d been through, how could she not be? But to see how the trauma aftershocks hit her daughter was 🥲 And to think that Essun isn’t alone in this. There are too many parents who think that preparing their kids for the ugliness of the world is doing them a kindness when they’re really becoming their kids’ first enemy. WHEW!

Schaffa 😐 I don’t know how I feel about him. Is this supposed to be a redemption arc? Because I’m not biting. He got the teeniest sliver of sympathy from me for the fact that Guardian creation also seems pretty brutal and that’s all I can afford.

TW: Child death, child abuse, grief, death, murder, sexual content (brief), cannibalism, war, toxic relationship

Rep: BIPOC characters, gay side character, bi/pan characters, trans minor character, polyamory (references)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Murder, and War

Moderate: Cannibalism and Toxic relationship

gandalf_a's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, War, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Sexual content

brynalexa's review

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

I don’t have much to say about this as it has run together with the first which I think is a strength of the series. The completely intertwined storylines are smart and intricate and hold the story together perfectly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Genocide, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Hate crime, Deadnaming, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Alcohol, and Alcoholism