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chaoticnostalgia's review
4.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Racism, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Gore, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Grief
alfarmer's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Death, Racism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore
sparksofkell'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
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gore and Cannibalism
squidnamedfinger'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
4.75
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.
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Racism, War, and Violence
evelasco's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Hate crime, Murder, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Child death
Moderate: Ableism, Gaslighting, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cannibalism
sproutedpages's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, Death, Blood, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Cannibalism
Use of fictional, in-world racial slurs.brynalexa's review
- 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
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
leguinstan'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
One of my biggest pet peeves in (post-)apocalyptic stories is the abundance of cartoonishly self-serving characters. I'm happy to say this is very much NOT the case in this series. While several character act in a self-serving manner I never got the sense that any of these characters were inherently selfish and each individual self-serving act is understandable considering the past experiences and current circumstances of these aforementioned characters.
I also love how there are not just two, but several groups in this novel with opposing goals and priorities. It's not just Essun and her allies vs. a singular group in direct opposition to her plans. I also really like that we got a better understanding of the stone eaters in this novel.
My only complaint about The Obelisk Gate in particular is that the pacing drags during the many discussions between Essun and Alabaster. Luckily the relationship and history between the two characters are absolutely fascinating and their discussions are very relevant to the plot. Regardless, a fantastic follow-up to The Fifth Season!!
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Genocide, Body horror, Racism, Child abuse, and Cannibalism
Minor: Ableism and Sexual content
The racism is fantastical in nature and has very little to do with our real-world understanding of race. Ableism: so this is an apocalyptic setting and there is talk of physically disabled characters being a drain on resources and not contributing as much to the survival of their communities. Not a major theme in the novel, but it does come up several times. Cannibalismthewileyseven's review
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Death, and Racism
talasterism's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Terminal illness, Medical content, and Violence
Minor: War and Torture