Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

14 reviews

sparksofkell's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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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shlymiller's review against another edition

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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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faithaforman's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

A strong second book in the series, by turns emotional, dark and sometimes even surprising. Beautiful use of language and expanded perspectives from the last book. Leaves you ready and wanting for book 3.

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ericageorge91's review against another edition

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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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gandalf_a's review

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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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jessthanthree's review

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.5


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yourbookishbff's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The Obelisk Gate, book two in the Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin, built on everything I loved in book one and brought even more depth, complexity and heart-wrecking authenticity to each character. As I was thinking about how to describe the dominant themes in book two, I thought most of Beloved, by Toni Morrison, for how fearlessly both NKJ and Morrison explore the layered traumas of child loss and enslavement. I also kept thinking back to the second installment in Tracy Deonn's Legendborn Cycle, Bloodmarked, for how both NKJ and Deonn use fantasy to literally and explicitly call out colonization and the inter-generational trauma of enslaved peoples. NKJ has been very straightforward in her thoughts on the use of subtler forms of allegory to discuss racism in fantasy (as in, subtle doesn't work). In that vein, The Obelisk Gate leaves nothing to misinterpretation - this is a story about slavery.

At the start of The Obelisk Gate, our main character Essun has lost too many children, has sacrificed too much of herself, and has been hunted by too many of those she once loved, and her grief is all consuming. The tender moments between her and Alabaster destroyed me. And we finally get NESSUN in book two, and it's just as much of a gut punch as we expected. She gives up so much for survival - her "daughterhood," her childhood, her ideas of familial love. Through Nessun in particular, NKJ is constantly pushing us to examine our sympathies. Characters like Jija and Schaffa are head-spinning as we try to sort out good and evil in a world literally covered in gray ash.

And sweet, terrifying Hoa. I love him. I distrust him. I love him. I don't know.

Highly recommend this series and looking forward to book three!

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zoiejanelle's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

this book was SO SLOW but it really expanded on the incredible world established in The Fifth Season. the magic, the science, was all extremely fascinating and i was continually perplexed and in awe of this universe. 

i had to stop reading about 1/3rd through because of a few of the trigger warnings i list below, but i am very glad i kept going. 

NK Jemisin has such a unique way with words and her characters are all so tangible and emotive. Essun and Alabaster ripped my heart out time and time again, and i empathized with Nassun on so many unexpected  levels. i cannot wait to read the (what i have heard will be) thrilling conclusion to the trilogy. 

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mgewald's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

4.5


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ailsaod's review

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adventurous challenging dark medium-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

I read this on a deadline so whenever something messed up happened I just had to shrug and keep going. This book didn't leave as much of an impression on me as book 1 (it had a tough act to follow) but my overall impression is that this book is like someone pulling a rug from under your feet and this causing you to fall down a flight of stairs. Do I know what is going on? No. There were all sorts of factions coming out the woodwork (stonework?) and I have no idea who I'm supposed to be rooting for. Also what on earth is up with Nassun? After spending the whole of book 1 trying to get to her you have this idea of what she is going to be like and having chapters from her pov did not meet those expectations in the slightest! I found her point of view a bit frustrating because I found myself wanting to shake her as she
embarked gleefully on her villain arc!


While I would say this book is less of a shocking experience than book 1 it did almost have me in tears while in the canteen at work on my lunch break (with other people around!!) so there is that. I am a bit mad that it affected me so much as the scene I am vagueing about was not unexpected at all. And then just to put the icing on the cake we had the mess that was the ending with the bugs.It'll probably be a little while until I read book 3 as I need to recover. My expectation from what happened in this book is that is will either be absolutely fantastic and be the best ending I've ever seen or it will bet bogged down by its own intricacies and I won't understand a word. It could really go either way!

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