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barda's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
Hollllllyyyy crap. I am in awe, this was fantastic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Violence
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!
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!
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
sparksofkell's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gore and Cannibalism
gamz's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, and Child death
nilssjoberg's review against another edition
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Child abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Cannibalism and Grief
Minor: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
f18's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
PTSDcdc95'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Child abuse
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Sexual content and Child death
snipinfool's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.25
This second book in the series took up where the first book left off. Essun, Hoa, Alabaster, Tonkee, and Lerna were living below ground in Castrima. Tensions continued as many of Castrima's residents were uneasy living with orogenes. The desolation above ground continued to threaten the lives of those barely surviving. Essun was reunited with and learned that Alabaster was responsible for the rift. He was slowly being turned to stone and eaten by the stone eater, Antimony, who cared for and protected Alabaster. Alabaster's fate was a consequence of the causing the rift and the current season. He hoped to be able to teach Essun what she needed to know to complete what he started. Alabaster wanted her to learn the special "magic" that allowed him to use the obelisks in the sky to complete the task.
This book told the reader about what happened with Nassun and Jija. We learned in the first book that after Jija killed Uche, they left their village. No other information was given about them. Jija took them toward the south. When the rift hit, Nassun was able to save them by using her orogenic abilities. Jija was noticeably upset. He killed his son, Uche, when he suspected the child to be an orogene. Jija decided to take them to a place he heard could cure orogenes called, Found Moon. Once they arrived, the readers met up again with Schaffa, who was Essun's Guardian. He ran Found Moon with two other Guardians. Shaffa agreed to mentor Nassun and teach her how to improve her orogenic skills. Jija was led to believe that in order to be cured of orogeny, one must master the skills to an exceptional level. Jija allowed Nassun to train with the other young orogenes in order to master those skills and then expected her to cure herself.
Both Essun and Nassun learned and studied to improve their skills in hopes of changing the course of the season and allow those left to survive. Both used their skills to make changes, but they also created new problems for each to solve.
I read The Fifth Season at the beginning of the year and had forgotten so much more than I realized about the important details of the story. I found an online summary of that book that brought me back up to speed. I enjoyed The Obelisk Gate very much. The book was written the same style as in that it bounced back and forth between different different points of view. It wasn't as compelling as the the first book, but that is often the case. I am assuming this book was mostly about filling in the necessary information to take us to the final part of the story. I look forward to reading the final installment in the trilogy very soon so I don't have to scramble to remember the details necessary for this world and characters. I am very interested to see how this story ends.
This book told the reader about what happened with Nassun and Jija. We learned in the first book that after Jija killed Uche, they left their village. No other information was given about them. Jija took them toward the south. When the rift hit, Nassun was able to save them by using her orogenic abilities. Jija was noticeably upset. He killed his son, Uche, when he suspected the child to be an orogene. Jija decided to take them to a place he heard could cure orogenes called, Found Moon. Once they arrived, the readers met up again with Schaffa, who was Essun's Guardian. He ran Found Moon with two other Guardians. Shaffa agreed to mentor Nassun and teach her how to improve her orogenic skills. Jija was led to believe that in order to be cured of orogeny, one must master the skills to an exceptional level. Jija allowed Nassun to train with the other young orogenes in order to master those skills and then expected her to cure herself.
Both Essun and Nassun learned and studied to improve their skills in hopes of changing the course of the season and allow those left to survive. Both used their skills to make changes, but they also created new problems for each to solve.
I read The Fifth Season at the beginning of the year and had forgotten so much more than I realized about the important details of the story. I found an online summary of that book that brought me back up to speed. I enjoyed The Obelisk Gate very much. The book was written the same style as in that it bounced back and forth between different different points of view. It wasn't as compelling as the the first book, but that is often the case. I am assuming this book was mostly about filling in the necessary information to take us to the final part of the story. I look forward to reading the final installment in the trilogy very soon so I don't have to scramble to remember the details necessary for this world and characters. I am very interested to see how this story ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Child death, Blood, Child abuse, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Violence
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Murder, Racism, War, and Violence