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cheye13'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
3.0
There was a consistently morose tone and happy moments were few and far between, which I found trying at times. But overal an excellent book that I would recommend widely. Can't wait to see where the rest of the story goes.
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Child abuse, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Torture
Minor: Pedophilia, Trafficking, Homophobia, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Slavery
galacticvampire's review against another edition
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
alexijai98'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Grief, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Hate crime, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual violence and Pedophilia
ghostofefrant'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: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Death, Body horror, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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
ivocat's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
All that said, as much as I love this book, there are some elements that were triggering for me to read, so please look up the content warnings.
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Cannibalism and Pedophilia
omnisyncd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Body horror
bersblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Cannibalism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Body horror, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Violence, War, Pregnancy, and Torture
cryosphinx'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
I picked this up years ago on a recommendation for fans of the game Horizon: Zero Dawn and I am MAD at myself for taking so long to actually read this.
Jemisin is masterful and poetic in her writing and there are so many beautiful passages. There isn't too much detail I can into it as it's very twist and turny from the beginning and saying anything more than the blurb will take away from the experience.
The book pivots between the point of view of three women, one of which being in second person. It takes some getting used to, if only because I think this may be the second time ever I read a book in that POV. The characters are all bad asses in a unique way and the growth is immaculate.
I wanted to give this a 5 but people are correct in that the world building, while a fantastic world that does take on being a character of its own, there are some confusing terms that either don't get fully explained or take a long time to make sense. Don't make my mistake: there IS an appendix in the back that I discovered once I finished the book. There is occasional upsetting content so check triggers. The Stillness is a harsh world.
I'm glad I already had the second book on hand or I would have made a mad dash to buy it. I can't wait to jump right back in and explore more of the Stillness.
Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, and Sexual content
Minor: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
xta_07'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
4.5
A truly engrossing and well written novel about a dystopian society where earthquakes happen regularly. The story focuses on three women that can control the earths movements, all at different points in a timeline. This was an extremely well written book, and I really appreciated this authors unique voice. While her characters have been mistreated their whole lives they are still able to find hope and happiness at certain parts of the story. But, as the author states in the beginning happiness is temporary. While I can't exactly say I enjoyed this book, I'm glad to have read it.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Hate crime
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual content
Minor: Cannibalism