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whatcassiedid's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
I really struggled to figure out the world in the first couple chapters but as with Jemisin's other books, after about 4 or 5 chapters I got really into it and was really intrigued by the belief system. I'm looking forward to the next book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Murder
erinbrenner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, War, and Grief
Minor: Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
mallorypen'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
3.0
I liked this book but didn’t enjoy the book … if you know what I mean. The world building was super interesting, and the twists and turns of the plot were unexpected. The characters all felt fully formed, and though they filled specific roles they weren’t subject to flat depictions of their archetypes. Even the Prince who was undoubtably evil had a reason for some of his actions, with the “control” the priests kept over him by administration of the dream blood. There were excellent questions about morality and power, and at the end of the novel I still couldn’t decide who was the hero, or which belief system was the right one.
That said, some of the relationships were hard to read about. An apprentice in love with his master who was also like a father to him, and the one person with the most control over his life; Ehiru even told Samundi that her own similar father-figure/teacher could never abuse the power he held over her, and yet he abused the power he had over Nijiri by knowing Nijiri would Gather him with love.
It was also sometimes challenging to follow who everyone was; that could be attributed to the way I read the book, in small chunks versus sitting with the story for longer.
That said, some of the relationships were hard to read about. An apprentice in love with his master who was also like a father to him, and the one person with the most control over his life; Ehiru even told Samundi that her own similar father-figure/teacher could never abuse the power he held over her, and yet he abused the power he had over Nijiri by knowing Nijiri would Gather him with love.
It was also sometimes challenging to follow who everyone was; that could be attributed to the way I read the book, in small chunks versus sitting with the story for longer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Murder, and Death
podanotherjessi's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
noellelovesbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings: Murder, death, gore, suicidal thoughts, attempted rape, mention of child grooming and predatory behavior, war themes, and genocide.
I’ve heard so many amazing things about the writings of N. K. Jemisin and decided I needed to dive in. The world-building within these pages is beautiful and has me desperately wanting to explore more within this realm. The characters are complex and well-rounded and have me wanting to know more about all of them.
We bounce between a few different perspectives while reading, which I always love in general, but especially in fantasy novels. What one character could see as helpful and good another could easily see as harmful and bad. I feel all great stories show us that nothing is ever fully evil or fully good but in fact are shades of grey that depend on your experiences and perspective.
I will say this book felt a lot heavier to read than most fantasies I’ve read lately. Recently I’ve read fantasies that have a small subplot, of romance, to where I sometimes ignore a lot of the darkness and chaos going on around and focus on the hope and happiness that romance brings to a story. Where there are characters, within this story, that fiercely hold on to the hope of a better future for their lands it was hard to ignore the darkness they faced. Really this is just a me problem where I yearn for everyone to have a happy ending and, just like real life, that’s just not possible for everyone.
This was one of those books where I also thoroughly enjoyed reading through the author’s notes, interview, and dictionary listed after the story ended. Hearing what inspired the lore and world Jemisin wrote was really fun to read and has me wanting to dive back into the world mythology, and religion, obsession I had in my youth. The interview in the back was also fun as you could see their friendship where the banter and teasing have you wishing you were a fly on the wall during that interview.
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with political intrigue/manipulation, a fascinating magic system, war themes, and characters with strong compasses…this will be a great read for you!
I’ve heard so many amazing things about the writings of N. K. Jemisin and decided I needed to dive in. The world-building within these pages is beautiful and has me desperately wanting to explore more within this realm. The characters are complex and well-rounded and have me wanting to know more about all of them.
We bounce between a few different perspectives while reading, which I always love in general, but especially in fantasy novels. What one character could see as helpful and good another could easily see as harmful and bad. I feel all great stories show us that nothing is ever fully evil or fully good but in fact are shades of grey that depend on your experiences and perspective.
I will say this book felt a lot heavier to read than most fantasies I’ve read lately. Recently I’ve read fantasies that have a small subplot, of romance, to where I sometimes ignore a lot of the darkness and chaos going on around and focus on the hope and happiness that romance brings to a story. Where there are characters, within this story, that fiercely hold on to the hope of a better future for their lands it was hard to ignore the darkness they faced. Really this is just a me problem where I yearn for everyone to have a happy ending and, just like real life, that’s just not possible for everyone.
This was one of those books where I also thoroughly enjoyed reading through the author’s notes, interview, and dictionary listed after the story ended. Hearing what inspired the lore and world Jemisin wrote was really fun to read and has me wanting to dive back into the world mythology, and religion, obsession I had in my youth. The interview in the back was also fun as you could see their friendship where the banter and teasing have you wishing you were a fly on the wall during that interview.
If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with political intrigue/manipulation, a fascinating magic system, war themes, and characters with strong compasses…this will be a great read for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Murder, and Death
Minor: Child abuse
hanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Murder, Rape, and Violence
hannahr's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Ableism
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Child death, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Grief, and Gore
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