Reviews tagging Racism

The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin

13 reviews

emzhayreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

I don’t blame her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Genocide, and Racism

Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content

Spoiler

Death of a parent.

gemlove810's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Xenophobia, Grief, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Racism, War, and Abandonment

steveatwaywords's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense 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

4.75

The conclusion of Jemisin's work faces the problematic trope of any fantasy novel or series: how to end without staging a predictable "magical" monumental climax where good triumphs over evil. While the plot walks markedly towards this climax, I was relieved and grateful for her staying true to the characters and methods she had established in the first two books: and in doing so she creates a conclusion which is satisfying and (fairly) unpredictable. And this is what I appreciate from Jemisin, the first fantasy or SF writer I have found in decades who understand how people function: that we are complicated, conflicted, and rarely wholly rational. Yes, we believe in principles, in ideals, but how easily our choices (and our mistakes) feed and compromise them, even while we feel we are walking a certain course. Jemisin creates heroes, but not ones that fulfill their quests by subscribing to external conflicts of good and evil, creation and destruction. What a rewarding read from the genre!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Genocide and Racism

Characters and races in the novel are systemically poorly treated and abused; in the background it is clear that genocide has been conducted upon one group for centuries. It is fairly easy to see parallels to our contemporary history. However, all of these issues are treated sensitively and with an appropriate sense/discussion of injustice.

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Injury/injury detail, Miscarriage , and Torture

lilifane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

This was probably the most epic story I've ever read in my entire life. 
I don't... I don't understand how N.K. Jemisin pulled this off. How the hell did she come up with ... all of this?!?!? She's a genius and definitely a new fav author now. 
If I didn't have so many other books to read, I would reread this whole trilogy immediately. 
And... the plot is not even that interesting. I would understand if people find parts of it really boring. But the story is still epic and full of emotions. And the world building?! WTF was that?! It's SO wild and perfect? And I already miss the characters. 
And the way the story is told? It's my favourite thing when authors use unconventional methods to tell their stories. And it seemed so random at first, but in the end... it all makes SO SO SO much sense.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Injury/injury detail, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

drkshadow's review against another edition

adventurous

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Racism, Slavery, Genocide, and Hate crime

iordanmoore's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Colonisation, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Sexual content, Racism, War, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Genocide, and Death

bodagirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

4.0

Jemisin's world-building is a gradual puzzle, with pieces fed to you chapter by chapter from different points of view until the picture finally comes into focus. I started this trilogy a few years ago and finally got my hands on the last book. I tried just diving in, but found I needed to read some synopses in order to remember/understand what was going on in. In the earlier books, you knew that Jemisin's world had some issues with racism and colonialism, but in this final installment the puzzle is complete and you see exactly how the Stillness became so still.

Are Essun and Nassun the most loveable characters? No, but they are complicated characters and their journey is thought provoking just the same.

Some of my favorite quotes:

 "But breathing doesn't always mean living, and maybe... maybe genocide doesn't always leave bodies." 

 "But there are none so frightened, or so strange in their fears, as conquerors. They conjure phantoms endlessly, terrified that their victims will someday do back what was done to them - even if, in truth, their victims couldn't care less about such pettiness and have moved on. Conquerors live in dread of the day when they are shown to be, not superior, but simply lucky." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness and Violence

Moderate: Colonisation, Racism, and War

rubybastille's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

These were challenging reads, both thematically and structurally, but well worth it. I did not expect such a satisfying ending. My heart broke so many times reading this and yet there were so many grains of hope scattered just where they were needed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Murder, and Medical content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Genocide, Self harm, and Racism

Minor: War

troisha's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Child death, Drug use, Excrement, Infertility, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit