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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
This was exquisite. Reminded me of American Gods but less... obtuse I guess. Well drawn and diverse characters and just enough lore/rules to be fun without drowning in it. I’ll be tracking down more of her work soon.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
One of my favorite books of the year! Having intimate knowledge of New York City makes this particularly fun, engaging, and compelling.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
I'm going to come back to it at a later date!
A little hard to critique this one knowing it's the first in a trilogy. I'd be curious to see where it ends up (meaning yes, I will probably read the sequel), but honestly... I wasn't that impressed with it overall. Don't get me wrong—there are many things I really did like in this! For starters, the diversity of characters in Jemisin's version(s) of New York are really awesome. Like literally, pretty much the only time white people make an appearance is Aislyn (pseudo-villain) and the Woman in White (clearly batshit villain), which is kind of awesome? She didn't just throw them in for #DiversityPoints, either. Each person's identity is a well thought-out and integral component of their characterization. Clearly, Jemisin made it a priority in her writing to have a range of queer and BIPOC characters, which is like, super cool on her part. Some characters stand out more than others (Bronca, Vaneza, and Brooklyn were some of the best, in my opinion) and have genuinely funny moments and interesting stories. The overall concept of "The City We Became" is so intriguing, too (I wouldn't have started reading if I didn't think so). There's a lot of opportunity here to establish a rich history of humans becoming embodiments of their cities, which as a city-lover myself, is fascinating to me (though I can't imagine Columbus, Ohio would have the coolest avatar).
HOWEVER—I did have some beef with other aspects of the story (unpopular opinion, I know). For starters, I found the pacing to be absolutely wack. The story spends way too long unpacking stuff that's ultimately not that relevant, whereas the ending wrapped up so quick I nearly got whiplash. I was gearing up for an epic battle that got resolved within a matter pages, which was a pretty anticlimactic let-down. I think Jemisin was trying to include a lot of lengthy discussions about humanity or morality that just felt really overt and forced, too. Sometimes it was more subtle, but other times it read like I was being taught a lesson, rather than listening to two characters have a discussion. Ultimately, it felt like being stuck in stop and go traffic. One minute we're moving forward, the next, at a total standstill again. It makes for a kind of frustrating experience. Despite how long and a little tedious it felt at times, I still ended the book wishing that MORE had gotten unpacked. Small example, Manny's roommate Bel—we see him for like a chapter at the beginning, and then he just vanishes, never to be heard from again. Which sucks because he seemed like a cool character who was going to be an integral part of the story! Jemisin has a lot of great characters; I just wish the balance between them was a little more even. There were a lot of loose threads throughout that I can't really be mad about, considering there's more of this story to come.
I've never read "The Fifth Season," but I think the hype behind it gave me very lofty expectations for this book. It's a perfectly fine read if you like fantasy/sci-fi, which I do, but certainly not my favorite in terms of plot or style. Still though, I'm eager to see where the upcoming sequels might go, and to follow some of my faves into the next book.
HOWEVER—I did have some beef with other aspects of the story (unpopular opinion, I know). For starters, I found the pacing to be absolutely wack. The story spends way too long unpacking stuff that's ultimately not that relevant, whereas the ending wrapped up so quick I nearly got whiplash. I was gearing up for an epic battle that got resolved within a matter pages, which was a pretty anticlimactic let-down. I think Jemisin was trying to include a lot of lengthy discussions about humanity or morality that just felt really overt and forced, too. Sometimes it was more subtle, but other times it read like I was being taught a lesson, rather than listening to two characters have a discussion. Ultimately, it felt like being stuck in stop and go traffic. One minute we're moving forward, the next, at a total standstill again. It makes for a kind of frustrating experience. Despite how long and a little tedious it felt at times, I still ended the book wishing that MORE had gotten unpacked. Small example, Manny's roommate Bel—we see him for like a chapter at the beginning, and then he just vanishes, never to be heard from again. Which sucks because he seemed like a cool character who was going to be an integral part of the story! Jemisin has a lot of great characters; I just wish the balance between them was a little more even. There were a lot of loose threads throughout that I can't really be mad about, considering there's more of this story to come.
I've never read "The Fifth Season," but I think the hype behind it gave me very lofty expectations for this book. It's a perfectly fine read if you like fantasy/sci-fi, which I do, but certainly not my favorite in terms of plot or style. Still though, I'm eager to see where the upcoming sequels might go, and to follow some of my faves into the next book.
Nothing wrong per se, just not sufficiently interesting to make me want to stick with it.
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It remains to be seen whether N. K. Jemisin’s book will spark a movement toward redrawing the border between New York and New Jersey.
Content Warnings
Mentions of HP Lovecraft are subtle