You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
I've not read Jemisin before but I was really excited to try her out and I feel like I should have read her other books first, to be honest.
This book was perfectly mediocre. The concept was somehow very cool and very ponderous at the same time. The dialogue whipped back and forth between meanginful and memorable and 16-year-old Tumblr shit post copypasta real quick. I saw a criticism recently that a lot of people who are writing dialogue as though they're reading peoples tweets, and I would say that's pretty accurate as to how a lot of this went.
The beginning started off really good and then we hit the horrible British accent that, thankfully, wasn't around very long (which also sucked because that was The Trans character in the book but whatever gotta get those rep two cents in I guess) and then the next roughly 300 pages was a dramatic Google Maps reading of New York. For the number of times that people say "the more we stand around talking the more the worlds going to end" they sure do stand around talking a whole lot.
I kind of get where the author is trying to go and I also kind of get that she's using all of these xenophobic, racism fueled real world happenstance as representation for the Enemy with the capital E, and that the meaning of it being Bad(TM) is the same at the end of the day, making it be prompted and organized by a weird eldritch otherworldly entity is... I don't know if that's better or worse.
Also, all the Starbucks and Dunkins are evil and capitalism is evil and yet Manhatten is literally dedicated to it. Sometimes you can be too clever, you know?
The ending also felt rushed to me. Surprise, this extra person is suddenly also an otherwordly being of immense power and exactly when you needed it!
Despite my complaints, I did enjoy it, sort of, moreso because found family is my beat and I'm a sucker for it. I'll probably continue to read the series but I'm not anxiously awaiting it.
This book was perfectly mediocre. The concept was somehow very cool and very ponderous at the same time. The dialogue whipped back and forth between meanginful and memorable and 16-year-old Tumblr shit post copypasta real quick. I saw a criticism recently that a lot of people who are writing dialogue as though they're reading peoples tweets, and I would say that's pretty accurate as to how a lot of this went.
The beginning started off really good and then we hit the horrible British accent that, thankfully, wasn't around very long (which also sucked because that was The Trans character in the book but whatever gotta get those rep two cents in I guess) and then the next roughly 300 pages was a dramatic Google Maps reading of New York. For the number of times that people say "the more we stand around talking the more the worlds going to end" they sure do stand around talking a whole lot.
I kind of get where the author is trying to go and I also kind of get that she's using all of these xenophobic, racism fueled real world happenstance as representation for the Enemy with the capital E, and that the meaning of it being Bad(TM) is the same at the end of the day, making it be prompted and organized by a weird eldritch otherworldly entity is... I don't know if that's better or worse.
Also, all the Starbucks and Dunkins are evil and capitalism is evil and yet Manhatten is literally dedicated to it. Sometimes you can be too clever, you know?
The ending also felt rushed to me. Surprise, this extra person is suddenly also an otherwordly being of immense power and exactly when you needed it!
Despite my complaints, I did enjoy it, sort of, moreso because found family is my beat and I'm a sucker for it. I'll probably continue to read the series but I'm not anxiously awaiting it.
Simultaneously a critique of and love letter to New York, Jemisin manages to wrap a truly vibrant commentary of the city into a fantastic and sprawling semi-fantasy adventure. The prose, and the personifications of the boroughs are all done so well. That being said it does feel a bit like at times that story is left by the side in favor of worldbuilding.
I wanted so badly for this to work, and it is still undeniably an powerful piece of art. I'm at a loss because my feelings can't really be put to a rating on a 5 star scale. It both successfully and brutally makes points about racial inequality, and then a sentence later caricaturizes other cities and drastically oversimplifies white nationalism. It has an intriguing baseline plot, but loses it in a convoluted and hand-wavy "infinite quantum universes" BS.
There is a beaming gem in this book, but it's often obscured by the chaff of a mediocre macro-plot and an identity crisis.
My favorite works of Jemisin's have always been her short fiction, and this would have done better as a series of short stories following the personifications of the boroughs rather than trying to tie them up into a cohesive story, which never really happens. I know collections like that aren't usually marketable, but Jemisin has such a reputation that she absolutely could have pulled it off.
I wanted so badly for this to work, and it is still undeniably an powerful piece of art. I'm at a loss because my feelings can't really be put to a rating on a 5 star scale. It both successfully and brutally makes points about racial inequality, and then a sentence later caricaturizes other cities and drastically oversimplifies white nationalism. It has an intriguing baseline plot, but loses it in a convoluted and hand-wavy "infinite quantum universes" BS.
There is a beaming gem in this book, but it's often obscured by the chaff of a mediocre macro-plot and an identity crisis.
My favorite works of Jemisin's have always been her short fiction, and this would have done better as a series of short stories following the personifications of the boroughs rather than trying to tie them up into a cohesive story, which never really happens. I know collections like that aren't usually marketable, but Jemisin has such a reputation that she absolutely could have pulled it off.
i have tried to read this book 3 times and have DNF'd it each time, usually right around or after Aislyn's first chapter. i get what Jemisin was trying to do here, but it just didn't hit.
for one thing, it's too slow and repetitive. because the book is about how cities have living avatars, and New York has six, we get introduced to all six in very similarly structured chapters. there's a lot of exposition. i saw a review that said this might've worked better as a comic book, and i can see that. as a novel tho? yawn.
two, ok. there are some reviews crying about how this is too woke or whatever. that's not the problem, to me. i'm a woke liberal snowflake. my hair is purple. my pronouns are they/them. but lawdy, this was not subtle at all. i don't like when books feel like the character is turning to the reader and being like "racism is bad, ok?" i had this issue with another book i read recently, Good Intentions. maybe a certain kind of reader needs or wants that, but not i.
three, i've seen other negative reviews saying that they felt like they couldn't enjoy the book because they don't know enough about New York. well. i know a lot about New York. the stereotypical portrayals of the boroughs and the constant quips were tiring to me, with the portrayals really setting me off the edge.
so a disclaimer. i was born in Long Island, raised in Queens, went to high school in Manhattan, and have lived in various parts of Brooklyn since college (going on 4 years in bed-stuy, which is where my mom and grandma grew up.) i say all this to say that i am intimately familiar with the stereotypes of people who grew up/reside in various boroughs.
Jemisin is trying to showcase how diverse New York is. the problem is, tho, that even within a singular borough, there is so much diversity that the concept of one Avatar embodying a single borough just did not work for me.
like okay, let me give an example. in this book, the avatar for Brooklyn is a middle-aged black former hip-hop artist turned city councilwoman. okay, sure, i can believe that she represents bed-stuy and crown heights and (formerly) fort greene, maybe even flatbush. but what about the eastern europeans of brighton beach, or the asian folks in sunset park, or hell, even the very large orthodox Jewish community in crown heights?
the portrayal that actually pulled me completely out of the story tho - all three times i tried to read it, mind you - is that of Aislyn, the avatar for staten island. she's a xenophobic, 30-year old white lady who still lives with her parents (her racist cop daddy and her demure mother) and doesn't ever leave staten island because she's so scared of the Other. LMAO.
now listen, i'll be honest. i get my
jokes off about staten island as much as anyone else. it is the only majority-red portion of the city. if there's a republican politician from NYC - actually NYC, as in the five boroughs, not long island - they're probably from staten island.
but just like the other boroughs, staten island is pretty diverse. a non-New Yorker probably wouldn't know that, nor would a transplant (most transplants don't venture too far from Manhattan or Brooklyn.) but like, the Wu-Tang Clan is from staten island. 2 of the 3 friends i have from staten island are queer latine folks. the one white person i know from there is a kind, sweet, non-binary person whose parents have always been welcoming and warm to me. the portrayal of Aislyn, and the way she is dealt with, is so unserious to me. UNSERIOUS.
i actually instinctively recoiled at the epigraph, because i believe that you need to really be in New York for a while, and know it intimately, and venture out of your comfort zone, before you can call yourself a New Yorker. but in the acknowledgments, Jemisin says she's lived in NYC since 2007, so i let my guard down. unfortunately this was so lacking in nuance, in really showcasing the diversity of the city and each of its boroughs, that i can never make it past that 25% mark.
i am embarrassed to be writing such a long review for a book that i dnf'd. i wish i could set my personal feelings aside so that i can just enjoy the book, especially since this was my first attempt at reading anything by Jemisin. i have seen many people mention The Broken Earth trilogy as a standout of hers, so i hope that i will enjoy that a lot more,
for one thing, it's too slow and repetitive. because the book is about how cities have living avatars, and New York has six, we get introduced to all six in very similarly structured chapters. there's a lot of exposition. i saw a review that said this might've worked better as a comic book, and i can see that. as a novel tho? yawn.
two, ok. there are some reviews crying about how this is too woke or whatever. that's not the problem, to me. i'm a woke liberal snowflake. my hair is purple. my pronouns are they/them. but lawdy, this was not subtle at all. i don't like when books feel like the character is turning to the reader and being like "racism is bad, ok?" i had this issue with another book i read recently, Good Intentions. maybe a certain kind of reader needs or wants that, but not i.
three, i've seen other negative reviews saying that they felt like they couldn't enjoy the book because they don't know enough about New York. well. i know a lot about New York. the stereotypical portrayals of the boroughs and the constant quips were tiring to me, with the portrayals really setting me off the edge.
so a disclaimer. i was born in Long Island, raised in Queens, went to high school in Manhattan, and have lived in various parts of Brooklyn since college (going on 4 years in bed-stuy, which is where my mom and grandma grew up.) i say all this to say that i am intimately familiar with the stereotypes of people who grew up/reside in various boroughs.
Jemisin is trying to showcase how diverse New York is. the problem is, tho, that even within a singular borough, there is so much diversity that the concept of one Avatar embodying a single borough just did not work for me.
like okay, let me give an example. in this book, the avatar for Brooklyn is a middle-aged black former hip-hop artist turned city councilwoman. okay, sure, i can believe that she represents bed-stuy and crown heights and (formerly) fort greene, maybe even flatbush. but what about the eastern europeans of brighton beach, or the asian folks in sunset park, or hell, even the very large orthodox Jewish community in crown heights?
the portrayal that actually pulled me completely out of the story tho - all three times i tried to read it, mind you - is that of Aislyn, the avatar for staten island. she's a xenophobic, 30-year old white lady who still lives with her parents (her racist cop daddy and her demure mother) and doesn't ever leave staten island because she's so scared of the Other. LMAO.
now listen, i'll be honest. i get my
jokes off about staten island as much as anyone else. it is the only majority-red portion of the city. if there's a republican politician from NYC - actually NYC, as in the five boroughs, not long island - they're probably from staten island.
but just like the other boroughs, staten island is pretty diverse. a non-New Yorker probably wouldn't know that, nor would a transplant (most transplants don't venture too far from Manhattan or Brooklyn.) but like, the Wu-Tang Clan is from staten island. 2 of the 3 friends i have from staten island are queer latine folks. the one white person i know from there is a kind, sweet, non-binary person whose parents have always been welcoming and warm to me. the portrayal of Aislyn, and the way she is dealt with, is so unserious to me. UNSERIOUS.
i actually instinctively recoiled at the epigraph, because i believe that you need to really be in New York for a while, and know it intimately, and venture out of your comfort zone, before you can call yourself a New Yorker. but in the acknowledgments, Jemisin says she's lived in NYC since 2007, so i let my guard down. unfortunately this was so lacking in nuance, in really showcasing the diversity of the city and each of its boroughs, that i can never make it past that 25% mark.
i am embarrassed to be writing such a long review for a book that i dnf'd. i wish i could set my personal feelings aside so that i can just enjoy the book, especially since this was my first attempt at reading anything by Jemisin. i have seen many people mention The Broken Earth trilogy as a standout of hers, so i hope that i will enjoy that a lot more,
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
What an incredible book!!! I’m so surprised by how quickly I went through this. I really love the idea of an embodiment of cities having avatars and that the person is an amalgamation of their borough. I loved the writing style, loved the characters and their development, loved the idea that without community you are alone. Being from a very introverted city and having visited New York, I was wonderfully surprised by how united the people felt there. The spirit of New York is definitely unmistakable and this book was such a fun way of exploring it. I am so excited to read the sequel and Jemisin’s other books.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated