Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

43 reviews

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad 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

N.K. Jemisin crafts the middle book in a trilogy that retains its excitement, character work, and worldbuilding. Without spoiling book one, this story follows along from where the first book leaves off and delves further into Essun's life. In addition, we also get so see what Nassun's life has been like, which is a fascinating contrast to her mother. We get to learn more about why the world is the way it is as well as some really important understandings about orogeny. The more time I spend in this world, the clearer it is how much time and effort Jimisin has put in to craft an exceptional world with flawed, deeply human characters. Her writing is precise and evocative as she slowly pulls back the edges of our understanding of the world and her characters. I cannot wait to start book three though I am not looking forward to finishing this exceptional series. I wish there were even more books in this world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse

slinkmalink's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

Continued the excellent world-building as more about the way orogeny (and magic) work was discovered. 
I still love Alabaster and I love their relationship to eachother

and I was so sad he died even though I knew it was coming I think I tried to convince myself otherwise

I think I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first one because I missed Syenite's perspective (yes I know technically we still had it) and it also felt a bit more bleak which makes sense as the world is ending

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Murder

Minor: Cannibalism and Child abuse

barda's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content

crybabybea's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense 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

4.5

Mind blowing. 

All the amazing things from the first book are present here. Doesn't suffer from middle book syndrome like so many trilogies do. I appreciate the time spent in the first book world-building as it made this book read like a breeze, and the author even introduced a new magic system which was much easier to grasp thanks to what we learned in book one. Just a really great example of how to continue a series. I can't wait to see how it ends!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Cannibalism, Blood, War, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Medical content, and Physical abuse

maritareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Child death

utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

This book was unstoppable, it had so much drive and momentum, and manages to really builds on the existing explanations of the world and its magic system as well.  Every chapter was compelling, I loved the relationships developing between the characters, the intensity of feeling, whatever the emotion. I read the second half in pretty much one sitting. Just fantastic writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Medical content, War, Genocide, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol

shlymiller's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.25

The perspective shifts and storytelling style in this book are masterful. A work of art. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, War, Death of parent, and Violence

madamenovelist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Medical content, Body horror, and Blood

Minor: Cannibalism and Alcohol

gandalf_a's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, War, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Sexual content

brynalexa's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I don’t have much to say about this as it has run together with the first which I think is a strength of the series. The completely intertwined storylines are smart and intricate and hold the story together perfectly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Racism, Genocide, Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Hate crime, Deadnaming, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Alcohol, and Alcoholism