A review by mallorypen
The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings