A review by outcolder
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

5.0

The magic system is developing beautifully, with lots of meditation, and some of the magic-technology, like the things in the Guardians, the Geode and the origins of the Stone Eaters are fun to ponder. When you know the author has done the behind the scenes work like this, you can trust that thinking about the magic isn't going to lead to silly contradictions or obvious binaries like in Harry Potter or Star Wars. The connection between emotional and social intelligence is explored in the metaphor of controlling or expanding your 'orogeny' and magic skills. Knowing how to keep cool and relate to others isn't just about surviving, it's also about not setting off geothermal self-destruction. Also the factions fighting an ancient war are coming into focus but leaving enough unclear to tantalize; although our protagonists seem to have chosen sides, we're still unsure why these factions formed and how the shifting alliances might play out, especially with our rogue Guardian and his ward. That the next book will have to have a mother-daughter confrontation and possible reconciliation that might involve a magic battle and be paralleled in the relationship of the Earth and the Moon might be obvious but it's so cool that I am looking forward to it. Anyway, Mother-Daughter drama is always deep, and for a series concerned with geological layers we are ready to go deep.