A review by chaoticweevil
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Like many fantasy novels, The Fifth Season drops a bunch of world building on you at the start.  Jemisin doesn't hold your hand through it and, transparently, I had to put the book down for a bit before picking it up again a few months later to really wrap my head around it. But once you get situated, the story is so absolutely worth it. If you read a lot of fantasy novels, you probably already know the experience I describe above.

Once it gets going, the plot really pulls you in and just absorbs you. It's easy to get invested in these characters and the world building and magic system is top-notch. And the world building continues throughout as you learn things along with the characters. If you like to get immersed in completely new worlds while following deeply personal individual journeys, definitely pick this up! I can't recommend it enough and will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
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