A review by thoughtsontomes
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous 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

3.75

I can definitely see how Jemisin's writing style has changed over the years. In this book, she experiments with a slightly unreliable narration that can be a tad unclear at times. She also jumps into the story in a bit of a weird spot, which left me feeling a bit distant from our main character for a good part of the book. But there are a lot of tropes here that I love. There are the gods walking among us. Death and the maiden (or night and the maiden in this case) - which did read as a bit of instalove but it makes a bit more sense as the plot unfolds. The need for balance in a universe. The idea of something adjacent to reincarnation. Some court intrigue. And although parts of the story were slow, I did like the ending enough to continue. All of these books seem to be a bit self contained though as well so I don't feel the need to rush into the next book. 
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