A review by oatmilktea
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous 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? Yes

2.5

It pains me to rate The Stone Sky this low. I really liked the first two books in the series, especially the first, and I wanted to like this one too. The Fifth Season was a fantastic setup. The Obelisk Gate expanded upon the themes of book one while also offering something new, but it already had too many confusing descriptions of orogeny and magic. Book three didn’t do much at all for me. I found it boring, and I had to push myself to pick it back up. If this had been a standalone, I’d have DNFd it about a third in, but I didn’t want to leave the trilogy unfinished.

The Stone Sky felt like endless exposition, bordering on info dumping, slowing down the pace and taking me out of the experience. I was indifferent towards characters that I previously liked. I no longer cared about the outcome. That’s why I’m rating this book so low in comparison to the first two volumes: I was bored more than anything and couldn’t engage with the story. As with the second book, I struggled to understand all the overly detailed descriptions of magic and ultimately gave up trying.

I still want to end on a positive note about this series as a whole: there’s fantastic representation, and it always feels organic and authentic, never forced. Queer and disabled characters, for example, simply exist; their identities and (dis)abilities are never used as a cheap plot point. I also like that there’s not one Big Bad Villain in this trilogy but many complicated characters; the Stillness is a corrupt world with many antagonists and no true heroes. I think I would still recommend the series to anyone who’s into dystopian sci-fi with a big-scope plot. Obviously, a lot of people loved this trilogy. It just wasn’t my cup of tea in the end.