shaniakmt 's review for:

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
5.0

“You are representatives of all of us… When you’re dirty, all orogenes are dirty. When you’re lazy, we’re all lazy.” – This line stuck with me as a POC. A lot of them did.

The world building and the magic system were unique from anything I’d read before. I was fully engrossed in the story and totally intrigued by the world, its peoples, and its magic system. This book was true to the sci-fi fantasy genre, and I wholly enjoyed that part of the reading experience.

I typically enjoy fantasy for the whimsy and adventure, for the magic of friendship and sisterhood, for the escapism. This book was very real. Only bad things happen in this book; though that is made obvious in the novel’s description, and firmly reiterated in the prologue, so I can’t say I was surprised by it. But that’s not a bad thing by any means, and I think this book achieved what it set out to do. None of the bad things that happen are depicted as gratuitous, all events are portrayed for what they are: tragic and deplorable.

Some others have complained about certain aspects of how the book was written, but I took no issues with it. Parts of the writing style were different, for sure, but I feel very neutral about it. It’s neither good nor bad, and I might even venture so far as to say it’s a bit pedantic to let it eclipse your experience with the story so greatly.

Though different than the light hearted stories I usually prefer, I thought this was a fantastic book, and I would recommend it to all those with strong hearts.