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A review by realadhdoug
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
4.5
I don’t know why, but I was expecting this book to be more of a dystopian story set in the real world. It definitely isn’t that. It’s actually a high fantasy story set in an alternate world filled with its own classes of people, history, and terminology for things. It’s not typically the kind of thing I would read because I have trouble following along with the world-building. However, I’m glad I tried this one out because I did end up enjoying it to the extent that I could actually follow what was going on.
The story is told through the perspective of three different characters which (spoiler alert) turn out to actually be the same character at various stages of her life. She is a person born with the ability to manipulate the earth—both causing and quelling earthquakes that reshape the earth. People like her are feared, but also exploited for their power. They are usually taken to a special academy where they’re taught to use their powers in a controlled manner that serves the rest of society.
Along the way, the main character meets several other characters who become integral to her understanding of the injustice this society has enforced on her and people like her. The story ends in an open-ended fashion, with something hidden about to be revealed to her. And that makes sense, because this is the first book of a trilogy.
I really enjoyed the writing. It was beautiful. Gonna finish the series and hopefully I can understand the world a little better going forward after already being introduced to it.
The story is told through the perspective of three different characters which (spoiler alert) turn out to actually be the same character at various stages of her life. She is a person born with the ability to manipulate the earth—both causing and quelling earthquakes that reshape the earth. People like her are feared, but also exploited for their power. They are usually taken to a special academy where they’re taught to use their powers in a controlled manner that serves the rest of society.
Along the way, the main character meets several other characters who become integral to her understanding of the injustice this society has enforced on her and people like her. The story ends in an open-ended fashion, with something hidden about to be revealed to her. And that makes sense, because this is the first book of a trilogy.
I really enjoyed the writing. It was beautiful. Gonna finish the series and hopefully I can understand the world a little better going forward after already being introduced to it.