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oblue02's reviews
318 reviews
The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
The world N.K. Jemisin creates for this story is filled to the brim with mystery and magic but it never feels fantastical. It feels real, gritty, and grounded in a way that I've never experienced from a fantasy novel. This is a story where the terribleness of mankind is put on full display but it's never shown in the over the top way that the majority of grim dark fantasy portrays it. Series like ASOIAF and The first law (Both of which I love) spend whole chapters describing rapes, mutilations, and murders and they never really capture how horrific these things are. The author's restrained approach made every vile act hit home a little harder for me. It could be that I've been reading escapist fantasy and LitRPGS for the past 3 years but this book just really knocked my socks off and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.