N.K. Jemisin take my money. This entire trilogy has wowed me and won me over to a lifelong fan. The world building is superb and I am constantly touched by the characters.
Summary
The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or something worse will depend on two women.
Essun has inherited the power of Alabaster Tenring. With it, she hopes to find her daughter Nassun and forge a world in which every orogene child can grow up safe.
For Nassun, her mother’s mastery of the Obelisk Gate comes too late. She has seen the evil of the world, and accepted what her mother will not admit: that sometimes what is corrupt cannot be cleansed, only destroyed.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I simultaneously want to be with our main characters in their world, and know it would absolutely kill me. Like spit me out for breakfast I am so dead instantly kill me.
Jemisin is not only an expert world crafter, but story teller. At the end of this book, I was in awe and I haven’t gotten out of this stupor. I am both so happy to have read this trilogy, and also sad it’s finished. How do I even sum up my intense love for this series? Everything is brilliantly crafted. There’s such care, such love, such detail into each aspect. I’m not sure if I’ve ever read a book that is so descriptive in its world building. I could hear the wind and feel the trembling ground.
If I thought The Obelisk Gate was intriguing, this book blows that out of the water. So many mysteries are revealed and simultaneously also made more complicating. While Jemisin gives us answers, there’s never this full clarity – there’s always a way to re-read these and see things we never saw before.
Some questions this story brought up for me, that I want to just bring up and walk away from, is: How do we raise our children with the scars of our past? How do we police ourselves, especially regarding intense power? Do we value the good of one over many? When there’s a war that spans centuries and includes the earth beneath our feet, what do we do for peace? What will we sacrifice for a momentary lapse?
The Stone Sky made me feel on a deeper level. Everyone I’ve met who has read this have been similarly moved by this book. It is descriptive, poignant, and one of those things you will re-read time and time again. I’m already planning my next re-read.
Please go read this book. Then come back and comment and let’s scream about this series together! Check out The Stone Sky on Goodreads.
I always love finding series that leave me feeling so happy to have read them, yet sad to be finished. This author tackles tough personal issues in this series.
Yep!! And so so well!!