Reviews tagging 'War'

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

39 reviews

clarabooksit's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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alreadyemily's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

4.75

Holy crap this is what SJM ripped off for ACOMAF! N. K. Jemisin is the mistress of the genre, y'all.
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6jessicad9's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I enjoyed this book. It has an original story line. There’s politics, racism, slavery, religion and romance. Each character was very well thought out. I loved the plot twists. This is a book you need to give your full attention and it deserves it. The only thing I wish was that this book had illustrations.
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saobuddette's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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electrachet's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I wish we were given a world map or other world building elements to help better define some of the countries outside of Sky. The city itself was beautifully written, but some of the minor godlings fell flat. I think I generally expected more from this book. I'm not sure yet if I will continue the trilogy.
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mlkai's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

flew through! going right into the second one 😁
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trizk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.5

It is important to appreciate beauty, even when it is evil.

I'm unsure if I'll keep my rating the same, but I just want to say that the summary for the book doesn't really match the reading experience.
The "power struggle" with her cousins is not a huge part of this book imo. Especially if you thought the political machinations were going to be similar to other political fantasy novels.
The romantic relationship that forms between the MC and her love interest isn't believable to me. Because of circumstances, you have to sift through so many layers of the LI that by the time you figure out his true nature/personality, it feels like the book is damn near over.

Now onto the things I enjoyed. I liked seeing how even early on, Jemisin played around with POV. I liked how it felt like I needed to get to the very end of the book to fully understand where things were going. The writing kept me engaged from the first page, especially by 30% when things felt like they sped up a bit more. The setting of Sky itself was incredibly interesting with its presentation as a pristine building that contradicts the happenings going on within it. I also really adored Sieh and Yeine, both as characters, and their relationship with one another which was incredibly sweet. 

I liked that the novel touched on colonialism, however things felt a little too on the nose for me. I probably would've thought the book was better if I hadn't read a bit of Fifth Season way before. I'd recommend people to start there first because the author has truly improved since this debut! 

P.S. For any of my fellow sexual trauma survivors, there is a scene where
the characters very casually discuss the rape of the mc that triggered me, so if you might be sensitive to this, I'd recommend skipping this one or just being cautious.
 
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chrisljm's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve become disillusioned to fantasy recently but I found myself really enjoying The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and N.K. Jemisin’s writing. 

The mythology she created and the way it tied to their current world system was fascinating. So beautiful and tragic. I also really liked the narration, how fragmented and nonlinear it was, and the way it gave the prose a cosmic dreaminess. 

Of course the story itself wasn’t perfect and I found it a bit lacking, particularly the competition to be heir. With so much riding on the ceremony, as well as Yeine’s pride to win the competition, Yeine didn’t put in much effort. I also found the resolution/the most pivotal moments of the climax to lack a real sense of tension. 

I will be tuning into the sequel based solely on how intriguing the god and godling lore was.
I truly loved the idea of the Three and how they must exist together, and I hope to see if they eventually work their way back to this throughout the series.
 
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shanshantastic's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

I was captivated by Yeine’s journey from the first page. Jemisin expertly weaves real-time narrative with alternate perspectives, dialogues and memories and more, that create a rich tapestry of the secrets and desires that fill the palace of Sky. 

While the “ending” was in some ways unsurprising, there were significant reveals that brought the entire story together and set up the sequel brilliantly. I can’t wait to find out what comes next. 
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anniehayez's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

I am so obsessed with N.K. Jemisin. I think this book really cemented her as my favorite author. Even thought it’s not my favorite of hers it shows just how masterful she is at all kinds of world building. My favorite genre is high fantasy and this gave me everything I needed. The politics had me hooked as did the mystery aspect. Somehow the very unique and cool magic was the least interesting thing in the book (and it was still awesome). You can tell it’s her debut because there are hints of the way she plays with the narrative perspectives and styles. It is done well but no where near what she is able to achieve in the broken earth trilogy. For anyone else this book may have been their masterpiece but this was just her first draft. I am in awe and can’t wait to see how the rest of this story plays out. 
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