Reviews with content warning for Death - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

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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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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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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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

4 ⭐ CW: violence, death, suicide, incest, child sexual abuse mention, torture, enslavement, sexual content

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin is book one in the Inheritance trilogy. This book is hard to describe. It's a secondary world adult fantasy that is very complicated. As with all Jemisin's works, I'm left feeling like I'm not smart enough to read it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

We follow Yeine, who is telling the story by recalling it as if in a memory, but it doesn't become clear to whom until much later. She has been summoned to Sky (the palace) by her grandfather to become one of the heirs alongside her twin cousins Scimina and Relad. Sky is a dangerous place for someone unused to the ways of the Arameri, between treacherous relatives and the enslaved gods who live there. Yeine is pulled into a political and godly battle where she is a pawn for both.

This book was so involved. Jemisin does an excellent job of building cultures. I loved the creation story she weaves with the Three: Itempas (day), Enefa (dawn and dusk), and Nahadoth (night). I don't know how else to describe what is happening in this story than to just say it is complex. Similar to her Broken Earth Trilogy, you don't really know what is going on until you're most of the way through the book, but I couldn't put it down. Her writing is so beautiful that you are transported

This is a story about free will, freedom, forgiveness, and agency. It also sets up a redemption arc for one of the characters. I really liked Yeine as a character. I loved that she isn't just one thing (iykyk). She is angry and fearful, loving and ruthless. Her relationship with Nahadoth is also complex and compelling. Sieh definitely stole the show for me though. A god who embodies childhood, and he's just so sweet. Like Yeine, I couldn't help but love him.

If this review confuses you, you'll just have to read the book and be even more confused 😂. I'm looking forward to book two l, since it will have a lot more world-building and focus on different characters.

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biobeetle's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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