This is a highly-detailed, well-built world with a mature and dark tone. 

This book really shines when we get into the parts where it feels like we're reading mythology. All of the past stories with the gods are SO interesting and feel like dreamy fairy tales. All the scenes where Nahadoth acts like an abstract kind of god form are really beautiful even as they're (in a good way!!) confusing and overwhelming. 

I think some of the dialogue is a bit stilted (me personally, I feel like gods calling themselves by their nicknames, Nahadoth=Naha and Itempas=Tempas, somehow didn't make things more intimate and realistic) but that's a pretty nitpicky thing. I think what makes this more four stars for me than five is that while the mythological stuff is super cool, the political stuff was sometimes hard to follow IMO. I think the plot could be a little more organized to make the stakes a little clearer earlier into the book, it feels like the second act of the book is super long and then the third is super short, which wouldn't be too big a deal if the second act was a little clearer on what we were building towards. 

N.K. Jemisin has a gorgeous writing style and I'm definitely eager to keep reading her stuff!!