The Shadowed Sun

I read the first book in this duology late last year and then had to wait ages to read this book, but I'm glad I was willing to wait it out and stuck it through to the end.

The setting is just as fascinating as it is with the first book and I feel like all of the characters complimented each other really well. I've only read this series and the Broken Earth series from this author, but every time I'm reminded how much I enjoy narratives that are told through multiple perspectives--it just adds another layer of complexity that you can't get from a single perspective narrative.

There are some characters from the previous book, but also many new ones and new groups of people to get to know. The amount of research that was done and then applied to this fictional setting is really apparent and makes the story all that more fascinating.

I definitely wouldn't mind seeing more stories in this universe.

NK Jemisin is an epic world-builder. She crafts worlds that make so much internal sense that she can then write an entire book about what it means to live in the margins between the communities or not fit into them, and because we get the world so well it makes sense. As someone who loves interstitial spaces, I loved this book about people who are trying to figure out where they fit into the world when they don't quite fit into the previously made boxes

Like the first book in the series this took a while to get into. In the Dreamblood books Jemisin does practically zero explanation of the world and story you are dropped into, and I'd forgotten the first book almost completely and found no good summaries online, only the spoiler free review kind. But I knew this from the first book and knew I'd be rewarded with a great story and fascinating world building if I only had the patience to keep reading until the story and world showed enough of themselves for me to piece together a coherent whole.

In the end I took away one star for petty reasons. The conclusion of the book disappointed me just a tiny bit by not being as ... uniquely good, as what leads up to it.

I definitely recommend the series, if you have the patience to read up to 100 pages before understanding what's going on.

Picked up this sequel after enjoying the first book (The Killing Moon). It's set about 10 years after the first book ends and picks up the story of the city of Gujaareh, which has been made a protectorate of the Kausi people after the end of the first book. A few of the characters from the first book return, but much of the plot now revolves around two new characters: the deposed king's son Wanahomen, who has allied with the Banbarra (a tribe of desert nomads) and hopes to take back control of Gujaareh; and Hanani, the first woman to be allowed to join the healers of the Hetawa sect in Gujaareh.

There are lots of interesting ideas and perspectives explored in the book, including why the Hetawa is traditionally exclusively male; how Hanani is dealing with being the first female healer allowed; how the Kausi protectorate and the Hetawa deal with the occupation of the city; and how the Banbarra are not simply savages nor is Gujaareh quite as civilized as they might like to think.

Overall though, while it was a decent story, I just didn't find the characters and story as captivating as the first book. Also, trigger warning for those who want to avoid plot points of child abuse, incest and rape; these are fundamental to some of the story.

I really loved this book until the very end.

I'm a woman who works in a male-dominated profession, so I was very invested in Hanani's struggle to be a Sharer. For this reason, I took it personally when she earned her ruby full Sharer collar, then promptly turned around and sold it to live with the Banbarra. But this is... my personal baggage. Four and a half stars.

Anyway. Up until the very end, I really, really love the book. I'm going to give a shout-out to the Reverse Omelas in particular, which was a brave and challenging twist.

10 years after the death of Gujaareh's prince and the rise of the Kisuati Protectorate, a new threat strengthens in the desert.

I cannot believe the talent of this author. She is just incredible. This series is sort of based on Egyptian mythology/history and the research she must have done is mind-boggling. The world building and language invention-simply amazing. One of the best fantasy series I've ever read.