When I first started the book, I braced myself for disappointment, because what often happens with over-hyped books is that I tend to disagree with the majority when it falls flat for me. N. K. Jemisin was also quite a popular author already, and I was skeptical of that popularity… for that, I am truly sorry, because after reading this book I can say the accolades and fans are all well-deserved. While initially the writing style and confusion threatened to upend my experience of the book, I persevered and was gradually sucked into the story and incredible worldbuilding.

Jemisin has a way of writing her characters and creating an expansive yet brutal world. In the world of the Stillness, nothing is taken for granted, and Father Earth is seen as a violent force who is not on your side. Yet there are people with magical abilities, orogenes, who have an innate connection to the Earth and his natural forces; they are vital to the preservation of society, but they are also a force of destruction, just like Earth. Another reviewer mentioned that by the end of the book it almost feels like this world is not all that different from our own, if you fast-forward a little and add a few changes, and I agree—there are a lot of subtle themes that could be interpreted from the book, such as the destruction of natural resources and human hubris in the age of the anthropocene. In addition to the realistic facets, Jemisin is skilled at worldbuilding and creating lore, definitions, nations, races, etc. that are all a breath of fresh air from your standard fantasy fare. What I appreciated even more was the deft interweaving of science and magic in the book, with the insertion of ‘geomests’ and ‘archaeomests’ and even anthropological records of the previous Seasons provided in an appendix, making it feel like more than a book. This is a decent example of ‘sci-fi AND fantasy’ for a change—though this is very much more of a fantasy novel than a sci-fi one… at least for now. Jemisin also crafts a narrative that is both mysterious and illuminating, with clever machinations of the plot that I both did and did not anticipate.

What I didn’t enjoy as much were some of her stylistic choices. Some parts of the book are told in the second person, which I just never click with as a reader, and which makes it hard for me to comprehend what is happening. Despite this annoyance, I pushed through because I enjoyed the rest of the book… and by the end, I even almost got used to it, somewhat. (And there is eventually a reason to explain this choice of narration.) At other times, Jemisin will take extreme poetic license and go into non-standard prose, breaking sentences in half like it’s a verse of poetry, or repeating things in brackets (in brackets) for… dramatic effect? I don’t know. I didn’t like it, but it doesn’t happen too often in the book so it’s easy to brush aside the cheesiness of those moments. I also felt initially that some of the worldbuilding was static and underdeveloped, but things get better as the book progresses, and this is the first in a trilogy so it isn’t out-of-place.

While reading, I found myself resisting the urge to pick the book back up while I had to do other things (like sleep…), which is a mark for me that I had a great time with this one. It’s not a perfect book, but that is rarely the case—and perhaps since my expectations were low to begin with, I ended up enjoying it more than I anticipated. I would recommend this book to any sci-fi/fantasy fans who appreciate good worldbuilding and an interesting, at times even complex plot… and I’m excited to read the rest of the series. (Though I do wish I would finish more of my currently in-progress series before starting new ones… note to future self: stop starting new series!)

P.S. Also I saw an interview between Neil Gaiman and N. K. Jemisin, and it is very delightful to watch.