Winner of the 2017 Hugo Award and second in the trilogy. I didn't think this book was quite as interesting as the first, but then, it's hard for a second book to live up to the first since it doesn't have that "everything's new" element of surprise. Still, there were a few new things introduced or elaborated on; we learned more about the Guardians, and a lot more about the other intelligent species present on this world beside humans, the Stone Eaters.

Like the first book, this one alternates between viewpoints of different characters. This time our three main storytellers are Essun, from the first book; Nassun, her daughter; and one of the Stone Eaters (though only a small amount from him). The book is basically a search journey, following Essun until she settles in Castrima; and Nassun, following her separate journey and eventual settling into a new home also. There is a lot more detail about the world, its history and legends, its magic systems, and how life on it is affected by the Seasons of hostile climate. We also learn what it is that "angered Father earth" and caused the seasons of cataclysms to start in the first place. I'm a little less enamoured of the ancient-races-built-technological-marvels thing with the obelisks since the seem a little deus-ex-machina to me, but I'm willing to see where this goes in the third and final book of the trilogy before passing judgement.

Again I found the characters and world very interesting and detailed, but found the actual writing a little hard to get into, and I still can't put my finger on why. This isn't a book to be read quickly or with impatience, but it probably is a book I could reread multiple times and continue to get new things out of it each time. I am looking forward to picking up the concluding book and seeing how it all finally ties together and concludes.