The Stone Sky by N.K Jemisin (3.5 stars)

What's more impressive than winning the Hugo twice in a row? How about three consecutive years for the same book series? It's been too long since I read this so reviewing is hard, but from my notes:

Nassun is supposed to be what, 10 years old? She is written like a 40 year old, which dropped me out of suspending disbelief a few times.

If it's so easy for Hoa to travel underground, why isn't he just transporting the whole comm instead of having them die on the journey?

This miles-long staircase down into the earth is all very dramatic, but there is no society with automatic lights and doors capable of surviving an apocalypse that wouldn't use a vehicle of some kind to travel those distances, which doesn't work on a staircase. Not to mention building a staircase that big would be a giant PITA.

My favorite quote:

“I think,” Hoa says slowly, “that if you love someone, you don’t get to choose how they love you back.”

Overall I felt the pace was slower than necessary, and I enjoyed it less than the first two, but it was a decent conclusion to the series.

3.5 stars

The Obelisk Gate by N.K Jemisin (4 stars)

What's more amazing than winning the Hugo? Also winning the Hugo for the sequel. It's a great read.

There's plenty of minor things that annoyed me, like (spoilers) how Jija gave up his whole way of life to save Nassun, but then continues to consider killing her. I just didn't buy that he would be that deeply anti-orogene he'd be willing to kill yet another of his own children. Make your bed and lie in it.

But at the same time, it was incredibly powerful showing how part of Nassun's childhood was killed because she had to learn how to manipulate her father:

It is a manipulation. Something of her is warped out of true by this moment, and from now on all her acts of affection toward her father will be calculated, performative. Her childhood dies, for all intents and purposes. But that is better than all of her dying, she knows.

I also didn't buy Essun marrying this guy. She obviously knew he was incredibly anti-orogene and she and her children would be in incredible danger. Why him? Was she so desperate that was the best she could do? There wasn't any mention of that, or explanation for how they came together.

The weird second-person narration continues, acknowledged by the author:

I WANT TO KEEP TELLING THIS as I have: in your mind, in your voice, telling you what to think and know. Do you find this rude? It is, I admit. Selfish. When I speak as just myself, it’s difficult to feel like part of you. It is lonelier. Please; let me continue a bit longer.

And not only that but it will occasionally switch between third-person and second-person, which has to be explained in the text.

There also seemed to be a lot of weaknesses and contradictions in how Nassun chooses to exercise her power in the battle for Castrima-over:

“That army fills both Castrima-over and the forest basin,” you say. “You’ll pass out before you can ice half of a circle that big.”

So just ice the doorway where they have to come in? It makes no sense. I did like those crazy bugs though.

Very entertaining series.

4 stars