Publisher's Weekly Review
In this compelling, challenging, and utterly gripping work that combines elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, Jemisin draws readers deeper into the extraordinary setting and characters she introduced in The Fifth Season. In the world called the Stillness-which the first book hints may actually be our world, thousands of years in the future-orogenes are hated and feared for their ability to control the geological forces that shape the land. Powerful orogene Essun desperately searches for her eight-year-old daughter, Nassun, who was stolen away by her father. He hopes to find someone to "fix" the girl and excise her burgeoning orogene talent. But Essun's search is interrupted by her old mentor, Alabaster. Alabaster is dying, and he hopes to use Essun's powers to end the current "season," a disastrous change in global climate that could destroy all life, by recapturing the planet's long-lost moon, whose absence is the cause of the ironically named Stillness's geological instability. While Essun and Alabaster struggle to save the world, an ancient entity with very different goals begins gathering its own crew of young orogenes-and it has Nassun, who in this volume becomes a character as troubled, complex, and fascinating as her mother. The Stillness and those who dwell there are vividly drawn, and the threats they face are both timely and tangible. Once again Jemisin immerses readers in a complex and intricate world of warring powers, tangled morals, and twisting motivations. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Jemisin's follow-up to The Fifth Season (2015) explores the connections between orogenes (individuals able to manipulate kinetic and seismic energy), the mysterious obelisks floating all over the Stillness, and the secretive race of subterranean beings known as the stone eaters. This time the novel follows Essun, former imperial orogene as well as her daughter, Nassun, abducted at the start of the previous novel by Essun's panicked, orogene-hating husband. Both characters begin to explore their own connections to plans to recover the moon, the loss of which precipitated a war between the sentient Father Earth himself and ancient orogenes, as well as the involvement of divergent factions within the stone eaters. Jemisin builds off of the strong foundation laid in the previous novel, further exploring the cosmology and history of her engaging setting, all the while maintaining the strong characterization and plotting that grounds the at times expansive scope of the series' action. This novel should be of interest to general fantasy readers looking for an interesting new series as well as already avid Jemisin fans.--Keep, Alan Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
The Fifth Season has begun, and a cold darkness signals the end of the world. Orogene Essun, formerly known as Damaya, formerly Syenite, has found relative safety in Castrima, but her daughter, Nassun, remains lost. Instead, Essun has met Alabaster, destroyer of the world, now being slowly devoured-both figuratively and literally-by his incredible power and his stone eater Antinomy. Alabaster tries to teach Essun how to tap the obelisks and possibly deliver civilization, with drastic consequences. Meanwhile, far away, Nassun travels with her father. Her love for him battles her desire to acknowledge her skills as an orogene, despite knowing that same power is what cost her baby brother his life. As Essun and Nassun deal with both their strengths and weaknesses, the non-orogene people and the stone eaters make a play for Castrima, and Nassun learns that her choices may alter the fate of the universe and tip the scales of authority. While time and location shift with the different points of view, the dual chain of events is masterly crafted. The epic journeys of mother and daughter through this dying realm are dynamic and emotional. Verdict Jemisin's follow-up to The Fifth Season is exceptional. Those who anxiously awaited this sequel will find the only problem is that the wait must begin again once the last page is turned.-KC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
