This book was recommended to me on Twitter. I’d replied to a thread about SciFi and said I thought I didn’t like the genre until I read some SciFi by women, and cited Margaret Atwood, Ursula K LeGuin and Octavia Butler as writers whose work I’d really enjoyed. One person suggested I try this trilogy by Jemisin, and I’m glad I did. Personally I am surprised this is classed as SciFi. Is it the alternate world setting that qualifies it as part of the genre? It felt like fantasy to me but, either way, I loved it.

It’s a tricksy, twisty narrative, but to explain why would be to spoil some of the fun, so I’ll attempt to write a spoiler-free review. The narrative is split between three POVs -Syenite, Damaya, and a second-person narrative Essun. All three are orogenes, people with the ability to manipulate the earth and rock to create or stop earthquakes. Because of this catastrophic power orogenes are feared and shunned by the rest of society known as stills.

It begins with the death of a child and a quest for revenge, but this is woven into a wider story which questions the fundamentals of a society which is constantly threatened by mass extinction. The main characters are beautifully drawn and the world-building is rich and vivid, with brilliant expletives and fascinating customs and politics. It is absolutely not somewhere I would wish to live.

I’ll be ordering the next book in the series with my next paycheck and if you enjoy alternate worlds and (what ostensibly feels like) magic, I would suggest you grab a copy and lose yourself in 449 delightful pages.

german and english review

audible audiobook

Inhalt: Das Ende der Welt steht kurz bevor – zum allerletzten Mal.
Noch ist es Essun nicht gelungen, ihr letztes lebendes Kind zu finden – und den Mann, den sie einst geliebt hat, bevor er zum Mörder ihres Sohnes und Entführer ihrer Tochter wurde. Stattdessen wurde Essun gefunden: von ihrem ehemaligen Mentor, Alabaster Tenring, dem Zerstörer der Welt. Und er hat eine Bitte, die nur sie erfüllen kann. Doch wenn Essun tut, wonach der Mächtige verlangt, könnte dies das Schicksal der Menschheit endgültig besiegeln.
Meilen entfernt wächst derweil die Macht in Essuns Tochter unaufhaltsam. Werden ihre Entscheidungen schließlich die Welt vernichten?

Meine Bewertung: Nicht so gut wie der erste Band aber hat mir immer noch gut gefallen!!!

Der erste Band hat mich stellenweise wirklich total verwirrt, trotzdem hatte er mich total begeistert. Die Verwirrung ist in dem zweiten Band geblieben, doch ich habe ihn irgendwie schneller fertig gehört.

Die Geschichte und die Welt in der sie erzählt wird, begeistert mich noch immer total. Auch wenn bei dem Buch hier immer wieder eine Menge Informationen auf einmal auf einem abgeladen worden ist.

Die Charaktere; ich mag wie unheimlich vielschichtig sie sind.

Ich glaube sobald ich das dritte Buch anhören kann, muss ich die Serie nochmal komplett hören. Vielleicht lässt dann auch die Verwirrung nach LOL

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Summary: This is the way the world ends... for the last time.

The season of endings grows darker as civilization fades into the long cold night. Alabaster Tenring – madman, world-crusher, savior – has returned with a mission: to train his successor, Essun, and thus seal the fate of the Stillness forever.

It continues with a lost daughter, found by the enemy.

It continues with the obelisks, and an ancient mystery converging on answers at last.

The Stillness is the wall which stands against the flow of tradition, the spark of hope long buried under the thickening ashfall. And it will not be broken.

My review: Not as good as the first book but I still enjoyed it!!!

The first book confused me so many times, still I was totally into the whole things. The second book confused me just as much, somehow I managed to finish the book much quicker.

The story and the world it is set in, is still one of the greatest I have enjoyed in a while. Even though sometimes we got way too much information dumped on us.

The characters; I just really like how layered they are.

I think as soon as I get a chance to listen to the third book in the series, I have to relisten to the whole thing. Maybe this will get rid off all my confusion LOL

I loved the concept, I found the way we never read the protagonist's thoughts or words, yet we can perfectly infer them, very interesting, but most of all I loved how the full journey includes coming back to free the rest. That's putting the example he's been shown into it's final implementation, and it tied a knot into my throat. Beautiful.

This was a brilliant end to an incredible series.  I don't think I can describe how much I enjoyed this.

This was a phenomenal sequel! I love this story and am excited to get to the next book in the series. excellent storytelling, fascinating plot, amazing characters. All the adjectives.