This is the way the world ends. Again. Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries. This book had some really interesting ‘clicks’ in it where I realized very interesting things. The parallel story structure definitely allowed some neat twists. And I loved the way it was told -- it was everything I could do not to start reading it aloud to my husband.

OMG OMG you guys, it's like Stina Leicht took all of her favorite fantasy things and stuffed them into a single narrative and it's AWESOME. READ THIS BOOK NAO. So you know how Brian McClellan got all those mad props for that crazy awesome flintlock fantasy a couple of years ago? This is that, except that along with the war and the scheming for the throne, you’ve also got a son who was disinherited for the throne in favor of a daughter, the rise of the old gods, sea monsters, a plague, and SO much more, all wrapped into one tidy narrative with some fantastic writing. THIS IS SO WORTH THE READ.