The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novel was easily and truly better, imho, than the first in the trilogy.

From start to finish I loved the gentle rolling cadences of the story, the hope for a better life in the middle of so much poverty, even when it was the godlings and a certain shiny god that was experiencing the poverty. I originally thought this might actually turn out to be a mainline tale of redemption, and it was, for the most part, but I was even more surprised to enjoy the fact that it was a tale of demons, or the progeny of gods and mortals, if you prefer, and I don't mind either way. I thought it was a very beautiful story. I've got a really huge soft spot in my heart for tales like this.

Even if it's a redemption tale for the biggest asshole in the first book. Oh, but let me be clear, here: Shiny hardly gets anything that he desires, and the briefest of tastes of happiness is still going to have to last him for the next two thousand years, if twilight and darkness continue to have any say in it, but it's the glimmer of hope that I choose to focus on.

I'm certain that Oree would agree with me. I really love her. She's the consummate observer, strong in will and understanding, and never lets her blindness hold her back. The little gift she holds makes her very interesting and gives the reason and impetus of the story, as well, but more than that, it throws us into the middle of the lives of the godlings without ever being truly a "part" of it. Such a nice balancing act. The realism and the humorous beginnings, aside, the plot was nothing to sneeze at, either. The direct implications may not have been as grandiose as the first novel, but the long term definitely was.

The complete assassination of all the gods? Wow. And the ignorance was just as staggering, giving me a great time yelling at the bad guys, saying "No, don't! You idiot! Don't you know...?"

Too funny. I really enjoyed this novel. Jemisin is a master storyteller. I'm going to be running through her entire catalog before long. :)

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