Author: N.K. Jemisin
Published: August 18, 2016 by Orbit
Format: Paperback, 410 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series: The Broken Earth #2
Blurb: Essun has found shelter, but not her missing daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request that would seal the fate of the Stillness forever.
My Opinion: There’s a lot I enjoyed in the second book of The Broken Earth trilogy. The atmosphere is heavy with the strange beauty of the Stillness, and the way Jemisin threads grief through every interaction. Yet, I was not as swept away as I was with The Fifth Season. The first book grabbed me and refused to let go; this one feels more like a slow, deliberate walk through a world I was already familiar with, and only a few jolts that reminded me of why I stayed.
Essun’s chapters still land for me. Her weariness, her prickly tenderness, the way she keeps trying even when she’s bone‑deep tired, is compelling. And Alabaster’s return added a welcome emotional weight. Their scenes have that tension I love with two people who’ve survived too much and are trying to shape the world with whatever pieces they have left.
But the pacing is different this time. The book spends a lot of time explaining the machinery behind the magic with the Obelisks, Guardians, ancient wrongs, and while it’s fascinating, it doesn’t have the same visceral punch as the first book’s structure and revelations. I never felt fully bored, but I did feel like I was mentally wandering while waiting for the story to ignite.
Nassun’s storyline is the part I wrestled with. It’s dark, unsettling, and intentionally uncomfortable, and while I appreciate what Jemisin is doing, I had a hard time connecting with it. It’s powerful, but not in the same way Essun’s journey is powerful. I know it is going to matter later, but for now, I was having a hard time.
By the end, the book finally tightens its grip. The emotional stakes sharpen, the world cracks open a little more, and I can feel the trilogy shifting toward something huge. It’s a middling second book, just not the lightning strike the first one was. Still, I’m invested, and I’m ready to see where this all leads, even if this installment didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
My Opinion: There’s a lot I enjoyed in the second book of The Broken Earth trilogy. The atmosphere is heavy with the strange beauty of the Stillness, and the way Jemisin threads grief through every interaction. Yet, I was not as swept away as I was with The Fifth Season. The first book grabbed me and refused to let go; this one feels more like a slow, deliberate walk through a world I was already familiar with, and only a few jolts that reminded me of why I stayed.
Essun’s chapters still land for me. Her weariness, her prickly tenderness, the way she keeps trying even when she’s bone‑deep tired, is compelling. And Alabaster’s return added a welcome emotional weight. Their scenes have that tension I love with two people who’ve survived too much and are trying to shape the world with whatever pieces they have left.
But the pacing is different this time. The book spends a lot of time explaining the machinery behind the magic with the Obelisks, Guardians, ancient wrongs, and while it’s fascinating, it doesn’t have the same visceral punch as the first book’s structure and revelations. I never felt fully bored, but I did feel like I was mentally wandering while waiting for the story to ignite.
Nassun’s storyline is the part I wrestled with. It’s dark, unsettling, and intentionally uncomfortable, and while I appreciate what Jemisin is doing, I had a hard time connecting with it. It’s powerful, but not in the same way Essun’s journey is powerful. I know it is going to matter later, but for now, I was having a hard time.
By the end, the book finally tightens its grip. The emotional stakes sharpen, the world cracks open a little more, and I can feel the trilogy shifting toward something huge. It’s a middling second book, just not the lightning strike the first one was. Still, I’m invested, and I’m ready to see where this all leads, even if this installment didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
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