The Fifth Season

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.

I wouldn't say I was disappointed with The Fifth Season. It just wasn't as good as what I have come to expect from NK Jemisin. I mean, I did enjoy it, and I will definitely buy the sequel. It just didn't have that spark that made me love The Killing Moon and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

But I did enjoy this. I like the diversity of the characters in Jemisin's books. I like the way she explores sexuality, she is one of the very few authors I've read that has more than just straight pairings. I liked the powers these characters had – basically the ability to control thermal, kinetic and other forms of energy (like earthquakes). I thought it was really interesting how these characters were treated because of their powers.

But the writing style threw me off. Part of the story is narrated from a second-person point of view. I guessed the link between the three main characters before it was revealed which was slightly annoying. There also seemed to be a number of strange grammatical errors. At one point a character talks about catching pregnancy. Look, it was good, I did enjoy it and I can't wait for the sequel. It just wasn't quite as good as Jemisin's other books.