The Stone Sky

Pros: A compelling (and in fantasy, unique to the best of my knowledge) central conflict between a mother and her daughter, which I didn't see coming (although it did feel inevitable in hindsight). I thought the daughter's viewpoint and sympathies were believable, which requires the audience to see a villain in a completely new light, so bravo on that. The twist about sentient earth felt clever instead of gimmicky, tying in well with the moon's orbital mechanics. It's also a part 3 of an excellent trilogy that doesn't feel like a let-down, which is always hard to pull off.

Cons: I'm a pretty attentive reader, but I felt like I was always a half-step behind on the worldbuilding. Why did they need the Rifting again? Alabaster said it was necessary, but they didn't seem to harness it when the time came. Why do their bodies turn to stone after accessing an obelisk, again? Unclear. The same felt true of Hoa's chapters, in the sense that I always felt I needed just a little more information to follow things clearly. I know mystery can serve to heighten curiosity, and this may just be a clash between preferences. On the whole, I thought her strongest writing was about questions of survival and emotional trauma, compared to the “high fantasy” elements.

Overall, congrats to her for being the first to win 3 consecutive Hugos.