This book was actually pretty great, but I knocked off a star because it didn’t have a full plot. I really think that even books that are part of a series should have some form of resolution to them so what you just finished reading feels satisfying. The Fifth Season just felt like it stopped on a random chapter. Not cool. I would recommend people wait for the next book to come out before reading this one.
The premise of The Fifth Season is great. It takes place on a continent called the Stillness. Ironic since it is anything BUT still. The bedrock is practically alive with all the turmoil going on. Every so often, something big happens that threatens the very survival of the people who live there. When the biggest rift of all time spews ash into the atmosphere, they know it’ll be dark for decades or centuries. The main character, Essun is part of a class of people looked down on and feared because they possess magic that draws energy from the earth. When the rift happens, she comes home to find that her husband has killed their son and taken off with their daughter. She goes on a quest to find them and her journey is filled with difficulties and strange characters.
I’ve come to love N.K. Jemisin’s writing and storytelling abilities this year. This novel holds up if you’ve liked her previous work. Her characters are interesting, the plotting is compelling, and her world building is the best. I just wished that she had made the ending more satisfying or waited and released a bigger book.
