It was such an emotional end to such a brutal trilogy. And it will be so strange no longer being immersed in the strange world of the Stillness. I loved the ending and how everything consequential played out. It felt natural and tied into the first books phenomenal opening paragraph so well. The reveal of what Hoa had been doing all along or why the story had been told the way it had been(the shifts between 1st,2nd and third person)was ingenious. Rarely do you ever get to encounter a trilogy that’s solid the whole way through and has such a unique premise. Unabashedly queer and political her work feel very reminiscent of Octavia E Butler(a noted influence of N.K)but feels more modern in it’s voice.
Essun character arc hit me the hardest because of how much she reminded me of not only my mom but also my relationship with her and my gran. The way her and Nassun feel about each other felt too close to comfort.
Now that I’m at the end I’d love to hear what others who have read the series think of the not only the final book but of the series overall. Which characters did they like or hate ? What did you think of the perspective changes or Jemisin’s prose? How does it rank for you compared to other sci-fi or fantasy novels you’ve encountered?
I really really loved the first book in the trilogy, but by the devil’s right buttcheek was the second book a snoooze fest. Didn’t finish it. I’ve never seen a larger drop in quality between two books in a trilogy. But these comments are making me think I’m the one missing something.
I think she was writing the second book as her mom was sick/passing. I remember halfway through the book it felt like it picked up a ton and felt like it was written so differently, so I had to look up why. Learning that made the first half of the book make way more sense to me.
Just an FYI if you ever decide to try it again!