Review: The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate is the sequel to The Fifth Season, an adult fantasy that follows three characters on a perilous hostile earth while they grapple with their society's hatred of magic.

The Obelisk Gate has the same incredible narration, eventful plot, and awesome characters we experienced in book one. The only element I loved in The Fifth Season that didn't show up in this book was the piecing together of a mystery. This book obviously had reveals and twists, but I didn't get the same incredible satisfaction from piecing something together that I got from the first book. I totally don't think it would be plausible or fair to expect a similar thing, but it did impact my reading experience, not in a bad way, just in a way I noticed.

My favorite part of this book was the way this series started to really feel like it was fantasy and science fiction (or Afrofuturism, more specifically!) simultaneously. The first book certainly had elements of science mixed with magic, geology, and physics, most notably. But I loved the expansion here, the way astronomy played a part and the broadening of both the science and fantasy elements of this world.

I also really enjoyed the added points of view in this book, especially the minor one that does have a mystery element to it. Nassun being a point of view character was really a fascinating experience. I did really love seeing the world through her eyes; seeing how she viewed her mother specifically added a very nuanced layer to the story. Seeing the ways in which she has been wronged by those closest to her and the ways in which she is being manipulated, knowingly and unawares, was one of the tensest and most narratively interesting choices. I loved watching with horror and trepidation the way she interacted with her father and Schaffa. I so want her to be able to be a child and have an opportunity to actually be happy. It worked so well in this dystopian world; the ways children are impacted by the instability of their environments, the ways trauma can be repeated even by people we view as moral.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph. I am so excited to read The Stone Sky, probably early next month! I would completely recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes intense speculative fiction and interesting structural choices. Particularly the use of second person.