soph (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophia_sol) wrote2015-04-21 08:26 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2015-04-21 08:26 pm
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N. K. Jemisin
Superficially speaking, this book's beginning premise is rather similar to that of The Goblin Emperor - mixed-race heir of an extremely powerful emperor, drawn suddenly into the complicated politics of the capital city without any sort of preparation. It's also similar in that it is SUPER DUPER UP MY ALLEY. Other than that they're pretty much as different as books can be? Which makes it really interesting to me that they are both SO VERY MUCH up my alley. I guess they appeal different parts of my id.
It's kind of hard for me to talk about this book because I took a two-month break from reading it halfway through. Not intentionally! I faithfully brought it in to work with me every day, to read during lunch. And every day during lunch I found myself choosing to find something to read online on my phone instead. IDEK, my brain is the worst sometimes. I was super enjoying the book and WANTED to keep reading it but there was some sort of block keeping me from continuing.
But I got over it! ....after enough time that I no longer remember much about the first half of the book, whoops.
But that's okay; I remember loving the first half, and I loved the second half too.
One of the things that was great about this book was the complicated personal stuff and complicated political stuff getting all up in each other's business. Both earthly and godly politics/personal stuff, and intermixed between them all! GOOD TIMES. Lots of room for things to get entangled in interesting ways. Yesssssss.
I also love the worldbuilding; it didn't feel derivative, like too much fantasyland worldbuilding does, and it's interesting and real-feeling.
And I love Yeine, the main character. She is GREAT, and her relationships with the various gods is also super great. And is it just me or would more about the Yeine-Enefa relationship be amazing or AMAZING. I could probably see my way to shipping them, though that would be...complicated, given the circumstances.
And all the identity stuff in this book! There's lots of complicated identity situations and I am super into ALL of it.
I feel like I ought to have more to say about the book, but I am tired and the analytical part of my brain isn't functioning at full capacity. Oh well. At least I have finished the book and written something about it, finally!
It's kind of hard for me to talk about this book because I took a two-month break from reading it halfway through. Not intentionally! I faithfully brought it in to work with me every day, to read during lunch. And every day during lunch I found myself choosing to find something to read online on my phone instead. IDEK, my brain is the worst sometimes. I was super enjoying the book and WANTED to keep reading it but there was some sort of block keeping me from continuing.
But I got over it! ....after enough time that I no longer remember much about the first half of the book, whoops.
But that's okay; I remember loving the first half, and I loved the second half too.
One of the things that was great about this book was the complicated personal stuff and complicated political stuff getting all up in each other's business. Both earthly and godly politics/personal stuff, and intermixed between them all! GOOD TIMES. Lots of room for things to get entangled in interesting ways. Yesssssss.
I also love the worldbuilding; it didn't feel derivative, like too much fantasyland worldbuilding does, and it's interesting and real-feeling.
And I love Yeine, the main character. She is GREAT, and her relationships with the various gods is also super great. And is it just me or would more about the Yeine-Enefa relationship be amazing or AMAZING. I could probably see my way to shipping them, though that would be...complicated, given the circumstances.
And all the identity stuff in this book! There's lots of complicated identity situations and I am super into ALL of it.
I feel like I ought to have more to say about the book, but I am tired and the analytical part of my brain isn't functioning at full capacity. Oh well. At least I have finished the book and written something about it, finally!