The Kingdom of Gods

I really, really wanted to like this book. Having established he

I really, really wanted to like this book. Having established her incredible writing chops in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms, I expected to be wowed away by N.K. Jemisin in her trilogy's finale.

The verdict?

... eh.

I'll get the bad parts out of the way first. One thing different about The Kingdom of Gods was the plot; in books 1 & 2 it was more structured and carefully paced, while book 3 felt all over the place, and more than once I found myself thinking “Great. What the HECK is going on now?” It needed more coherence. After that mess, the climax was a relieving, if anticlimactic, flop.

Another sore point: Sieh. While interesting, I never found him compelling. I always think of a bratty kid when he comes to mind even after reading The Kingdom of Gods. I never got the sense that he actually matured. Sure, giving examples of refraining to act on childish impulses could be interpreted as maturity, but that didn't sell any points for me.

Sieh's supposed to be a GOD. He's lived for thousands of years. He predates humanity. His experience is boundless in pretty much everything. Just because he's growing older doesn't mean he has to angst and melodrama his way through the book. (view spoiler)

Having already expanded on worldbuilding in books 1 & 2 of Sky and Shadow, there wasn't much to go on here. With a union of countries called The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, much is still left to the reader's conjecture. I don't know if this is deliberate for the enigma, but I would have preferred to discover another place for the events in this book to transpire.

If it wasn't for the above, this book would get full stars.

Because it's original. The idea of an all-powerful figure falling to destitution might be somewhat of a stereotype in epic fantasy, and I think this is both the strength and weakness of The Kingdom of Gods. It seemed books 1 & 2 were more familiar with the generic idea of the hero being plucked from obscurity and into political intrigue and adventure, while book 3 meets with mixed success. It lacks that OOMPH that made its predecessors shine. As it stands, it's merely good.

But it makes up for that because the prose is FANTASTIC.

Despite this book's drawbacks I managed to devour it in one day, it's a page turner if you will. It's not often that I get utterly sucked into a story, but this kind of writing does that to you. This is QUALITY. I'm telling you aspiring authors, if you ever write epic fantasy make sure you have N.K. Jemisin on your shelf for divine inspiration.

Overall, The Kingdom of Gods was OK. Not too bad, not too good. But know that I'll definitely be reading N.K. Jemisin's future works.

Fantastic

Absolutly great finish to the series. Loved every minute.

Another great installment

Love this series.

Brilliant Conclusion

I think I could have given this four stars, but I had to go with five. It's rare to feel like a trilogy is truly a trilogy, and not just one book broken up (like John Twelve Hawks), and N. K. did that with three well thought-out books. Also, the momentum from the first book carries over here, for this book simply cannot be enjoyed without the other two. So, FIVE STARS, if you count the journey from one to two to three.
Sieh, a character from the first two, is the narrator of this one. When I first realized, I wondered if I could like the book with him as narrator, and I did, it completely succeeded. I hate reviews that talk about plot, that's what reading it, and book jackets are for, so, suffice to say, these books have it all: plot, characterization, wonderful world-building. And it's rare to find lurid and sensual bits that seem authentic without exaggeration or gratuitousness. Thanks for Miss Jemisen for adding all that in, and adding it in well. She really tapped into class struggle, hidden desires, shame, and worship. I never felt like her material was derivative, and can't wait for whatever is next.

Wonderful conclusion to the series

Don't start with this book! Read the series in order. In this we get a deeper understanding of the events and characters from the first two books.

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