Challenge Corner discussion

This is the way the world ends. Again.

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze -- the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years -- collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman's vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.

Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She'll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.

Starting the first book! :)

Ch 6 - (view spoiler)[ I'm alternating audiobook and paperback, and the story sounds a bit complex so I should probably prioritize the paperback. I found the world and orogenes really interesting so far. (hide spoiler)]

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RESTARTING FEBRUARY 26, 2025

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Starting this today!

End of Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[Fuck, that scene with Schaffa hit hard. I've read some other Jemisin books and she's really good at knowing when to make a scene really intense and have it land like this. I'm also really intrigued by the second person POV chapters. I wonder if that woman will turn out to be an older version of Damaya. (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapter 13: (view spoiler)[Wtf is a stone eater? I feel like that line was meant to be some sort of big reveal, but I'm mostly just confused. That said, I love Syenite and Alabaster's dynamic. I can feel real begrudging affection, of a sort, but Jemisin does a great job of showing how complicated and painful it is for them to even talk to each other when they're so bound up in an oppressive system. (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapter 19: (view spoiler)[I'm so obsessed with how they get to be happy and poly together and I'm so sure that things are about to go to shit (hide spoiler)]

Finished! (view spoiler)[I really loved this book. I think Jemisin drew the past and present sections together really well. I do wish we'd seen more of the stone eaters though. I know this is only book 1, but it feels odd to have such a huge mystery be so present in this book (Hoa is ALWAYS THERE) without any actual explanation. I love that Alabaster is the one who caused the Season, though. That fits his character so well, and feels like righteous revenge. (hide spoiler)]

Ooh I see it was a 5 star for you, I'm actually still waiting on the book from my library and keep suspending holds for the other two, but I'm excited to get started soon.

Jessica wrote: "Ooh I see it was a 5 star for you, I'm actually still waiting on the book from my library and keep suspending holds for the other two, but I'm excited to get started soon."

Oh man I know the pain of waiting for a hold. I have the other two already but I won't start the next one for a bit so hopefully we can sync up!

Just got the ebook finally. I of course started another trilogy while waiting for this and haven't finished book 1 yet. But once I finish that up I'm ready to devour this.

Any chance of bringing this BR back to life? I'm midway through the second book

Yes. I need to actually start. let's do this.

Ok, amazing! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the first one

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RESTARTING APRIL 12th, 2025

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Ok, comments on book 2 cause it's due back at the library for me and I want the BR points, lol

End of Chapter 7: (view spoiler)[It's very interesting to see Schaffa from a different angle, but the way he's compared to Jija makes me think that we'll be expected to like Schaffa eventually??? Which I know Jemisin can probably pull off, but OOF (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapter 12: (view spoiler)[I didn't love Nassun's perspective at first just because I wanted to see what was happening with Essun and Castrima, but I'm coming around to it. I'm a sucker for a super powerful protagonist. The whole thing with catching the moon feels a tiny bit silly but it's also very interesting. I'm guessing that's what Stone Sky will be about, because this is moving too slow. (hide spoiler)]

End of Chapter 16: (view spoiler)[I'm loving Hoa's little interludes. His "I" against Essun's "you" is more present in this book, and I love the constant reminders that we are never getting information directly from the POV characters. I'm a bit annoyed with Essun and Ykka though. Essun knows she could ice entire cities, so why don't they take an offensive stance right at the beginning and just kill the army that's coming after them? Even if that would be unlikely to work because of the stone eaters, it seems really really odd to me that they didn't even consider it. (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Are Essun and Hoa....romantically in love? Kinda feels like it. I could maybe buy familial love because Essun spent so much time with him as a "boy" but idk about romance. Feels very very sudden, especially since Alabaster just died. Although there was poly in the last book....

I love how bloodthirsty Nassun has gotten. Jemisin does a great job of showing her intergenerational trauma and how that affects her actions, but she is also super down with murder for an 11 year old. I wonder what will happen when she and Essun eventually meet again. (hide spoiler)]

Also not a spoiler but I'm kinda annoyed about it so I wanted to talk about it here; the map for book two is the same as book one. But none of the locations are marked from book two, just those from book one. I spent this whole time wishing I could get a clearer picture of distances and stuff, but the comms and cities that are relevant to book two just straight up are not there. So what's the point of the map???

OMG, didn't realise there was a buddy read for this - aMAzing, I've been wanting to read this series for an age! (I've read the first two but I want to reread them before the third).

Jessica, when do you think you'll start? I have so many buddy reads, but I'll try and do this about in time with you (fingers crossed!)

Do you both think you'll read the series straight through? If so I'm happy to wait on the third book and try to read in tandem with you!

I will read it straight through.

Ok amazing! Then I'll wait and start book 3 when you do

I'll read straight through if you guys do! Although, I'm not going to be able to start today, so I'll be behind... but that's about par for the course with me and buddying ROFL.

Looking forward to FINALLY finishing this series! I'd also like to read some of her other books if either of you two feel like it afterwards (not STRAIGHT afterwards, but sometime this year.)

Interested at all in The City We Became or How Long 'til Black Future Month?? (Probably a fair way off - I have so many ARCs I ought to be reading... oops!)

Ellen-Arwen wrote: "I'll read straight through if you guys do! Although, I'm not going to be able to start today, so I'll be behind... but that's about par for the course with me and buddying ROFL.

Looking forward t..."

I read The City We Became like a month ago, lol, but I haven't read the sequel yet! If you want to do that duology I'd love to join you. Happy to do How Long Till Black Future Month, too. I know some folks who love it and some who feel it really misses the mark, so I'm interested to read it and form my own opinion

I've read both and I liked it, but I can see why it's polarizing. I've finally started the Fifth Season.

Jessica wrote: "I've read both and I liked it, but I can see why it's polarizing. I've finally started the Fifth Season."

Aargh, I've got myself tied into so many buddy reads I don't think I can start this week - sorry :( Wanted to read along with you...

Saige wrote: "Ellen-Arwen wrote: "I'll read straight through if you guys do! Although, I'm not going to be able to start today, so I'll be behind... but that's about par for the course with me and buddying ROFL...."

Sorry for the lateness - I AM interested, but probably not for a while now... sorry. My ARCs and buddy reads are a bit overwhelming atm :(

That's ok! I'll get to it when I get to it and if we overlap then awesome, but no worries either way

Saige wrote: "That's ok! I'll get to it when I get to it and if we overlap then awesome, but no worries either way"

Awesome, I would really like to!

I'm so behind on recording my thoughts, I'm almost done with Stone Sky and I am obsessed with these books. I did the audio for these and I'm terrible and stopping and writing out my thoughts

Jessica wrote: "I'm so behind on recording my thoughts, I'm almost done with Stone Sky and I am obsessed with these books. I did the audio for these and I'm terrible and stopping and writing out my thoughts"

You're so ahead of me! I think this thread will have expired by the time I get to it... I was planning to reread the first two first, but I am swamped in other buddies :( It's like buses, there's no one to read with, and then six at once!

Starting Stone Sky today! Jessica, I'm excited to hear your thoughts on it

Stone Sky 17%: (view spoiler)[The argument with Ykka was interesting, and it's good to see her continue in that leadership role, but it did feel a little forced. Why not just have a conversation and communicate earlier? I'm very curious about Nassun's stone eater, he seems far less dedicated to her than some of the others with their orogenes. (hide spoiler)]

Huh??

yeah, this is spam. I'll get it removed

Jamie wrote: "yeah, this is spam. I'll get it removed"

Thanks Jamie! I didn't see the original spam post but looks like it's gone now

Stone Sky 61%: (view spoiler)[All the Syl Anagist stuff is a ton of worldbuilding all at once, but it's interesting to get more of Hoa's background. Feels like too much to wrap up in the next 150 pages, so I'm expecting a big twist or event that will bring all the threads together (hide spoiler)]

Stone Sky 76%: (view spoiler)[Alabaster's letters are so heartbreaking it's killing me. I do wish we knew a bit more about Essun's plan though. Will bringing the moon back really heal the Rifting? Even if it appeases the Earth, surely that chasm will still be there. And I don't know if she has enough power to both catch the moon and use the gate to seal the Rift (hide spoiler)]

Stone Sky finished: (view spoiler)[I love the conclusion with Hoa and Essun becoming a stone eater. Very hopeful ending, which I appreciate. I wish Lerna didn't die so easily though - felt a bit like Jemisin killed him off so Essun and Hoa could get together guilt-free. Great showdown with Essun and Nassun! (hide spoiler)]

Oh, why have I signed up for so many buddies?? I really want to read this trilogy but I have THREE buddies on the go (this group and another), when I want to read this trilogy more... Gah. I'll get there Saige, I promise you! (and myself...)

Saige wrote: "Stone Sky 61%: [spoilers removed]"

So so interesting, I loved getting all of the background.

Saige wrote: "Stone Sky finished: [spoilers removed]"

Yes same I was so sad about that.

Jessica wrote: "Saige wrote: "Stone Sky 61%: [spoilers removed]"

So so interesting, I loved getting all of the background."

Yeah there was a lot of background given in this book that made me appreciate the first two even more