Review #30: The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

Author Website: http://nkjemisin.com/
Published by: Orbit, November 2010

I’m feeling a little guilty about my lack of short story reviews these past few months, so how about a novel review instead? After reading the first book in this trilogy, the sequel Broken Kingdoms made it to the number two spot on my holiday wish list (right behind a bike lock that cost about $5 less than my actual bike.)

The Story

Oree Shoth is a blind street artist who makes a meager living selling trinkets in the city of Shadow. Her true art, her paintings, have awesome magical powers that she has to keep hidden from the rest of the world. She’s getting over a bad breakup with her immortal boyfriend, and recently she’s taken on a new house guest who has the annoying habit of killing himself every chance he gets. But despite all of that, Oree’s life is pretty normal until she stumbles upon the body of a dead godling. Godlings aren’t supposed to die, but this one’s been murdered, and Oree finds herself caught up in a conspiracy that threatens not only to expose the secret behind her magical powers, but may also destroy the world.

The Craft

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

My mind is still boggling over the way this story was crafted. It’s full of interesting and distinct characters, marvelous world building, and high stakes action. The plot is masterfully woven, and there are twists and turns at every corner. The action centers around the city of Shadow, aptly named because it sits under the massive World Tree whose expansive, magical canopy shades nearly the entire city. Here mortals and immortals more or less coexist, but the recent godling murders have everyone on edge. It’s impressive that the godlings all have distinctive voices and powers. My favorite was Lil, a voracious man-eater with a giant mouthful of buzz saw teeth, though otherwise she seems to have impeccable manners. What intrigued me most were the gods’ histories, their struggles, and the not-so-accurate myths that have developed about them over the centuries.

I was somewhat disappointed that Broken Kingdoms didn’t leave me as breathless as Hundred Thousand Kingdoms did. Perhaps this has something to do with how high Jemisin set the bar with her debut novel. Some part however, I think has to do with Oree being somewhat more passive than I would have liked. It seemed there was a stretch of several scenes that ended with her passing out, or blacking out, or graying out, or whiting out, or just falling asleep. Sometimes this can be an effective device, but in many cases here, it felt a little too “convenient.” The romance subplot also fell flat for me, though the high drama surrounding it made for a good read.

Like the first novel in the trilogy, Broken Kingdoms is unputdownable. I breezed through this book in no time, and particularly enjoyed Oree’s voice and the peculiar way she saw the world. I definitely recommend it for anyone who’s looking for an immersive fantasy read with a rich world, smiting gods, and a dash of romance. Can’t wait for the final installment!