I simply couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages–Jemisin created SUCH an immersive world filled with complicated characters and a riveting plot. I needed to devour it. It was hard to take breaks, even though it chilled me to the bone (there are a few disturbing scenes that will forever be imprinted in my brain).
This book has several narrators, and each one is equally incredible. I almost never feel that way; there's usually at least one character who I wish we would skip. It's fantasy, but the issues explored are very, very real. It helped me connect to my own grief and feelings of "otherness."
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times)
This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
I love books about complicated families, and I love navigating my own hardships through fantasy and magic. This book delivered on all those fronts.
The relationships are so juicy and complicated and real, and I was so captivated by each family member (the book jumps through time to cover a good chunk of a family tree). The absurdity of the plot and magical realism elements made me laugh, but they also struck me right in the heart.
Reading this book helped me on my own journey of reckoning with generational trauma.
Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past in this "expertly woven tale of family power, threaded with as much mystery as magic" (V.E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won't ever leave their home in Four Rivers-not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquidea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their…
I know the plot of this book sounds really bleak and upsetting, but it truly opened up new waves of compassion and community care for me. I felt like I was reading an opera, and all of the deep sea and magical elements unfurled themselves before my eager eyes.
I felt humbled after taking it all in and inspired to open my heart more. And as a theatre kid, the fact that Daveed Diggs had a hand in the story made me even more delighted.
WINNER OF THE LAMBDA LITERARY LGBTQ SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/HORROR AWARD
The water-breathing descendants of African slave women tossed overboard have built their own underwater society-and must reclaim the memories of their past to shape their future in this brilliantly imaginative novella inspired by the Hugo Award-nominated song "The Deep" from Daveed Diggs's rap group clipping.
Yetu holds the memories for her people-water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners-who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one-the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on…
Celestial is a new home base for all my bookish friends - to connect beyond comment sections. Reading is better together, and it’s doubly exciting to help disrupt the publishing industry, uplift marginalized authors, and create more inclusive & equitable spaces.
Anyone who joins can expect a thoughtful & exciting community, exclusive in-depth videos & posts, and the start to a delightful adventure. Get ready to dive into otherworldly stories from diverse voices and have both discerning and compassionate conversations.
