Book Review: 'Broken Earth: Book 2 - The Obelisk Gate' by NK Jemisin

I enjoyed the first book in this 'Broken Earth' trilogy (my review here), and the same goes for the next in the series. A solid follow up that builds on the previous and sets up events ready for the third.

After the events of 'The Fifth Season', 'The Obelisk Gate' continues where we left off with Essun in the comm Castrima coming face to face with Alabaster, and learning more about the obelisks and other magic, settling as best she can into the comm headed by Ykka.

'The Fifth Season' was all about Essun's story, so in 'The Obelisk Gate', we get to find out about her daughter, Nassun's story. We discover more about the family relationship between daughter, mother and father, as we delve into her childhood a bit with some flashbacks that include Orogeny training with her mother, and we also find out the reasoning behind why her father Jija did what he did to her baby brother in the first book and why he took Nassun with him as he flees south. During the journey with her father, Nassun, is torn between the love and fear of Jija, whose anger and hatred towards orogenes is sometimes taken out on her. We also see some of her schooling in Orogeny once they meet Schaffa and enter the comm at Jekity.

The story focuses more between the mother - daughter viewpoints, each strong minded women, yet also appearing emotionally conflicted at times as they struggle with what they must do in the situations they find themselves in. The characters, and not just the main players, are well crafted by Jemisin too, making the world of The Stillness seem real and well-rounded. Ykka, Tonkee, Hoa, Schaffa and more are all excellent!

This series so far feels like a refreshing change in the fantasy genre and is right up there with Brandon Sanderson's 'Mistborn' trilogy for me, which I've also really enjoyed, as they're not your average fantasy series filled with your typical tropes. With the characters, the different style of narration (Essun's POV is still in the second person), the use of magic, the world building, etc. It's no wonder Jemisin won a second consecutive Hugo Award for best novel with this entry. I'm certainly looking forward to the 'The Stone Sky' and the conclusion of the trilogy.

****/5