Harbinger of Books

I am an avid reader of urban fantasy and rarely do I engage in the high fantasy but I am so pleased that I went out a limb to read this book. If you are seeking an epic battle with travels to an exotic land with political drama then I think this book might just be for you.

In short Yeine has just buried her mother and she is summoned by the king, who is also her grandfather to the Sky city. When Yeine is summoned she has no idea why and is really surprised when it turns out that she is to be named one of his heir. However all that glitters is not gold, she is now in the middle of a power struggle between her two cousins that will end in death for the looser. At the same time Yeine has a lot of questions about who her mother was and her life at Sky. While in Sky city she also meets the cursed gods, finds surprising allies, and is literally fighting for her life.

This book captured me from page one. I found myself sympathizing with so many characters in this book. I loved that the gods where cursed and unhappy about it, often in the story I wondered if they were all mad or just ruthless. I also loved Yeine, and watching her grow in her struggle. She is thrown into a situation by her grandfather who has not cared to speak with her for 20+ years and now he demands her service. Plus she is discriminated because she is not considered beautiful, furthermore she has no real allies and her cousin is bent on destroying her and all that she holds dear including her home country. I love that Yeine is willing to rediscover who she is without pretense.

It was quite clever for Jemisin to tell this tale in first person. As I read I felt like Yeine was talking to me as she tells the story of her younger self at times the story is scattered and then there are moments where Yeine will pause digress and then give you a bit of history as to how an event occurred. As you watch Yeine struggle with her situation and self identity you cannot help but to experience her frustration and joy. The setting is equally fantastic almost all of the scenes take place in the Sky city, and again I think the narration just adds to this experience because you are discovering this world just as she is discovering her world so there is no information overload which sometimes happens in first books. Without giving anything away, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is a story about life, love, self-discovery and forgiveness. The book does take you on an emotional rollercoaster and at the end I found myself thankful for the tale. This is N.K. Jemisin first novel and I was very impressed truly a great story with original ideas,