The Broken Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy, #2) by N.K. Jemisin

Jun 19, 2011 Vinaya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-ought-to-love-but-dont, could-have-been-better, fantasy, mixed-vibes, not-for-me

I've thought a lot about why N.K. Jemisin's writing doesn't appeal as much to me as it should. Undoubtedly, The Broken Kingdoms was an infinitely better book than The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. You could almost see Jemisin grow as a writer and as a person, as the world becomes more vivid and more real to her than the scattered pieces of lore she inserted into the first book. The writing style and characterizations, too, felt smoother and more personal. All in all, The Broken Kingdoms was a bette...more I've thought a lot about why N.K. Jemisin's writing doesn't appeal as much to me as it should. Undoubtedly, The Broken Kingdoms was an infinitely better book than The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. You could almost see Jemisin grow as a writer and as a person, as the world becomes more vivid and more real to her than the scattered pieces of lore she inserted into the first book. The writing style and characterizations, too, felt smoother and more personal. All in all, The Broken Kingdoms was a better reading experience.

But there is one common thread between these books that really disturbs me on a personal level. Jemisin seems to like making her heroines so very helpless. It's not a function of disenfranchisement or marginalization that makes them so; it seems to be built into them, this instinct to fall apart when the shit hits the fan. Like Yeine in the first book, Oree spends a lot of time being the victim of circumstance. Her actions rarely empower her, and her epiphanies are all forced out of her by the actions of other people. There were way too many times in this book where she was not just fatalistic about her impending death, but actually ready and willing to embrace it. And not in a positive way, either; mostly she knew it was coming and didn't do anything but accept it.

The other area where Jemisin leaves me cold are her romantic relationships. In fact, I think both The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms would have been better, more solid books if the author hadn't tried to write a romance into them. Tried being the operative word. (view spoiler)

Plotwise, I found this infinitely more interesting than the first. The Broken Kingdoms is a more mature, better written book that doesn't try as hard to be a special snowflake. I'm still not convinced that Jemisin is the writer her hype makes her out to be, but I do respect authors who work at their craft and grow better with each successive book, instead of assuming they're the next best thing to God and sitting around patting themselves on the back. I'd be interested to see where she goes from here- to be sure, the sheer amount of diversity present in her characters makes her awesome and I'm hoping her books get better and better. (less)

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May 15, 2013 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jayaprakash by: jayaprakash@gmail.com

Shelves: fantasy

There's so much godfucking in this novel.

I'm being facetious. But really, there is.

Also, the protagonist manages to become unconscious every few chapters so that we have a plethora of chapters that begin with her regaining her senses and taking in her surroundings. Who does she think she is, Philip Marlowe?

I'm being facetious again.

Things I liked: Oree's strange, magical vision. Blind, she can only 'see' magic and magical things. Imagine that! Picture it.

Oree's weird magic. Really magical an...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Merve Özcan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: translated-to-turkish, fantasy, immortal, paranormal, romance, godish

Son 100 sayfa nasıl geçti hatırlamıyourm. Gene bitti ya . Ne çabuk bitiyor.

Yorum:

Yüz Bin Krallık'a bayıldığımı size her fırsatta söylüyorum, hatta elimden gelse kulağınızdan çekip, kitabı alana kadar sizi azarlayabilirim. O KADAR!

Yorumumu merak ediyorsanız burada bulabilirsiniz.

Neyse asıl konuya gelelim, yani benim saçma Yüz Bin Krallık takıntıma. İlk kitapta anlatılan Nahadoth ve Yeine'nin hikâyesi o kadar hoşuma gitti ki sabırsızlıktan ölüyordum. En son tüyapta haziranda çıkacak denilmişti ve...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-fantasy

There are two reasons why I really loved this book. The first is the fascinating world (this is one of those books that really transports you to another place), and the second is the richness of the characters and their interactions. In particular the gods and godlings embody both these things I enjoy. Each god and godling has a particular affinity, a concept or idea that is their essence. Jemisin takes these essences and creates characters of complexity and depth, which slowly become more and m...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jemma Gutierrez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, best-book-ever, drama, great-cover, high-fantasy, magic, swoon-and-sigh, love-triangles, made-me-cry

A STAR FOR THE GREAT, THRILLING PLOT
A STAR FOR OUR GREAT, INTERESTING HEROINE
A STAR FOR OUR HOT, MYSTERIOUS HERO
ANOTHER STAR FOR THE UNPREDICTEABLE ROMANCE
A STAR FOR THE MAGNETIC WRITING STYLE

FIVE BLAZING STAR FOR AN SPACTACULAR READ

ohhhh!!!!! This book is really trying me!

THe Broken Kingdom is the second installemnt of The Inheritance Trilogy (duh) and the first book of the series i have read.

Even the title is intriguing; 'THE BROKEN KINGDOM'. Then, without warning, without me expecting it, i...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Miss rated it 4 of 5 stars

So this is going to be another one of those book reviews where I list mostly critiques but beg you to keep in mind that I did enjoy it and I am just better at articulating problems than I am strengths. Onwards!

+ I frequently forgot Oree was blind because she's not written like someone who is. Her ability to see magic alleviates her blindness sure, but she doesn't much sound like someone whose default state is not being able to see. I expected her descriptions to be far more focused on her other...more So this is going to be another one of those book reviews where I list mostly critiques but beg you to keep in mind that I did enjoy it and I am just better at articulating problems than I am strengths. Onwards!

+ I frequently forgot Oree was blind because she's not written like someone who is. Her ability to see magic alleviates her blindness sure, but she doesn't much sound like someone whose default state is not being able to see. I expected her descriptions to be far more focused on her other senses -- even if the post-Yeine world has gods getting magic all over the place she grew up with it being rare, her references should at least mostly be non-visual.

+ On the bright side, (view spoiler)

+ I am really looking forward to meeting Shahar again in the third book now. Both Yeina and Oree are very...compassionate might be what I'm looking for? Yeine --> Nahadoth and Oree --> Shiny both have an element of them feeling pity for them even while acknowledging that they're dangerous and have done some truly awful things. Let me give you a quote:

The room reverberated with betrayals unspoken, horrors and loss. In that silence, my anger crumbled. I had never been able to truly hate anyone who'd suffered, no matter what evils they'd done in the aftermath.

That's a lovely sentiment! After two books of it, it leaves me wistful for a heroine who's more inclined to look out for herself. idk how well this is coming across, I enjoyed Oree and I wouldn't change her but I could really go for a girl who's not over bothered about her god's pain. Perhaps a girl who inflicts the pain herself even!

Yes, this is a plea for more selfishness. Such is the contrary nature of me.

+ Also anger maybe, I think it's a strength to accept things going wrong sometimes, I don't have a problem with Oree occasionally being like I'm going to die and I don't even care anymore, what am I supposed to do when everyone around me is all magic and power and I an ordinary human woman but like. Rage against the machine girls! Stab a dude if you must and offer no apology! The first Shahar Arameri, Scimina, Serymn. Good people? Not so much. But no one puts them in a corner. I could go for seeing some of that passion in the shape of a heroine. :)

+ To end on a positive note, I appreciated getting to see more of the universe and how the explosion of godlings integrated into it. Nice benefit of having a heroine who doesn't start off the story among the big power players. 4 stars(less)

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Jan 04, 2013 Feder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lieblingsbücher

Zehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit die junge Oree Shoth ihre Heimat Nimaro verlassen hat, um sich in der Hauptstadt ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen: Ein Leben als Straßenkünstlerin. Leicht hat des Oree dabei sicher nicht, denn sie ist blind. Doch wie um diesen Mangel auszugleichen, besitzt sie eine Gabe, die ihr vor allem in Elysium bisweilen sehr nützlich ist: Sie ist in der Lage, Magie zu sehen. Dies ist einer der Gründe, der sie in die Hauptstadt gezogen hat. Denn dort schillern die Straßen von Mag...more Zehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit die junge Oree Shoth ihre Heimat Nimaro verlassen hat, um sich in der Hauptstadt ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen: Ein Leben als Straßenkünstlerin. Leicht hat des Oree dabei sicher nicht, denn sie ist blind. Doch wie um diesen Mangel auszugleichen, besitzt sie eine Gabe, die ihr vor allem in Elysium bisweilen sehr nützlich ist: Sie ist in der Lage, Magie zu sehen. Dies ist einer der Gründe, der sie in die Hauptstadt gezogen hat. Denn dort schillern die Straßen von Magie – der Magie des Weltenbaumes, der sein gewaltiges Blätterdach über die ganze Stadt spannt und von der Magie der Götter, die mehr oder weniger unerkannt unter den Sterblichen wandern. Ein solches Gottkind ist es schließlich, das Orees Leben für immer verändert. Denn seit sie Sonnenschein – wie sie ihren schweigsamen Hausgast aus der Mülltonne nennt – bei sich aufgenommen hat, geschehen seltsame Dinge in ihrer Umgebung. Tote Gottkinder tauchen auf den Straßen Elysiums auf und Oree rückt ins Zentrum der Ermittlungen. Doch nicht nur der Orden des Itempas, der in der Stadt für Ordnung sorgt, hat es auf sie abgesehen. Im Gegenteil: Auch eine weitere, wesentlich gefährlichere Gruppierung zeigt Interesse an ihr und ihren besonderen Fähigkeiten. Eine unangenehme Überraschung jagt die nächste, während die Verschwörer Oree und ihre Freunde langsam in die Enge treiben. Aber was bezwecken sie? Trachten sie nach der Macht über das Königreich der Hunderttausend oder ist ihr Ziel ein gewaltigeres? Denn wenn es dieser Gruppe wirklich gelungen ist, eine Möglichkeit zu finden, Unsterbliche zu töten, wer weiß, auf wen sie es dann wirklich abgesehen haben. Und was noch viel wichtiger ist: Welche Rolle spielt Oree in diesem ganzen Chaos?

Obwohl „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ zeitlich nur zehn Jahre nach „Die Erbin der Welt“ angesiedelt ist, erzählt N.K. Jemisin nicht die Geschichte der beiden Figuren Nahadoth und Yeine weiter, sondern konzentriert sich dieses Mal auf eine gänzlich neue: Oree Shoth. Wie bei Yeine hat ein Schicksalsschlag sie in die Hauptstadt geführt und genau wie sie muss sich auch Oree mit einem waschechten Gott herumschlagen.
Aber wer nun erwartet, dass sich die Geschichte einfach wiederholt, der liegt total daneben. Denn außer dieser Grundkonstellation haben die Protagonisten wenig gemein und obgleich zwischen den beiden Geschichten nur wenige Jahre vergangen sind, so hat sich die Welt doch grundlegend verändert. Was mir auch noch ziemlich gut gefallen hat, ist die Tatsache, dass man meiner Meinung nach „Die Erbin der Welt“ nicht gelesen haben muss – obwohl es wirklich bedauerlich wäre, diesen wunderbaren Roman zu verpassen –, um „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ zu verstehen. Der zweite Roman bietet eine in sich geschlossene Geschichte, die sich natürlich an einigen Stellen auf den ersten Band – im Speziellen auf die Mythologie – bezieht. Doch auch ohne deren Kenntnis kann das Buch gelesen und in vollen Zügen genossen werden. Es bleiben keine Lücken, die das Verständnis der Geschichte beeinflussen würden.

Wie schon Band eins glänzt auch „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ wieder mit einem herausragenden Stil. Die Autorin hat konsequent an ihrer Erzählweise festgehalten und bringt uns die Geschichte aus der Sicht der Protagonistin näher. Dies geschieht wie schon beim Vorgänger auf eine sprunghafte, einzigartige Weise, die den Leser in den Bann der Geschehnisse zieht. Dabei ist mir der Einstieg dank meines Vorwissens aus Teil eins nicht schwer gefallen. Die beiden haben, wie bereits angesprochen, nicht wirklich viel miteinander gemeinsam, was diesem sprunghaften Erzählstil eine ganz neue Facette gibt. Dabei gelingt es der Autorin fast schon mühelos, den Leser ins Geschehen hineinzuziehen, und bereits nach den ersten paar Zeilen war ich schon wieder mittendrin in der Geschichte.
Besonders gelungen fand ich dabei den Wandel, den ich als Leser durchlebt habe: Zu Beginn des Buches hatte ich einen klaren Wissensvorteil gegenüber der Protagonistin Oree, die von den Veränderungen in der Hierarchie der Götter noch nicht so wahnsinnig viel wusste, weil die Mächtigen diesen Umstand nach Kräften verschleiert haben. Nicht selten musste ich über ihre Blauäugigkeit im Bezug auf die Identität ihres schweigsamen Hausgastes schmunzeln, war mir doch schon nach seinem ersten Auftritt klar, um wen es sich handeln musste.
Doch nach und nach habe ich meinen Vorteil eingebüßt und wurde mit neuen Details überrascht, die teilweise im Widerspruch zu dem zu stehen schienen, was ich aus Band eins bereits kannte.
Aber wieder einmal habe ich die Genialität hinter diesem Schachzug der Autorin im ersten Augenblick unterschätzt. Durch diesen Widerspruch hat die Autorin die Vorzüge ihrer Erzählperspektive perfekt für sich genutzt und so einen neuen Blickwinkel auf Bekanntes ermöglicht. Denn eigentlich ist es ja selbstverständlich, dass Oree, die eine gänzlich andere Vorgeschichte als Yeine hat, den Geschehnissen und Göttern nicht mit der gleichen Haltung begegnen kann und wird. Es war zwar etwas ungewohnt, Nahadoth aus diesem eher negativ angehauchten Blickwinkel betrachtet zu sehen, aber als ich mich eingehender mit der Person Oree beschäftigt habe, da fügten sich auch ihre – nicht ganz unbegründeten – Vorurteile nahtlos in die Geschichte, ohne einen wirklichen Widerspruch übrig zu lassen.

Die Charaktere überzeugen wieder einmal durch ihre Vielschichtigkeit und Individualität. Oree, die Protagonistin, ist eine magiebegabte Frau, die sich trotz Handicap tapfer durch das Leben in der Hauptstadt schlägt. Dabei finde ich es wunderbar gelungen, wie die Protagonistin ihren Mangel an Sehvermögen kompensiert und ihre Umwelt in Gerüchen sieht. Auch wenn sie malt, assoziiert sie mit Farben einen bestimmten Geschmack oder einen speziellen Geruch. Die Autorin hat auf ganzer Linie hervorragend gearbeitet, denn sie hat das Wesen ihrer Protagonistin so in Worte verpackt, dass auch ich als sehender Leser ein Gespür dafür bekommen habe, wie es sein muss, ohne Augenlicht zu leben. Lediglich gegen Ende geht dieses Überzeugende etwas verloren, da Oree vor allem auf den letzten Seiten eher den Anschein erweckt, als könne sie auf einmal sehen – was nicht der Fall ist. Ein winziger kleiner Wermutstropfen, der aber aufgrund der ansonsten hervorragend konzipierten Charaktere kaum ins Gewicht fällt.
An Itempas, dem gestürzten Gott des Lichts, habe ich mir am Anfang etwas die Zähne ausgebissen, weil ich seine Art zu Beginn kein bisschen mochte. Das lag vermutlich daran, dass meine Sympathien aus Band eins ganz klar auf Nahadoth gepolt waren und darum hat es eine Weile gedauert, bis ich mich für seinen Charakter erwärmen konnte. Aber mit der Zeit hat man durch Oree auch Itempas Version der Geschehnisse erzählt bekommen. Und mit jedem Stück, das er an Erfahrung und Menschlichkeit gereift ist, wurde er mir auch sympathischer. Ich könnte nicht mehr sagen, welcher der beiden meiner Meinung nach der bessere Charakter ist.
Generell war die Gefühlswelt der Charaktere eine Achterbahnfahrt erster Güte, auch wenn ich klar sagen muss, dass die schmerzhaften und traurigen Empfindungen überwogen haben und der Geschichte so eine gewisse düstere Dramatik gegeben haben, die einen schon ziemlich früh ahnen ließ, dass noch einige unheilvolle Überraschungen auf den hinteren Seiten lauern.

Bei der Mythologie gab es zwar wenig Neues, dafür wurden aus „Die Erbin der Welt“ bereits bekannte Aspekte vertieft oder aus einem anderen Blickwinkel dargestellt. Das hat erheblich dazu beigetragen, der Geschichte an und für sich noch mehr Tiefe zu geben. Der Weltenbaum als neues Wallfahrtsziel zum Beispiel. Oder die vielen kleinen Sekten und religiösen Gruppen, die auf der Ebene der Mythologie ganz deutlich den Bruch widerspiegeln, der im Begriff ist, die Herrschaftsverhältnisse im Königreich der Hunderttausend zu verändern.

Das überraschendste am ganzen Buch – von der Tatsache mal abgesehen, dass mir Itempas so sympathisch geworden ist – war aber das Ende. Ich musste auf den letzten Seiten wirklich ein paar Tränlein verdrücken, weil ich mit dieser Entwicklung nun wirklich keine Minute lang gerechnet habe.

Mit „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ hat N.K. Jemisin einen mehr als würdigen Nachfolger in ihrer Reihe „Das Erbe der Götter“ geschaffen, der dem hervorragenden ersten Band in nichts nachsteht, ihn an Dramatik und Tiefe sogar fast noch zu übertreffen vermag. Eine stilistisch hochwertige und gefühlvoll tiefgründig angelegte Story, die mit ihrer Komplexität für Spannung bis zur letzten Seite sorgt, ohne dabei das Ziel aus den Augen zu verlieren. Großes Kino im Buchformat!(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Hollins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, female-author, fiction, mythology, religion, strong-female-lead, young-adult

I often have difficulty liking series that have different main characters for each successive installment, but that wasn't so with The Broken Kingdoms. I absolutely adored The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and desperately wanted to continue the story of Yeine, Nahadoth, Sieh, and Itempas, but when I saw that the second story predominantly followed a new character (as well as the others, obliquely) I still couldn't demur. I picked up this book within a few hours of finishing the first book, and read...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favourites

I can't remember exactly when I reread this -- July, I think. Not sure why I didn't review it again at the time. Anyway, I think for the sheer absorbingness of Jemisin's writing this would get five stars every time from me, even if reading it again I decided that I preferred the first book. The fact that she has a disabled main character, and takes a lot of care to make that realistic, really endeared this book to me the first time. I think there are a few cracks where it's not quite believable...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Agh. This book ends on a tragically emotional cliffhanger that I definitely was NOT expecting at all. I was expecting a clever reversal like in Book One, but instead--nope. I know that's a spoiler, but it's one I would have appreciated going into it, so that's what I'll say.

The key brilliance of this book was getting me to fall for Itempas, who was a huge jerk throughout Book 1 and most of this book; which, well, I frankly didn't think it could be pulled off. Most of the rest of the book I saw c...more

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Jul 10, 2012 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, fantasy

So. Sky (the palace) has a World Tree grown around it. Bright Itempas is now mortal. And Nahadoth and Yeine only show up sporadically.

The Broken Kingdoms is focused on Oree Shoth, a blind artist who lives in the Shadow of the World Tree. Blind, yes, but Oree can see magic – and therefore the Gods and Godlings who come out to play around Shadow. She doesn’t know what to make of Shiny when she brings him home half-dead. But she knows he’s not just any mortal, either. And so begins the story of a m...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Following on from the events in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, things have changed in the city of Sky. The city under Sky has fallen under the shadow of Yeine's tree, the city itself twisted and shaped to accommodate the many tangled roots. There are gods too, not just the scattered handful of rebellious children we met in the first book, there are hundreds more. We don't get to see them all, but we do learn that they are the children of Itempas and the other two gods (the re-branded, but still-...more Following on from the events in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, things have changed in the city of Sky. The city under Sky has fallen under the shadow of Yeine's tree, the city itself twisted and shaped to accommodate the many tangled roots. There are gods too, not just the scattered handful of rebellious children we met in the first book, there are hundreds more. We don't get to see them all, but we do learn that they are the children of Itempas and the other two gods (the re-branded, but still-barely-clinging-to-sanity Nightlord, and Enefa/The Grey Lady), who the Bright Lord forbade from visiting the mortal realm for thousands of years.

Well, they're free now.

But this book isn't about them. It's written entirely from the perspective of an artist, a painter and sculptor who just happens to be blind. Oree Shoth, blind since birth, yet possessing gifts of her own, ekes out a living in the shadow of the great tree until one day she takes in a homeless man, and after that, nothing is ever the same.

I'll start with the things that I liked in this book. I liked the godlings we met (especially Lil, and the self-styled goddess of assassins, though she had little more than a bit part), I very much enjoyed the expanded background. There's oodles more history and an entirely new perspective to the background events described in the first book. Because the protagonist is blind, Jemisin's descriptions shy away from the merely visual and dwell heavily on the textures and smells of things, which makes for a lively and vivid approach. She has also managed to craft a story about gods with an epic scope and managed to make it seem close, affecting. The characters hurt each other, are hurt in turn. They are motivated by pain and loneliness.

I didn't like this book as much as The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Oree is a different kind of woman to Yeine, who was possessed by the need to unravel a mystery. I never really felt as though I got to grips with Oree wanted. She has drives and desires, sure. She wants to be loved, to be left alone, to be independent, to make a living on her own, but I never felt as though these things connected in her. Ultimately, I'm not entirely sure I liked Oree. She lives from moment to moment, reacting to things around her, and never really set out to act on her own (or, if she did, then she had her choices stolen from her by various gods and godlings) which became frustrating after a while.

An enjoyable read, and if you liked The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, then you ought to like this.(less)

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May 23, 2012 Libby rated it 5 of 5 stars

I usually don't enjoy the second book(s) of trilogies. They usually feel as tho they are merely bridges between two better stories. This book is a notable exception. Prior to reading this one, I would have said it would be very difficult to produce a novel I would like better than The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. And I would have been so very, very wrong. As much as I loved Yeine's story, I love Oree's story even more. Oree cannot see the ordinary, mundane things of this world, but she can see mag...more

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May 08, 2012 Nissanmama rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

At the end of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, Jemisin left literally a world of possibilities open. Somehow, amazingly, she narrowed those possibilities down to the tiny world of a blind street artist and left me completely satisified. Through the unseeing eyes of her artist, Oree, the world is a magical place full of color, texture, and emotion. Oree's dependence on the help of others and personal determination to fend for herself make her a wonderful representative of mankind's duality. She is...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This follows up on the inventive but uneven The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, with less inventiveness but more evenness.

Our narrator, an artist living in the shadow of the Tree that engulfed the castle Sky in the previous book, has little to hide from the reader, which helps. Much of the coyness and timeline issues have been eased, leaving a lively voice in a vivid setting. The characters are interesting, and it's nice to see an exploration of the some of the events from the previous book from a mo...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Christal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book 2 of The Inheritance Trilogy. it's only been a decade since the evens of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the creation of Yeine into the new Enefah, the release of Nahadoth and the godlings from their slavery, and the fall of Bright Itempas and the punishment for his crimes against his family.

This is the story of Oree, a blind Maroneh women living in the city of Shadow where the godlings are confined by the rule of Yeine and Nahadoth. Oree shares her life with mortals and godlings. Her magic...more Book 2 of The Inheritance Trilogy. it's only been a decade since the evens of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the creation of Yeine into the new Enefah, the release of Nahadoth and the godlings from their slavery, and the fall of Bright Itempas and the punishment for his crimes against his family.

This is the story of Oree, a blind Maroneh women living in the city of Shadow where the godlings are confined by the rule of Yeine and Nahadoth. Oree shares her life with mortals and godlings. Her magic manifests from her paintings and drawings, so the descriptiveness of this book is very lush. Oree can only see magic; when magic is nearby or being done, she is able to make out shapes and shades, details and textures. It winds up giving me mental pictures that are very lush and artistic, sometimes very bright, sometimes sketchy and with varying shades and depths. It was a very interesting way at looking at things and characters.

Oree's adventures lead her to a life caring for Itempas without knowing who he is, and teaches him what it is to be human and how to survive on his own. We get a bigger picture of what happened with the Gods' War and how Itempas could feel so betrayed to the point of starting the War, killing his sister/lover, and imprisoning his brother/lover and all their children for centuries. Together they take on a new religious cult, and through this trial learn that Oree is a demon, the offspring of gods and mortals and a bloodline that was thought ot have been wiped up centuries ago.

One of the things I like the most about these books is how close to Greek Mythology it seems. Itempas is most certainly a Zeus, Yeine/Enefah more like an amalgamation of Demeter/Athena/Artemis, and Nahadoth... him I am still pondering... he reminds me more of a god mixed with a Titan. And the godlings remind me of the 'monsters' that are the children of the gods (the ones not half mortal). The demons of course being the demigods.

This trilogy (the last book is set to be released this year) is so vast and epic in the old ways. They also remind me of tales such as Beowolf and Gilgamesh, so very rich and lush in mythology. Jemisin is a storyteller in the old sense of the word, she's a bard, and the world is so much better with her in it, writing. I've come to realize I want more than a trilogy, I want backstory to this world she has created and it's ancient and magical history.(less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Tanja Seppä rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This isn't a bad book. It just had one major problem: it never evoked a single emotion in me except occasional flashes of boredom. I read 2/3 of it in a single sitting, certain that if I left it, I wouldn't have picked up again.

This is the second book in the inheritance trilogy and sequel to "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms". It has been ten years since the events in the previous book took place. There is a blind artist, Oree, who takes in a stranger on a whim. Oree has a special talent - although...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Ambrosio rated it 4 of 5 stars

First of all, sorry if my english seems a bit off. I am mexican.

It is a testament to the author's strength that I started with the first book (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms) and could not stop until I finished the trilogy.

I really liked how she handles relations between the protagonist, when someone loves in this story, you really feel it, no matter how difficult for the character may be.

Now, concerning the books... Along the whole series, N.K. Jemisin takes us through a journey in a world where...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Bissfan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bissfan by: Feder

Zehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit die junge Oree Shoth ihre Heimat Nimaro verlassen hat, um sich in der Hauptstadt ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen: Ein Leben als Straßenkünstlerin. Leicht hat des Oree dabei sicher nicht, denn sie ist blind. Doch wie um diesen Mangel auszugleichen, besitzt sie eine Gabe, die ihr vor allem in Elysium bisweilen sehr nützlich ist: Sie ist in der Lage, Magie zu sehen. Dies ist einer der Gründe, der sie in die Hauptstadt gezogen hat. Denn dort schillern die Straßen von Mag...more Zehn Jahre sind vergangen, seit die junge Oree Shoth ihre Heimat Nimaro verlassen hat, um sich in der Hauptstadt ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen: Ein Leben als Straßenkünstlerin. Leicht hat des Oree dabei sicher nicht, denn sie ist blind. Doch wie um diesen Mangel auszugleichen, besitzt sie eine Gabe, die ihr vor allem in Elysium bisweilen sehr nützlich ist: Sie ist in der Lage, Magie zu sehen. Dies ist einer der Gründe, der sie in die Hauptstadt gezogen hat. Denn dort schillern die Straßen von Magie - der Magie des Weltenbaumes, der sein gewaltiges Blätterdach über die ganze Stadt spannt und von der Magie der Götter, die mehr oder weniger unerkannt unter den Sterblichen wandern. Ein solches Gottkind ist es schließlich, das Orees Leben für immer verändert. Denn seit sie Sonnenschein – wie sie ihren schweigsamen Hausgast aus der Mülltonne nennt – bei sich aufgenommen hat, geschehen seltsame Dinge in ihrer Umgebung. Tote Gottkinder tauchen auf den Straßen Elysiums auf und Oree rückt ins Zentrum der Ermittlungen. Doch nicht nur der Orden des Itempas, der in der Stadt für Ordnung sorgt, hat es auf sie abgesehen. Im Gegenteil: Auch eine weitere, wesentlich gefährlichere Gruppierung zeigt Interesse an ihr und ihren besonderen Fähigkeiten. Eine unangenehme Überraschung jagt die nächste, während die Verschwörer Oree und ihre Freunde langsam in die Enge treiben. Aber was bezwecken sie? Trachten sie nach der Macht über das Königreich der Hunderttausend oder ist ihr Ziel ein gewaltigeres? Denn wenn es dieser Gruppe wirklich gelungen ist, eine Möglichkeit zu finden, Unsterbliche zu töten, wer weiß, auf wen sie es dann wirklich abgesehen haben. Und was noch viel wichtiger ist: Welche Rolle spielt Oree in diesem ganzen Chaos?

Obwohl „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ zeitlich nur zehn Jahre nach „Die Erbin der Welt“ angesiedelt ist, erzählt N.K. Jemisin nicht die Geschichte der beiden Figuren Nahadoth und Yeine weiter, sondern konzentriert sich dieses Mal auf eine gänzlich neue: Oree Shoth. Wie bei Yeine hat ein Schicksalsschlag sie in die Hauptstadt geführt und genau wie sie muss sich auch Oree mit einem waschechten Gott herumschlagen.
Aber wer nun erwartet, dass sich die Geschichte einfach wiederholt, der liegt total daneben. Denn außer dieser Grundkonstellation haben die Protagonisten wenig gemein und obgleich zwischen den beiden Geschichten nur wenige Jahre vergangen sind, so hat sich die Welt doch grundlegend verändert. Was mir auch noch ziemlich gut gefallen hat, ist die Tatsache, dass man meiner Meinung nach „Die Erbin der Welt“ nicht gelesen haben muss – obwohl es wirklich bedauerlich wäre, diesen wunderbaren Roman zu verpassen –, um „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ zu verstehen. Der zweite Roman bietet eine in sich geschlossene Geschichte, die sich natürlich an einigen Stellen auf den ersten Band – im Speziellen auf die Mythologie – bezieht. Doch auch ohne deren Kenntnis kann das Buch gelesen und in vollen Zügen genossen werden. Es bleiben keine Lücken, die das Verständnis der Geschichte beeinflussen würden.

Wie schon Band eins glänzt auch „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ wieder mit einem herausragenden Stil. Die Autorin hat konsequent an ihrer Erzählweise festgehalten und bringt uns die Geschichte aus der Sicht der Protagonistin näher. Dies geschieht wie schon beim Vorgänger auf eine sprunghafte, einzigartige Weise, die den Leser in den Bann der Geschehnisse zieht. Dabei ist mir der Einstieg dank meines Vorwissens aus Teil eins nicht schwer gefallen. Die beiden haben, wie bereits angesprochen, nicht wirklich viel miteinander gemeinsam, was diesem sprunghaften Erzählstil eine ganz neue Facette gibt. Dabei gelingt es der Autorin fast schon mühelos, den Leser ins Geschehen hineinzuziehen, und bereits nach den ersten paar Zeilen war ich schon wieder mittendrin in der Geschichte.
Besonders gelungen fand ich dabei den Wandel, den ich als Leser durchlebt habe: Zu Beginn des Buches hatte ich einen klaren Wissensvorteil gegenüber der Protagonistin Oree, die von den Veränderungen in der Hierarchie der Götter noch nicht so wahnsinnig viel wusste, weil die Mächtigen diesen Umstand nach Kräften verschleiert haben. Nicht selten musste ich über ihre Blauäugigkeit im Bezug auf die Identität ihres schweigsamen Hausgastes schmunzeln, war mir doch schon nach seinem ersten Auftritt klar, um wen es sich handeln musste.
Doch nach und nach habe ich meinen Vorteil eingebüßt und wurde mit neuen Details überrascht, die teilweise im Widerspruch zu dem zu stehen schienen, was ich aus Band eins bereits kannte.
Aber wieder einmal habe ich die Genialität hinter diesem Schachzug der Autorin im ersten Augenblick unterschätzt. Durch diesen Widerspruch hat die Autorin die Vorzüge ihrer Erzählperspektive perfekt für sich genutzt und so einen neuen Blickwinkel auf Bekanntes ermöglicht. Denn eigentlich ist es ja selbstverständlich, dass Oree, die eine gänzlich andere Vorgeschichte als Yeine hat, den Geschehnissen und Göttern nicht mit der gleichen Haltung begegnen kann und wird. Es war zwar etwas ungewohnt, Nahadoth aus diesem eher negativ angehauchten Blickwinkel betrachtet zu sehen, aber als ich mich eingehender mit der Person Oree beschäftigt habe, da fügten sich auch ihre – nicht ganz unbegründeten – Vorurteile nahtlos in die Geschichte, ohne einen wirklichen Widerspruch übrig zu lassen.

Die Charaktere überzeugen wieder einmal durch ihre Vielschichtigkeit und Individualität. Oree, die Protagonistin, ist eine magiebegabte Frau, die sich trotz Handicap tapfer durch das Leben in der Hauptstadt schlägt. Dabei finde ich es wunderbar gelungen, wie die Protagonistin ihren Mangel an Sehvermögen kompensiert und ihre Umwelt in Gerüchen sieht. Auch wenn sie malt, assoziiert sie mit Farben einen bestimmten Geschmack oder einen speziellen Geruch. Die Autorin hat auf ganzer Linie hervorragend gearbeitet, denn sie hat das Wesen ihrer Protagonistin so in Worte verpackt, dass auch ich als sehender Leser ein Gespür dafür bekommen habe, wie es sein muss, ohne Augenlicht zu leben. Lediglich gegen Ende geht dieses Überzeugende etwas verloren, da Oree vor allem auf den letzten Seiten eher den Anschein erweckt, als könne sie auf einmal sehen – was nicht der Fall ist. Ein winziger kleiner Wermutstropfen, der aber aufgrund der ansonsten hervorragend konzipierten Charaktere kaum ins Gewicht fällt.
An Itempas, dem gestürzten Gott des Lichts, habe ich mir am Anfang etwas die Zähne ausgebissen, weil ich seine Art zu Beginn kein bisschen mochte. Das lag vermutlich daran, dass meine Sympathien aus Band eins ganz klar auf Nahadoth gepolt waren und darum hat es eine Weile gedauert, bis ich mich für seinen Charakter erwärmen konnte. Aber mit der Zeit hat man durch Oree auch Itempas Version der Geschehnisse erzählt bekommen. Und mit jedem Stück, das er an Erfahrung und Menschlichkeit gereift ist, wurde er mir auch sympathischer. Ich könnte nicht mehr sagen, welcher der beiden meiner Meinung nach der bessere Charakter ist.
Generell war die Gefühlswelt der Charaktere eine Achterbahnfahrt erster Güte, auch wenn ich klar sagen muss, dass die schmerzhaften und traurigen Empfindungen überwogen haben und der Geschichte so eine gewisse düstere Dramatik gegeben haben, die einen schon ziemlich früh ahnen ließ, dass noch einige unheilvolle Überraschungen auf den hinteren Seiten lauern.

Bei der Mythologie gab es zwar wenig Neues, dafür wurden aus „Die Erbin der Welt“ bereits bekannte Aspekte vertieft oder aus einem anderen Blickwinkel dargestellt. Das hat erheblich dazu beigetragen, der Geschichte an und für sich noch mehr Tiefe zu geben. Der Weltenbaum als neues Wallfahrtsziel zum Beispiel. Oder die vielen kleinen Sekten und religiösen Gruppen, die auf der Ebene der Mythologie ganz deutlich den Bruch widerspiegeln, der im Begriff ist, die Herrschaftsverhältnisse im Königreich der Hunderttausend zu verändern.

Das überraschendste am ganzen Buch – von der Tatsache mal abgesehen, dass mir Itempas so sympathisch geworden ist – war aber das Ende. Ich musste auf den letzten Seiten wirklich ein paar Tränlein verdrücken, weil ich mit dieser Entwicklung nun wirklich keine Minute lang gerechnet habe.

Mit „Die Gefährtin des Lichts“ hat N.K. Jemisin einen mehr als würdigen Nachfolger in ihrer Reihe „Das Erbe der Götter“ geschaffen, der dem hervorragenden ersten Band in nichts nachsteht, ihn an Dramatik und Tiefe sogar fast noch zu übertreffen vermag. Eine stilistisch hochwertige und gefühlvoll tiefgründig angelegte Story, die mit ihrer Komplexität für Spannung bis zur letzten Seite sorgt, ohne dabei das Ziel aus den Augen zu verlieren. Großes Kino im Buchformat!(less)

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Dec 03, 2011 Courtney Johnston rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

It might just be that pure fantasy isn't my thing (even though Jemisin eschews the swords and quest side of fantasy in favour of more personal stories).

I enjoyed the first book in the series, largely for its unusual, time-jumping narrative. In her second book, Jemisin makes the brave move of largely abandoning the original characters and setting, in order to flesh out more of her imagined world: the city of Shadow, rather than Sky, of the poor and rural rather than powerful and urban, of minor...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Em rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh for goodness sakes, all of you people just commenting "comment" to win the Twitter thing.

I read this and Hundred Thousand Kingdoms back to back, and Broken Kingdoms is actually my favorite of the two. Oree's viewpoint provides a very unique counterpoint to Yeine's -- she has a community memory that fears Nahadoth and loves Itempas, she's urban poor rather than a country noble, she explores the city rather than the palace, she gets to know demigods before gods, she's experienced the Bright in...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Anne Gray rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I realized at some point this summer that I was putting off reading this book because I was so impressed by The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and I was afraid the sequel would disappoint me.

It did not; in fact, i liked this book better than the first one. Both have vivid imagery but I found this one even more visually evocative, perhaps because different kinds of sight figure keenly in the plot, which is about a blind artisanwhi _can_ see, but only by the light of magic. I also thought the protagoni...more

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May 27, 2011 Forrest rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cbriii

What a difference a book makes. When I reviewed Jemisin’s freshman work, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I noted that while she had an eye for interesting subject matter, but was exceedingly hampered by a lack of practical experience. Just one book later, Jemisin has successfully cast off her reliance on an irregular narrative, and crafted a compelling plot that doesn’t rely on an enormous plot twist to wrap its story up. Broken Kingdoms pulls together the best aspects of its prequel, and discard...more What a difference a book makes. When I reviewed Jemisin’s freshman work, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, I noted that while she had an eye for interesting subject matter, but was exceedingly hampered by a lack of practical experience. Just one book later, Jemisin has successfully cast off her reliance on an irregular narrative, and crafted a compelling plot that doesn’t rely on an enormous plot twist to wrap its story up. Broken Kingdoms pulls together the best aspects of its prequel, and discards all the unneeded dross that was holding the series down.

The Broken Kingdoms picks up ten years after the events of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. After a brief lead-in where we see the climactic conclusion of the prequel from another perspective, we follow Oree to the remade city of Shadow, formerly called Sky. The rebirth of the Grey Lady has not only remade the capitol of the Kingdoms, but also radically changed its culture. No longer is the lone God of the Bright worshiped above all, and the mysterious godlings have returned from their banishment. Oree, gifted with the ability to see magic, makes a home for herself in Shadow, but we don’t join her until ten years have passed.

The story of the book isn’t surprising if you’ve read the first one. The answers to the riddles that Oree faces are almost painfully obvious to the reader, but her narrative is still appealing and she is a strong sympathetic figure. The Broken Kingdoms makes a very smart choice and doesn’t rely on its gods as much as protagonists. Even in their enslaved states, their nearly omnipotent machinations damaged the flow of Yeine’s story. Oree only has to contend with some surprisingly passive godlings, who are on the defensive because of the murders.

About the only thing Jemisin does worse this time around is the climax. Events draw themselves to a pretty nice conclusion and things get wrapped up, but the book goes on for another chapter and, like all terrible movie trilogies, sets up the concluding volume. It’s a really awkward couple of pages with two significant timeskips and a very rushed relationship between Oree and Shiny. The promise of a really interesting conflict in a third book is intriguing, but it could have been handled just as well by a separate preview chapter.

While I still feel that Jemisin’s work isn’t terribly deserving of all the praise it has been receiving, there is a strong kernel of good writing here that has developed over two books and promises to improve with the third. (less)

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May 26, 2011 Djinnjer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, reviewed

This solid second book in the Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Kingdoms, expands upon the interesting world introduced in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I love the details in this book. The way the inhabitants of the city below the palace called Sky refer to their city as Shadow. The number of godlings running about. The pilgrims asking to be taken (mild) advantage of by locals. The addition of new cultures. The offhand mention of a 'triple' (as in a couple, but with three people).

Oree is an inte...more

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May 08, 2011 Alex Fayle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although I’ve never thought about writing epic, god-infused, politcal/family intrigues, I love reading them when well done. Part drama, part soap opera, part mystery, and part commentary on society, all with a fantasy sheen. What’s not to love?

N.K. Jemisin’s debut novels The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms offer it all. And what’s more, they’re accessible because the main character is a (relatively) normal person thrust into something they neither understand nor particularly wa...more Although I’ve never thought about writing epic, god-infused, politcal/family intrigues, I love reading them when well done. Part drama, part soap opera, part mystery, and part commentary on society, all with a fantasy sheen. What’s not to love?

N.K. Jemisin’s debut novels The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms offer it all. And what’s more, they’re accessible because the main character is a (relatively) normal person thrust into something they neither understand nor particularly want to be involved in, but not in the prophesized “Chosen one” manner of cliché. Jemisin takes what could be considered trite ideas and twists them into something entirely new.

And, even better, unlike so many of the new YA heroines I’ve seen recently, neither of Jemisin’s protagonists is a reactive, passive woman. In this second novel, the blind artist Oree finds herself in the middle of a war on the gods. Many of the gods around her are streetlevel godlings and there’s no court for Oree to eventually rule. She’s an ordinary citizen and that works best for this story because she’s not privy to things that people at court, any court, would know. So, again, as readers we can put ourselves in her shoes and wonder, rage, hurt, and love along with her.

But let’s go back to the idea of active heroines. What makes these two books particularly captivating is that these women choose, act and plan. While they make mistakes, they’re dragged around by forces stronger than they are, and they react to other people’s actions, that’s not ALL they do. When thrust into worlds and plots that they do not want to be a part of, they do what’s required to get out. They don’t wait for anyone to save them. Yes, they are both saved at various points by men (or male gods), but at no point does either of them come across as a helpless female. They’re real women, not some image of passivity that so many cultures (including our own) hold up as a paragon of feminity.

As I read more YA fiction (although these books aren’t really YA even if Yeine is only 19 and Oree mid-20s), I see a distressing pattern. The big blockbuster sellers (aside from Rowling) mostly give us whiny girls who do nothing but complain about how unfair life is. It’s become normal for me to be surprised and wowed when I come across a strong, balanced female character.

When I do I grab onto her and dive into her story with fervor because there’s nothing better than seeing a strong, real woman finding her way in a vivid unreal world.

Of course, it also helps that Jemisin is a kick-ass storyteller.

P.S. I could also go on for a while about the diversity in these books – and not diversity for the sake of it or to promote a specific theme or message – there are different types of people in the book because there are different types of people in the world. The diversity advances the story without being the reason for the story. In other words, in her fantasy realm, Jemisin delivers us the real world.(less)

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Apr 25, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is equally as delightful as The Hundred Thousand, although you can see the similarities. This is also told as one character telling a story to another, it's also about a girl who figures out she has power she didn't know about, a mortal who falls for gods, and so on. In a lot of ways it seems similar, but what drew me to it was that I liked Oree a lot more than Yseine.

I liked that she seemed "normal" and scared and in love and that she was empathetic, but also had a breaking point. On...more

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Apr 22, 2011 Tim Hicks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Can't wait for #3! This is well done. Book 1 showed us a fascinating world with great characters. Book 2 shows the same world about ten years later, and it's like looking at the same world through a window on a different side of the house. The key gods are still the backbone, but everyone else is new. The implications of the existence of godlings and magic are rolled out in an inexorable logical way.

The protagonist is blind but can see when magic is active. I did stall a few times when reading,...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

So when I heard that the sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was about a blind woman who could see magic and who was a painter . . .?

. . . I made A Face.

A blind woman who sees magic and paints. I mean, seriously, this is the disability equivalent of the magical negro, you guys, and my face was not impressed.

After reading the book, I’m mostly puzzled. Because it was a pretty good book, full of win on several measures, and I just didn’t care all that much. It’s about a fallen god, but not abo...more So when I heard that the sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was about a blind woman who could see magic and who was a painter . . .?

. . . I made A Face.

A blind woman who sees magic and paints. I mean, seriously, this is the disability equivalent of the magical negro, you guys, and my face was not impressed.

After reading the book, I’m mostly puzzled. Because it was a pretty good book, full of win on several measures, and I just didn’t care all that much. It’s about a fallen god, but not about how our heroine saves him with her vagina. In fact, it’s mostly about her, imagine that, against a background not muddied by assorted racial and sexual fail.

And hell, it even did a pretty good job with a blind point-of-view. I spent a hundred pages grumbling to myself about how the narrative didn’t feel peculiar to me, about how nothing stuck out, where was the POV work – oh. Nothing was sticking out at me, because the inner landscape sounded a lot like mine, with visual referents used only as far as they’ve been culturally absorbed from everyone else, not because they actually mean anything to her. (Though the occasions when she could see via looking at magic were weirdly pedestrian to me, described almost completely in bog-standard visual terms. It felt like cheating, frankly, like functional sight could be flicked on and off at narrative convenience.) But it mostly wasn't about the Amazing Insight (TM) that that narrator has by being disabled or whatever, so there's that.

But mostly, eh. Didn’t care much. And when there's a book about a blind woman my age who broke from her family to move across a continent to live on her own near the center of power -- who lived my life, basically -- and I don't care?

Someone brilliant said these books feel like anime, and that is so fucking true. Long-haired emo gods, and people with thematically significant names, and, well, a blind woman who paints.

And sees magic. And paints. I cannot point that out enough. Because really.
(less)

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Apr 02, 2011 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, favorites

The second book in the Inheritance Trilogy, The Broken Kingdoms, was way better than the first.

This book was amazing! So great, in fact, that I finished the book in one sitting, all four hundred pages of it. My eyes are puffy and my back hurts, but I couldn't put the book down.

Specifically, I love the main character of the book, Oree. What a well built, interesting character. Surprisingly enough, my favorite part of the book was in the beginning as the reader gets to know Oree and her unique li...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Anika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks

This series is just getting better and better. I liked the first book in this series, but this one was even better; the world that Jemisin has created is even more fleshed out, and it's fun to see characters from the first book in a totally different perspective, in addition to the plot points that you already suspect as a reader having the background from the first book, but have yet to be discovered by the protagonist.
Speaking of, once again the lead is a spunky independant woman, this time...more

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The Broken Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy #2)

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