The Shadowed Sun

Book 2 of the Dreamblood Duology

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This is a masterpiece. I would give it more stars if I could.

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The way this author creates a unique world, with it’s many variegations, is exceptional. She builds layer upon layer of complexity to, ultimately, put at the very top of it a simple attraction between two people.

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N. K. Jemisin is a master not just at world-building, she’s also brilliant at character building. She gives them substance in a myriad of small ways, and more, she allows them to breathe and change in ways that show the depth of her humanity.  

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Wandering through the camp was like wandering through a dream. No one seemed to notice Hanani—not the knots of men and women, not the children who ran past her in their play. She was a river stone, unmoving while the life of the camp coursed around her. She stood among a thousand other souls and felt utterly alone.

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With this duology, we are gifted with a reality in which women are shown in their entire spectrum from emotionless evil to healing magicians. She presents us with various cultural structures which allow us to see how each positions its women and to reflect on that.  

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But she paused, puzzled, as she spied a thin red cord among the curls. She picked it out and found that it had been clipped into her hair, and a second one lay beside it.

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“One for your blood cycles,” Yanassa said, noticing her confusion."The other for your virgin blood. The third won’t come unless you bear a child, and the fourth would be for the end of your cycles.“

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The concepts, the writing, the subtlety, the dignity she gives her characters (whether they are evil or godly) shows what a brilliant mind N. K. Jemisin has.

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Initially, it seems like this novel is about a Prince reclaiming his city, but this is a deeply feminist novel about a woman finding her wholeness and value. It touches on so many things including power, kindness, self-acceptance, self-respect and, of course, love.

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A beautiful, brilliant work. Highly, highly recommended.