The Broken Earth trilogy

One of the main reasons I started here was to find a few more people to connect with over the books I really enjoy. Granted, I've had very little success in that department but that's no reason to give up just yet. With that stubborn spirit in mind I wanted to talk about the series I am currently reading.

The series is the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K Jemisin and it is one I have been considering for a while. Jemisin is only 47 years old (which is young for most fantasy authors) and already has some impressive accomplishments to claim- She is the only author to have won the Hugo award for best novel in 3 consecutive years and on top of that she was also the first african american to win the award. As you may have guessed from the previous few sentences, she is also a she which makes her unique in the male dominated fantasy landscape. Perhaps embarrassingly enough I've only ever read 2 other fantasy series written by female authors, Harry Potter by JK Rowling and the Realm of the Elderlings (all 16 books) by Robin Hobb. With some of that background out of the way, lets dive into the books a bit.

So what is the series about?

Because I hate spoilers I'll just go with the blurb from amazon to describe the first book-

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.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

I feel this is a pretty non-spoilery intro to the first book. The world building is good (not on par with say Brandon Sanderson but who is..) and it's a page turner as well. The magic system is pretty well balanced with the character development, everything comes off as very believable. I thought the first book was really well done minus a weird 2nd person narration that it took me a while to get used to. I was also pleasantly surprised that book 2 was equally as good. A lot of times the 2nd book in a series is more of a slog that doesnt accomplish much and just bridges book 1 to the exciting conclusion in book 3. I'd tell you how book 3 is but I haven't had the time to get into it just yet. Being an essential worker and taking care of 2 little ones has cut back on my reading time lately. I will be sure to update after I finish the 3rd book but its safe to say at this point I am really enjoying this.

Would I recommend this?

Even after 2 books I would say yes, this is a series on par with some of my other favorites I have read. I wouldn't put it up there with a classic like Lord of the rings or Game of Thrones but its right up there with the other modern series I've liked (Gentleman Bastards, First Law, Broken Empire etc..) So take it from the Hoff and give this series a try if you are looking for something new to read.