Series: The Inheritance Trilogy
Also by this author: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate
Published by Orbit on December 9, 2014
Genres: Epic, Fantasy
Pages: 1472
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
The Inheritance Trilogy omnibus includes the novels: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, The Kingdom of Gods, and a brand new novella set in the same world: The Awakened Kingdom.A REALM OF GODS AND MORTALS.Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was a fresh and enjoyable read. Something about it just felt different then what I typically read, in a very good way. There are some familiar elements in the beginning: An unexpecting heir (Yeine) comes to court, unprepared, somewhat ignorant of how things work. This is something I have seen before, and honestly, it can go either way for me. Luckily, it worked quite well in this case. Yes, there were some familiar elements, but overall there were so many different things that the story was fresh and original. And quite enjoyable.
The protagonist, Yeine is a great character. She is strong in character and personality, and while she is out of her element, she still strives to do what is right. And even better, I became quite curious and taken by secondary characters. I found myself trying to work out their ultimate goals and motivations, wondering if they are actually friend of foe to Yeine. It’s a big political dance, every one maneuvering themselves and it’s hard for Yeine (and hence the reader), to be sure whose interest anyone is trying to serve. Hers or theirs? Or could it potentially be both? Determining who is trust worthy is challenge!
Also, I enjoyed the appearance of the gods in this. There are some gods that are trapped in in human form, making them quite accessible characters, but more than human. The childlike Sieh is one of these, and is very intriguing. He may seem like a young child, but he is a god, and hence has history and motivations of his own. You can’t help but wonder if his chosen form as a young boy is really a calculated maneuver. I found myself very curious to figure out what his motivation/goal was. And then there is the creepy Nightlord, the one that instills fear and kills on command. He seems to only reign terror and destruction (with a dash of chaos), but there is this strange sexual tension between him and Yeine that makes you wonder about him, if there is more than what you see on the surface. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of their relationship, but that made sense as I don’t think Yeine knew what to make of it either.
My only real negative observation was the parts of the story where the narrator would start of by saying something to the effect of “Sorry, I got mixed up, here, let me go tell you about two days earlier”. I have to admit to not caring for when the narrator spoke to the reader like this. My reaction was “just tell the story, if you mix it up, mix it up, but dont explain directly to me that you mixed it up”. Overall a minor nitpick (it didn’t happen often), but it did pull me out of the flow of reading a bit. I would never let this detail keep me from sharing everything else that I did love about the book. The good points of this book didn’t just outweigh the bad, they pulverized it. Much to love, little to nitpick.
Finally, without saying what it is, I loved the ending. I just want to share that final impression, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Actually, I loved the entire book. It was fresh, different and just really fun. I absolutely plan on finishing the trilogy and checking out Jemisin’s other books.
I received The Inheritance Omnibus for review from the publisher (this does not effect my review). My thanks to Orbit for this collection of books!
I’ve always been intrigued by Jemisin’s books as she’s so highly regarded, but the premise for this one and her other (Killing Moon I think?) don’t really grab me. The new one though – The Fifth Season – sounds brilliant and hopefully I’ll get it.
Doug recently posted…The Copper Promise by Jen Williams
I’m really looking forward to The Fifth Season, even more after reading this one 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
You deserve mad props for reading AND reviewing this trilogy all in one go because 1,472 pages—holy cow! Sometimes getting all of the story over and done with is the only way to tackle a three book series though, so it’s wonderful that N. K. Jemisin’s writing worked as well as it did for you.
Carmel @ Rabid Reads recently posted…Fresh Meat: February 15-21st Speculative Fiction Releases
Oh, oops! This was just “part 1”. I still have the other two books to go. I wanted to do it all in one shot, but just got sidetracked. I think I may continue it with audiobooks.
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
Glad you liked it because in my mind The Broken Kingdoms builds on this one and is much better. I liked the narrator’s little quirks, always have enjoyed that type of thing in a first person perspective.
Nathan (@reviewbarn) recently posted…Urban Fantasy Review: ‘Cherry Bomb’ by Kathleen Tierney
Oh, yay! Something to look forward to 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
I really need to read this, because so many bloggers love this series. Jemisin has been on my “must read” list for a while. Great review, Lisa!
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Tammy’s Top Ten Book Related Problems
Thanks! It makes me happy to finally read an author I’ve been meaning to read for a while! 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
Words cannot express just how much I adore Nahadoth and Sieh. Go figure, the two gods who could destroy me quickly for slights I probably would make just by existing, and I have character-crushes on them! XD
Bibliotropic recently posted…EXCERPT: Evensong, by John Love
Who doesn’t? They are both so much fun!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
Book 1 was my fav, I adored book 1. Aww so good, book 2 and 3, not as good for me
blodeuedd recently posted…2 Brian McClellan shorts and Dark lady’s chosen by Gail Z Martin
Ah, sorry to hear that. I know I’ve read some people enjoyed book 2 more, so I guess I’ll have to read and find out where it falls for me 🙂
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
Part one completed, two more to go! 🙂
I believe I have The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms in audiobook. But chances are, The Fifth Season will my first Jemisin book, because I’m sure it’ll be out before I can get to completing this whole trilogy.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Your Servants and Your People by David Towsey
I know! I kept trying to wait until I finished all three, but realistically, I think its going to take too long. I’m definitely looking forward to The Fifth Season as well!
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Omnibus Part 1)
I’ve read the first in the series – and will continue with it. Is it wrong that I had a slight crush on the creepy Nightlord.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…Is this going to be a Greek tragedy!
The only thing wrong with it, is you would have to fight me for him. 🙂 j/k. He’s dark and dangerous, and mysterious and just so intriguing, you just can’t help like him even if he is a ruthless killer.
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday – The Philospher Kings
I admit I don’t always like when the narrator talks to the reader either. So when you said political dance would you say it is politics heavy? Is this epic fantasy and slow building? I have these and have always wanted to get around to reading it.
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Blameless by Gail Carriger
It’s not politics heavy, but there is a bit of intrigue caused by people trying to position themselves well for succession to the throne. And honestly, I don’t know that I would consider it epic fantasy, its definitely not a slow burning read like many series I enjoy. It’s a bit more character driven and faster paced.
Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Review: The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
I actually liked when she’d mix things up in her narration. First person narration bothers me when it’s so perfect and tells the story exactly the way it happened — as if anyone has a memory that works that way. I liked the natural-ness to her story telling, including the mistakes.
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