After really liking The Fifth Season, I found this one disappointing. A bad case of middle book syndrome. The virtues of The Fifth Season are hidden here and its flaws are magnified. In book 1, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, the plot and the ideas introduced. It felt fresh and exciting. This one adds very little, and we basically spend the whole book accompanying the characters without the overall plot advancing. The characters are rather unlikable, too, committing mass murder for no clear reason. Yes, they have the excuse that the bleak setting shaped them that way, but still, it's not pleasant to spend so much time with them if, unlike in the first book, there's going to be little payoff.

We have Schaffa, who is turned into an even worse monster than he already was, except that for no visible reason he suddenly loves Nassun. Seriously, why? What makes Nassun different than the countless children he has already tortured and murdered? Particularly when he is more than ever under the grip of the entity that controls him. We have Alabaster, whose way to deal with his problems is destroying the world, murdering countless people, and who for some reason is incapable of telling Essun what he wants of her, because if he had then there would be no reason for this book to exist. We have Essun, equally prone to genocide, whose chapters are still narrated in that second person voice that has definitely overstayed its welcome (that's more than half the book, now that there are only two point-of-view characters). Then we have the stone eaters, as murderous as everyone else, going around mysteriously without telling anyone what they want. This makes more sense, since they are so weird, but it gets frustrating to read for so long without any clue of the characters' motivations.

I suppose I'll read book three, hoping it's more like The Fifth Season than like The Obelisk Gate, but whatever is going to happen in that book, it should have happened here and make this a doulogy instead of a trilogy. ( )

Can I give this 10 stars? Jemisin is a freaking writing god. If anything, this was better than the 1st book. I rate this series alongside the Stormlight Archive and have no doubts that I'll be reading and rereading them both many, many times.

I also recommend the audio version. Robin Miles is a superb narrator. ( )

As the Stillness continues its rollercoaster descent into chaos, N.K. Jemisin's "The Obelisk Gate" unfolds a story that's as gripping as a cat trying to hold onto a particularly slippery fish. In this sequel, Essun's quest for her missing daughter takes center stage, with a side of Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of worlds, dropping in like a bombshell. Hold on to your orogeny gloves; it's about to get frosty!


Pros:
( )

When I'm not reading this story, I wish that I was.

It's confusing and fascinating and I can't wait to see what happens next. Starting book 3 shortly.... ( )

Good enough for me to immediately move on to the third book in the series. ( )