Review: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Title:The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Publisher/Publication Date: Orbit, February 25, 2010
Genre: High Fantasy
Format/Source: Paperback (omnibus), Purchased

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

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...

My Thoughts:

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin was everything I was expecting and more. It’s definitely one of the best books I’ve picked up this year, and a new all-time favorite right alongside Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and the Martian by Andy Weir. And as far as high fantasy novels go, this one was excellent.

I have so much to say. So, where do I even begin with this one?

Let’s talk about the setting, which was definitely one of my favorite parts of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Sky’s description was kind of cool since there were essentially two cities that went by the same name, and were located in the exact same place. The only catch was that one was a palace that nearly floated above the other, only connected by an “impossibly thin column.” And it was in Sky—the palace—that the story primarily played out.

The POV was first person and set its focus entirely on Yeine Darre. I enjoyed the narrative style, because it was nice to read about the characters reaction from her point of view. The internal dialogue was something I found especially interesting to read as Yeine’s story unfolded. Overall, she remained a good character who had her flaws and struggles, but seeing how she dealt with them only added to the story. Dekarta Arameri was a character I disliked for…well, you know, reasons—just like many members of the Arameri family. I rooted for the main character so there wasn’t a single reason for my dislike, but stuff happened which added some tension to the novel. Oh, and there were gods/goddess—not much to say there because of the usual reason of potential spoilers.

The plot, while not the most fast-paced, was definitely one of my favorites. There were some political aspects combined with fantasy elements, which ultimately worked well together. So yeah, I absolutely loved The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. And because I have the omnibus edition with all three books, I will definitely be continuing on with this trilogy.

Rating 5/5