The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

I haven't been this taken with a book in a long time. The writing was sharp and clever and kept me up at night with the age old mantra of 'just one more chapter' that kept spiraling into the early hours of the morning. I've done my share of theology-based worlds, but never one that mixed humans so closely with deities, or managed to keep such a clear grasp on the difference between the species. The talent needed to create a personality within a being that exists only as others see him is astounding, and Jemisin made it look effortless.

There are a lot of things in this book that should have been cliche as all get out: the romance, the impending death, the incest, and a great many plot beats for our main character, but somehow all of these felt honest and fresh and wonderful. Not to mention the beautiful Darre society, and their gender treatment being the mirror image of Western society today. Or our main character's casual acceptance of LGBTQA groups, even at one point mentioning attraction to a female form without batting an eyelash.

A+ reading. I look forward to reading more of Jemisin's work.