Review

OK, so I’d already mentioned the reviews by Romantic Times and Kirkus, and that the Publishers’ Weekly review was starred. Yesterday, however, brought a fresh surprise: Library Journal gave The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms a starred review too! Here’s the relevant bit: Debut author Jemisin creates a mesmerizingly exotic world where fallen gods serve as slaves to the ruling class and murder and ambition go hand in hand. VERDICT: An engaging heroine and a fresh take on traditional dynastic fantasy make this trilogy opener a delight for the fantasy reader and introduce a strong new voice to the genre. And since

OK, I heard about this a few weeks ago and hinted at it a few posts back. Have been gleefully sitting on the news, waiting for the folks at PW to post the review themselves before I unveiled it. It’s still not up there, so you can’t see the actual text yet. But the folks at Orbit have already spilled the beans, so that means I get to squee too — The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has gotten a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly! Like I said, I’ve seen the actual text of the review, and it’s phenomenal; can’t wait to

Except this “et tu” is a good thing, because Kirkus’ review of 100K is fantastic: Debut fantasy features an intriguing, well-drawn mythology. At first glance, the basic plot may seem standard: A young woman, narrator/protagonist Yeine Darr, is named heir to the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which plunges her into a power struggle with two rival cousins. But Jemisin’s world-building and attention to detail raise this story to another level. In the novel’s complex but well-defined universe, a war between the gods took place in the distant past. The losing divinities were punished severely and forced to become the slaves of