The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

Essun's missing daughter grows more powerful every day, and her choices may destroy the world in this "magnificent" Hugo Award winner and NYT Notable Book. (NPR) The season of endings grows darker, as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun -- once Damaya, once Syenite, now avenger -- has found shelter, but not her daughter. Instead there is Alabaster Tenring, destroyer of the world, with a request. But if Essun does what he asks, it would seal the fate of the Stillness forever. Far away, her daughter Nassun is growing in power -- and her choices will break the world. N. K. Jemisin's award winning trilogy continues in the sequel to The Fifth Season.

Don't ever cross her
her mother's daughter, no lie
she will ice you out.

An amazing story written in amazing language.

Wow. NK Jemisin is a force. Every bit as good as the Fifth Season, Jemisin has basically turned the genre on its head to produce something truly original, but with all of the nostalgic resonance deserving of an epic fantasy trilogy.

Keeping a brisk pace in this second book, with tons of plot reveals and twists Nassun taken in by Schaffa! and character development (including a deepening of the relationship between Alabaster and Essun, which may be my favorite relationship in a modern book.) The characters are rich, nuanced, broken (so broken) and really relatable. There's an intimacy to the story, which mostly takes place within the confines of Castrima in this middle book, despite having world-altering consequences.

I think one of the places where Obelisk Gate really shines is exploring the metaphysics of orogeny and depicting how it's much broader than Essun (and we!) have been given to believe from the Fulcrum. I was also really drawn in by Schaffa's story and the deepening of our understanding of Guardians in general.

A tough one to rate, isn't it? Of course when compared to the first book, this sequel is not as earth-shattering (haha see what I did there), but it's still fantastic. 4.5 leaning towards 5. I'm still fiercely attached to Essun, but it was Nassun's story I found the most poignant, with all those daddy issues :/ I need book 3, like, right now. I want more!