The Inheritance Trilogy

The last book might be the best fantasy book I've ever read. I've never felt for a character as I do for Sieh. The only bad thing about it, is that I'll never be able to read them for the first time again. Jemisins writing style is a style I've never come across before. And I absolutely love it. I'd recommend these books to anyone and everyone.

This is one of the most interesting epic fantasy trilogies I've come across. Each novel is essentially a standalone piece, but they all work together to build something a bit grander.

Book One is fantastic.
Book Two will blow you away.
Book Three doesn't measure up to what came before, but is a worthy conclusion.
The novella sequel is pretty skippable, as it doesn't add much to the world.

But, yeah, excited for whatever Jemisin does next, and am eyeing her other books pretty hard.

I can't praise these books enough. Each is unique with varying perspectives, giving us a glimpse of the beautiful universe Jemisin has created. Vivid and poetic, every character is deep, rich and full of life. It's nearly impossible to put these books down once you begin.

This trilogy had me hooked right away. The story was exciting and I fell in love with most of the characters in the book. I also loved the strong female characters. Can't wait to read more of N.K. Jamison's books.

Reading this has been an absolute treat. Jemisin is a master at world building and rich character development. The plot is full of dark twists and surprises, it takes you on quite an adventure to a foreign magical world with its own fascinating history. Jemisin has managed to find a healthy balance in every aspect of her tale, it's sexy without being pornographic, while there is plenty of action, it doesn't feel as if the author is trying too hard to be edgy with excess gore. Nothing about her writing feels forced, she isn't pandering to her audience for money, simply telling a wonderfully written story. The whole book is truly enjoyable and I've decided to read the author's other offerings.

I don't often write reviews here. This might be my first one.

I read lots of fantasy/sci-fi and this is one of the best sets I've ever read. Well-written, complex characters, beautiful plots.

I am really impressed by Jemisin's writing, and this trilogy is her first! The characters are well fleshed, even the gods. The mostly female protagonists are human enough to be believable but plucky, thoughtful and intelligent. The reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I just read The Fifth Season and I loved the structure, characters, and plot. Can't wait for the next installments and I will read more of her work.

As I'm sure anyone reading these reviews knows, the first two books in this series BOTH WON the Hugo Award for Best Novel. As I write this, this final book has been nominated as well. Whether it wins or not, it's still obviously an amazing achievement. While maintaining the same basic set of characters throughout, the life journey and stylistic and viewpoint differences between the three books are in some ways as great as Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy.. which is about the highest praise I can personally give any fantasy/sci-fi trilogy. :)

I mostly enjoyed it. The pieces didn't quite fit together for me, and toward the end it became a bit predictable, but it was well written, well proofread (which I REALLY appreciate), and kept my interest well enough to finish the trilogy. Good for time-killing.

I always try to finish any book I've purchased. It's going be a struggle on this one. I've finished the first two stories but I think somebody will have to hold a gun to my head make me read the third. It's a mishmash of mythologies with all the good stuff missing.
All the characters are tragically flawed, which gets to be a drag after awhile.

The first book in the series "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" was amazing. The characters were all great and there interactions were exciting. The plot wasn't very original but I still couldn't wait to get to the end because I needed to know what happened to the characters. The second book, "The Broken Kingdom" introduced a whole new set of characters I never felt attached to and therefore I never got into the book. I never finished it and never read the third book or any of the other extras this collection has to offer. My suggestion would be to buy the first book separately especially if you can find it cheap.

Good deal. Three novels for the price of one. The second one was the best I thought. But by the time I got to the third one I was kind of bored with it. Good writing. Mostly entertaining fantasy but what seemed like a pretty week conclusion. Check this out if your into non conventional fantasy with metaphysical themes and a little social commentary

To be fair, I did not finish reading even the first book of the trilogy. I expected a deviation from the content but not the structure of fantasy novels that recklessly associate darkness with evil and whiteness with grace and power. I did not care about protagonist even 200 pages in. Some of my all time favorite books took me several tries to crack, so I will try this one again.

This series was really, really weird. There's straight incest, gay incest, sex with a god who is kind of a kid, sex with a god who sort of turns into a cloud, etc. And yet, with all its weirdness, it was actually kind of boring. The characters are rather one-dimensional (even if that dimension is very odd), and no one is particularly likeable. I made it about two thirds of the way through before quitting, and I've quit maybe ten books total in my entire life.

I liked this well enough to finish the entire first book of the trilogy, but not enough to be interested to continue with the remaining two.

From reviews, I was expecting world-building and palace intrigue and rich character development -- epic fantasy in the mold of Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic duology or Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series. There is some of each of those, but in limited doses, mixed with a lot of "the mysterious romantic allure of the very very bad boy" and a tone that becomes increasingly abstract and mythological, as well as increasingly prone to the flaws of the "Mary Sue" category of fan fiction. Disappointing.

I really, really struggled with this one. While I was really interested in the world-building and ideas, I got so stuck on the writing style of this book. Jemisin relies heavily on "I felt…" statements; there are often so many characters in any one scene that it's difficult to figure out who is speaking, who Yeine is kissing, how the gods are related, or what the heck is going on; and I could not for the life of me get behind Yeine's very strange romance with Naha.

I would have really loved to have seen Jemisin incorporate Yeine's mothers story in a series of flashbacks or parallel stories.

Judging by other reviews here, I may be the only one who felt this way, but I generally walked away from this book confused and let down. I couldn't bring myself to read past book 1. DNF.

I don't believe in lengthy reviews. I let others delve into the plot and risk giving spoilers. I want to know if others felt the book was worth the time and money. So here it is:

Yes. These books are worth your effort. I heard about them through a "best of the year" list on NPR.

The Inheritance Trilogy takes a what might be a cliched premise (young woman is drawn into magical court intrigue) and turns it into a fascinating story. Whew. Steamy, enthralling.They have me riveted.

Read it.

I think that the characters are so complex and changing, that, sometimes, I don't know whether the gods seem real enough to me because the evolution of their thought process sometimes seemed random.

Worth reading as a 3 book Bundle, but not my favorite series

Roughly two thousand years ago the Gods' War broke out, killing mortals and godlings in the battle between siblings. In the end, Nahadoth and his closest followers were chained to serve the Arameri, the callous ruling family of Amn. But Nahadoth has never forgiven his brother, Bright Itempas, for killing their sister and enslaving their children.

Into the world Yeine steps, adopted by the Arameri and the unknown keeper of a powerful secret. The Inheritance Trilogy (and the included short story in the omnibus) span over 400 years as we watch gods and godlings die and be born, mortal cities fall, and see the fate of the universe change.

I love epic fantasy and I would certainly place this series in that category. The scope of the world that the author has created is amazing, and I love being able to look back at the earlier books to see foreshadowing of what is to come... And what still might happen.

Rating these books individually, I gave the first two (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms) both 5 stars and thought they were fabulous for different reasons. Book One is a whirlwind of history, scheming, and magic. Book Two happens at a slightly slower pace and gets more into the details between the mortals and godlings, while still sweeping you along on an adventure. The third book, The Kingdom of Gods, starts out almost too slow but ends up being fun and complex, while sharing more of Sieh's life and history. Because I did feel that the pace dragged a little, especially compared to the first two, I can only give it 4 stars.

The final piece of the puzzle, a short story called The Awakened Kingdom, didn't fit the tone of the trilogy... The puzzle edges just weren't a perfect fit. Unfortunately, it felt more like a forced epilogue rather than a real continuation of the universe, so it only earned 3 1/2 stars. It did grow on me more toward the end, and i liked it more than I disliked it, but I wouldn't have missed it if it wasn't there.

Overall, I give The Inheritance Trilogy a slightly shaky 5 stars, with the full novels giving more weight to the rating.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My ratings are for the three books and one novella in this volume. I enjoyed the first book ("The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms") and really liked the writing style. However, by the time I got to the second book ("The Broken Kingdom"), I could see that the quality was starting to deteriorate. This was confirmed in the third book ("The Kingdom of Gods") and the novella ("The Awakened Kingdom"). These last two dragged on and on and I found myself skipping paragraphs and wanting something to happen to move the story along.

I really enjoyed the 1st book in this trilogy, so much so that I am writing this review before reading the 2nd and 3rd books. I thought the story started off a little slow but when it picked it up, it was a page turner. Let me add that I will probably spend the rest of the weekend having inappropriate thoughts about a dark God (that in my head looks like Jason Mamoa)... haha...

This book is right up there with the The Kingkiller Chronicles which are my favorite fantasy books.

Edited to add - This might be the best fantasy series I have ever read. Amazing character development and very strong plot.

I really enjoyed this trilogy. I liked that Jemisin took the reader on her own, often untraditional journey, changing the POV significantly with each book and introducing new main characters with each. Each of the three books had a different feel, yet it came together for a comprehensive and intriguing trilogy.

N.K. Jemisin loves to shatter the stereotypes of fantasy literature and the theme that runs through `The Inheritance Trilogy' is the abuse of power. Those with power are regularly corrupted by it, and the real heroes in these tales are the few who can restrain themselves or even relinquish their power.

Read my full review at PopMythology.com.

Matt Hlinak
Author of[...]

Absolutely amazing writing. Ms. Jemisin's world building is first class and I was sucked in immediately. I cannot say enough about how much I loved this whole series, and as soon as I finished I moved on to her other series. Ms. Jemisin is a bloody fantastic writer and I devoutly and selfishly hope that she continues to create for a long time to come, because I can't get enough. Many, many thanks.

An engrossing tale from the first page to the last. The first book was so perfect that I couldn't imagine where it would go from there but the second and third books were just as good - and necessary - as the first. I love it when an author sticks the landing.

This trilogy is amazing!!!! The entire universe and beyond is described in such a way that I felt and tasted and smelled and was intimately a part of it all. As though I could somehow breathe in the unfathomable and understand the very nature of this magnificent universe. From the Maelstrom, to the Three, the the Godlings, to the mortals and all their intertwining existences and natures and stories, it is a beautifully woven and epic journey.
If you are looking for magic and a different take on fantasy than elves and wizards, this book is a must read.

This series made me cry. That's what I remember most about it. It took me a day or two to read through all three books, and I fell in love with the main characters each time. I appreciated the turns and twists of each book and I recommend it for those who love a good fantasy story that takes you with it.

Very well-writen series of books. The first one was my favorite, but I enjoyed reading all of them. The imagination and development of a world and societies in which gods and lesser gods live among mortals is excellent.

Actually I haven't read the whole trilogy, just the first book. Excellent world building, suspenseful story. I was made to care about and often identify with the protagonist as she dealt with her situation, which was totally alien to me. Original approach to fantasy makes it stand out. Not profound or anything, but well done and not at all trite.

This was a wonderful change of pace for me. I got it for my oldest as a present and then ended up reading it before I gave it to her. She is enjoying too and both she and I are recommending it to friends and family.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all four of the books in this series. It was different to the the traditional fantasy genre and therefore very refreshing. I read them all in one sitting in fours days - who needs sleep!

This trilogy had a lot of potential but the author just couldn't pull it all together. The biggest problem is that the characters change in all 3 books. There is not enough time for character development. You don't have enough time to develop love or hate for the characters as they aren't around long enough. The story if also very repetitive. God love and mortal love and god loves mortal and mortal loves god and mother and daughter hate each other and mother and daughter love each other and on and on and on. It was fairly entertaining for 3 stars at best.

This series is absolutely amazing. Each time I picked one up I became utterly consumed by it, and had little interest in doing much else besides reading. The characters are fascinating and complex and the world Jemisin creates is so rich in detail you almost feel like you've been there before.

The first book in the series "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" was amazing. The characters were all great and there interactions were exciting. The plot wasn't very original but I still couldn't wait to get to the end because I needed to know what happened to the characters. The second book, "The Broken Kingdom" introduced a whole new set of characters I never felt attached to and therefore I never got into the book. I never finished it and never read the third book or any of the other extras this collection has to offer. My suggestion would be to buy the first book separately especially if you can find it cheap.

I do not write book reviews, I just give my opinions. So, My opinion of these books was bad. I can't say that I'm sorry that I read this but I can say that I'm sorry I wasted five days of my life to do so. The first book was interesting enough, but after that? The third book was abominable and the novella at the end was unreadable. I wanted to give a young female fantasy writer a chance, but this was not good. I know I am not PC, but the homosexuality was a bit much.

The first part is OK. The last is disappointing. Just one more of the same boulevard stories filled with blood, lust and nonsense. Is this really all that our society loves to read these days? What a pity!

It is one that you really need to read and reread to understand it. I am not a fantasy fan but read this for a book club. I gave it 4 stars as it was written well... the story was good but I just got lost in it. I listened to it via Audible...perhaps a print version would have helped as it had a glossary in the back so you could refer to it if you didn't quite follow the story

Writing style is nice and easy to fly along with. First book was really quite good except for one thing. The main character is a 20 yr old leader of small nation, supposedly raised to possibly be that by leader type successfully intellegent parents but acts like a petulent hyper sexual 15 year old half the time. Makes no sense. Second book good, heroine is more believable but story while it kept my attention still felt flat. Much more predictable plot. Third book is okay. Have her other trilogy and hoping that one is a bit better written as far as character and plot. I really liked the characters developed in the first book except for parts of the main character Yeine. The world and gods in these books was a fun build with great promise but could have been so much better....