The World We Make

Well, I think this is probably my least favorite Jemisin book, which is sort of like saying it's my least favorite ice cream. Jemisin is definitely in my top three living authors, and this was still a fun read even though it didn't quite live up to the first book in the duology. After reading her afterword, I think I understand why a bit, and how she might be a little burned out writing what is supposed to be a fantastical dystopia but is in fact our reality.

The City people are all fantastic. The Lovecraft smackdown is still great. The action sequences are a little sillier and clunkier to me than the first book, and some of the “New York is great!” occasionally feels like the post 9/11 add on scene in Sam Raimi's Spiderman movie. But most of what I know about New York comes from this series and Broadway musicals, so maybe it's more realistic than it seems from my suburban eyes. I think it probably could have used 3 books, but I'm glad she at least decided to finish the series even as Lovecraftian horrors spring up around us in realtime.