N.K. Jemisin's first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, introduced readers to a world where gods and their creations interact freely. This is much-trodden ground in genre fiction, but Jemisin managed to bring an inspired voice to the subject, imbuing questions of relationship, identity, mortality, humanity, cruelty, jealousy, love and power with an unexpected poignancy. The second novel in the series, The Broken Kingdoms, reconfirmed her talent for compelling love stories, fabulously relatable heroines and convincing world-building.
The eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Inheritance Trilogy, The Kingdom of Gods, is in some ways a departure from its predecessors. The first two novels were narrated by mortal women, but here Sieh, the god of childhood, takes center stage with a differentiated voice and a new cast of mortals. Yet his story weaves in all the relevant characters and storylines introduced over the course of the three books, bringing everything together for a rewarding and satisfying conclusion. The Kingdom of Gods once again proves Jemisin's skill and consistency as a storyteller, but what sets her apart from the crowd is her ability to imagine and describe the mysteries of the universe in language that is at once elegant and profane, and thus, true. --Katherine Montgomery, book nerd