Mini Reviews: The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin and Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Of the books I read in a year, I review only a small portion. I prefer to read for my own enjoyment, so if I don’t have much to say about a book, I don’t stress about trying to force out a review. However, there are some cases when I’m trying to review a series, or I have some (but not many) thoughts that I’d like to share that just don’t add up to a full post. For these cases, I want to start posting compilations of mini reviews, which is an idea I’ve seen from multiple other reviewers across the blogosphere.

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Review of The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

• Format: audiobook
• Pacing: medium
• Plot driven

The Broken Kingdoms is a murder mystery story that follows a blind woman who has mysterious magical powers.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book as much as the first, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. While I did like the main character, I didn’t care about anyone else in the story. I didn’t even realize it was there was supposed to be a romance until the end of the book because the characters had so little chemistry together. The best part of this book was when the characters from the first book made brief appearances, which is saying a lot considering they barely did anything in this book and I read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms more than a year ago.

I might continue with this series just because the world building is so interesting and I liked the first book so much. The Broken Kingdoms just felt unmemorable.

Where to find The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Review of Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

• Format: physical copy
• Pacing: fast
• Plot driven
• Representation: sapphic main character, gay side character, bisexual side character

While reading the first chapter of Ninefox Gambit, I really didn’t think it would be for me. I couldn’t understander the “calendar”-based battle strategies so I couldn’t visualize what was supposed to be an intense opening fight scene. A few chapters in, the plot shifted to political conflict with a mysterious higher power pulling strings behind the scenes to manipulate Cheris for an unknown purpose. After, I slowly felt myself being pulled into the story. When the second half of the story hit, and Cheris was coordinating a siege while struggling to determine who she could use as an ally and who was the true enemy, I was hooked.

Out of the gate, the author didn’t start with elements that tend to capture my attention. Action doesn’t appeal to me much unless there’s some other intrigue, but I really think the story hit it’s stride in the second half. I loved seeing Cheris navigate her role as a leader who’s unsure where people’s loyalties lie. As more and more secrets of The Hexarchate are revealed and Cheris’s position becomes more precarious, the story becomes more compelling.

I also loved the dynamic between Cheris and Jedao, the infamous traitor general Cheris awakens. There’s so much inherent tension in their relationship. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Jedao since he’s built up to be a sociopathic, insane genius before he’s introduced. Lee successfully convinced me that Jedao was a genius while also keeping me guessing at his motives (and sanity). It was so interesting to see how Cheris reacted to Jedao, especially when he starts getting in her head. Out of everything in Ninefox Gambit, the relationship between Jedao and Cheris was by far the most interesting. I really hope the next two books in the series continue to focus on them.

I thought Ninefox Gambit was a very well-crafted story. If you’re into overarching war tactics and political conflict, I highly recommend picking up this series. If you’re more into battles and fights scenes, I would pass on this one because these aspects were represented more abstractly.

Where to find Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Have you read Ninefox Gambit or The Broken Kingdoms? Let’s chat in the comments!