The broken kingdoms

Blind artist Oree Shoth takes in a homeless man out of kindness. Soon afterward, the desecrated bodies of murdered godlings begin turning up in the city, and Oree suspects that her guest, who appears as a shining figure to her sightless eyes, might be at the center of a conspiracy. Oree's attempt to unravel the mystery of "Shiny" (as she calls her guest) endangers her and those she loves. Set in the same world as The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, where gods dwell inconspicuously among mortals and kinship does not always mean love, Jemisin's latest novel can be read separately from its predecessor, though the two books expand on a fascinating world with an unusual cosmology. VERDICT Jemisin's talent as a storyteller should make her one of the fantasy authors to watch in the coming years. [Page 62]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

New authors often falter when following up on a noteworthy debut, but Jemisin proves more than up to the challenge. A decade after the events of March 2010's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, artist Oree, blind to reality but able to see magic, sells trinkets to tourists in Sky, a city filled with supernatural entities and happenings in a world slowly emerging from doctrinaire authoritarianism. After she discovers the corpse of a murdered godling, Oree is pursued both by fanatic religious officials looking for scapegoats and by the ruthless conspirators behind the murder. Hesitant, impoverished Oree is very different from Jemisin's previous heroine, politician–princess Yeine, and she proves just as compelling as she investigates the murder and her own mysterious heritage. Returning fans will especially appreciate certain details, but this novel stands on its own and is worth reading purely for its own strengths. (Nov.) [Page ]. Copyright 2010 PWxyz LLC

After a band of killers begins murdering godlings, blind artist Oree Shoth wonders if her recent guest is at the heart of it, his presence putting her in danger. By the author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

After a band of killers begins murdering godlings, blind artist Oree Shoth wonders if her recent guest is at the heart of it, his presence putting her in danger.

A man with no memory of his past and a struggling, blind street artist will face off against the will of the gods as the secrets of this stranger's past are revealed in the sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the debut novel of NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin. In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it. . .

A man with no memory of his past and a struggling, blind street artist will face off against the will of the gods as the secrets of this stranger's past are revealed in the sequel to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the debut novel of NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin. In the city of Shadow, beneath the World Tree, alleyways shimmer with magic and godlings live hidden among mortalkind. Oree Shoth, a blind artist, takes in a strange homeless man on an impulse. This act of kindness engulfs Oree in a nightmarish conspiracy. Someone, somehow, is murdering godlings, leaving their desecrated bodies all over the city. And Oree's guest is at the heart of it. . .The Inheritance Trilogy The Hundred Thousand KingdomsThe Broken KingdomsThe Kingdom of GodsThe Inheritance Trilogy (omnibus edition) Shades in Shadow: An Inheritance Triptych (e-only short fiction) The Awakened Kingdom (e-only novella) For more from N. K. Jemisin, check out:Dreamblood DuologyThe Killing MoonThe Shadowed SunThe Broken Earth series The Fifth SeasonThe Obelisk GateThe Stone Sky