The Fifth Season

“There is an art to smiling in a way that others will believe.”

5/5⭐

I’ve been on a high-rating hot streak lately, but this book absolutely deserves its 5 stars.

This book, on the surface, is epic fantasy, but by the time I finished I realized I had read a post-apocalyptic story, a pirate story, and a sci-fi story. It has it all, yet somehow doesn’t feel overblown or messy.

The world-building is so precise and detailed that no matter what crazy genre direction the story went, I was on board.

The narrative structure was unique and worked wonderfully. I know I complained in “Human Acts” about the second person POV, but somehow “The Fifth Season” used second person and it just…worked. Maybe it worked better because of the setting—an outlandish fantasy realm—compared to the horribly real world of 1980s Korea.

The magic system is one of the coolest I have ever read (think earthbenders from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but better), but it’s not just for show, it’s integral to the story.

It isn’t just magic for the sake of magic. It matters, right down to the core of who the characters are and the way they interact with the world around them. (And the horribly way the world treats them because of their power).

The message of this story is clear; in fact, it is laid out in the author’s dedication:

“For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.”

If you want an intense, heartbreaking, no-holds-barred dive into fantasy, this is the book to read.

Underline-worthy quotes:

“Home is what you take with you, not what you leave behind.”

“It’s a gift if it makes us better. It’s a curse if we let it destroy us.”