The Broken Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy, 2): Jemisin, N. K.: 9780316043953: Amazon.com: Books

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The Broken Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy, 2) Mass Market Paperback – September 1, 2011

by N. K. Jemisin (Author)

1,411 ratings

Book 2 of 3: The Inheritance Trilogy

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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. . .

Book 2 of 3

The Inheritance Trilogy
Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

September 1, 2011
Dimensions

4.25 x 1.5 x 7 inches
ISBN-10

9780316043953
ISBN-13

978-0316043953
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,411 global ratings

5 star		68%
4 star		25%
3 star		6%
2 star		1%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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An exciting and complex story of gods and mortals

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2022

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I liked this story more than The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. From the get go, Oree felt like a more interesting character than Yeine. The depictions of the world though eyes that could only detect magic made for a fascinating bit of world building. The story brought back familiar characters, yet the tale of growth and recovery felt refreshing. Rarely did I think the pacing was too slow or events were getting too muddled.

I think the reason I enjoyed Oree way more as a main character was her tendency to take action regardless of her uncertainty. She felt very human and kept moving forward even when she messed up. When I think back to what I didn't connect with in the first book, a large part of it was that Yeine seemed to be largely reactionary. Here, Oree acts and reacts in a believable and compelling manner.

Of course, this story would not be half as good had the first book not set up much of the rules of this world as well as the relationships of the gods. I suspect the third book will involve yet another, different main character, which is a bit disappointing because I enjoyed Oree's tale so much. That being said, N. K. Jemisin has crafted this world in such a way that I'm eager to see how the trilogy ends.

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2022

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I don't normally write a review for books because reading tastes vary so much but THIS BOOK! If you like Sci Fi and fantasy you will like this series. I just finished the second book and I actually need time to process things before I pick up the next one. N.K.Jemisin is my new favorite author. I stumbled onto her books through a social media app and have been reading them all. This one though, its an amazing series full of treachery, love, sadness, revenge and her writing is so unique that I cant compare her to anyone else. Such an imagination and so much skill to make me feel sorrow for Shiny AND Nahadoth. I recommend this series.

Engaging and relatable lead heroine in a new adventure

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2021

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I thought I knew what to expect from the snippet I read at the end of Book 1, but wow this story just kept me on my toes. We follow only with another first person narrator, this time Oree Shoth, a blind painter from the south.

It really really helps to have read the first book, and recently. BUT I could also see how watching even more mystery unfold along with Oree could be fun. And despite the tragedy and upheaval that Oree has faced before and keeps facing in this story, she is FUN. Most of what I highlighted were her wry observations and sarcastic one-liners.

We have a mostly new cast of characters 10 years after the gods broke free of human Arameri domination. The one-time sun god leader, Itempas, has been in mortal form the whole time. He has become a fixture in Oree's life, despite mutual disdain. This story works as an adventure wrapped around a mystery -conspiracy. Yes, with a dash of romance that's well-designed and not distracting.

I see is the star of the show, even more than Yeine was in Book 1. She is capable, strong, compassionate, and like I said before, funny. But she also makes mistakes, gets hurt and can hold a grudge. Her narration is a well-used device and frames the story wonderfully. Also, the subtle touches on hair and skin color are a welcome refresher the lily-fair fantasy of old. Gotta love author diversity!

I feared up with the last page, it was just so poignant and hopeful. Jemisin just builds up characters and plots and delivers delightful twists. Ready for Book 3!

Sarah B. Castillo

It's good, buy it!

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2011

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Ms. Jemisin is not a one hit wonder. I picked up The Broken Kingdoms with in a few hours of finishing the first book in the trilogy, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

In this book we follow a new protagonist, Oree, a blind street artist, in a new but familiar setting, the shadow of Sky. I guess in case some people haven't read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms I shouldn't get into any more detail than that. Lets just say, the setting is as natural and as thrilling as it was in the last book, though you get to see it from a new perspective because the protagonist is blind.

It was very interesting reading a blind character. I don't recall reading blind characters very often. Jemisin did a very good job of portraying this. I thought that reading only about scents and smells and touch and impressions would be confusion and oblique, but I definitely learned while reading this that there are other ways of portraying environment.

One thing that bothered me is that while The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms had more interesting and complex villains, the villains in this book were more of the ordinary fare. Kind of surprising considering Jemisin's love of the extraordinary. However, given the over arcing story lines going on in the trilogy, this plot doesn't take away from the complexity of the book. It may be that Jemisin thought that if this plot was more complex it would take away from the broader action going on.

I didn't mention in my review of The Hundred Thousand Kingsoms that there's some interesting sex going on. I don't mean interesting as in, sex is happening and that is interesting, I mean as in challenging to some social mores, in more interesting ways than the usual ways. (i.e. homosexuality, BDSM, kinks) I probably should have mentioned this because it could be a turn off to some people, however, if you're comfortable with being made uncomfortable by a book, then it should be very interesting to you. I felt that the way that Jemisin approached the subjects of femininity, masculinity, dominance and power were very sensitive and well informed. Usually I skim through sex scenes, but in this trilogy the sexual encounters help to inform us about the nature of the characters and how their relationships are defined, or not defined. I thought it was interesting that in one part, the willingness of one character to submit to the dominance of another during a sexual act is an equalizing gesture that doesn't make her any less important or powerful in her relationship or the story. It was an idea that I'd never been presented before in any for of media.

That's just a small taste of some of the thoughtful surprises Jemisin has to give us in the interactions between her characters.

8 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Paul T.

Masterful and developing world-building

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2020

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Jemisin is second to none in world-building: the setting of the Inheritance trilogy is amazingly well developed in every aspect. And it is a living world, developing and changing in response to events. We see that progression very clearly in the way things have moved on since the first book - the things that have changed, and the things that haven't.

The gods and godlings have changed most. Their human aspects, their struggles with love and guilt are accentuated by their power and made vividly authentic. It makes it possible for human readers to identify with them and appreciate the terrible dilemma their inherent nature leads them into - not so different from us, perhaps?

The flow of words is flawless, smoothly bringing the reader into the story and keeping them involved throughout, while the mystery elements - who is killing the godlings, and how? What is the source of Oree's strange power? Who is the man she rescues? - are effectively wielded hooks to catch and hold the attention.

At the end, mystery's are solved and conflicts resolved in a bittersweet but effective way - but with plenty of scope left for the third novel of the series, which I am certainly looking forward to.

Fleecy Moss

A welcome improvement on the first book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 25, 2019

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Carrying on into book two of the Inheritance Trilogy, after what I considered was an okay but slightly derivative first tome, I am pleased to announce that the story has opened out into something far more original.

Still full of rich and independent characters, they now occupy a tale worthy of their crafting. The journey of one of the main characters, Oree Shoth, is a pleasure to share as is the development of the love affair between a mortal and a godling. I do think the climax is slightly rushed but the end of the tale is a well constructed compromise of politics and emotion.

I enjoyed this second book far more than the first and am looking forwards to seeing if this trend continues with the finale.

Fleecy Moss, author of the Folio 55 SciFi fantasy series (writing as Nia Sinjorina), End of a Girl, Undon , and 4659 now available on Amazon.

One person found this helpful

Fran

Slow start but absolutely worth reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2020

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I like this book much more than "The hundred thousand kingdoms". Better story (although, like the first one, it suffers from a slow rhythm, at least at the beginning), better fleshed out characters, with the main character more active in her role. Still some weak points, like too much telling rather than showing in some parts and not a great internal consistency, but definitely a good improvement compared to the first book of the trilogy

gngrfury

Worth it on so many levels

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2012

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I am a dedicated fantasy addict. And am addicted to (and probably overdosing on) Jemisin. I'm not a literary buff; I don't understand how the magic of a book works or even how to eloquently explain the power they have and I most certainly am not a literature critic. I just know what I like and I know what works for me. And every single one of Jemisin's books has worked for me. She'll break your heart (she did mine at least once in every book), she'll deliver tragedy mercilessly (I screamed at her for that) and she'll leave you wanting more (I most definitely do).

If you try this book for nothing else, try it for Jemisin's imagination. It is, without a doubt, out of this world. And I know that this is what any decent fantasy reader wants, but, honestly, it's like nothing I've ever come across before. It's close to so much, and then so far removed. It's weird beyond explanation, but so familiar. I loved it.

If you need another reason, then read it because of HOW it is written. Jemisin is a genius; the story is intricate and subtle and then so blindingly obvious that you wonder how you missed it. She doesn't give you more than you need to work it out yourself, but she keeps you guessing and pulls you along. Sometimes it's confusing, but that's the fun of it. It's only confusing because you're not thinking right.

A third reason (if you're not convinced or at least curious enough already) is that this book, in my opinion, is her best. Not because her other books aren't as good, or because this one has anything more than they do, but because, for some unknown reason, I stopped eating and sleeping for this book. It consumed me. Luckily, I'm just a hapless student so it didn't ruin my life or anything ridiculous like that. But this is what I do; if I love a book, I fall in. It's been a while since I have found a book that is good enough for that. These days I've found it very difficult to find a fantasy book that is truly different. A lot of the newer books that I have come across have just been convoluted attempts to rehash what is already out there, or they are written so badly that it doesn't matter how good their ideas are, it's impossible to read. This is nothing like those.

So my advice: try this book, try all the Inheritence Trilogy books, try the Dreamblood books too (they're completely different in worlds but Jemisin through and through). N. K. Jemisin is something new and worth it on so many levels.

6 people found this helpful

Salsa

Loved it. Tore my heart a bit

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2014

Verified Purchase

At first I was confused by this blind girl who could see. then it made sense. I enjoyed the mix of characters and how I wanted to abhor some although relishing the honesty of their nature. It tore at my heart in places and I don't doubt a few would weep over the same bits. But it had me hooked. I love the mix of sexual tension, gore, ruthless imagination and contradictions. Very much looking forward to more.

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