This second book follows Essun and Nassun who are both on the path to unveil the mysteries surrounding orogeny but also the secrets regarding the roughness and unforgiving world of the Stillness.
If there is one thing that I have learnt from the previous book it is that N.K. Jemisin is a very intentional writer and yet I don't think I had fully grasped the scope of it until I read The Obelisk Gate where it became clear that the addition of the first person narrative to the second and third person limited already present in the book is going to play an important part in the third book and if what I think is correct then I'll be absolutely mind-blown and there won't be any doubt as to N. K. Jemisin's writing genius.
Though some readers may feel like the pacing of this book was slower than the previous one, I thought that, on the contrary, it was allowing the readers to explore the author's expansion of the world as well as its magic system with a closer lens so that we were able to truly experience the slow burn that this story is. In my point of view, the pacing and rhythm of this book were perfect.
Another element in The Obelisk Gate that is as strong as in the previous book was N. K. Jemisin's amazing work at characterization. Each character, whether main or secondary, is extremely fleshed out and feels incredibly real, raw and so complex that it is impossible to not feel drawn to them and empathize with their lives.
This sequel has consumed me the same way the first one did. It is an incredible read and I am really excited to start the third and final book of the Broken Earth Trilogy.
Jemisin, N. K., The Obelisk Gate, London, Orbit, August 2016.