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harpoonholly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'll also get the sequel because NK Jemisin is an amazing writer. I'm fascinated in the personification of concepts and to personify cities is to maximize adds greater complexity because of course it has to. I also like how she goes about acknowledging Lovecraft's literary contributions (northeastern U.S. sublime, dread, and monsters) and shining a scalding light over his overt bigotry that was startling even for his time.
10/10, would recommend, especially the audiobook.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Homophobia and Xenophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse and Sexual harassment
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia, Abortion, and Cultural appropriation
jackolanterns_in_august's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual assault
druppelregen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
judicatorypedant's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Genocide, Police brutality, Abortion, and Colonisation
thysnotes's review against another edition
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"Don't sleep on the city that never sleeps, son, and don't f*cking bring your squamous eldritch bullshit here."
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin is book one in the Great Cities series. As with everything I've read by Jemisin, this blew me away. Jemisin is an expert worldbuilder, and the fact that she worldbuilt on top of our existing world only serves as another added layer to the story, and there are many layers to this book.
Jemisin imagines a world where cities that are large enough and old enough eventually become sentient and are "born" into the world through the use of human avatars that are literally the embodiment of that city. We focus on the birth of New York City, but something goes wrong with the birth, and the avatar is badly weakened against an interdimemsional eldritch horror of a parasite.
New York is different from other cities. Instead of just one avatar, New York has five, one for each borough: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Jemisin has used stereotypes as foundations for each borough's personality, but she reminds us "Lesson one of New York: what people think about us isn't what we really are," and in that way also subverts the stereotypes.
Remember that Eldritch Horror? Or as one of the characters says, squigglebitch. The parasite is also sentient and has taken human form in order to better infect the city to prevent a successful birth. Squigglebitch could be seen as an allegory for gentrification or white feminism.
I honestly could go on about every aspect and detail of this book, it was so incredible. Layers Upon layers of meaning and themes. We also have great diversity among the representatives of the boroughs, including Staten Island being a racist, xenophobic white girl too afraid to get on the ferry. Perhaps people actually from New York might take offense to the way they are portrayed or maybe connect with it?
I will for sure be reading the next book when I can get it in paperback.
Graphic: Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Xenophobia
brianneh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
grimmarray's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Moderate: Body horror and Homophobia
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Classism