The Dreamblood Series by N.K. Jemisin | Review

I just want to take a moment and appreciate the covers of both books.

 

[sigh...]

Discovered: BookRiot.com

Status: Read

Purchased: BookRiot Quarterly Box; Barnes & Noble Online

Mode: Paperback

Goodreads Rating: *****

Aren't they beautifully epic?! A few posts back, I received The Killing Moon from the Book Riot Quarterly box. It was one of three books and I was instantly enamored with the cover. It's just so effin' pretty! Then I read the synopsis and was instantly hooked. 

I've never been an adventurous fantasy reader. My foray into "things beyond reality" is limited to the paranormal. My alternate reality "comfort zone" consists of vampires and a sprinkling of werewolves. So I was pretty surprised when my "need-to-read-like-now" radar perked after getting my hands on The Killing Moon. Maybe it was the excitement of receiving my first Book Riot Quarterly? Probably. I also couldn't resist the pull of the unique and seductive world of the Dreamblood.

In The Killing Moon, we have Ehiru and Nijiri, Gatherers of the Hetawa, which is the religious cult of Gujaareh. And there is Sunandi, a fierce diplomat from the neighboring and rival city-state of Kisua. In the face of a megalomaniac Prince, a Reaper, political and religious conspiracy, and world war, these three characters journey to achieve a far-reaching diplomatic endeavor to preserve the fate of humanity

The Shadowed Sun is set ten years after the conclusion of The Killing Moon. It mainly follows Wanahomen, the exiled son of the previous megalomaniac Prince, and Hanani, a Healer of the Hetawa. It also follows Tiannet, a young woman whose struggles show that power and greed are not limited to ruling political and religious bodies. Recurring characters such as Nijiri and Sunandi are also present as everyone comes together to reclaim Gujaareh from Kisuati rule. In addition to war, our characters must battle an epidemic that has crossed political lines into the dreamworld. To put it simply, Jemisin takes the world she's built in The Killing Moon and flips it upside down in The Shadowed Sun and it's pretty damn epic! 

While The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun are nostalgic of ancient Egyptian culture, Jemisin manages to weave a fantastical and independent world with its own culture, politics, and mysticism. The startlingly familiarity of certain aspects of the setting is thought provoking. For instance, both books present a world that is fascinatingly contradictory. In The Killing Moon, love and sexuality are presented unbound by our own traditional definitions of the norm, yet Gujaareh is governed by a monarchy and single religion. In The Shadowed Sun, the Banbarra tribe is presented as barbarian and nomadic, yet the customs are role reversing. Men wear veils, while women rule and conduct family businesses. Doesn't this just sound so cool?

Both books have opened the doors of adult fantasy for me. Whilst reading, I'm usually the voyeur peering into the world and lives of the book. Rarely do I have a book where I feel like I'm walking side by side the characters. The Dreamblood series seem to have bridged that gap between reader and book.