Reign of Books Podcast is a discussion of our current reads and includes spoilers galore. Check out Book Talks in menu for short spoilercast on the book.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (pt2/finale), Ep. 56

The price of admission is well worth it, with the book showing us not only a compelling, frightening world but packing it with a brutal realism depicting how its inhabitants are forced to survive (as individuals and as a society). Jemisin masterfully holds back details of this world, letting us experience the story with the characters as events unfold and letting the consequences of their actions slowly sink in. This happens in deeply personal ways and makes the story feel more than mere fantasy. I reeled from the trauma that each of the three lead female characters experienced and marveled at their determination to continue on. The women’s stories pack an emotional weight that becomes the center of the narrative and takes hold quickly.