The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (November 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316043966
• ISBN-13: 978-0316043960

Note: There will be spoilers for the first book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

The blurb (from www.goodreads.com)

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.

The Broken Kingdoms is the second installment in The Inheritance Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin, and I have to say, it might be better than the first. I was immediately drawn into the world of Shadow, what once was Sky. The godlings have returned and Bright Itempas is missing. The massive World Tree the grew through the palace and city of Sky when the Gray Lady regained her power has divided the city. And the Arameri are still, inexplicably, in power.

Jemisin’s prose style just gets me. It’s a story told in the first person view, but unlike most stories, Jemisin actually uses Oree to tell the story, complete with pauses, corrections, and thoughts. Like a real person telling the story, Oree will occasionally say, “Wait, I got ahead of myself. Let me go back.” This style makes me feel more connected to the events that are happening, and I feel more invested in the outcome. In the first book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, the story was told by Yiene, and in the end we finally found out who she was speaking to. This story was told the same way, and it was a surprise to me in the end to find out to whom she was telling her story.

I love the characters in this book. Oree is blind, but can see magic like a glowing light, and when there is enough around, she can see her surroundings, like a seeing person with a candle in a dark room. She also has her own magic, manifest in her magnificent paintings, which you find as the chapter headings throughout the book. The godlings are quirky (and everywhere!) and the relationships are real.

I loved it. And I recommend this series to anyone.