Wow. This book....just wow.

There is so much to unpack from this book and it is not one that can easily be breezed through. Hence, why it took me so long. I didn't know that it was going to be a series until I was halfway through and started seeing 'Book One' in parenthesis behind it. I immediately became concerned about if I would like it, since in my experience fantasies, whether they are high, low, or urban, have a bad habit of spending too much of the book setting up the world and then not enough on the plot.

That wasn't the case here.

Yes there was a lot of a world build up involved here. However, the laying of the foundation was masterfully done. The introduction to all the boroughs as well a their avatars and by extension the personalities was interesting. It was hilarious to see how they interacted with one another as well since, even if one doesn't have first hand knowledge of New York City, you can still pick up on how the dynamics are there.

There was a bit of a cliffhanger but it was for the series and not the book. The arch that was presented in the book was resolved. Lines were drawn, alliances made, and now we know all the players and have a good idea of their places on the chessboard. The conflict was a bit anti-climactic but unlike other books it fit. It was essentially a multiverse rumble and in a rumble where there is a lot of build up and mad talking shit on both sides at the end of it all, the fight lasts maybe five minutes.

I can't wait for the next one to see what comes up next for all the avatars and how the rest of this battle plays out. This was my first Jemisin book and it won't be my last. I thoroughly recommend this one, especially if you're a Lovecraft fan.