Ok, so no one is more disappointed than me about the fact that I didn't like this.

The writing was objectively quite good, and the book held my attention. This was great because I read a bulk of it on a plane and it helped time go by faster.

However.

I went into this book with the wrong expectations. I think I expected more of the commentary usually seen in climate fiction. I expected more grit. I expected more thrills, higher stakes, more breaths held. I expected to be reading as fast as I could because I couldn't look away, not because I wanted to move on to a different book.

The Fifth Season is the setup for a sci Fi/fantasy trilogy where some of our characters can control inorganic matter, such as bedrock and tectonic plates, and the world is plagued by frequent seismic disasters. These individuals are, in turn, regulated by a governing body that trains them in strict schools and meticulously controls their every move - seeing them as tools and weapons, not people. An uprising is therefore inevitable.

All in all, I just wasn't compelled in the way I was hoping to be. But I don't think I'm the right audience for this book, and I do think the right audience would love it. Recommended if you're into high fantasy with world building (and don't mind not fully knowing what's going on), if you enjoy stories of misfits being trained in a guild, and if you like rocks.

And while I don't plan on continuing the series, I want to give the author another go and feel like I would enjoy a film/tv adaptation.

More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/sS8eromz-Ko