We’ve reached May 26, the last Monday of the month! Next week we’ll already be in June, marking the halfway point of the year. This week, I finished off the book I’d already started at the time of my last post, then got to a pair of books I’d been gifted to celebrate the release of the second one only last week. Here’s the full recap.

1. The Fifth Season – N. K. Jemisin

CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Child Loss, Blood, Vomit, Discrimination, Eugenics, Abandonment, SA, Child Abuse, Classism, Racism, Graphic Sexual Content, Large-Scale Natural (& Unnatural) Disasters, Societal Collapse, Gaslighting, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Enslavement

Summary:

The world is ending. This time, it’s for the last time. Someone has ripped open the Earth, and it’s spewing out its ashen innards. A mother is still trying to save the one of her children who might still be alive. She’d tried to keep her powers a secret. She’s not the only one who has them.

My Thoughts:

I fully understand why this book came so highly recommended. Jemisin is well-known for her remarkable worldbuilding and magic systems. Even going into this with high expectations, the book surpassed them all by a longshot. I was blown away by how immersive it was and how strongly I could feel the emotions of the characters. The depth of culture and customs for each group was astounding. Each was clearly built by a rich and obviously-self-edited history, leading to subtly brutal commentary on our current reality. Most especially how it creates and affects marginalized communities in this way.

Probably what drew me in the most was the humanity of it all: the good, the bad, and most especially the messy. Not a single aspect of this story is single-sided. Everything and everyone is complicated with both highlights and flaws, benefits and drawbacks. Simplicity is never more than a façade to hide the uglier or unwanted parts. I could not get enough of this one, and days later I’m still dwelling on all the details.

About fifty pages from the end, feeling very smug with myself for guessing most of the big twits, I could not figure out how the story could continue through the trilogy. The only thing that I’ll say about the ending is that it hooked me all over again. I know I have lots of other books to get to, but I am eager to get my hands on the second book. Library books get to jump the line of my TBR pile, so I’m glad I decided to borrow this series before buying. (I’ll probably still buy it later.)

2. Demon Bound – Nina K. Westra

CW: Domestic Violence, SA, Kidnapping/Captivity, Alcohol, Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, Blood, Enslavement, Graphic Sexual Content, Ableism, Sexism

Summary:

Raiya has long since lost hope of escaping her abusive husband, the Lord of Frosthaven. That is, until he summons a demon before figuring out how to bind it to his will. She takes the opportunity to form a deal with the demon so that both of them can find freedom. Azreth the demon takes her up on her offer, but in exchange she’ll need to keep him fed. Demons consume emotional energy, like the kind that humans produce when they’re afraid or in pain… or during sex.

My Thoughts:

This is a fantastic revenge story with an antagonist that’s easy to loathe. While some of the characters were almost cartoonish in their portrayal of villainy, they still fit the world they were set in. It’s a world rife with marginalization, where most characters find themselves othered in one or more ways. Lords are cruel, and those meant to enforce laws are often more likely to serve those with money. All the different factions and communities were fascinating to explore, and I always love a strong found family element like I found here. On top of that, I really loved the realistic depiction of trauma healing, because it’s not always linear nor logical in its progression.

This is a very spicy story too. For a story where both characters are trying to heal from trauma, including of a sexual variety, I would have liked to see a greater emphasis on vocalizing consent. The male lead has the ability to read the emotions of those around him, so both he and the reader do know that the consent is there. However, there were a couple of points where it was not expressed through dialogue before their intimacy was taken to a new level. For me, that’s an ick that’s worse in this context. His extra-sensory perception mitigated it a lot, but not completely.

3. Hell Sent – Nina K. Westra

CW: Graphic Sexual Content, Ableism, Domestic Violence, Graphic Depictions of Violence & Injuries, SA, Torture, Kidnapping/Captivity, Blood, Body Dysmorphia with Limb Difference, Enslavement, Child Death

Summary:

This is a retelling of Demon Bound, this time from Azreth’s perspective.

My Thoughts:

If you read and enjoy Demon Bound, this is a great addition to it. It definitely does not stand on its own. Some of the major plot points are apparently rather disinteresting to Azreth, and he doesn’t bother to detail them. His focus is elsewhere. There are more glimpses into the worlds of The Hells via flashbacks, and it’s a conceptually fascinating place. This is true for both the world itself and its inhabitants and their behavior.

Fair warning that while there isn’t necessarily much more sex or violence depicted in Hell Sent than there was in the first book, it comprises a greater percentage of the book. There’s a decreased focus on the world around them in favor of showing Azreth’s inner world and experiences. We see an even sweeter and more vulnerable side of Azreth than we did in the first book. Again, we have a very realistic depiction of trauma healing, this time from a male perspective. I see that much less frequently in fiction, and greatly appreciated it.

While this one doesn’t have enough of the plot to make a coherent standalone, there’s enough of the first book in here that it may prove too repetitive for a tandem read. For example, there are full scenes of dialogue that are present in both books. I would recommend reading Demon Bound all the way through first, and then pick up Hell Sent when you find yourself craving more of Raiya and Azreth’s relationship.

May 26 is Now in the Books

May 26 is the last Monday of the month, but there’s a few more days before May officially ends. Let’s see how much more reading I can get done! I’ve got a list of ARCs to get to and an ever-growing physical TBR from all my bookstore adventures. I plan to visit every single one in the state. Since I’m in Massachusetts, I’m lucky enough to have a lot of them. You can join in along with my partner and I in our explorations – we have a whole playlist of bookstore videos for you to check out!

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel or the main updates page here to follow along on all my bookish adventures. My reading recaps go out on Mondays and bookstore adventure videos go out on Thursdays. Plus, there are lots of little shorts in between. As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!