2010 book 261

N.K. Jemisin's The Broken Kingdoms
Often the second book in a trilogy suffers badly from middle chapter syndrome--not much actually happens, as the author puts the pieces into place for the grand finale. Jemisin, however, takes a more world-building approach: instead of picking up exactly where she left off with the first book, this story takes place ten years later and has an entirely new protagonist. Of course we encounter the characters from the previous book and those situations are alluded to, but the heart of this book is a brand new story. So we have the blind magically gifted artist Oree, who encounters an angry old god trapped in mortal form. Meanwhile, someone or something is killing the minor gods, and she--along with her former lover--gets sucked into various dangers trying to stop it. I think I actually liked this more than the first one--the stakes are a little lower, so the characters are more relatable (Oree is especially likable and interesting), and I liked the explorations of magic and history. Jemisin is a super new talent in fantasy and if you like gods and romance and adventure and danger, you should check her books out. A.