I picked up this book after seeing it won the Hugo Award in 2016. I love sci-fi, but had never really gotten into fantasy. This book promised to be a bridge between the two.
Jemisin builds a really fascinating world throughout the book. I enjoyed the way she avoids a lot of typical fantasy tropes, and her storytelling techniques work really well. However, the story suffers from a really common symptom of fantasy: the god-like character who is all powerful and can theoretically solve any crisis instantly without much trouble. This trope makes conflict much less dramatic, and ultimately takes the suspense out of the story.