**World Building Techniques**

One of the most notable aspects of this novel is its world building techniques. The author employs a style that is both unique and effective, which allows readers to feel like they are being thrust into an existing world rather than having it explained to them in detail. This approach creates a sense of immersion and immediacy, drawing the reader in and refusing to let go until the very end. While some readers may find this style jarring or disorienting at first, I believe that it is a key strength of the novel.

For example, when first meeting the protagonist, we are presented with a world that is largely unexplained, relying on subtle hints and suggestions rather than explicit exposition. This approach requires patience and attention from the reader, as they must piece together the narrative thread alongside the characters themselves. In this case, however, I believe that it was worth the effort.

Similarly, the magic system in this novel is expertly woven into the fabric of the world, with subtle hints and clues scattered throughout the narrative. While some readers may find this style opaque or difficult to follow at times, I believe that it adds to the overall sense of realism and authenticity. The fact that the author refuses to spell out every detail for the reader, instead allowing us to infer and deduce through context and suggestion, makes the world feel like a lived-in, breathing entity rather than a mere construct of the narrative.

**Diversity in Representation**

One of the aspects that truly sets this novel apart is its commitment to diversity and representation. The author has made a concerted effort to create a cast of characters that reflects the world we live in today, with people of color at the forefront. This is a bold move, particularly in the fantasy genre, which has historically been dominated by white protagonists.

Throughout the narrative, I was struck by the number of characters who identify as people of color, as well as those who are LGBTQ+ or have other marginalized identities. The author handles these themes with sensitivity and nuance, avoiding tokenism and forced inclusion at every turn. Instead, the diversity is woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story, creating a sense of authenticity and realism that is truly impressive.

The fact that the author has taken such care to represent diverse voices and experiences is not lost on me, either as a reader or as someone who is passionate about representation in literature. To see characters like this represented in a fantasy novel, particularly one that is aimed at an adult audience, is truly rare and remarkable.

**Character Development**

One of the things that I found most compelling about this novel was its focus on character development. As the narrative unfolds, we are presented with a cast of complex, multifaceted characters who undergo significant growth and transformation over the course of the story.

From the protagonist's journey from grief to rage to eventual understanding, to the supporting cast of characters each with their own unique struggles and triumphs, I was struck by the depth and richness of the characterizations. Each person has a distinct voice, perspective, and backstory that adds depth and nuance to the narrative.

The author has also made a concerted effort to avoid clichés and tropes, opting instead for more nuanced and realistic portrayals of human experience. This is particularly notable in the portrayal of relationships between characters, which is handled with care and sensitivity.

**Pacing and Flow**

One area where this novel falls slightly short is in its pacing and flow. At times, I found it difficult to connect the narrative threads together, as if I was missing something key or wasn't quite getting the story. This was particularly true in the first 270 pages of the book, when I felt like I needed a bit more guidance on how to navigate the world.

However, once the plot began to coalesce and the different storylines started to intersect, I found myself completely swept up in the narrative. The author's pacing is deliberate and measured, allowing the reader to absorb the world and its complexities at their own pace.

The writing itself is also noteworthy for its beauty and evocative power. The author has a remarkable ability to evoke mood and atmosphere through language alone, creating a richly textured and immersive reading experience that draws the reader in and refuses to let go.

**Conclusion**

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by this novel, which sets a new standard for fantasy literature in terms of world building, diversity, character development, and pacing. While it may take some time to get accustomed to its unique style and approach, I believe that it is well worth the effort.

If you're looking for a compelling, immersive, and deeply satisfying read that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, then this novel is definitely worth checking out. With its diverse cast of characters, nuanced exploration of complex themes, and beautifully written prose, I believe that it has something to offer every kind of reader.

**Rating**

I gave this novel 4 out of 5 stars, with the only deduction being for the slightly slower pacing in the early going. However, I firmly believe that this is a minor quibble, and that the book's many strengths far outweigh its few weaknesses.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys it's Sam and this is my spoiler free review of The Fifth Season by enk gemson this is the first book in the broken Earth Trilogy which is an adult fantasy Trilogy that takes place in a world that is constantly having kind of apocalypses for lack of a better term the world almost kind of ends and goes into Seasons every so often sometimes hundreds of years sometimes thousands of years between sometimes they longer Seasons sometimes are shorter but they are catastrophic events where most of the population is wiped out and this book really focuses around the fact that there's a largely oppressed group in society which are the magic users in the society and the magic here is this kind of Earth Magic where the magic users can kind of control things about the Earth and it's a little more like complex kind of but it's kind of they can control seismic waves and earthquakes and all of this stuff is kind of wrapped into their magic but they are the oppressed group in this entire nation continent culture and at the very beginning of the book one of these SE season kind of takes off a catastrophic event happens and this might be the final of the seasons because this is a world ending for real season and everything kind of takes off from there this is a book that I'm mean to read for a very long time I have heard nothing but amazing things about it and actually the second book in the series The abis gate is nominated for the book tube sff Awards if you haven't heard me talking about that previously I will link my video up here but I want to get to this one definitely because the readal for that one is coming up later on in the year and I wanted to see what all the fusses about finally finally finally and here we are first off let me talk about the World building this is one of those books that really throws you in deep and expects you to swim from the get-go so it's a little hard to kind of get into everything is a little bit confusing you're not really sure what's going on the magic system isn't one that even quite yet I fully understand it's definitely more of an abstract magic system it has rules but it feels very different and it almost has this like visual quality to it because when the people use magic it you kind of follow them and it's like an outof Body Experience so it's very different from other magic systems that I've experienced in the past it's hard to kind of wrap your mind around the rules of the magic or even some of the terms that are used there's a giant glossery in the back of this book which helps with some of the terminology but just the terms that are used are new and the historical events that are like referenced and stuff you don't get a ton of explanation because the characters that you're following are characters that are familiar with the world so it's not as though they're getting things explained to them they already know what's going on and they're not going to stop to explain to the reader what's happening you know which I'm okay with those kind of World building techniques and stuff it definitely makes the world feel like it exists outside of this story and that you've just been thrown into it and I really like worlds like that but it does take a little while to get used to so going into this if you're going to read this book expect that next I'm to talk about the characters the characters in here are ones that I grew to really really care about throughout the story there are three different perspectives that are happening the first is of a woman who at the very beginning of the story and in the synopsis I believe it talks about her child being killed and she is one of these magic users and she is going on this kind of Vengeance quest to track down her husband who she believed killed her child and to find her other child that she believed her husband took and then we have a girl who is being taken to the center of the magic users again like I said these magic users are the oppressed group so they are taken basically as slaves and it's a very if you guys are familiar with Dragon Age it's a very Templar Mage kind of system going on here and so they are taken and kind of controlled and taught you know taught things so she is experiencing that and then we have a kind of young adult girl I think she's in her mid 20s who is part of this system and has been trained and everything and she is going on a mission so we have these perspectives that we're following and I adored all of them there were some that I enjoyed more than others at times but ultimately all of them are amazing and there are so many fascinating Side characters as well one thing that enk Deon is known for is diversity within her novels so first off almost all the characters in here are people of color which is a new thing that I don't see a ton of in a lot of fantasy fantasy is getting better but fantasy is historically known for being very white and very male and this is a story that focuses around mostly women although there are male characters it's mostly women in this story and mostly people of color also we have some side characters who are transgender we have a number of different characters that fall in the lgbtq plus spectrum and we do have some polyamorous relationships and all these things are handled really well in my opinion they aren't thrown in there for any kind of tokenism or anything it just flows and it feels right and it's beautiful cuz like I said the poly relationship in here gives me feelings also the character development we get to see with these characters throughout the story is amazing watching things unfold for them and by the end is the like the character art they're so good like oh my gosh I'm so I'm so so so so so ready for the second book lastly I'm going talk about the plot like I said in the beginning with the World building you do get kind of just thrown in you're not really sure what's happening and it took me I think until about 270 pages in or so to really start connecting the story get with the flow the writing is gorgeous the flow and the pacing of that is just beautiful but again it just took me a while to really get connected to the characters and the story and what exactly was happening and how everything kind of connected and stuff which was good and I understand why it was done that way and then by the end you really do get a payoff but I think the beginning does kind of lack a little bit and it just takes you a little bit longer to get attached to it this book does lay a really good foundation so again it's one of those foundational first books that I sometimes mention the second half of the book isn't quite as foundational but like I said that first half is really trying to get you familiar with what's going on and there's so many different elements going on there's so many different like magical things happening and magical beings almost that are just is very unique to this particular story and I really highly enjoyed it again the ending is spectacular and really sets the ground work for the rest of the series and I'm very excited to see what happens I mean it's basically post-apocalyptic fantasy the end of the world is happening and these characters are trying to figure out what to do about that it's awesome I gave the fifth season 4 out of five stars so comment down below let me know what you thought of the fifth season thank you all for watching and I'll see all you guys soon bye byhey guys it's Sam and this is my spoiler free review of The Fifth Season by enk gemson this is the first book in the broken Earth Trilogy which is an adult fantasy Trilogy that takes place in a world that is constantly having kind of apocalypses for lack of a better term the world almost kind of ends and goes into Seasons every so often sometimes hundreds of years sometimes thousands of years between sometimes they longer Seasons sometimes are shorter but they are catastrophic events where most of the population is wiped out and this book really focuses around the fact that there's a largely oppressed group in society which are the magic users in the society and the magic here is this kind of Earth Magic where the magic users can kind of control things about the Earth and it's a little more like complex kind of but it's kind of they can control seismic waves and earthquakes and all of this stuff is kind of wrapped into their magic but they are the oppressed group in this entire nation continent culture and at the very beginning of the book one of these SE season kind of takes off a catastrophic event happens and this might be the final of the seasons because this is a world ending for real season and everything kind of takes off from there this is a book that I'm mean to read for a very long time I have heard nothing but amazing things about it and actually the second book in the series The abis gate is nominated for the book tube sff Awards if you haven't heard me talking about that previously I will link my video up here but I want to get to this one definitely because the readal for that one is coming up later on in the year and I wanted to see what all the fusses about finally finally finally and here we are first off let me talk about the World building this is one of those books that really throws you in deep and expects you to swim from the get-go so it's a little hard to kind of get into everything is a little bit confusing you're not really sure what's going on the magic system isn't one that even quite yet I fully understand it's definitely more of an abstract magic system it has rules but it feels very different and it almost has this like visual quality to it because when the people use magic it you kind of follow them and it's like an outof Body Experience so it's very different from other magic systems that I've experienced in the past it's hard to kind of wrap your mind around the rules of the magic or even some of the terms that are used there's a giant glossery in the back of this book which helps with some of the terminology but just the terms that are used are new and the historical events that are like referenced and stuff you don't get a ton of explanation because the characters that you're following are characters that are familiar with the world so it's not as though they're getting things explained to them they already know what's going on and they're not going to stop to explain to the reader what's happening you know which I'm okay with those kind of World building techniques and stuff it definitely makes the world feel like it exists outside of this story and that you've just been thrown into it and I really like worlds like that but it does take a little while to get used to so going into this if you're going to read this book expect that next I'm to talk about the characters the characters in here are ones that I grew to really really care about throughout the story there are three different perspectives that are happening the first is of a woman who at the very beginning of the story and in the synopsis I believe it talks about her child being killed and she is one of these magic users and she is going on this kind of Vengeance quest to track down her husband who she believed killed her child and to find her other child that she believed her husband took and then we have a girl who is being taken to the center of the magic users again like I said these magic users are the oppressed group so they are taken basically as slaves and it's a very if you guys are familiar with Dragon Age it's a very Templar Mage kind of system going on here and so they are taken and kind of controlled and taught you know taught things so she is experiencing that and then we have a kind of young adult girl I think she's in her mid 20s who is part of this system and has been trained and everything and she is going on a mission so we have these perspectives that we're following and I adored all of them there were some that I enjoyed more than others at times but ultimately all of them are amazing and there are so many fascinating Side characters as well one thing that enk Deon is known for is diversity within her novels so first off almost all the characters in here are people of color which is a new thing that I don't see a ton of in a lot of fantasy fantasy is getting better but fantasy is historically known for being very white and very male and this is a story that focuses around mostly women although there are male characters it's mostly women in this story and mostly people of color also we have some side characters who are transgender we have a number of different characters that fall in the lgbtq plus spectrum and we do have some polyamorous relationships and all these things are handled really well in my opinion they aren't thrown in there for any kind of tokenism or anything it just flows and it feels right and it's beautiful cuz like I said the poly relationship in here gives me feelings also the character development we get to see with these characters throughout the story is amazing watching things unfold for them and by the end is the like the character art they're so good like oh my gosh I'm so I'm so so so so so ready for the second book lastly I'm going talk about the plot like I said in the beginning with the World building you do get kind of just thrown in you're not really sure what's happening and it took me I think until about 270 pages in or so to really start connecting the story get with the flow the writing is gorgeous the flow and the pacing of that is just beautiful but again it just took me a while to really get connected to the characters and the story and what exactly was happening and how everything kind of connected and stuff which was good and I understand why it was done that way and then by the end you really do get a payoff but I think the beginning does kind of lack a little bit and it just takes you a little bit longer to get attached to it this book does lay a really good foundation so again it's one of those foundational first books that I sometimes mention the second half of the book isn't quite as foundational but like I said that first half is really trying to get you familiar with what's going on and there's so many different elements going on there's so many different like magical things happening and magical beings almost that are just is very unique to this particular story and I really highly enjoyed it again the ending is spectacular and really sets the ground work for the rest of the series and I'm very excited to see what happens I mean it's basically post-apocalyptic fantasy the end of the world is happening and these characters are trying to figure out what to do about that it's awesome I gave the fifth season 4 out of five stars so comment down below let me know what you thought of the fifth season thank you all for watching and I'll see all you guys soon bye by\n"