In N. K. Jemisin's "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms," our protagonist, Yeine, must constantly battle metaphorical, (and somewhat literal) demons from her and her mother's mysterious past while also contending against some of the most deviously plotting, conniving figures and deities of her world.
Throughout her perils, Yeine is forced to become just as cruel and ruthless as her competitors in order to learn more about her mother's past and simply to survive as she is pulled into the schemes of those around her. In this story, we see a girl with good intentions become enslaved to the whims and desires of beings much more powerful than her; possibly an analogy to the lowly position and lack of influence most civilians hold in society. Regardless of struggle, Yeine must compromise her beliefs and moral integrity in order to continue her quest; leaving behind chunks of her past self as a result. This story poses Yeine as an incredibly tragic hero, the Gods in this story, (along with many of its people) seem only to serve as hindrances or manipulators to use and throw her away once she is no longer useful.
Though the story is not totally without hope, allies arise in the form of Yeine's brother Relad and a few of the palace staff. Yeine's character and devotion pay off to these fellow minded people, who each contribute their own skills and knowledge to the situations she finds herself in. In general, the story presents a rapid advancement of conflict-reseloution scenarios, whereas Yeine is approached by a series of problems and must quickly find assistance or adapt herself in some way in order to overcome these issues; making her incredibly relatable. The problems she faces seem at first challenging, confusing, and sometimes unconquerable; much in the same light younger audiences may see their own problems to be.
I found the story to be enjoyable as a whole. Its fantasy elements tackling subjects as large scale and unknowable as enslaved gods and secret histories made for some intriguing storytelling. I'll admit that I did find some parts to not be explained in full, particularly the nature of the ruling family's absolute control over the gods; but perhaps that will be explained further in future iterations of the story. Never the less, the tale was memorable, giving some exciting twists while still having a base structure to hold the overarching plot towards. I look forward to future installments by N. K Jesmisin.
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