sab

A global catastrophe, a people who can control rock and lava and must hide who they are or be enslaved—or killed—and a story that starts out like fantasy, turns into the kind of science fiction where advanced technology left behind by earlier civilizations might as well be magic, and then circles back around to magic. Just as this is both science fiction and fantasy at once, the tenor of the second person POV similarly slides back and forth over the course of the series, telling two stories with a single voice.

It's brutal and incredibly engrossing, with detailed worldbuilding, interesting voices, and complex characters. The ways these people love each other is bananas.

Don't read the blurbs because they have spoilers, but do read these books one after another for maximum effect, and know that there's a glossary in the back that I only found once I was finished with the first book. It would have been helpful while I was still reading, but thanks to the excellent and immersive writing, I sussed out all the meanings on my own.

Highly recommended, though the content will be a dealbreaker for some. A child dies violently at the hands of his father on the first page, and it haunts the rest of the book, though that's only the beginning of the tragedy.

Contains: climate apocalypse; violence; child harm—including sexual abuse—and death; a literal caste system with institutionalized slavery, forced breeding, eugenics; a world where brown skin is the default; generational trauma; polyamory; transgender supporting characters; second person POV; animal harm; amputation; references to cannibalism.

( Status Updates from Goodreads )