It also didn’t have the same emotional impact that came with a single main character’s viewpoint in the Inheritance books, but that didn’t really bother me, either, since I thought this was a stronger book overall and it did still have memorable scenes.įirst of all, The Killing Moon is very different from the Inheritance books in quite a few ways. It was a little slow a couple of times, but it wasn’t really slow enough for long enough that it stands out as a flaw to me. In fact, I’m having trouble thinking of anything that I didn’t like about it. It’s a book that excels on all levels – the writing, world, characters, and story all worked for me. The Killing Moon is a fantastic book and my personal favorite I’ve read so far this year.

When Sunandi mentions some happenings that correspond with Ehiru’s experiences on the night of his Gathering that went wrong, it makes him question the reality of Gujaareh’s structure and what is going on beneath the surface. Sunandi has been investigating the circumstances of the death of her own mentor, and she is quite horrified when she uncovers the secrets he learned before his untimely death. While it does not have him questioning his faith or purpose of Gathering, it does have him questioning his abilities – at least until he is sent to kill Sunandi, a spy from neighboring Kisua. On one such night, he has an experience he has never had before that shakes him to his core – he performs a Gathering that does not go well and does not end peacefully for the corrupted merchant he was sent to kill. He does what he must in the service of Hananja for the benefit of all Gujaareh, as have those who came before him.Įhiru, the best of the Gatherers, has had to spend more of his nights gathering with the recent death of his mentor. Sometimes a Gatherer is sent to kill the corrupt and other times they are requested to bring peace to those who are suffering or dying, but a Gatherer does not question the rightness of his actions. In return, the Gatherer collects their dreamblood, which can then be used to help others, such as by healing those who are ill. Gatherers must be able to hold their own in a fight, and they must also be able to sneak into homes where they send those they have been ordered to kill to their favorite place in a dream – where they remain forever once the Gatherer has cut their ties to the waking world. To maintain this peace and order, their warrior-priests (or Gatherers) are trained to kill, both by physical and magical means. Gujaareh is a land of peace devoted to the worship of the dream goddess Hananja.

The killing moon by nk jemisin