Storyline: 3/5 
 Characters: 2/5 
 Writing Style: 4/5 
 World: 3/5 
 A fantasy mythology written in modern verse. Not a studied mythology, however. Jemisin's tapestry wasn't a meticulous or a thoughtful contemporization of the classic tales of Greek gods. Instead this was a fantasy that borrowed whimsically and unpredictably from those ancient stories, drawing most heavily on sexual themes (taboo-free incest, the rejection of a stable sex/gender) and the relationship between the creator and the created. 
 I was surprised at how similar this was to another recent Hugo and Nebula award nominee (view spoiler)[ Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor (hide spoiler)]. Both were first person accounts from an older adolescent that found themselves called from the provinces to the central seat of political power. Both were largely filled with the intrigue of feudal courts, and the plots centered on the protagonist's rising status. Both were similar with their characterization of aids, servants, and enemies. Jemisin had more worldbuilding in her novel, though both mostly restricted it to the events and happenings of the central city. The author here did not develop the main character as originally and fully, however, despite spending about two-thirds of the novel on internal monologues and musings. The writing in the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was a little more adventurous though less flowing. The many different shifts in chronology kept the story varied here, but I didn't particularly enjoy reading the novel in past-tense or the repeated, "Oh, and an important event that I forgot to include in my earlier account was...." I did feel the fugue Jemisin was attempting to impart, and I very much liked that it was disjointed without being incoherent and confused instead of psychedelic (unlike most dream and dream-like sequences I've read). This first in this Inheritance series actually built up to something, unlike the book I've been comparing it to, thus the climax peaks higher and at a better spot. Comparing the two, I'd say it was a close race, but The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms edges out the other. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms also was published first. Though they were both pleasant reads they still are largely forgettable. Recommended for die-hard fantasy fans (who want to read everything in the genre), mythology geeks, and those that care more about the author's personal views than actual writings.