Jemisin's also an incredibly skilful writer and while the decision to set the book in this kind of world rather than one influenced by the more usual European culture does, as I mentioned above, make it slightly harder to get into, it also means it really stands out from most books in this genre.
I have to be honest and say that the struggle I had at the start I had at the start means I can't quite recommend it as highly as her earlier works - but this is still well worth checking out for fans of fantasy looking for something unique, and now that I've been drawn into this world, I'm eagerly anticipating [[The Shadowed Sun: Dreamblood: Book 2 by N K Jemisin|book 2]].
If you want epic fantasy, you really shouldn't miss the wonderful The Dagger and The Coin series, which starts with [[The Dagger and Coin: The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham]]