The Broken Kingdoms

This series is set in an invented world in which gods and their offspring walk or live among human beings, something like Greek mythology. There is something very fresh about Jemisin's approach to the genre. In this book, the narrator is a blind street artist who is only able to see magic, which she perceives as glowing light, or her own paintings. A narrator who can't see most of the action makes for a challenging portal through which to explore a strange world, but the author makes it work, playing off the tension between what Ori can't perceive and the heightened perceptions of her other senses. Also she's vulnerable, a very humble, down-to-earth person, so she also "sees" the social order of the novel from a perspective that all the more powerful characters cannot. This one is not in the least predictable. The narrator occasionally seems to be in over her head, but mostly does fine. I frequently found myself lingering over chores and even extending my gym workouts because I was so eager to hear what happened next.

I enjoyed this more than the first book of the trilogy, Looking forward to the third book!

Yes, I would. I think the story is complex enough to warrant re-reading. The world is interesting as an extension of the previous: Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.

The characters and their changes.

not to my knowledge.

No, I felt a quiet enjoyment as the story unfolded. And I appreciated the ending.