Agreed on all of this! L'Alchimista was the first thing of Jemisin's I ever read, I think, and I have a deep affection for it.

I feel like the style of "City Born Great" probably can't be extended over a whole novel - it depended too much on (effectively) creating that sensation of rush and press, which even thrillers don't sustain! I'm interested to see where she goes with it.