The Fifth Season by N.K.Jemisin

This is the first in the Broken Earth trilogy by fantasy writer Jemisin.  It was recently awarded the Hugo.  Jemisin has very creatively depicted an alternate world in which periodically there are 'fifth seasons' sparked by major upheavals in the Earth which spawn volcanoes, massive clouds of ash, darkness, and the death of most living things.  Humans have learned to prepare for these long seasons of upheaval by keeping great stores of food and developing strong defense systems.  Some humans, called orogenes, have developed the ability to exercise some limited control over the movement of the earth's geologic surface.  The story begins with the 'end of the earth', or really the beginning of one of these 'fifth seasons', triggered by an orogene master.  It then goes back in time to follow a young orogene, Syenite, as she is trained to control her innate aura to manipulate the Earth's surface. Syenite is sent on a mission with a master orogene, Alabaster, and in the process learns much about the history of their culture but also inadvertently triggers the destruction of a city along the coast.  This is a unique, complex story with some intriguing characters and many plot threads that come together at the end.  I look forward to book two in the series.  465 pages