Black Sun

Fevered Star

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2)

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Blurb:

There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek saying

The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

And for Serapio and Naranpa, both now living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in the face of destiny rages. How will Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who desire only his power? Is there a future for Naranpa in a transformed Tova without her total destruction?

Review:

I read Black Sun last year because I loved the cover, and it came highly recommended. I loved it, however, it ended on a massive cliffhanger. I had not expected that and was annoyed, but did I wait until the third book in the trilogy was out before reading the second? No. I did not.

Fevered Star is as good as Black Sun (though I prefer Black Sun’s cover). You’re following the same characters, most of whom I actually like, and all I find interesting. I have hope that the romance will still have a happy ending, but I’m not one hundred percent because people have died in the story.

The world is interesting, but I am so glad there are maps included because several times I found myself looking at them and I almost never do that. I was annoyed that I couldn’t see all of the map because of how the library processes their books. I was also very grateful for the character list at the beginning on the book for the same reason. Lots of people and most of the time they aren’t overlapping so they each have their own cast.

There is, of course, no resolution at the end of this book. It’s a trilogy, I believe, so Fevered Star spent a lot of time setting things in motion. However, I didn’t feel like I was left reeling like I was at the end of Black Sun. All in all, I’m excited to see the conclusion to the series and I hope it’s not too long of a wait.

5/5

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Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1)

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1)

By:

Rebecca Roanhorse

Blurb:

The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

Review:

Reading over the blurb for Black Sun, I’m not sure why I added it to my to-read list. It’s a good blurb, but not what I usually read. It’s got a great cover, and it was on a ton of must-read lists, so maybe that was why.

I liked the characters that were followed in Black Sun. There were four, and they were each unique and complex, but they were good. I like books where I don’t hate the main characters. They were flawed and trying to work in a system that was fighting against them, but they kept on fighting.

The world created was also interesting. It was new and different. I’m still unclear on many things, but I’m hoping it’s answered in the following books.

The only thing I found frustrating was the ending. It was a major cliffhanger. I wish that I’d known that going in because the next book doesn’t come out until 2022, and that’s a long time to wait after such an ending. It would have been nice to wait until the second book was finished before starting the series.

Oh well. I enjoyed Black Sun, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, whenever that comes out.

4/5