Fantasy Book

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

Currently Reading 01-16-21

I had to bail on my last book. It was YA and not doing it for me. I didn’t like the main character. Life is too short to force myself to read a book I’m not enjoying even a little.

So now I’m reading The Awakening by Nora Roberts. Based on the blurb I’m not expecting a romance. I kind of miss her romance trilogies, but I can understand as a writer wanting to try something new. I ended up mostly liking her The Chronicles of the One series, so I’m hoping to like this one too.

As you can maybe see in the background I’m also playing Splatoon. There’s a Splatfest going on right now and I try to play those. I don’t have strong feelings on the teams this time around, but the Star shirt is cooler. So *shrug*

Clariel (Abhorsen #4) By: Garth Nix

Not the cover I had but super cool

Not the cover I had but super cool

Clariel (Abhorsen #4) By: Garth Nix

Plot:

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilp. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her – and it is herself she must question most of all.

Review:

It’s been years since I read the original Abhorsen books and I think that turned out to be a good thing. I’m normally not a fan of prequels but because it’s been so long since I was in this world it didn’t feel like a prequel. I barely remember anything from the first books and reading this one just made me want to go back and re-read them.

The book was a great cautionary tale of what happens when people shirk their duties and don’t teach children important things. The whole situation that Clariel found herself in would never have happened if so many people had done their jobs. The king shouldn’t have just given up on life. The Abhorsen should have grown a pair. Her parents should have actually taught her about her history and why certain things were done. Total disregard for the importance of their duties.

I really couldn’t help but feel sorry for Clariel. She just wanted to live in her woods and no one would let her. The ending is bittersweet and I won’t ruin it here, it goes perfectly with the endings of the previous books, though.

I’ve got a whole pile of books checked out from the library and now I’m going to have to resist re-reading the first three books in the series. I’m really looking forward to Nix’s next book and hope we don’t have to wait as long for it.

5/5