Reviews

i’m loving this series! the characters are so loveable and interesting and everyday i was so excited to hunker down and read. looking forward to the third book!

Content Warnings

libraincarnate's review

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I found this one was a bit less engaging for me than Black Sun. It took a lot more time to get into into and I didn't find myself really caring about the characters as much, even the ones I loved in the first book! Still I did enjoy the book and I'm excited for the finale.

rwatkins's review against another edition

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3.0

I liked it. Overall: 2.5/5 (12.5/25)
A character-driven tale about love, betrayal and revenge. If you like ancient Gods, blood magic, or political intrigue and conspiracy, then give this book a go. The plot does feel forced at times, which interferes with characterization, so both are weaker than in the first book in this series.

Minor Spoilers Below.

Plot: 2.5/5
Starting where the first book left off, Fevered follows in the aftermath of the predecessor's conclusion. There are a couple plotlines, including some political intrigue, coming into new powers and a romance.
The central plot involves one character developing new powers and learning to use them while gathering allies in order to retake Tova. The buildup meanders a bit. But worse, the ending to this thread was a major letdown. No payoff at all.
The political intrigue sections were okay.
The romance continues with the insta-love between Xiala and Serapio. Now that the two are separated though, the flaws with insta-love are painfully dramatic and obvious. The deeply pining over someone you barely even know stuff, I can do without.
The things that really worked for me with the plot in Book 1 (time clock, buildup to an epic clash) are gone or fumbled.
My biggest issue was that a lot of the plot feels forced. The romance, for example. Two people motivated to reconnect. But as soon as they get close, they just stop looking to go do something else instead. Same thing with the main plot. That character gives up trying to protect the city for something else. Character motivations for the entire book are just suddenly abandoned like that with flimsy explanations.

Characters: 2.5/5
Serapio was my guy in the first book, mainly because empathy/sympathy was earned at the very beginning. But there is no attempt to maintain that relatability. His struggle with darkness and humanity isn't explained well and he seems to be all over the place instead of feeling conflicted. A moment for him to reflect on what he's going through, to weigh his options, to offer any inner feelings for him at all would have gone a long way for his characterization and better understanding his inner turmoil.
Naranpa appears to get some character growth, until her plot just unravels and all her growth and motivation are stamped out. Complete letdown how she was handled at the end.
Xiala seeks out Serapio, until she decides a complete stranger is more interesting. Yet another motivation abandoned.
Frequently, plot turns felt forced and left motivations abandoned or confusing. This hurt characterization.

Setting: 2.5/5
Dreamwalking is introduced, but with little development of the new sorcery. Some new powers for Serapio and Naranpa are shown. Otherwise, there is little expansion of setting. No new places. There was a lot less of the Pre-Columbian cultural descriptors and feel as well. Maybe there is more of a focus on clothing, but nothing that stuck out. It was okay.

Style: 3/5
There is now linear storytelling, which I found a major improvement over the first book. Just my personal preference.
Some of the story meandered a bit, and the strong buildup in the first book wasn't as focused or powerful this time around.
The pacing is still quick, chapters short, and though some parts are repetitive during head swaps, it wasn't too bad.
Sentence variety felt improved upon.
There is a plot purpose for the third gender given, but I still don't understand the gender, so that criticism remains.
I've already harped on abandoned motivations under Characters, and poorly constructed/forced plot turns under Plot, so I'm not going to count them against style as well.

Themes: 2/5
Because this book seemed intent on trying to get people in certain places for the next book, I didn't really see a lot of throughlines with themes. The strongest thematic work I saw was involving personal autonomy under Godhood, through both Serapio and Naranpa. Unfortunately, this came near the end and only briefly was touched upon. Nothing bad here, just okay.

mocha_bean_coffee's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

I'm so saddened for Serapio. He honestly deserves better than to be seen as a mere weapon, a path for vengeance, a god. He's being further and forcefully stripped of his humanity; it hurts so much to witness. I have so much bitterness towards his mother and those who helped set this path for him, though I understand she too, was manipulated for their own gain.

Xiala and Serapio never reaching one another was a deep frustration of mine throughout the book. Urgently needed them to be together again, but alas, I was destined to suffer.

I am incredibly saddened by Ochi's death, too :( His entire life spent fighting for survival, enduring some of the worst atrocities imaginable and just when he manages to hope, his life is taken away. I grew fond of Naranpa in this second book. She had immense growth, but also remained with compassion. Let's hope that remains :')

I am going to be screaming and crying when Iktan finds Naranpa. Here's to hoping xe still holds enough compassion in xir heart to search for her. I don't know how xir is going to escape the clutches of Golden Eagle.

I hope my faves survive the third book, but I dunno, Roanhorse is ruthless. Why can't the high fantasy genre let my favorite characters live happily?

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