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nicnevin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found the book very interesting but some bits more interesting than others. Xiala and Serapio were my favourites tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
llyfrauginger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Genocide, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
chrisandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What an absolutely wild ride this book was!
It started out with one of the craziest prologues I've ever read in my life. A little gruesome and definitely gave me the ick right off the bat, but also completely hooked me. The drama! The mystery! The horror! I absolutely had to know what came next.
The cast of characters was all over the place, in the best way possible. If you're looking for a wonderfully diverse cast, you're certainly going to get it with Black Sun. I'm not only speaking of sexuality and race, however. The personalities of these characters were so wide-ranging and totally blew me away. One moment I was positive that I had a favorite character and a least favorite character, then suddenly, my mind was changed entirely! I will say, however, that by the end of the book, I think Xiala and Serapio still take the top spots for favorite characters - for no reason other than the fact that they just fascinated me so much.
This story is filled with such incredible storytelling. There are characters that are convinced they can turn themselves to gods, characters that are fantastical creatures, and characters that can communicate with animals. While the world-building is similar to most adult fantasy novels (a bit slower-paced towards the beginning and picking up during the second half of the book), the characters keep you glued to the pages, dying to know what's going to happen. I wouldn't necessarily say that any of these characters had major growth during this particular book, but the way they were written made you want to see how their story progresses.
I did get slightly confused by the number of POVs and timelines throughout the book, which is the primary reason why this one didn't get a full 5 stars from me. But, if you don't mind new POVs being added halfway through or the timelines switching every other chapter, you'll be just fine! That's 100% a personal thing for me.
Overall, I can't recommend this enough. There are a few pretty gory moments, but nothing that lasts so long as to really bother (and I'm an incredibly sensitive reader). It's certainly unlike any other fantasy I've ever read and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
It started out with one of the craziest prologues I've ever read in my life. A little gruesome and definitely gave me the ick right off the bat, but also completely hooked me. The drama! The mystery! The horror! I absolutely had to know what came next.
The cast of characters was all over the place, in the best way possible. If you're looking for a wonderfully diverse cast, you're certainly going to get it with Black Sun. I'm not only speaking of sexuality and race, however. The personalities of these characters were so wide-ranging and totally blew me away. One moment I was positive that I had a favorite character and a least favorite character, then suddenly, my mind was changed entirely! I will say, however, that by the end of the book, I think Xiala and Serapio still take the top spots for favorite characters - for no reason other than the fact that they just fascinated me so much.
This story is filled with such incredible storytelling. There are characters that are convinced they can turn themselves to gods, characters that are fantastical creatures, and characters that can communicate with animals. While the world-building is similar to most adult fantasy novels (a bit slower-paced towards the beginning and picking up during the second half of the book), the characters keep you glued to the pages, dying to know what's going to happen. I wouldn't necessarily say that any of these characters had major growth during this particular book, but the way they were written made you want to see how their story progresses.
I did get slightly confused by the number of POVs and timelines throughout the book, which is the primary reason why this one didn't get a full 5 stars from me. But, if you don't mind new POVs being added halfway through or the timelines switching every other chapter, you'll be just fine! That's 100% a personal thing for me.
Overall, I can't recommend this enough. There are a few pretty gory moments, but nothing that lasts so long as to really bother (and I'm an incredibly sensitive reader). It's certainly unlike any other fantasy I've ever read and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
readingelli's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
andy55's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5 ⭐ CW: violence, scarification, child abuse, suicide, murder, descriptions of blood and gore
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is the first novel in the Between Earth and Sky series. This is a secondary fantasy world based on pre-Columbian Americas, so I got a refreshing departure from the typical European epic/heroes journey.
We follow different POVs throughout the book that give us different insight into the greater whole of the story. We follow Serapio, destined to be the Crow god reborn and is blind; Xiala, a Teek woman sailor tasked with getting Serapio where he needs to go in time for the winter solstice/solar eclipse; Naranpa, the Sun Priest who doesn't fit in and wants to reform the priesthood; Okoa, a son of Carrion Crow clan who has learned the art of war; and Zataya a Dry Earth Witch.
I absolutely loved the world building in this! Rhoanhorse finally shows us what a sophisticated society before colonialism could have looked like. This world was so vibrant and varied and so different from other fantasy stories. It reminds of some of the African I spired fantasy worlds that didn't focus on colonialism. The characters were all so different and not what you'd expect for a heroes journey type of story. Xiala is my favorite so far. A bisexual woman who has the ability to Sing the Sea to calm and control a man's heart. Sign me up for that siren song. I also loved her relationship with Serapio. This was not a romance heavy book, but I appreciated their connection as it grew over time.
We get some amazing rep in this book! For starters, Serapio is blind and the most capable person in the book. Rhoanhorse took such care with her representation. This is also a world that recognizes a third gender, and we get a couple of characters using neopronouns such as xe/xir. There is also mention of trans people being a normal part of the world.
This book landed on a nasty cliffhanger! I feel like so much happened, but I still have so much to learn. I feel like I could read an entire book just about Xiala. Rhoanhorse gives us themes around opposites and duality such as light/dark, sky/earth, good/evil. She also subverts the idea of Serapio being a villain. I don't know that I would even label him as an antagonist. Imma need that second book now. If you have read this, please feel free to DM me, I need to discuss (read: scream).
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is the first novel in the Between Earth and Sky series. This is a secondary fantasy world based on pre-Columbian Americas, so I got a refreshing departure from the typical European epic/heroes journey.
We follow different POVs throughout the book that give us different insight into the greater whole of the story. We follow Serapio, destined to be the Crow god reborn and is blind; Xiala, a Teek woman sailor tasked with getting Serapio where he needs to go in time for the winter solstice/solar eclipse; Naranpa, the Sun Priest who doesn't fit in and wants to reform the priesthood; Okoa, a son of Carrion Crow clan who has learned the art of war; and Zataya a Dry Earth Witch.
I absolutely loved the world building in this! Rhoanhorse finally shows us what a sophisticated society before colonialism could have looked like. This world was so vibrant and varied and so different from other fantasy stories. It reminds of some of the African I spired fantasy worlds that didn't focus on colonialism. The characters were all so different and not what you'd expect for a heroes journey type of story. Xiala is my favorite so far. A bisexual woman who has the ability to Sing the Sea to calm and control a man's heart. Sign me up for that siren song. I also loved her relationship with Serapio. This was not a romance heavy book, but I appreciated their connection as it grew over time.
We get some amazing rep in this book! For starters, Serapio is blind and the most capable person in the book. Rhoanhorse took such care with her representation. This is also a world that recognizes a third gender, and we get a couple of characters using neopronouns such as xe/xir. There is also mention of trans people being a normal part of the world.
This book landed on a nasty cliffhanger! I feel like so much happened, but I still have so much to learn. I feel like I could read an entire book just about Xiala. Rhoanhorse gives us themes around opposites and duality such as light/dark, sky/earth, good/evil. She also subverts the idea of Serapio being a villain. I don't know that I would even label him as an antagonist. Imma need that second book now. If you have read this, please feel free to DM me, I need to discuss (read: scream).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
itendswithe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
[-0.25 star for a cliffhanger first book. I feel strongly that first books in series should be able to stand on their own].
A dark fantasy set in a pre-Columbus America that hooked me within the first few pages.
Four character perspectives (and in the audiobook, by 4 narrators) converging together in a battle between the old crow god and the new sun god. This book has magic, adventure, and a dose of blood - it's one of the best books I've read so far this year.
Covers some heavy topics, so check out the content warnings.
I would recommend if you like: diverse fantasy stories, characters with some edges, queer rep, and old magic.
A dark fantasy set in a pre-Columbus America that hooked me within the first few pages.
Four character perspectives (and in the audiobook, by 4 narrators) converging together in a battle between the old crow god and the new sun god. This book has magic, adventure, and a dose of blood - it's one of the best books I've read so far this year.
Covers some heavy topics, so check out the content warnings.
I would recommend if you like: diverse fantasy stories, characters with some edges, queer rep, and old magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
romiress's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A whole star taken off for that awful ending. I absolutely hate books that just stop, leaving me feeling frustrated and wondering where the next bit is going to be. My feelings are frankly a bit muddled about this book - it feels almost... generic? Tropey? Just with an added layer of something unique on top. I guess I just feel meh, completely uninvested in what I was reading. I think I'd describe it as a generic fantasy story, reskinned
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Transphobia