Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Black Sun

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

54 reviews

genny's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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? Yes

5.0

Re-read before I jump into the sequel! I gave this 5 stars back in 2020, and I'm giving it 5 stars again in 2022. 💘 I'm mad at myself for not taking notes both times, but I was too engrossed in the story to bother.

The first chapter is one of the best openings I've ever read. The worldbuilding is lush, immersive, and yet never confusing. I think this would be a great starting point for beginners to adult fantasy! Because we're counting down to the solstice, there's this constant heavy feeling in the background, like the characters are being pushed faster and faster towards an inevitable...Something. It makes for a great atmosphere, and I personally had no problem with the somewhat open ending. It just felt right to me. But if you hate cliffhangers, get your hands on the sequel ASAP. 😉 All of the major characters have their flaws, but IMO they're all likable and I felt invested in each POV. I absolutely love Xiala and Serapio, individually and together. They have my whole heart!!!

To summarize: Black Sun has great characters, great worldbuilding, and a great plot. This is a criminally underrated series and I can only hope it draws a bigger following as it continues.

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mikki_9's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad medium-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

I am beyond words. I love this book. LOVE.

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achingallover's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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cappuccino136's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

5.0

This is a brilliant epic fantasy world full of complicated politics based on Mesoamerican culture and mythology. The characters are complicated and there are a lot of them. This is multi-pov and a full cast of supporting characters as well. From the opening there is a countdown to The Convergence - which is a solar eclipse on the day of the winter solstice. Serapio must cross the sea get to the holy city of Tova to confront the Sun Priest, Naranpa, on that day. Xiala is the half-siren pirate captain charged to get him there to fulfill his destiny as the avatar of the crow god. The Watchers (priests) in their tower, the Sky Made clans, and the forsaken people of Coyote's Maw (a kind of ghetto) are all embroiled in their own grudges and power plays in Tova. The city is primed to erupt into chaos and violence. This is the first book of a series. So, while the players and pieces get into place for the big event, we get lots of worldbuilding and character development as they plot, prepare, and try to understand what The Convergence will bring. There is no resolution to anything in this first book. It ends seemingly mid-climax and it is not known whether several main characters will survive or not. The ultimate cliffhanger. I highly appreciate how this world feels complete, but at slightly under 500 pages there is nothing extraneous. There is no lingering too long in any scene or pointlessly detailed descriptions.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Thank you to LibroFm for the ALC of this book.
This is a fantasy of absolutely epic proportions. I loved every single bit of it. Xiala is one of my new favorite characters of all time. I was immediately hooked on her storyline and character development.

I also loved Serapio and his story. There is so much going on there, and he is such an interesting character.

The plot of this book really took me by surprise. There was so much going on, from political rivalries, to religious sects, to sirens and villains and cults and everything, but it all flowed together really well.

Roanhorse's writing is delightful and accessible. I absolutely love how well she incorporates so much world-building in without making it feel like exposition drops or overly explanatory writing.

Honestly this book was incredible and I can't wait for the sequel.

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podanotherjessi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Uhm, wow. That's it. That's the only thought in my head.

Okay, let's try to be a professional reviewer. Honestly, my only complaint for my personal taste is that the ending doesn't really resolve anything and leave open, in my opinion, far too much. This would be less of an issue if I could go straight onto the next book, obviously, but since I'll be waiting, it's more frustrating than enticing.
Beyond that, this is definitely dark, and that won't work for everyone. It never felt excessive or voyaristic; on the contrary, every harsh detail felt incredibly intentional. Even so, this means this won't be a book for everyone. Definitely look at the trigger warnings.
The characters in this were fantastic. I would die for Serapio in a heart beat, and the rest wouldn't take much more time to decide. They are complex and complicated and lovable yet hard to like. I was rooting for each of them to succeed all the while knowing it was impossible.

And... I think that's the most I can say about it coherently. This is a fantastic book, and I recommend it for anyone that can handle the darker parts.

Characters: 10
Plot: 10
Setting: 10
General appeal: 10
Writing style: 9
Originality: 10
Ending: 6

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