Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Black Sun

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

54 reviews

annabend's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.0

I'm in love with the world Rebecca Roanhorse has created. Not only is it great to see an epic fantasy series inspired by pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas, but all of its unique details are also lushly written. From the different clothes and food to the different beliefs and social structures, there is so much to see here. I love how non-European the world is, but also how lovingly this world was created. I wanted to be dropped in the middle of these cities and explore them once the story itself was over. Some of the characters, like Xiala and Scerapio, were much more interesting to me than others, but I also think there's more to see with Naranpa and others next time around. A great read!

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bsteve24's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There's so much to love in this book. I love the worldbuilding, with all its varied cities and cultures inspired by the Pre-Columbian Americas, its tangled web of political intrigues, its rich mythologies of magic and warring gods.

I love the way the author organically weaves in queer identities. There are several nonbinary and trans characters. This my first time reading a book where the author employs Xe/Xir pronouns, and she does so smoothly and without fanfare - there is no explanation needed because its an accepted and understood part of society within the book.

I enjoyed each of the 4 main character POVs. Typically, when reading novels with switching POVs, I find some more captivating than others and will end up skimming the ones I'm less interested in so that I can get back to the storylines I care more about. It wasn't until I neared the last chapter that I realized I never had that issue with Black Sun.

Why was this not a 5 star book for me, then? Well the plotting was very straight forward. The entire novel builds toward an inevitable conclusion - the showdown during the solar eclipse. Each chapter moves the various characters toward that destination, but then the climactic chapters fizzled and were very rushed. Ultimately, it felt like this entire novel was just setting the scene for the aftermath that will be explored in the sequel.

I definitely plan on reading the sequel because it's exactly the aftermath from the solar eclipse that I'm hooked on seeing unfold. I want to explore more of the world that the author has created (and I'm crossing my fingers for more Xiala and a deeper dive into Teek society).

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bookwormkarou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.5

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maddiebusick's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really loved the world the author built. I found myself liking the "villain" better than many of the other main characters who I didn't connect with very much. The ending is a cliffhanger, I'm intrigued to see if the author will come out with a sequel anytime soon. If not a bit of a disappointing ending.

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acascadeofbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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karingforbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The writing is blunt, fast moving, and eloquent. She’s clear about the timeline which is always a huge plus. The world building is extensive and I loved seeing how everything worked together. Even so, there’s so much left to learn about this world and I am looking forward to continuing the series to learn more. The characters are diverse and fascinating and constantly learning about themselves. The politics and effects on the characters are brilliant. Just brilliant book, overall.

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