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lolajh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
Such a beautiful and interesting book that had each chapter being in a different place of the world in the book and a different point of view for each character, with the point of views being shown being Xiala (a queer woman), Serapio (a blind man) Naranpa (another queer woman) and a few minor chapters from Okoa’s point of view.
Xiala was an amazing character to learn about throughout this book. A pirate captain who had to work hard to gain the respect of her peers due to her being a female captain as well as a Teek, which is a female-only race in this world. She is targeted by racism, sexism and homophobia and is very confident and accepting of all her identities. There are minor flings and attraction between her and women throughout the book, and the highlighted romance being between her and a man. Seeing a heterosexual relationship with queer characters was really interesting because of how different love is experienced compared to typical heterosexual relationships. Xiala is also so strong independent from her love interest with her own goals and ideals. Her character arc was wonderful and relatable. Loved it
Serapio’s chapters were of great interest because of how the author describes his perception of the world being blind. This is done so well that when the chapter ends and switches to a different character I am still experiencing Serapio’s blindness and get confused on why appearances of things are being described because of how immersed and realistic his blindness is conveyed. Serapio’s disability also does not in any way weaken him; he is a strong physical fighter often underestimated by his opponents and him being able to see again is never a goal of his - it’s just accepted which was lovely to see.
Then Naranpa, my beautiful underrated queer ball of sunshine. In many reviews she is described as naive, which she can come across as at some points, but I just think she is a person trying to see the best in everyone and just has a lot of bad things happen to her. I love her very much. Naranpa’s chapters were also interesting because of her assassin ex-lover Iktan who is nonbinary and goes by xe/xir pronouns that are never disrespected by the characters except forat the end where Okoa describes xir as a woman which I personally think took away a lot of xir character and I can’t really understand why the author decided to put that in Iktan is my absolute favourite character of this book. Xir character was so interesting because of how badass and talented and feared xe is and if ONLY we got an Iktan pov so I could know how xe thinks and seeing xir having a character arc with different ideals that aren’t just what Naranpa thinks xe is thinking. There were also several more nonbinary and trans characters in this book going by they/them or xe/xir. One of these characters, Powageh, explained xir identity as being a “third gender” which wasn’t my favourite wording of it as it puts a binary onto something that is literally not binary. Something like “neither man nor woman” would have been better phrasing, but gender can feel different for everyone and if “third gender” feels like the right wording for xir then to each their own. Anyway, still loved this book and the diversity of the poc and queer characters all in a fantasy and science fiction world.
Xiala was an amazing character to learn about throughout this book. A pirate captain who had to work hard to gain the respect of her peers due to her being a female captain as well as a Teek, which is a female-only race in this world. She is targeted by racism, sexism and homophobia and is very confident and accepting of all her identities. There are minor flings and attraction between her and women throughout the book, and the highlighted romance being between her and a man. Seeing a heterosexual relationship with queer characters was really interesting because of how different love is experienced compared to typical heterosexual relationships. Xiala is also so strong independent from her love interest with her own goals and ideals. Her character arc was wonderful and relatable. Loved it
Serapio’s chapters were of great interest because of how the author describes his perception of the world being blind. This is done so well that when the chapter ends and switches to a different character I am still experiencing Serapio’s blindness and get confused on why appearances of things are being described because of how immersed and realistic his blindness is conveyed. Serapio’s disability also does not in any way weaken him; he is a strong physical fighter often underestimated by his opponents and him being able to see again is never a goal of his - it’s just accepted which was lovely to see.
Then Naranpa, my beautiful underrated queer ball of sunshine. In many reviews she is described as naive, which she can come across as at some points, but I just think she is a person trying to see the best in everyone and just has a lot of bad things happen to her. I love her very much. Naranpa’s chapters were also interesting because of her assassin ex-lover Iktan who is nonbinary and goes by xe/xir pronouns that are never disrespected by the characters except for
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Transphobia
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
kodafaith's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Okay I saw this book explained that it feels like one giant prologue and that’s so true!! BUT it isn’t bad at all. This book is so strange in how it feels like almost nothing happened but you also just easily fly through and are engrossed. It does feel like the book ended right when the plot started but the characters were engrossing and interesting and the way has definitely been paved for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Racism
readinggem's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
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
tonysipsandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.5
This was a re-read for me, and I still felt mostly the same about it. I enjoyed this book, and I cannot wait for the sequel. This was a definite page turning, unputdownable book! There's adventure, mystery, betrayal, and overcoming! I cannot wait for the sequel! Black Sun was very exciting, and I hope Fevered Sun holds up! If you haven't read Black Sun, do so today!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
drinaiscold's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Biphobia, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, and Murder
catastrophic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
So much is great in this with a few big flaws. Amazing, unique magic system and world based on mesoamerican culture and mythology, it was incredibly compelling and refreshing. Huge fan of the swashbuckling bisexual pirate woman! And using neo pronouns, that was so great.
But the dialogue and emotional beats when characters were interacting were often odd and stilted, and the ending didn't land for me.
Still a great read!
But the dialogue and emotional beats when characters were interacting were often odd and stilted, and the ending didn't land for me.
Still a great read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
scam_lark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, Murder, and Alcohol