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A review by esmayrosalyne
Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
4.0
3.5 stars
Full of complicated characters, even more complicated relationships, devastating prophecies, and incredibly high stakes, Mirrored Heavens is an impressive yet very messy finale to the Between Earth and Sky series.
For me, this series unfortunately peaked in book 1, but it is a testament to Roanhorse's incredible storytelling skills that I was still absolutely glued to the page throughout the entire series. You see, some of these characters just captured my heart on the very first page, and they never let me go.
Especially Xiala will be an all-time favourite for me from now on, and I loved her journey in this finale. To be fair, I could have done without her undying obsession with Serapio, but by the end I loved how their dynamic developed and played out. And oh my boy Serapio... his entire storyline is just drenched in melancholy, and I love how Roanhorse played around with fate, divinity, and destiny through his character.
Moreover, I was completely blown away by how much I came to enjoy Balam's perspective in this story, especially with the flashbacks. Naranpa, on the other hand, felt more like an afterthought in this finale to me, which I found very unfortunate. However, we did finally get an Iktan POV, so I guess I will take that win. Xe is honestly the MVP of this series, and I still want a spin-off series about xir!
All that said, I feel like this finale just did not deliver on what was promised. There is such a sense of anticipatory dread being built up all the way through, only for it to conclude with the most anti-climax to have ever anti-climaxed. Look, I am all for subverting expectations and taking risks in storytelling, but I feel like so many of the incredibly cool concepts of this story just did not live up to their potential in the end. All the talk about the prophecy just resulted in nothing, and I honestly think the increasing romantic elements of the story started to negatively impact the other aspects of this story.
Though, I do still absolutely adore this world, and I am incredibly grateful that such a diverse and refreshing fantasy story exists. Ultimately, I think the series is well worth the read, but be aware that you are going to be in for a messy and wild ride!
Full of complicated characters, even more complicated relationships, devastating prophecies, and incredibly high stakes, Mirrored Heavens is an impressive yet very messy finale to the Between Earth and Sky series.
For me, this series unfortunately peaked in book 1, but it is a testament to Roanhorse's incredible storytelling skills that I was still absolutely glued to the page throughout the entire series. You see, some of these characters just captured my heart on the very first page, and they never let me go.
Especially Xiala will be an all-time favourite for me from now on, and I loved her journey in this finale. To be fair, I could have done without her undying obsession with Serapio, but by the end I loved how their dynamic developed and played out. And oh my boy Serapio... his entire storyline is just drenched in melancholy, and I love how Roanhorse played around with fate, divinity, and destiny through his character.
Moreover, I was completely blown away by how much I came to enjoy Balam's perspective in this story, especially with the flashbacks. Naranpa, on the other hand, felt more like an afterthought in this finale to me, which I found very unfortunate. However, we did finally get an Iktan POV, so I guess I will take that win. Xe is honestly the MVP of this series, and I still want a spin-off series about xir!
All that said, I feel like this finale just did not deliver on what was promised. There is such a sense of anticipatory dread being built up all the way through, only for it to conclude with the most anti-climax to have ever anti-climaxed. Look, I am all for subverting expectations and taking risks in storytelling, but I feel like so many of the incredibly cool concepts of this story just did not live up to their potential in the end. All the talk about the prophecy just resulted in nothing, and I honestly think the increasing romantic elements of the story started to negatively impact the other aspects of this story.
Though, I do still absolutely adore this world, and I am incredibly grateful that such a diverse and refreshing fantasy story exists. Ultimately, I think the series is well worth the read, but be aware that you are going to be in for a messy and wild ride!