A review by cappuccino136
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

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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