#black sun by rebecca roanhorse review | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

elliepassmore · 3 months

Text

Black Sun review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: epic fantasy, multiple POVs, Indigenous fantasy

There's a lot going on in this book leading to the major event at the end. We get insight into the running of a major religion and the whispers of a coup; we get glimpses of the past and present of a god; we get an extended road trip; and we get someone who recently lost his mother but still wants peace. It's somewhat hard at first to see how all the pieces lay together, but as the book progresses, it's interesting to see how each of these elements plays into the larger whole.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this one and getting to see the different cultures and people. Tova was particularly interesting and I liked that we got, essentially, a walking tour of the city. There are four different districts in the Sky Made portion of the city, and each of these has their own traditions and hierarchies. Then there's also the Earth Made people, which are generally relegated to second-class citizenship in Tova. The Maw is a cliff area where the Earth Made make their homes out and within the cliffside. I was definitely intrigued by this mazelike neighborhood, which seems like a city within its own right.

The Sky Made clans are Carrion Crow, Golden Eagle, Winged Serpent, and Water Strider, and it's from their ranks that the priests are pulled. When the book opens, its clear the current Sun Priest is attempting to bring the priesthood back to its former glory while trying to honor the horrors the group enacted decades prior. Naturally, this causes some issues, both within the priesthood and outside of it, and it was interesting to see the political machinations at play inside an important institution that was nevertheless becoming increasingly obsolete. I also liked seeing how traditionalism and relation to one's clan played a role in people's stances.

On the 'flip' side of things are Serapio, a man/god whose duty is to enact vengeance for the wrongs of the priesthood. Okoa is also on this 'flip' side as a young man whose mother recently died and who is trying to puzzle out what is going on in Tova while he's been away. Both Serapio and Okoa are Carrion Crow, the people who were targeted by the priesthood all those decades ago, but where Serapio/the god seems to think the whole priesthood must suffer, regardless of whether some are attempting to remedy the past, Okoa comes from a place of understanding the nuances of what is going on in the Tower.

In terms of characters, Serapio, Okoa, and Naranpa are all involved in the politics of Tova, even if they haven't been in Tova. Xiala is hired to transport Serapio but is otherwise uninvolved in what's about to go down in Tova. Obviously by the end of the book she's somewhat involved, but overall in this book she has little to do with the goings on in Tova, though I suspect that will change in book 2. This is a very plot-driven novel, so the characters don't undergo a ton of growth during this one, though they don't necessarily remain static either.

Xiala is a siren/mermaid sea captain. She enjoys her work, though not always the trouble that comes from crewmembers and merchants, and is also a bit of a troublemaker. I enjoyed her chapters and liked getting glimpses of her past and culture. It was interesting to see her on the sea and I enjoyed the scenes where she, the crew, and Serapio are on the water.

Serapio I was more wary of. His chapters oscillate between past and present, with the past acting as a guide to how he got to be who he is today. Knowing that he is a vessel for a god is obviously a heavy burden to bear for anyone, and it's clear that he's lonely. Serapio is determined to see his work through, but at the same time, over the course of the book, it's also clear that he wants company and to have a semi-normal life, if that's even possible.

Naranpa is the Sun Priestess in Tova and is trying to change how the priesthood runs so that it both remedies the sins of the past while also providing for the people of Tova. She gets a lot of pushback from people at different angles, and while I felt she was a bit naive and idealistic, I also felt bad for Naranpa considering the sheer number of people who oppose her. I liked getting to know her and knowing that she genuinely does want to help, and I did like knowing that she has at least some allies.

I wasn't too sure of Okoa at first, but he quickly grew on me. He's the son of the Carrion Crow leader and has been away at war college for some time now. He returns upon the death of his mother and immediately clocks that something isn't right in Tova. He and Naranpa almost have mirrored plotlines, with Naranpa trying to figure things out from the inside and Okoa trying to figure them out from the ground. I liked that they got to meet and have a tentative allyship, though I wonder if that still remains. Okoa is clearly trying to step into his role with his clan and is doing his best to protect them and his sister. I actually liked Okoa a lot and wish we saw more of him.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found the worldbuilding to be excellent. It didn't always hold my attention the way I would've liked from a 5 star read, but once the machinations in Tova really started going, I found myself more drawn in. Not sure if I'll read book 2, but we'll see how I feel about it.

#book #book review #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #booklr #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #indigenous authors #indigenous fantasy #high fantasy #multiple povs #book addict #black sun #rebecca roanhorse

1 note · View note

mad-rdr · 3 months

Text

Black Sun (Between Earth & Sky #1) - Rebecca Roanhorse

★ ★ ★ ★/5

Xiala the pirate captain bisexual joy of my heart and love of my life!! You are one of three main protagonists but you are my favorite and this is your book. Anyways. This book was good! I don’t know where I got mixed up and assumed this was an adult book instead of YA so I was a little surprised the first chapter, but not too displeased because the story made up for it! If you know anything about me so far it should be that I love me some good world building and this world is so intricate- especially the religious aspects and I can’t wait to explore it further in the next one (while I emotionally recover from that ending of course)

#hella behind on my reviews don’t mind me #2023 reads #black sun #rebecca roanhorse #young adult fiction #young adult fantasy #fiction #fantasy #young adult #ya fantasy #ya fiction #booklr #reader #books #reading #book blog #book review #books and reading

0 notes

morgan--reads · 4 months

Text

Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse

Summary: As the Sun Priest and her priesthood prepare for the winter solstice and simultaneous solar eclipse in the powerful, but divided, city of Tova, a young man with mysterious powers heads towards the city on a mission of revenge.

Quote: “It is said that crows can remember the faces of men who hurt them and do not forgive. They will carry a grudge against their tormentor until their deaths and pass on their resentment to their children. It is how they survive.”

My rating: 4.0/5.0 Goodreads: 4.20/5.0

Review: Refreshingly original world building based on the pre-Columbian Americas combined with a well-paced, many-layered plot make this an engaging read. The story successfully navigates multiple plotlines with different narrators, stretching across a large and diverse continent. A priest struggles to retain power, a young man faces his terrible destiny, a captain of a ship takes a risky job, and a warrior learns that his mother has been murdered; somehow these all come together beautifully. My one slight issue is with the narrators. They’re all very interesting but I had trouble connecting with them, perhaps because Roanhorse has a tendency to tell rather than show when it comes to emotions. This book had a satisfying arc, but it is definitely not a standalone, and I look forward to reading the sequel and seeing where the plot goes next.

#black sun #rebecca roanhorse #book review #book recommendation #fantasy

0 notes

ninsiana0 · 1 year

Text

Read BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse if you like corvids, cults, generational trauma, giant birds, gods, epics, avatars, prophesies, political intrigue, masks, boats, baths, bridges, songs, scars and solar eclipses

Note: EVEN BETTER THE 2ND TIME.

0 notes

lilareviewsbooks · 11 months

Text

Queer Normal-World in SFF Books

Here are five books where being queer is the norm, aka there is no homophobia or transphobia at all! Not all these books are fluffy though -- most of them have heavy conflicts and a bunch of shit going down, but at least no one has a problem with anyone being gay!

These are my favorite kind of books and I have so, so many recommendations, so let me know if you ever want more of these :) And I can also absolutely do only fluffy queer books, too!

The Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang

Mx. Yang's books are perfect for this type of prompt. The Genesis of Misery is their most recent, and the premise is absolutely killer. It follows Misery Nomaki (she/they), who is haunted by an apparition of an angel. While she is convinced she is mentally ill like her mother, and that her visions are a symptom, people around her seem more and more certain that she is actually some sort of messiah.

I have my issues with The Genesis of Misery, but it’s a very creative sci-fi that’s worth the read. It includes mecha, interesting depictions of religion, which permeates the entire story, and, of course, excellent queer rep. We have characters who use neo-pronouns, a polyamory situationship and most characters are queer. Not to mention, it’s written by a queer and non-binary author, which is always a plus. It’s part of an on-going series, though, so be prepared to wait a little while for the sequel!

Plus, The Locked Tomb fans might be interested to know that there’s a very cavalier-necromancer dynamic in this, and that Rebecca Roanhorse (who wrote Black Sun) described it as Joan of Arc meets Gideon The Ninth.

Yep. You wanna read it, don’t you?

(Also, if for some reason you’re like: “gee, I really wish there was a black-and-white silent movie with a killer score that touched on these same themes”, then you should probably watch The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928). It’s not explicitly gay, but it is queer in my heart. And it rocks.)

The Locked Tomb Series, starting with Gideon The Ninth, by Tasmyn Muir

Since I mentioned it, I guess I might as well include The Locked Tomb in here! This is a Tumblr favorite, and with good reason, because The Locked Tomb fucking rocks. It’s hard to pitch it to someone without ruining the whole point of the series, but the first book follows a necromancer, Harrowhark and her sworn swords-woman, her cavalier, the butch-as-hell Gideon, as they’re summoned to the First House to compete to become Lyctors, the companions of God.

Yeah, I know that’s a lot, and, to be honest, it’s probably not gonna make much sense to you at many points throughout the story, but that’s the point of The Locked Tomb - everything is confusing, and it’s about sapphics in space!

The thing about this series is they’re the most unique books you’ll ever read. Every volume has a different approach to telling its story. There’s so many mysteries and it’s almost impossible to understand all the intricacies without sitting down and doing some work. The magic system is also the wonkiest, coolest thing - it involves eating people, sometimes, y’know. And, I promise, you’ll love every single second of it. Especially because there’s absolutely no homophobia or transphobia in any of it, and almost every character is queer as fuck - especially after the second book, when gender starts getting a little funky!

Winter’s Orbit, by Everina Maxwell

I love this book so much, and so know that it comes highly, highly recommended! I have a whole five star review on it you can check out here. (Do check trigger warnings, though! You should always, but especially for this one. I didn’t and they really got me!).

Winter’s Orbit features my absolutely favorite trope - queer arranged marriage. (Nothing better - those three words and you know it’s gonna be a queer normal world, have some politics and probably be really fucking sweet.) This one is probably one of only ones out of this list where the romance is very predominant and serves as an important B plot. It’s also a standalone, but has a companion book in the same universe, called Ocean’s Echo, which rocks, too!

This one follows Jainan, a recent widower who is rushed into an arranged marriage with Prince Kiem in order to keep the alliance between their homelands intact. Together, they must navigate court intrigue I’m trying my best not to spoil and investigate Jainan’s ex-husband’s death, which might not have been an accident, after all...

In this sci-fi fantasy world, being queer is completely normal, and their system when it comes to gender is absolutely fascinating. People will wear little gender signifiers, like a wodden token for female, for instance, so that others know how to refer to them. It’s super cool to see these kind of things incorporated into the world-building, and it’s something you really only get when queer authors are behind the helm.

(Also, this was originally written online, and it was actually picked up and traditionally published! Which is so cool! Queer fics becoming traditionally published books is so rare, it’s so nice to see it actually happen!)

The Teixcalaan Series, starting with A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine

This is another one of my favorites! I read it last year and it blew me away - so much so that I’ve been itching to re-read it ever since I finished the second book.

The Teixcalaan Series is a political sci-fi duology focusing on the themes of language, empire and cultural domination through imperialism. It’s amazing, and I wrote about it in a full-length review, here, if you wanna take a look!

It follows Mahit Dzamare, from the tiny Lsel Station, who becomes the ambassador to the huge Teixcalaan Empire, whose culture she’s been in love with for ages. The problem? Something happened to the Lsel ambassador, and the Empire’s control over the Station has been growing ever bigger. To make matters worse, Mahit’s imago machine - the cerebral implant full of her predecessors memories and experiences - doesn’t seem to be working properly, leaving her with a ghost of her predecessor inside of her head...

With all the problems the Teixcalaan Empire has, it’s not homophobic or transphobic, which is a plus for us gays who want to read in peace. Mahit has a charged relationship with her cultural liason, Three Seagrass (yes, that’s her name; yes, there’s an in-world explanation; no, I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to read it and find out), not to mention all the hijinks she finds out her predecessor was up to. And none of it needs to be justified or explained at all - people are just gay, and that’s fine!

On A Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden

This graphic novel has a stunning art style, and, listen closely sapphics, absolutely no men at all. Yep. Literally there’s only women and non-binary people in this comic!

And guess what? It’s available to read for free, here. Thank you, Ms. Walden!

Here, romance is also an important plot point. On A Sunbeam follows Mia, who starts working for a crew of repair-people who rebuild broken down structures. In another timeline, we flashback to her experiences at her boarding school, and to her relationship with a new student.

What’s most unique about On A Sunbeam - apart from the fact that there are no men at all - is it’s unique version of outer space. It’s almost historical, with huge sprawling marble structures decaying, surronded by trees. The ships are shaped like huge fish. You can feel the whimsy in your bones from the colors and the art style that Ms. Walden uses, here.

This standalone is definitely worth a read. And if you like it, you should definitely check out the rest of Ms. Walden’s work - it’s all as beautiful as this is, if not more. Her The End of Summer was one of my favorite reads, last year.

That’s all I’ve got, guys, but lemme know if you want more of these - I have so many, I can definitely recommend you more! Drop me an ask if you have specifications, too - I’m always happy to do some digging :)

#booklr #book recommendations #book recs #queer books #sapphic books #lgbtq books #book review #queer sff #sff books #the locked tomb #the genesis of misery #neon yang #gideon the ninth #winters orbit #a memory called empire #teixcalaan #on a sunbeam #tillie walden

160 notes · View notes

magpiefngrl · 2 years

Text

mid-year book freak out tag

Books! Love talking about books! Thank you for tagging me @bloody-wonder :))

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2022? Although I haven't read any books that left me with my jaw on the floor yet, I was very, very thrilled with The Queen of Attolia and the sequel The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. I remember feeling pure enjoyment while reading it. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse also amazed me. I loved the characters and the worldbuilding and the plot. Finally, the romance How To Bang A Billionaire by Alexis Hall def ticked a lot of my boxes.

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2022? Like @bloody-wonder said, The Queen of Attolia was fantastic as a sequel. The first novel was a fun adventure but weirdly plotted and nothing to justify the rave reviews I've heard. And then novel 2 happens and--yes. I can see why people are crazy about this series.

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To? Alix E Harrow's The Mirror Mended. I've had mixed feelings about Harrow's books overall but I enjoyed the previous novella of this series and am hoping this one proves as good.

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2022? Husband Material by Alexis Hall. I am a huge fan of his works and can't w a i t for this one.

5. Biggest Disappointment? I DNFed The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel. Although Station Eleven is one of my fave books, I found Mandel's second novel very dull. Perhaps it was timing (too tired with work, needing something lighter etc). I'm hoping to give it another go at some point.

6. Biggest Surprise? The Atlas Six is one of those overhyped novels that I was sure would hate, but the premise and the dark academia vibes convinced me to try it anyway. To my surprise, it turned out pretty good. Great pacing, interesting characters, easy to read; it kept me engaged and turning the pages.

7. Favorite New Author? There hasn't been anyone so far that joined the hallowed ranks of Magpie's Fave Authors. But I haven't read as many books as in the past, and a fair number of them were rereads.

8. Newest Favorite Character? EUGENIDES!

9. Newest Fictional Crush? Seungho, the love interest in a Korean BL comic. He's absolutely terrible and I love him dearly.

💕Best Ships💕 Eugenides and Attolia; Xiala and Serapio from Black Sun; and Lymond/Jerott because I'm trash.

10. Book That Made You Cry? Frankincense by D. Dunnett. Technically I read 65% of the novel last year, but it was the last 35% that made me cry with heaving, inconsolable sobs so it counts.

11. Book That Made You Happy? The Attolia books. I really did like them.

12. Favorite Book Adaptation You Saw This Year? I haven't watched any adaptations of books that I've read these past 6 months. The first season of The Handmaid's Tale was incredible but haven't read the book yet so not sure it counts. Oh maybe the Miss Marple series. It was really well done.

13. Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year? I guess my review for How to Bang A Billionaire which was this:

*screaming into my pillow*

14. Most Beautiful Cover? I read exclusively ebooks so never really pay attention to covers.

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year? Ugh SO MANY. What I would love and am hoping to do is to read the rest of series that I've begun. I.e., the Billionaire novels, the rest of Lymond, the rest of the Wimsey books, the Temeraire series, and so on.

This was fun! Do you, dear reader, love books and read a lot? You're now tagged!

#books #tagged #mid year book tag

7 notes · View notes

simoneandherbooks · 2 years

Text

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse // Book Review

While this was my second time reading the book, I’m counting it as my first. I read this the year it came out (2020) and suffice it to say, the events of that year were more on my mind than reading and I don’t remember much of what I read. However, this second time around now made it one of my favorite books of 2022 and probably one of my all-time favorites as well. Here’s more about Black…

View On WordPress

#fantasy

5 notes · View notes

mollysharpharrison · 4 months

Text

2023 A Year in Review:

Skating on Ken's Lake // pickup hockey // brisk mornings

Work at Mill Creek Animal Hospital // puppy kisses and sad times

Trashion show // all the friend makeouts

Lake Powell trip- North Wash to Trachyte with Hannah, Jeff C and Mike C // mud tussocks and giggles

Bad box bleach set + teal manic panic beauty school drop out with Nara

Jerp art performance at Jeep Week with Sam N + Moab crew

Julie visits Moab in the spring - surprise Jocelyn addition // San Rafael packraft with pups on spring's first flows

Hallie visit to Comb Ridge with Ryland // quiet nights and pottery sherds

Dolores River flowing! First overnight trip with Hannah, Jeff C and extended Alpacka crew. Euro fondu pot // dogs are angels

Solo Escalante float with Sprocket dog // four days of peaceful low flow jubilation

Learning from strange crushes // rejection is sexy and toxic

Ongoing plant identification in the La Sals // superbloom!

A wonderful season of work: Hammond Canyon with Wilderness Volunteers// SUWA projects// two long bridges// Trail Mix buddies// not enough alone time// all the log outs - Luke, Jacob, Rachel and Isaac

Muddy Creek with Zoe, Maddie and Olivia // slot canyon babes

Long solo and friend gravel rides

Sold the house // feelings of loss and longing, but also relief

APA RoundUp paddle trip to California with Duncan// feeling obsolete in the packraft ww world//solo hike in Trinity Alps to granite heaven

Muumuus and Mimosas- my 6th annual?

SLC city weekend seeing Remember Sports, thrifting, and mountain biking with Maddie, Audrey and Rachel

Sold the Toyota Pickup // lost identity

Montana Red Meadow Pass bikepacking loop with Maddie and Olivia // perfect temps and champagne gravel// fill your belly of berries

Birthday backpack in the Weminuche// 15 miles in 5 days with the old furball// learn to enjoy the pace and place// anniversary photos

Julie returns to Moab for late summer! Hot hot biking//water daze

Mom and pop visit in the early fall//coworker end of season farewell bbq//beautiful mountain colors//comb ridge camping

Elk packet with Jamie and Sam H // 24 mile roundtrip with a rear quarter // humans are meant to do this

Solo trip of favorite landscape linkup // Dark Canyon -> Cataract Canyon -> Henry Mountains -> Lake Powell -> Bears Ears hike/packraft/bikepack/bikeraft linkup

San Juan packraft trip with Hannah and Jeff C + his college buddies// Han's bad back and chilly temps// good company

A quick shot to the very rainy PNW coast// surfin', soggy and splashin' with jellyfish//Julie, Will, Pete, Nara, Xander and pups

Early backcountry ice at Clark Lake! Jonny and Ian hike-in mission

RAR intro to bikepacking weekend was a smash hit// new SLC bike buddies//love the feeling of teaching and sharing knowledge

Home right before Thanksgiving, off to Costa Rica! Solo bikepack along the Nicoya Peninsula surfing all along the way.

Christmas in Detroit to the New Year

Books Read:

"Grievers" by adrienne maree brown

"Black Sun" by Rebecca Roanhorse

"The Solace of Open Spaces" by Gretel Ehrlich

"Teaching a Stone to Talk" by Annie Dillard

"Fire on the Mountain" by Terry Bisson

"Earth Apples" collection of poetry by Ed Abbey

"Children of Time" by Adrian Tchaikovsky

"Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

"Let My People Go Surfing" by Yvon Chounard

"You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People" by Aubrey Gordon

"Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer

0 notes

rosemariecawkwell · 1 year

Text

Audiobook review: Fevered Star, by Rebecca Roanhorse

Fevered Star (Between Earth and Sky #2) by Rebecca Roanhorse Narrated by Christian Barillas, Nicole Lewis, Darrell Dennis, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Cora Gee Return to The Meridian with New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s sequel to the most critically hailed epic fantasy of 2020 Black Sun—finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Lambda, and Locus awards. There are no tides more…

View On WordPress

#Book review #fantasy novel #Fevered Star #Rebecca Roanhorse

0 notes

camestrosfelapton · 1 year

Text

Review: Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

Roanhorse’s Black Sun (the first book in the Between Earth & Sky series) was an impressive fantasy with a compelling plot and a vivid and original setting. The novel had a lot of work to do establishing multiple key characters and a world intended to evoke the cultures of the pre-European colonisation Americas. What really pulled me into that book was that it became clear early on that each of…

View On WordPress

0 notes

sistahscifi · 2 years

Photo

As fellow Serapio sympathizers, we loved Terra's review and can't wait to immersive read Fevered Star (reading a physical copy while listening to an audiobook on @librofm!) Oh, and we should add that we have signed copies of Fevered Star. Link in bio: @sistahscifi | www.sistahscifi.com. Better yet, check it out from your local #library! Reposted from @terra_reads “My allies are all criminals and murderers, she thought to herself. But how is that different from the Sky Made or even the Watchers themselves? Only that the law favors one form of corruption and frowns on the other. The principles are the same.” Okay, it’s time to talk about Fevered Star. If you know anything about me at all, you know I am obsessed with Black Sun. I read it last year and could not, would not shut up about it. And still won’t. It’s at least 25% of my DNA at this point. So, needless to say, Fevered Star was my most anticipated read of this year and…I was not disappointed. This was a stunning follow up after *that ending* to Black Sun. Without giving too much away, I think Fevered Star gives us a lot of much needed context that we didn’t fully get in the first book which I really appreciated. I love that we’re really dealing with the social and political ramifications of the first book’s ending and seeing everyone’s reactions to what once seemed unthinkable. Rebecca Roanhorse knows how to write characters, you hear me? Fully fleshed out, deep, complicated folks with a wide array of representation and I love it. Also yes, I am a Serapio apologist and no, once again, I’m not taking any criticisms at this time. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with my life as I wait on the next book. Probably bully my friends into starting this series so I can at least talk about it with people. 😌✌🏾 Have you read this series and if not, please leave an MLA formatted 5 page essay as to why not, in the comments below. (Kidding…kind of.) • • • #BlackSun #FeveredStar #RebeccaRoanhorse #bookreview #SistahScifi #BlackBookstagrammer #blackownedbookstore // @rebeccaroanhorse @simonbooks (at Sistah Scifi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgwhLi4rS1T/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#library #blacksun #feveredstar #rebeccaroanhorse #bookreview #sistahscifi #blackbookstagrammer #blackownedbookstore

0 notes

jaanusbooktalk · 2 years

Text

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse - Review

10/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TWs: child abuse, self harm/mention of suicide, blood & violence, mention of child prostitution, death of a mother, discrimination based on origin, ableism

(TWs are ranked in order of severity, please take them seriously!)

I am never getting over this. This book is one I am pushing onto everyone I know and even the people I don’t - I don’t even know where to begin this review because there is so much I loved.

I guess I can start by saying that epic fantasy as a genre was almost always based in Europe when I was younger. The representation I saw was few and far between (I’m looking at you, Parvati Patil). So let me tell you something refreshing:

This is an epic fantasy and there are no white people.

Read that again^

In the world of fantasy books, especially ones as intricate as this, it’s such a beautiful thing to see. Black Sun is set in the pre-Colombian Americas - AKA before the smelly colonizers ever set foot on the continent 🍅🍅🍅

Everyone. Is. Brown. And it’s glorious.

^I’m gonna amend this to say Black & brown because of some of the character descriptions but the point stands. Glorious.

It covers switching perspectives between four main characters: Xiala, the captain of a ship destined to deliver the Crow god, Serapio, the Crow god (ish?), Naranpa, the Sun Priest, and Okoa, the son of the leader of Carrion Crow (one of the four peoples in Tova).

You will fall in love with each and every one of them. 😩😩

(Also there’s crows. Lots and lots of crows)

The summary:

A god will return

When the earth and sky converge

Under the black sun

“In the holy city of Tova three lives are converging during a solar eclipse, proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as “harmless”, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being the villain.”

Featuring a morally gray villain I love right here btw:

So on to representation:

Once again, this is not my culture so I am looking from an outside perspective - this is just what I appreciated.

Firstly, Rebecca Roanhorse is half African American, and of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo descent (though not an enrolled tribal member). I would never review a book based so deeply in Native culture if it was written by a white person (this goes for any and all books written about BIPOC culture by yt ppl - including City of Brass).

The diversity of skin tones, ethnicity, language, and dress is so beautifully done. There are many many dark skinned characters of varying shades and hair textures. These are rich empires and each has their own unique culture and traditions. The detail that Roanhorse has used to create this world is truly breathtaking.

She also did a ton of research before writing Serapio’s character - he is blind and she put in a lot of effort to make sure she avoided tropes and stereotypes (talked about in the author’s note).

In addition, the representation of queer characters is very well done - there’s those who identify with a third gender, main characters who use neopronouns (such as xe/xir), and at least one canonically trans character 🏳️‍⚧️ (mtf) in a happy and healthy relationship. Western labels aren’t used (such as pansexual, lesbian, etc) and the author conveys these orientations & more perfectly without them.

The author says in the author’s note (always read those!!) that she mixed together some of the indigenous empires in the pre-Colombian Americas to create the world of Black Sun. There is no racism & slight homophobia and sexism present, but largely it is a fictional world where people simply have more to worry about than whether their leaders are women or men or neither.

Characters coming from regions where they are unaware of a third gender etc. take it in stride and learn as they go, and I appreciated that because it shows the ability to accept others for who they are even if you don’t understand at first.

What I Liked:

I’ll admit - it normally takes me a while to catch on to the language of fantasy worlds and their structure. But Black Sun made it so easy I didn’t even notice because I was too invested in the plot.

Right off the bat I’ll say my favorite characters are Xiala and Naranpa 💫

I liked Naranpa because I related to her, since she left her home and people and culture at a young age to go serve in the tower among the privileged “Sky Made”. She was not welcomed with open arms and struggled because of her origin and because people didn’t like how high she was climbing (sucks for them, she became the Sun Priest, the highest position there😜). Naranpa also has big dreams and is trying her best to save a city (Tova) that doesn’t love her back. I honestly wish I didn’t relate to her as much as I did because my girl is not doing so great… anyways.

Xiala is a straight up baddie 🔥 and she is Teek, meaning she’s from a mysterious island no one can ever reach where only women live, rumored to be children of the Sea herself 🌊 . I adore Xiala because she doesn’t care what people think and is just trying to drink herself into an early grave but somehow ends up getting hauled into villainous plots with high stakes. She also has no preferences when it comes to gender - as long as they’re hot. Xiala has a quick wit and dirty mouth, but she’s also willing to get soft with those she trusts. I enjoyed reading her point of view chapters the most!

To avoid making this too long I’ll leave a bullet list of everything else I liked (no spoilers!):

• Consent is key 🔑 and this is respected

• Representation: gay & trans BIPOC, disability rep., dark skin rep.

• The plot is so intricate and it keeps you guessing - I had no idea how this was going to end

• The romance (only one or two relationships but my standards are infinitely higher now)

• The characters are so flawed and real that you are rooting for them even as they make terrible decisions

• Detailed writing and the prose is BEAUTIFUL

Ex. “Star pollen clung like shattered light to his wet skin in a fine sheen of silver dust.”

• Morally grey characters

^how I imagine Naranpa looks

What brought this book to a ten:

Black Sun does something that I have only found in a few fantasy novels. Not only does it give us a whole world with diverse characters from different backgrounds with gripping struggles, but it’s full of wisdom than can be applied to real life as well. I found myself learning lessons about how to interact with difficult situations in predominantly white spaces from Naranpa, who is surrounded by those who grew up more privileged than her. I learned about loving and letting go from Xiala and all the Teek sayings at the beginnings of chapters.

I came away from this book not only feeling the joy of good representation but also knowing that it has changed the way I see the world if not slightly. That is the most valuable kind of reading experience I can ask for.

Here’s some of my favorite fanart I found of the characters online!

Xiala

Naranpa

Serapio

I sincerely recommend to fans of:

Mirage by Somaiya Daud💕

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia🔑

Cemetery Boys by Aidan Thomas👻

Ana Mendieta’s works (a Cuban American artist who worked with fire and earth)🔥

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland🖤

Note: Black Sun is the first in a trilogy called Between Earth and Sky, but I feel like it can be read as a stand-alone (depending on how invested you are). The second book is called Fevered Star and I will absolutely be buying it ASAP. I can’t wait to see where it goes!

Happy reading ☀️ and remember…

#book review #bipocbookstagram #poc books #booklr #black sun #rebecca roanhorse #Native American fantasy #indigenousbooks #morally grey #diverse reads #lgbtq books #Naranpa #Xiala #Serapio #Okoa #i was bullied by my neighbor over a parking space so i unleashed a murder of crows who ‘drove him crazy’ to get revenge #everyone is BIPOC in this book and it’s the most beautiful thing ever #also the crow god has to get high to use his powers of mass destruction and I think it’s hilarious

25 notes · View notes

ace-bookdragon · 2 years

Text

Black Sun Review

“He wears his people’s pain, she thought, and it is strangely beautiful.”

My last read of 2021/first read of 2022 was Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse. It follows the characters of Xiala and Serapio as they attempt to sail to the holy city of Tova before a solar eclipse that is said to unbalance the world. After an assassination attempt Naranpa, the Sun Priest of Tova, faces the internal issues and betrayal of her priesthood.

The worldbuilding of this book was fantastic. It’s based off of the cultures of the Pre-Columbian Americas, which was wonderfully original for a fantasy book. I recently took a class on ancient Mesoamerica, and this book was really fun to read right after finishing that because I could see parts of what I’d learned being woven into the story. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, but I also have extremely high standards. I loved the casual inclusion of queer identities into the story. One of the main characters loves both men and women, and there was a pleasant surprise when I discovered a major character who uses xe/xir neopronouns. There was representation, but the characters weren’t reduced to simply being their identites. It was quite well done.

This book was a lot to read. It was long and there were almost too many characters and groups of characters to keep track of. Writing the blurb was genuinely hard because of the sheer amount of stuff in the story. All in all, I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

#black sun #rebecca roanhorse #book review #between earth and sky #cass reads #guess I’m gonna be doing actual book reviews now?

6 notes · View notes

lilareviewsbooks · 11 months

Text

May Reading Wrap Up :)

Okay, listen… It's my first month of summer vacation and I have absolutely nothing to do, so don't judge me here, but this month I read 13 books. I know, I know… I promise I've been exercising and getting out and stuff, it just happened. Having a lot of free time means a lot of reading time for me, especially since I discovered the power of audiobooks. So let's take a look at what I read and what I thought of each book!

The Shadow of Kiyoshi, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

341 pages

Contains: sapphic girlies; elemental magic (duh!!) and a sympathetic bad guy :(

I read this so early in the month, and when I was still at college, packing, so it feels like ages ago. I mostly listened to The Shadow of Kiyoshi, and, like I've mentioned before on here, listening to fiction has been a challenge. I'm not very used to it, yet, and I need to continue to acclimate to it. This book was the unfortunate victim of my poor ears – I work with audio, what am I talking about – and understanding what was going on was difficult for me. But I benefited from this being the second book in the Kiyoshi Novels series, which are companion novels to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender – and if you haven't watched that, and you're a fantasy fan, do so right now.

This one is complicated to talk about because of its relationship to the ATLA canon. However, I can say that the characters are incredibly compelling, just like they were in the first book of the series. The main romantic relationship, between Rangi and Avatar Kiyoshi, just draws you in, and their dynamic is the best! I loved it especially when Mr. Yee pulls some humor out of it.

In general, I think this lives up to the series, and does it justice. It keeps the good humor and nature of the show, without losing its attention to darker themes. Here, I think it was best represented by our "bad guy" (and I can't tell you who they are!), who I felt so much sympathy for, and who had a complicated relationship with our lead.

Highly recommend this series, especially for fans of ATLA – though I'm pretty sure you could theoretically read this without watching the show!

The Dawn of Yangchen, by F.C. Yee

4 stars

336 pages

Contains: politics (but softcore, esp. if you're a fan of those cerebral thriller types of books); a mc plagued by her past lives; romantic tension

I also listened to this, but on the plane home lmao I'm terrified of planes, so I wasn't paying that much attention as I was trying not to throw up every time it wiggled a little bit! But I enjoyed The Dawn of Yangchen. It was a calming read lmao

This one is surprisingly political, which I wasn't expecting. This is also a part of the ATLA universe, and is following a different Avatar from Kiyoshi, and it's the first in a series. So, I was expecting this one to be more or less the same as The Rise of Kiyoshi and its successor.

But I was surprised. Mr. Yee really focuses, here, on the politics of some specific towns, previously unknown in this universe, at least to my knowledge, which was such an interesting expansion. It also went into some other Avatars' lives, Yangchen's previous lives. That was super cool for me to read, because I'm literally so into ATLA, you guys have no idea.

I saw some GoodReads reviews complain that this feels more like an introduction to a bigger plot than anything else, but I honestly didn't feel like that. I think it was a pretty satisfactory story, even though the resolution didn't hit as strong for me. But I agree that it sets up the second book quite pointedly. It only made me more excited to read this next one, though! Can't wait for Mr. Yee to put it out into the world!

Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse

454 pages

3 stars

Contains: sea-related magic; a chosen one, but he's the villain? Or is he? What's going on?; discussions of religion

I've been waiting to pick up Black Sun for ages! This is the first book in the Between Earth and Sky series, which currently has two books released. We follow Serapio, a blinded devotee of an ancient crow god, who is trying to get to the holy city of Tova in time for the winter solstice – but why? On the ship carrying him is Xiala, a Teek with water magic who is curious about her mysterious passenger. In Tova itself, Naranpa serves as the Sun Priestess, a piece in the complex political-religious chess of the city.

Unfortunately, Black Sun didn't do everything I wanted it to do for me. The characters lacked something, and I wasn't drawn to them as I thought they were missing a layer of realism. I found their actions – and, consequently, the plot – very predictable. The romance, in particular, suffered from this, as I thought it wasn't well-developed and I had a tough time rooting for the will-they-won't-they to actually happen.

But the world-building blew me away! This is inspired by Pre-Invasion American cultures, and the real historical details blend seamlessly with the magic, creating a world that feels alive. The city of Tova itself is made up of multiple centers on mountains that can only be reached by bridges that travers the chasm between them. That is such a cool idea, and reminds me of the ancient cultures in my neighboring Andes! I've always wondered what it would be like to live so, so high up.

Black Sun also has one of the most fantastic first chapters I've read in fantasy. It drew me in immediately. I highly recommend just reading it by itself, even if you don't feel like reading the whole book. What a stunning beginning! The ending is also a banger – it just lost me in the middle.

I don't know yet if I'll continue with this series, but we'll see, come next month!

Into The Riverlands, by Nghi Vo

100 pages

5 stars

Contains: a non-binary cleric; a talking bird; an old woman who bosses everyone around

For this one, I wrote a standalone review! Suffice it to say, as with any of the books in this series by Ms. Vo, I loved it! The Singing Hills Cycle follows cleric Chih as they travel around their China-inspired kingdom, recording its history and stories with the help of their talking bird, who has an eidetic memory, Almost Brilliant.

The audiobook for this one is 2 hours long and it felt like watching a movie. Honestly, I'm so happy I've turned to audiobooks more, this month. This one in particular filled me with such joy – it's so nice to see a story come to life, like that, especially when it's an installment in a series all about the power of stories themselves!

I highly, highly recommend this series! Check out my short SFF books list if you'd like more info on it, or the standalone review I mentioned previously!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant & The Monster Baru Cormorant, by Seth Dickinson

399 and 464 pages

Both 5 stars

Contains: crazy gay people; politics like you wouldn't believe; lyrical writing

And now, for the most defining books of my month, I give you, The Masquerade Series, by Mr. Dickinson, starting with The Traitor Baru Cormorant and moving on to The Monster Baru Cormorant. At the time of writing, I'm currently reading the third and last book in the series, The Tyrant Baru Cormorant, at least until Mr. Dickinson graces us with the next installment.

This series follows – you guessed it – Baru Cormorant, a young girl from the island nation of Taranoke, who watches her country be colonized by the hugely powerful Masquerade Empire. After one of her fathers is killed for being queer, Baru decides to join a Masquerade school and destroy the Empire from the inside out. Soon, she is being sent to unruleable Aurdwynn, where she is to be the Imperial Accountant. And things get very, very complicated from there.

The Masquerade is not the easiest series to consume. Between the political intrigue, the complexities and interests of each character and the purple prose, it can sometimes be hard to follow. But, oh my God, if it isn't worth it! The pay-off is unbelievable, especially in the first book. I predicted what was going to happen, because it was well set-up, but it didn't matter – it crushed me into a million pieces anyway.

This is absolutely perfect for fans of The Locked Tomb and The Texicalaan Series. It's gay, it's confusing and it's political as fuck, diving deep into themes of colonization and empire. And it starts getting pretty crazy after the second book! I highly, highly recommend!

The Tea Master And The Detective, by Aliette de Bodard

93 pages

4 stars

Contains: a Sherlock Holmes retelling; sentient spaceships; tea!

Another one I listened to! This was actually my first Aliette de Bodard that I didn't DNF, which is quite a feat for someone who's into SFF novellas, as Ms. Bodard has quite a few under her belt. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this! The Tea Master and The Detective is part of the Universe of Xuya, a collection of works that imagines a future of sentient spaceships ("mindships") and a timeline in which Asia became dominant. The result is a brilliant silkpunk future full of interesting tidbits to unpack!

Here, we take a look at an investigation, as we follow consulting detective Long Chau on a case. She soon recruits the mindship The Shadow's Child into her world, and their story goes from there. It's a charming story, with interesting characters and solid dialogue. Not to mention, of course, the main event: the worldbuilding, which sucks you in and leaves you wanting more!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, by Aliette de Bodard

164 pages

4 stars

Contains: family drama; court intrigue; complicated mother-daughter relationships

So, naturally, I went after more in the Universe of Xuya, and ended up reading The Citadel of Weeping Pearls. This one revolves around the mysterious – let's say it together – Citadel of Weeping Pearls, a habitat of multiple ships founded in rebellion by a rogue princess, but that vanished, thirty years ago, with all on board. This novella follows several people who are connected to the Citadel in various ways as their lives collide on the search for it.

I actually liked this one better than I did The Tea Master and the Detective. The characters are very compelling, as this focuses very much on the relationships between these people, especially their connections to this rebellious princess. The premise is awesome, as well, and it reaches a satisfying conclusion by the end, which is impressive for a novella, I think. So many of them end up half-baked. I highly recommend this one, and the audiobook is quite nice, as it has different narrators for each POV!

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

106 pages

5 stars

Contains: vibes. Just the creepiest vibes.; science-horror? Body-horror?; a mermaid!!

This is another novella! I've written about it before, in my gay mermaids post, but it doesn't hurt to reinforce my points.

I don't even know how to explain this one – it has a plot, and it's great, but the important part of this novella is definitely its pure, creepy-as-fuck vibes. It’s a twist on The Little Mermaid that follows a siren and a plague doctor, the only survivors of a destroyed kingdom, as they go on the run, and the creepy things they find along the way.

The prose, here, is very much purple, but, honestly, it creates this incredible atmosphere that draws you in and does not let you go. I was originally going to only read a couple of pages to see what this was about, but I was absolutely blown away by The Salt Grows Heavy and couldn't put it down! If you're a fan of vibes-only books (such as Erin Morgestein's Starless Sea and The Night Circus), this is definitely for you!

Clementine, by Tillie Walden

259 pages

3 stars

Contains: an apocalyptic setting; disability rep!!; a real nice Amish guy with a horse

My next read was Clementine, Volume 1 by Tillie Walden, a graphic-novelist whom I adore! You probably know her from her (rightfully so) popular book On A Sunbeam. This one takes place in the world of The Walking Dead (but I read it very well without knowing anything about this universe), and follows young Clementine and the people she meets on the road.

Ms. Walden manages to build very nice characters here. They're all very compelling and I appreciated spending time with them. But their arcs and the plot itself felt rushed. I feel like the graphic novel could've used a couple more pages to really flesh those things out. In direct contrast, I thought the world building was well-done and Ms. Walden managed to communicate a lot about this universe in just a couple of panels. In conclusion, this isn't the best Tillie Walden – that would be The End of Summer – but I'd recommend it, especially if you're needing some post-apocalyptic flavor in your life after finishing The Last of Us.

Senlin Ascends, by Josiah Bancroft

3 stars

448 pages

Contains: a shy nerd; a tower full of crazy things; steampunk! Let’s go steampunk!

I feel like I've talked everyone's ear off about this one – I was too disappointed not to. Senlin Ascends follows the introverted Thomas Senlin as he takes his new wife Marya to see the Tower of Babel, a big-ass tower that he considers to be humanity's big feat. Not long after arriving though, Thomas and Marya lose each other in the crowd, and the book follows Thomas' attempts to reunite himself with her.

What disappointed me very much about this was the decisions Mr. Bancroft made on the subject of the romance – Marya was Thomas' student when she was a child, and their first kiss and beginning of their "courtship" took place when Thomas dropped her off at college. I thought that was wildly unnecessary and inappropriate, and wrote about it (at length) here.

Apart from that, Senlin Ascends is a fun read, with memorable, quirky characters and interesting world building. But it's hard to ignore a romance like that, especially considering that it's what the entire story hinges on.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell

309 pages

5 stars

And, for the first time in ages, I read something not-SFF! That's right – I listened to this non-fiction read on the bus and at home while I made origami (I'm obsessed with making origami) and ended up finishing it quite fast! Here, Ms. Montell explores different facets of human life that can be "cultish", with a particular focus on language.

I thought this read was super interesting, especially because I love learning about languages! The section on glossolalia (speaking in tongues, more popularly) was particularly interesting! I did find it a bit repetitive at its points, sometimes, and I wish it could have trusted the reader to remember the main argument, instead of reiterating it.

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older

169 pages

5 stars

Contains: a second-chance sapphic romance; a mystery; humans living on Jupiter

Another sci-fi mystery, but this one was a bit cozier – and a new release, it just came out in March! I had a lot of fun with The Mimicking of Known Successes. It follows Pleiti, a scholar at Valdegeld University, and Mossa, her detective ex-girlfriend who needs help with a case she's on. Pleiti and Mossa are sucked into this mystery and work together to solve it, but this story's main take-away definitely relates to the relationship between the two, as it begins to evolve during their time together.

I listened to the audiobook for this and had such a delightful time. The language is very vivid and definitely brings the environment to life, which only made it cozier, for me. It can be quite funny at times, and I found myself laughing aloud to the quips. I also very much enjoyed the main relationship. It definitely reminded me of my days in the trenches in the BBC Sherlock fandom, as the characters have a similar dynamic, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this for fans of the show. The mystery itself wasn't a stunner or my main focus at all, but it surprised me in the end, when it ended up leading to some pretty cool reflections about humanity's relationship to Earth.

That's all I read in the month of May! I'm excited for next month and also to keep posting on here whenever inspiration strikes and I have something to recommend :) Please don't hesistate to drop me an ask if you'd like a recommendation, in case you've noticed our tastes align!

8 notes · View notes