Black Sun (1) (Between Earth and Sky)

I discovered Rebecca Roanhorse through her middle grades novel Race to the Sun, which I loved. So, when I spotted this book which also highlights Indigenous Pre-Columbian peoples, I snagged a copy. Having finished listening to it, I have now decided that if Rebecca Roanhorse writes a book, I will read said book. I think you should join me in that, but since you probably won't just take my word for it, let me tell you why.The book follows four main characters, though two of them definitely outshine the other two. I think the lesser two will get more time in the next book, though, which should help balance out the characters. As the book starts, we learn about a prophecy that is poised to come to fruition as there is going to be a solar eclipse on the same day as the winter solstice. According to the Sun Priest, this event will cause an imbalance in the world.The four characters who all play major roles in this prophecy are Serapio, a blind man who describes himself as a vessel, Xiala, the captain of the ship charged with transporting Serapio to Tova for the festival to be held on the solstice who also happens to be a mermaid, Naranpa, a sun priestess who is struggling to stay alive while others attempt to see her dead, and Okoa, who recently lost his mother and is accused of killing the Sun Priest.Throughout the book, there is a steady increase in the tension brought about by the events, which was really nice. Still, even with the tension steadily increasing, I was not ready for that ending. I don't know how anyone could be ready for that ending. It was just *chef's kiss*. I loved the complexity of this story and this world. There was so much intrigue, with plotting, back-stabbing - sometimes it was front-stabbing with no subterfuge - and danger that added to the story, I frequently found myself listening to various parts again - either because I couldn't believe I'd heard it right and wanted to hear it again to make sure or because it was so good that it deserved to be listened to more than once.I have already added the sequel to my TBR, again because I will now read anything written by Rebecca Roanhorse, but also because I HAVE to know what happens next. For those of you who also listen to audiobooks, this book was narrated by Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett. Though I don't often listen to books with more than two narrators because I think too many narrators can lead to the book getting lost in the mess of all the narrators, I thought this book was very well done. Though there were four narrators, at no point did those narrators get in the way of the story. As such, given the opportunity, I will listen to Fevered Star as well.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley, I did receive a eARC in August 2020. I have between that time and now also purchased it in Kindle edition, still I apologize for the lateness of my review.I did not plan to have read & reviewed so close to Fevered Star's April 2022 release rather than in 2020. I have to say these past two years of the pandemic I have worked in healthcare and now find I have little patience or taste for violence or death in books. So much so I had recently become frustrated with myself and my rate of eARC tbr reading seemingly piling up with no results.So the opening with a mother intent on sacrifice and blooding & blinding her son was put away until I felt I could get though it chapter by chapter if it was all violence. Yet I fell in love with the characters, especially Xiala and the fates of Serapio and Naranpa enthralled me, yesterday I was at 40% -and today I am finished! It feels so good to read again!So Black Sun is a gift, I have a love of the ancient Americas that goes back to the beginning of my love of myth and it's so rarely done well or touched upon with respect or genuine kindness.I would love a whole Teek spin off series, so fascinated was I with Xiala and her people who are mothered by the sea, are lovers to the fickle wind and siblings to the creatures of the sea, who are all women and strange eyed and sometimes gilled & fish tailed.We get to know the cruel tutors who trained Serapio, who raised him to be the vessel of the Crow God, a sacrifice to vengeance, but Xiala sees him as more than a tool or a god.Naranpa, Sun Priest, was raised not as one of the four nobles of the Sky Made, but in the Coyote's Maw of the Dry Earth, with her brother Denaochi - now a slum lord. She denies all ties to the past before she became a dedicant and walks a careful line of power as Sun Priest among her fellow priests and the clan matrons. It is her life Serapio was raised to end, even though she had as little to do with the massacre of his clan as he had.Among the priests is her once lover Iktan, a knife or tsiyo, xie wants to spare Naranpa and is not bothered by using bloodshed to do so saving Naranpa from two assassination attempts. The Sun Priest is not the only one being targeted, when Crow matron Yatliza is killed, at her funeral her son Okoa the Shield of his sister who is the next matron to be, is nearly killed by Iktan.So all is to be gambled and win or lose, the world will be changed after the convergence, a eclipse of the sun, the crow swallowing the sun, or the sun reborn anew through the fires of the Sun Priest. It's a game not all want to play, but prophecy has made patol players of them all.

Roanhorse is fast becoming a favorite of mine. The world-building, lore, and political intrigue really set Black Sun apart from all other fantasy I have read and has me incredibly curious as to where the story is heading.The audio version is excellent as well and has several narrators that all help bring the characters to life.

'A god will returnWhen the earth and sky convergeUnder the black sun.'I did wonder if this was going to be my 'thing' but it was so good I don't even know where to start reviewing it! I am a bit gobsmacked!Ok, so this book follows:~ Xiala, a ships captain who can control the water with her Song,~ Nara, the Sun Priestess,~ Serapio, a man who has been told he will be a god,~ Okoa, the Crow Clan matron's son, trained warrior.Our journey with them takes us from the early part of Serapio's life, to the Tova city where Nara is, to Xiala given her next shipping route complete with cargo, to Okoa who finds himself back where he belongs.The build up was slow setting the scene, the world building exquisite and the story line absolutely perfect. I was absolutely hooked!Okoa was one of my fave characters and I really hope to see more of him in the next book!Serapio, omg loved him. His innocence, what he is learning about life, his wants. I could cry!I also found Xiala's chapters to be the most enthralling. Down to earth, never judging and just loved and got on with life!Would totally recommend this read and, if you're like me and didn't think it would be your thing, give it a go and you'll hopefully be pleasantly surprised!

Black Sun is an absolute masterpiece of fantasy writing, there is incredibly rich world building, high stakes and four main characters that feel completely vivid and real by the end of the book. This is an epic scale story, and only book one, so I can't wait to see how much further this world can go. I loved every single one of the main characters and couldn't choose a favourite: Serapio, the living vessel for the ancient Crow god, Xiala, the half mermaid captain of the ship that carries Serapio to his destiny, Naranpa, the priestess just barely holding onto her authority and Okoa, the son of the leader of the Crow clan. It isn't immediately obvious how these characters will come together, especially considering how far apart they are, but the way Rebecca Roanhorse does is wonderful. The characters throughout the book, all faced with their own challenges and issues whether it be a storm, an assassination attempt or a mutiny, are solid and sympathetic throughout. The ending was nothing like I expected, I eagerly wanted more; the sequel can't come soon enough. This is easily one of my top books of the year.

I'm normally a sci fi fan and bored at the idea of traditional fantasy. But this was well reviewed so I decided to give it a go.Wasn't disappointed at all. The characters are very well constructed, with a bit of wit and humanity thrown in. There are only two main story arcs, making it easy to follow, and holds attention due to very nice writing style. And the fantasy element isn't too heavy, certainly a long way from lord of the rings.Only distraction from a good story was the rather trendy and predictable use of a confusing third gender for one character. It adds nothing to the story, just throws in some reading difficulty (xe, xir pronoun nonsense etc) and a few woke points. Which is a shame, because other than that the character is interesting.But if you can get past that, this is a great read and highly recommended. Looking forward to the sequel.

Am I the only reader who put the book away after 50 odd pages, exacerbated by the slow prose constantly peppered with “Lords of Cuecola, city of Tova, Teeks, Tovasheh, Carrion Criws, Obregi, 45 characters in 5 clans or cities or whatever...yes I counted them and fortunately they are listed in the front of the book. Title recommended by Ken Liu was the reason I ordered it, bu Mr Liu is a far better writer

An excellently written Epic Fantasy.I found it hard to put down this book from the opening chapter. The world building was brilliant, and I enjoyed the more Pre-Columbian Americas theme. The characters were likeable, and I enjoyed finding out more about them. I'm very interested to see where the story goes, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.