spikehype's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a little torn on the rating because the characters and the topic are amazing. The story is truly original. However, this book was way too long. The first half of the book was SLOW. The second half was better but it was really only the last 50 pages where I truly enjoyed the writing. Part of me wants to see how the character story lines play out in the 2nd book but the other part of me has better books to read. This was not a "can't put it down" book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
that_boi_eliza's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Suicide, Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Moderate: Trafficking, Classism, Misogyny, Rape, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Drug use, and Death
Minor: Ableism and Confinement
chatongriffes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
ajp_reads1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
matcha_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
I'm a huge fan of non-European/Western fantasies because it opens a whole new world of belief systems, values, and understanding of the world. Black Sun did not disappoint!
It's a very immersive experience filled with lush descriptions and supernatural mystique. It's more character focused which allows us to learn about the world, conflicts, and sources of power through their eyes. Loved that the book doesn't focus on the distinction between good vs. evil or traditional notions of morality. I also appreciated the reversal of gender roles and the normalcy of queerness (Xe/Xir pronoun is used).
There's uneven pacing at times but it felt intentional, like representational of the setting. I wasn't expecting romance so that threw me off a little bit. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am excited for this series!
It's a very immersive experience filled with lush descriptions and supernatural mystique. It's more character focused which allows us to learn about the world, conflicts, and sources of power through their eyes. Loved that the book doesn't focus on the distinction between good vs. evil or traditional notions of morality. I also appreciated the reversal of gender roles and the normalcy of queerness (Xe/Xir pronoun is used).
There's uneven pacing at times but it felt intentional, like representational of the setting. I wasn't expecting romance so that threw me off a little bit. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am excited for this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Violence, and Murder
samseyz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book was so unique and I really was hooked on the last half. I initially was intimidated looking at the contents page and seeing all the different POVs but I thought it was actually pretty easy to follow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Murder, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Animal death
Minor: Kidnapping
missmali's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide
rkfmiller's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Body horror, Death of parent, Violence, and Gore
siandee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Violence
barda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was a broadly enjoyable book, though with some issues with pacing and characterisation, and a very slow start.
I loved the indigenous Americas-inspired setting, and the worldbuilding was fascinating. It offered up enough hints to form a relatively complete picture of the world, but holds back when it needs to to build up a sense of mystery. In particular I loved the Carrion Crows and how their culture and religion was portrayed, I really hope that the giant crows and the people that ride them are put more into the spotlight as the series goes on.
In terms of characters, I really enjoyed Xiala and found Serapio to be a really interesting character. Their journey together was heartwarming and tragic and I found them to be the best part of the book. However, felt like the other POV's in the book really contributed much to the overall story. Nara could have been a fascinating character, but she didn't do anything meaningful over the course of the book and from the ending it seems like the main bulk of her characterisation and actions may be saved for the second book. Okoa was simply boring, and he had so little screen time that I'm not quite sure why he was a POV in the book instead of being a secondary character (perhaps from the perspective of Nara).
The book also suffered from some very uneven pacing, with the beginning being quite slow with the action suddenly ramping up to be almost too fast in the last third of the book. I did quite enjoy the ending, however; it was a very grim ending with some huge implications for the world as a whole which I look forward to being explored in the next book.
Overall, the book was sometimes a too-slow read that could have benefitted with a change in who the POV characters were, but the worldbuilding made it a generally interesting read.
I loved the indigenous Americas-inspired setting, and the worldbuilding was fascinating. It offered up enough hints to form a relatively complete picture of the world, but holds back when it needs to to build up a sense of mystery. In particular I loved the Carrion Crows and how their culture and religion was portrayed, I really hope that the giant crows and the people that ride them are put more into the spotlight as the series goes on.
In terms of characters, I really enjoyed Xiala and found Serapio to be a really interesting character. Their journey together was heartwarming and tragic and I found them to be the best part of the book. However, felt like the other POV's in the book really contributed much to the overall story. Nara could have been a fascinating character, but she didn't do anything meaningful over the course of the book and from the ending it seems like the main bulk of her characterisation and actions may be saved for the second book. Okoa was simply boring, and he had so little screen time that I'm not quite sure why he was a POV in the book instead of being a secondary character (perhaps from the perspective of Nara).
The book also suffered from some very uneven pacing, with the beginning being quite slow with the action suddenly ramping up to be almost too fast in the last third of the book. I did quite enjoy the ending, however; it was a very grim ending with some huge implications for the world as a whole which I look forward to being explored in the next book.
Overall, the book was sometimes a too-slow read that could have benefitted with a change in who the POV characters were, but the worldbuilding made it a generally interesting read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Self harm
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, and Murder
Minor: Sexism, Xenophobia, and Cursing