Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Black Sun

I am beyond words, I recently got back into reading after having over a 8-10 year slump, and I read this over the course of just 6 days. (That is insanely impressive for my slump) The storyline is phenomenal and I am absolutely in love with everything the author did. Rebecca Roanhorse did her mfing research and made the whole world building amazing. I am autistic so I have some biases for loving this stuff because it's a personal special interest. But she did a great job of bringing Indigenous history into a fantastical world full of magic and I beg that the second book is just as good and thoughtful. (Going to read that next) If you don't mind the talk of occasional violence and you love culture rich and diverse casts in a fantastical setting, i one million times over recommend this. Thanking and bowing to my friend who recommended me this.

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lilacs_book_bower's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious fast-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

4.0

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the 4 character POVs we get, and was rooting for them all, even though some of them were opposed to each other. I felt a bit sad for a couple of them. But I don't think I really loved any of them. They felt like full characters, but I don't think they really changed much from beginning to end. The pacing was a little bit odd. The ending is pretty abrupt; this is definitely 1st in a trilogy, so don't expect any resolution. I do give props to the world building here, it was very interesting setting (a fantasy world inspired by Pre-Columbus Americas). For me personally, I was into the book when reading it, but often forgot about it when not reading. I will definitely pick up the sequel at some point.

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that_boi_eliza's review against another edition

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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

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maxxdangers's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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drinaiscold's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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scam_lark's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

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itendswithe's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

[-0.25 star for a cliffhanger first book. I feel strongly that first books in series should be able to stand on their own].

A dark fantasy set in a pre-Columbus America that hooked me within the first few pages.

Four character perspectives (and in the audiobook, by 4 narrators) converging together in a battle between the old crow god and the new sun god. This book has magic, adventure, and a dose of blood - it's one of the best books I've read so far this year.

Covers some heavy topics, so check out the content warnings.

I would recommend if you like: diverse fantasy stories, characters with some edges, queer rep, and old magic.

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julia87's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really wanted to love this book. The world building is amazing, I loved the representation of disabilities and the diversity in this story, however something just fell flat for me.

I struggled to find all of the different povs interesting. I loved Xiala, she comes from such an interesting culture I wish I could’ve learned more about. Serapio was also an intriguing character with a lot of potential for development. He has such a crazy backstory that I also wish came to more in the end. His development just felt rushed and didn’t really result in anything astronautical. Naranpa and Oakoa were definitely my least favorite point of views, though they too have cultures and backgrounds I find incredible, I just couldn’t feel empathic for them? I can’t quite figure out why I just didn’t love their chapters as much.

The plot was very meh. There was sooooo much build up and for what? There really was nothing exciting at the end that made me want to read the next book. I understand the build up will probably take hold later, but the plot had so much potential the execution just wasn’t there.

I give this book three stars because it definitely has its pros and cons. The representation is wonderful and I feel that within this genre (and almost every genre of book) there needs more representation like this. The settings were well written, the characters as well though some definitely more than others. The world building was magnificent, very well done. The plot on the other had was sub par, and as someone who loves an explosive ending, this just wasn’t for me. The writing style was fine, however again, not for me.

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