Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Black Sun

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

23 reviews

itendswithe's review against another edition

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.

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings