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tinysierra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Today he would become a god. His mother had told him so.” pg 1
An amazing epic fantasy with intriguing diverse characters. Wow. Also… mermaids! Giant crows!
There was a mix of character driven and plot driven moments. I felt like there was a lot of slow/medium paced moments where there was more focus on character development/interactions but it did pick up in some places with more plot related aspects. It kept my attention either way.
The timeline hopped around a bit, jumping back into the past and then forward into the present. Slowly putting the pieces together. The chapters had the date along with experts from in world media (like journal entries), which really added to my immersion.
I liked Xiala and Serapio’s chapters the most. It was nice to see the story through a blind characters perspective. I hope to see more about Xiala’s powers in the next book.
In this book, queer characters are accepted in some of the societies but not others. There are characters that use neopronouns (xe/xir)! Xiala mentions that she takes pleasure with “men, women, and other genders” which I assume means that she’s bi or pan.
The ending was fast and admittedly a little anticlimactic but I don’t find myself feeling disappointed. I’m curious about where the story is going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Confinement, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and War
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, and Abandonment
catsy2022's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
supercat_earl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
mmccombs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
4.5
Wait, why isn’t this book already a movie??? This story really has it all and was just so fun to read. Really cool imagery, interesting characters, fully fleshed out culture and world building, just fantasy at its finest. I want to read all sorts of books in this world (especially about Teeks, I want to know everything!) and I can’t wait to get to the rest of the series. Whole heartedly recommend if you love fantasy or even just interesting political intrigue or you really love crows.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death
pdxpagemaster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
I’m learning I love fantasy sea journeys and complex magic systems that have a connection to political control.
The opening (and closing) scenes in this book were so brutal, that I initially put this book down and came back to it months later to try again. I’m really, really glad I did.
I enjoyed the pace and the world that was built and the subtle romance that developed. I’m looking forward to the next novel in the series.
The opening (and closing) scenes in this book were so brutal, that I initially put this book down and came back to it months later to try again. I’m really, really glad I did.
I enjoyed the pace and the world that was built and the subtle romance that developed. I’m looking forward to the next novel in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
sup3r_xn0va_maya's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is one of the first books that I've read that had multiple points of view and I had to read this a little slower than I normally read books.
I want to like aspects of the blind representation but upon a closer look the blind main character kind of falls into the "magical disabled persons" trope and I don't like that very much.
I want to like aspects of the blind representation but upon a closer look the blind main character kind of falls into the "magical disabled persons" trope and I don't like that very much.
"Typically, the disabled characters are limited to four types: the “magical cripple,” the “evil cripple,” the “inspirational cripple” and the “redemptive cripple.” Magical cripples transcend the limitations of the human body and are almost divinelike. They make magical things happen for able-bodied characters."
- PBS.org
I really liked Xiala, I like how relatable Serapio was, the queerness, and the addition or introduction of a third gender.
This was a really good read and I can't wait to dig into the next book in the series.
I'm giving this 4.5 stars out of 5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
readsforlove's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book began a five star read, fell to 4 at about 70% of the way through, and then to 3.5 at the end. I was just so unsatisfied?? I also realized I didn't really /like/ most of the POV characters. I loved for Xiala. I would read dozens of novels just from her POV. But the others ... not so much. The opening chapter is something I will never forget though, and that listening experience was /wild/. I will definitely be listening to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm
nerodyne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
I genuinely adored this book. The world building was phenomenal and felt vibrant in a way that I've never read before. The way that each perspective change was balanced to never lose the tension that was being built up was masterful, I can't think of any other book that handles POV changes quite as well as this one does. Even the plot points that I don't particularly care for never weighed down the story or made my opinion of it lessen. It's a story that deals with themes that I already am fond of and I feel it handled them well and I can't wait to see how they're expanded on in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
Loved the queer characters and a world that, finally, wasn't English based or some other European culture. It was wonderful and I cannot wait to start the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicide
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
If you are looking for an immersive, epic, non-Eurocentric fantasy adventure with some romance, and with characters that you are rooting for then please read Black Sun! This is also a fantastic audiobook! I did a combo of listening while reading a physical copy. Full cast narration is well done.
A joy to read. I truly loved the world Rebecca Roanhorse has created. I think my favorite thing is that with the multiple POVs you are really getting attached to all these characters because they are complex and interesting, but they are (seemingly) on opposing sides so you're just wondering how it's going to play out. I love the inclusion of a character list, and maps! the only thing that would've pushed it over the top was a little glossary since this is a high fantasy (I found myself a bit confused mainly on the hierarchy of The Watchers and The Sky Made Clans).
As always check content warnings - there are some pretty dark things that happen, in particular with Serapio's backstory. The backdrop of the plot is political/religious tensions and power struggles.
This book also has fantastic LGBTQ+ and specifically nonbinary rep. There are unique non-gendered pronouns aside from she/her and he/him. Several of the characters are queer, and Xiala is definitely bi or pansexual.
It's definitely written as the first book in a series, so the ending is very unresolved, but in a way that you are just so excited to read the next books and find out what happens.
A joy to read. I truly loved the world Rebecca Roanhorse has created. I think my favorite thing is that with the multiple POVs you are really getting attached to all these characters because they are complex and interesting, but they are (seemingly) on opposing sides so you're just wondering how it's going to play out. I love the inclusion of a character list, and maps! the only thing that would've pushed it over the top was a little glossary since this is a high fantasy (I found myself a bit confused mainly on the hierarchy of The Watchers and The Sky Made Clans).
As always check content warnings - there are some pretty dark things that happen, in particular with Serapio's backstory. The backdrop of the plot is political/religious tensions and power struggles.
This book also has fantastic LGBTQ+ and specifically nonbinary rep. There are unique non-gendered pronouns aside from she/her and he/him. Several of the characters are queer, and Xiala is definitely bi or pansexual.
It's definitely written as the first book in a series, so the ending is very unresolved, but in a way that you are just so excited to read the next books and find out what happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Religious bigotry
mutilation/scarring (of a child)