A review by nixter
Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

adventurous 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

4.0

I’m usually so scared to read sequels because more often than not, they let me down, but this was still a work of art. Because my standards for the first one are so high, I cannot give this a full 5 stars, but it was close. I continue to love the depth of the characters, the magic systems, the lore, and the overall worldbuilding. Despite the fact that the world created is so vast and unique, we truly get an understanding of how it works, which is not easy for a high fantasy story. 

The political intrigue and maneuvering is still engaging, but where they lost me a little bit is the fact that this novel is clearly here to put the pieces in place for whatever is to come in the final installment of the trilogy. It was very entertaining and insightful, but it was still very much exposition that set up for the third book. 

Another issue I had is keeping track of who is who. I’m not sure if I’m just in a different headspace than I was in the first book, or if there are more characters we are seeing the perspectives of, but I found myself sometimes needing to take a second to remind myself of who is talking and where they are in the story. However, once I figured that out, I was right back into it. 

Finally, the author somehow makes me root for many people on warring sides of the political spectrum. Normally, there are the heroes and there are the villains, but here, there’s both and neither. One chapter I want one group to win, and the next, I’m on someone else’s side completely. I’m very excited to see how all this ends.