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A review by stacey_the_chapter_conundrum
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-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
2.0
My CAWPILE score: 3.93/10 - definitely in the 2 star range.
Things I liked:
-The storytelling/oral history style was great and the writing fit that style very well!
-The audiobook narrators did a great job!
-Some of the lore and atmosphere was interesting and enjoyable.
-A couple of the characters are memorable.
Things that didn't work for me:
-I thought the ending was pretty abrupt and I wanted more falling action!!
-Most of the content was setup for the series overall and ended up not being very relevant to the plot in this book.
-There was a lack of exploration of motivations behind characters actions.
-The plot felt hyperfocused on one event and it ultimately didn't feel satisfying for me due to the ending. We're introduced to some plot threads that end up going completely unexplored, there were missed opportunities in that area, such as: Naranpa's note to Okoa, the death of Okoa's mother, what the Carrion Crow clan actually did.
-There were several elements that were seriously underdeveloped that could have added a lot more intrigue, such as:Okoa's relationship with his sister, clan dynamics, what any of the 4 clans actually stand for & what they do, the magic (including the "witchcraft" & the Teek magic), the other Gods/deities.
-There was the odd moment that was lacking in logic that didn't end up being explored. One example of where this stood out to me was:in chapter 15 when we find out Okoa's mom is dead and his cousin tells him that nobody could have entered her room since the door was guarded BUT we literally just got through learning that 3 of the quarters/clans have aviaries and obviously her room had a window if she supposedly jumped.
-The descriptions were lengthy and got boring in my opinion. I would have preferred if they were sprinkled in throughout the story instead of taking over large chunks at a time.
Things I liked:
-The storytelling/oral history style was great and the writing fit that style very well!
-The audiobook narrators did a great job!
-Some of the lore and atmosphere was interesting and enjoyable.
-A couple of the characters are memorable.
Things that didn't work for me:
-I thought the ending was pretty abrupt and I wanted more falling action!!
-Most of the content was setup for the series overall and ended up not being very relevant to the plot in this book.
-There was a lack of exploration of motivations behind characters actions.
-The plot felt hyperfocused on one event and it ultimately didn't feel satisfying for me due to the ending. We're introduced to some plot threads that end up going completely unexplored, there were missed opportunities in that area, such as:
-There were several elements that were seriously underdeveloped that could have added a lot more intrigue, such as:
-There was the odd moment that was lacking in logic that didn't end up being explored. One example of where this stood out to me was:
-The descriptions were lengthy and got boring in my opinion. I would have preferred if they were sprinkled in throughout the story instead of taking over large chunks at a time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Slavery, Suicide, Vomit, and Trafficking