Black Sun by. Rebecca Roanhorse | Book Review

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Title: Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky, #1)

Author: Rebecca Roanhorse

Format: Hardcover (own)

Pages: 454

Publication Date: 10/13/20

Publisher: Saga Press

Categories: Fantasy, Indigenous/Pre-Columbian Americas, LGBTQIA+ , Political Intrigue

The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

I love that this series is set in the Pre-Columbian Americas. I have always been fascinated by the Mayans, Aztecs, Incas and so many I don’t know about. I absolutely love it.

With the story set in this time period, there is so much wonderful world building. There is the priests that study the stars, the clans that worship their own Gods, and a fight between the two. There is witchcraft, mermaids (we’ll find out more about this hopefully in book two?), a doomed slow burn romance, and political intrigue. There is even large crows, and other large creatures in the story. Just everything about this book made me feel like I could see this as a tv series or movie.

There are three main characters: Serapio who is blind, mysterious, mystical and dangerous. He was quite a past and upbringing and he has a destiny to fulfill. There is Xiala, a ship captain and Teek, which makes her mysterious as well, she’s like a Siren and has some powers with use of her Song. Then there is Naranpa, the current Sun Priest but a woman who grew up in poverty and rose up the ranks. I feel like we got to know all three of them pretty good in this first book.

There is a lot of diversity in Black Sun. Xiala is bi, Naranpa used to be involved with someone who is transgendered, and so many more characters in this story are just open with their sexuality and that was nice.

Triggers: mutilation, self-mutilation, abuse, death, suicide

The mutilation in chapter one almost took me out! I was horrified but of course later on we learn why it happened. A lot of this book is about setting the stage for what’s to come, so the mutilation parts come at the beginning and end of the book (thank goodness). There are a few others scenes that are just as gory. I feel like it’s comes as such a surprise because the first half of the book seems so “quiet”…or Serapio is, at least.

I felt like the beginning was slow after that eye opening first chapter, but because it’s a world so intricate, I didn’t mind the slowness and it really builds until the ending climax. I took a few days to read this one, not because I wasn’t enjoying it though.

This is adult fantasy as opposed to all the young adult fantasy I usually read but I found this very enjoyable despite it not something I tend to read.

I look forward to reading book two whenever it comes out, after that cliffhanger of an ending. Has Serapio’s destiny changed? What’s going to happen to Naranpa? I have questions and I also want to know about Xiala and the Teek. There is so much more to uncover in this world of Black Sun. If you like fantasy, you might enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda