Enjoyable read in a creative universe, lots of cool worldbuilding. Long setup for a cliffhanger ending, didn't feel like a very complete story in itself, but made me eager to read the next. I included this in my 2020 roundup and will likely write more about it.

Overall, this book is solid in many areas. The world-building is superb and the characters are developed well. I did get lost a few times trying to keep the multitude of characters straight in my head, but this wasn't too much of a distractor from the plot and imagery. A solid fantasy that steps outside of the usual locales. I have recommended this book to several students and friends.

This book has one of the most unique worlds I’ve ever read! The setting, political-esque intrigue, and fascinating lore were all draws together this world. Much like Serapio, I found myself wanting to heart story after story about Teek culture, as just one example. The details in this story, evidently, were the most alluring.

While the plot was strong, I think the draw to this book was its characters. Xiala won my heart within mere pages of meeting her, and Serapio grew to be one of my favorite characters. Nara was probably the only other character I felt a connection with.

While I loved these characters, I couldn’t help but feel like the multiple POVs made it hard to stay focused well on each individual story. My eyes were glued to every word of a Xiala/Serapio chapter, but tended to glaze over more (in the latter half of the book) during Nara/Okoa’s chapters. This undoubtably lead to me not retaining as much of the plot as I should have but... those chapters really failed to capture my attention while my mind was still hooked on what had just happened between Xiala and Serpio. Multiple POVs is truly a double edged sword in this regard. Perhaps my next read around will be more focused!

Another aspect I loved of this world— characters who used pronouns other than she/he/their and lgbtqia+ characters were near-seamlessly accepted and respected in this book. How refreshing to read about a society like this (even if it had many other faults).

I will be keeping an eye out for future books in this series—I’d be interested to see where things go from here!

This book contains a very diverse group of characters that I was happy to see. I really enjoyed the adventure and can’t wait for the sequel! I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new unique fantasy series.

What a fascinating world explored! It took me a bit to get names straight, as they are very unique and somewhat similar with letters. However, once I had the characters straight, I couldn’t wait to find out their journeys! Black Sun was so beautifully described, I could see it as a movie someday. Very enjoyable!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel, though I've previously read two other books by Rebecca Roanhouse and enjoyed them both quite a lot. I was not disappointed by this one at all, though it was very different from her previous novels in some ways yet in others it was very similar. Strong female characters, influenced by Native American lore, myths and legends. I'm curious to see where this story will go next as the ending left me eagerly wanting more

Well, well, well, so here we are once again, with me writing a review that takes a contrary position from nearly everyone else who read this.

I’ve actually been procrastinating my review of Black Sun for this exact reason, because I really wanted to love this book—and at first I did. On the surface, it seems like it should be an automatic win: an interesting, new take on the fantasy genre that, as countless others before me have observed, draws on nontraditional, non-Eurocentric sources, contains a greater number of important, strong female characters than is typical of fantasy novels, and includes more modern characterization (non-binary characters don’t even raise an eyebrow, for example).

So with this as the foundation, we should be on our way to a completely fresh take on the fantasy genre, right? Well, sadly, no. Instead, nearly all of the standard fantasy tropes make an appearance, which means there is plenty of....guess what? QUESTING. Yes, the most overused trope in the history of fantasy writing makes up the majority of this book, with any sort of actual plot grinding to a halt while nearly everyone travels somewhere for reasons that I’m sure are very important.

(Something does actually happen during the last chapter or two, but by the time I got there I really didn’t care anymore.)

This could be overlooked if it were used to help us get to know the characters better, but that isn’t really what happens here. Each character is largely interchangeable with every other character, and the emphasis on pre-Columbian American civilization that is so hyped in descriptions of Black Sun wasn’t really evident to me (it’s possible that, as I don’t really know much about pre-Columbian American civilizations, I didn’t really know what to look for, and that’s on me rather than the author). I couldn’t really chart any sort of growth or development for any character here. Connecting with them emotionally was not really possible.

Most tellingly for me, however, is the fact that I had to increasingly force myself to return to reading this book until I was finally just trying to make it through to the end. It isn’t that Black Sun was bad or poorly written. It was just dull. So while I didn’t hate Black Sun, it is unlikely that I’ll be reading the other volumes in this series.

****I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is it.****

Truly a page turner. I don't feel like I often get to say that about epic fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I love the genre. But once I got started on this one, I found myself picking it up during my breaks at work or when I had a moment while cooking, any little chance to get a few more pages in. Roanhorse has crafted a vibrant world that is a very welcome change of pace from Ye Olde Fantasy Britain. A growing sense of dread gradually built for me as the end of the book approached, and even though I knew what was coming, I couldn't look away. Can't wait for the next one. I

This story felt so different from anything I have read recently. Yet despite the new world and mythology, I didn't feel lost or confused. It was well explained and woven into the story. The cast is diverse and morally gray, and I really enjoyed the depth and time each was given. The plot was riveting and I was never quite sure where we'd end up. I'm excited to continue the series!

I loved the start of the story, with the introduction to a lush, rich fantasy world inspired by civilizations so often written out of popular folklore. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, I found myself having a difficult time maintaining interest. This may just be me; fantasy of any kind has been difficult for me to focus through lately, what with world events as they are. I wanted badly to love this one, but didn't find the character arcs particularly compelling. However, many trusted friends loved the book, so again this seems like a case of it's-me-not-you. I think this one went over my head, but I'm still glad it's out in the world for others to consume and fall in love with. Thank you Gallery Books / Saga Press for an advanced e-galley of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I adore this book. The author’s world building is phenomenal. The story follows Naranpa, the Sun Priest, Serapio, the avatar of the god destined to kill her, Xiala, the ship captain tasked with carrying him to the solstice ceremony, and Okoa, the Shield of the Matron of Serapio’s clan.

These characters are so neatly developed. It’s hard to decide who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. It is so gripping I couldn’t put it down!

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse is the first book in a new fantasy series set in Pre-Colombian America. We follow Serapio, a man who is more than what he seems, Xiala, a Teek charged with transporting a Serapio to the holy city, and Nara, the sun priest. Their stories intertwine in a plot filled with political intrigue, mystery, adventure, and a little bit of romance. Black Sun has a little bit for everyone.

This book was a real treat. It took me a little bit to get into the plot, but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down. I loved the diverse characters and all of the different representations included. The worldbuilding is immense and brilliantly done. The Pre-Colombian American setting is a refreshing take on the fantasy genre.

The characters were well written and I am definitely invested in their journeys. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

After reading Roanhorse' previous book, I knew I had to give this a chance... and I am not disappointed. This book was very much so a build up for something more in the sequels. And if I'm honest, I don't know if it suffered for that? Now, I liked this book. A LOT. The writing and lore was amazing, the character latched onto me, even if I favored POV's over the others. The pacing was slow, but that gave me time to savor what was happening. Overall, I am quite excited to see how out characters fair in the sequel.

Black Sun was as solid of an introduction to a new series as you can get. The characters were dark and interesting and, at times, absolutely terrifying. I was hooked from the graphic opening scene all the way to the ending (which was a little too abrupt) and through every bloody, heart-wrenching moment in between. I can't wait to find out what happens next.

The first in a series Black Sun was just the fantasy I was looking for. The cast of characters quickly became some of my favorites. The novels follows several characters until the day of convergence. The world building in this novel is exquisite, there are so many wonderful details which will leave you wanting to learn more about each society. In terms of the plot what struck me the most was the political tensions between the different societies. There is vengeance, romance, betrayal, and discussions of family relationships.

Black Sun is great for readers who want to transition from YA Fantasies to Adult Fantasies, but also fantasy lovers in general. Its rich world building will draw readers in and will leave them needing the second book. Furthermore, the audiobook has a full cast of narrators and they are all wonderful. This is a book you will seriously will not want to miss.

Black Sun was a refreshing and intriguing read, with representation that we do not see very often and Native American inspiration.
The characters were well developed and the atmosphere was fantastic.
Reading this has motivated me to pick up more of this author’s work and I highly recommend picking up Black Sun.
Thank you to #netgalley and #sagapress for the digital copy!

Let's begin this review with the obvious - the cover of this book is absolutely GORGEOUS! It says a lot about a publisher's faith in an author's work when so much care has been invested in the design as opposed to those with stock images and fonts. Luckily, I was correct in judging the beginning of this new trilogy by it's cover. Black Sun is my first Rebecca Roanhorse, but I now intend to add her backlist to my 2021 reading after consuming this so quickly.

This high fantasy tale, inspired by the civilizations of pre-Columbian Americas, unfolds through four central characters during the time leading up to the winter solstice. A time of celebration in the holy city of Tova, this year's festivities coincides with a rare solar eclipse making this a time for the unbalancing of worlds. Xiala is a rakish woman who lives life from one drink (and bed) to the next. After being bailed out of jail by a rich merchant, she is appointed as captain of a ship and tasked with the delivery of Serapio, a blind and frail man, to the city in time for the Convergence. A good chunk of the story takes place during their journey on the seas with some flashback chapters that delve into Serapio's past. Roanhorse does a fantastic job of building the relationship between the two outcasts who have yet to find their true place in society.

Naranpa and Okoa, the son of a prominent clan's dead matron, are the other 2 POVs that fill out the story. Naranpa has been bestowed the position of Sun Priest after the death of the former priest in the role. As someone who rose from a lower station in life, much of her tale revolves around her struggles to lead without truly being accepted and fighting her enemies, both known and hidden. While these two weren't as "interesting" to follow as Xiala and Serapio, Roanhorse invests enough in their development to pave the way for bigger story arcs in the following two novels.

Overall, Black Sun hit all the marks for me in terms of what I enjoy in fantasy stories. Roanhorse confidently bridges the gap between YA and high fantasy genres in a way that is truly accessible to a variety of readers. She builds a world without bogging down the plot with pages of details and exposition, which I greatly appreciated and believe that makes this an excellent recommendation for readers who want to dip their toes into fantasy without being overwhelmed. This novel is full of political intrigue, mystery, revenge, destiny, and finding one's place in society. I'm anxiously awaiting the next entry in the series...highly recommend!

Black Sun is a very different sort of story than the two Sixth World novels, as it leans much more towards traditional fantasy/scifi, based in a completely made-up world, and not a post-apocalyptic, speculative-but-clearly-Earth world. I am going to just copy and paste the Goodreads blurb for this one here, because I think it does a solid job and also, honestly, I am struggling to give it a quick overview in my own words rights now and don’t feel like struggling through that if someone has already done a passable job: “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 (current incarnation: a young woman named Naranpa attempting, with marginal success, to buck religious traditions) 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.”

So, where to start with my thoughts about this epic-ish fantasy? First things first, I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this. There was, as with all fantasy, the requisite “I’m so lost” feelings of the first few chapters as I got used to the world, the language and the characters. This was not necessarily made easier by the fact that there are multiple POVs (one of which is told both in present day and in the past). Each section is marked with dates, of course, but they’re not “typical” days/years, because this is fantasy, so for the first little bit, that definitely didn’t help either. Basically, be prepared to really have to “try” when you first start reading. However, as I settled in and got accustomed to everything, I started to really fall for this book. First, the characters. I always love a rough-talking, aware, smart and competent lady protagonist. And in this case, I was particularly into Xiala, as she was very clearly and naturally bisexual. Woot! (Side note, the overall gender/sexuality rep in this novel was well done: there was a third gender/pronouns used throughout, flouting our ridiculous binary situation, and there were a number of fairly primary characters that showed flexibility of gender and sexual desire, all written casually in stride.) Plus, her “Teek” heritage, that sort of makes her sound like an Indigenous siren, was super cool. If you are a lover of mermaid-fantasy, you will love Xiala. The other primary character that was really interesting was Serapio. I was super into the way his destiny was not fated but created, which is contrary to many chosen-one stories. I was horrified and also totally into the things his mother did to set him down his path towards (potential) god-hood and hopeful vengeance. The other narrators, the Sun Priest Naranpa and Carrion Crow warrior Okoa, were a little less compelling for me. Naranpa seemed uncomfortably naïve and tunnel-visioned and helpless, considering her backstory. And Okoa just wasn’t as central, so I don’t feel like I know enough about him yet. However, the way the novel ends makes it clear his larger role(s) is coming. So I’m excited to see where they both go/how they grow.

I also loved the world itself. It was based on pre-Columbian society/civilization and there were many aspects of that, from the large things, like the conflicting religious beliefs that pit light against dark and form the major conflict of the novel, to the small details, like the use of cacao as currency, that were really well developed. It felt lush and real as I read about it all: the prejudices and ancient feuds and traditions and foods and business. This feeling of depth is definitely enhanced by the little sections at the beginning of each chapter from various cultural works and sayings, etc. I always have a soft spot for those as a device (as you may recall from my reviews of A Memory Called Empire and The Philosopher’s Flight). As complex as the world was though, it was interesting that the plot itself, the political and religious intrigues, felt pretty basic. Not that it wasn’t interesting or unique or compelling, just that…it wasn’t particularly advanced or intricate. There is intrigue of many kinds, but it felt very straightforward (possibly predictable?) to me – I don’t necessarily mean this as a critique, just an observation of how I felt about it. I do want to say here that I did like the way Roanhorse writes in a way that shows an insightful critique/calling-out of the hypocrisy in many belief systems: that each believes they are the “one true” option, that one is divine and all others are blasphemous/witchcraft/fake, when in fact much of it comes down to the perspective and experiences that a person has lived within. With so many POVs in this novel, she was able to show this from many angles and did a nice job with it, especially because our protagonist/chosen one/(anti?)hero is from the “night/dark side of things, that which usually cast as the nameless evil, the antagonist. So that was super cool.

Last, the plot. Wow I was into the story. Roanhorse is so good with pacing and building tension/developing relationships and creating a gripping story. In fact, my only critique here is the cliffhanger ending. This is a very personal preference, but I freaking hate major cliffhangers. It is SO possible to give the reader a reasonably wrapped up ending that still leaves room for more story. When it’s all written well enough (which Roanhorse more than does) I will still pick up the next one because I want to know more about the world and the people. I don’t need an edge-of-your-seat, will-they-live-or-will-they-die ending to make me want to keep reading. A good writer/story does that on its own. I know I may be in the minority here, but it’s a literary pet peeve that just really eats at me. Ugh. So, I’m disappointed by that here. However, I did love that this is the clear start to a story arc that is meant to span multiple installations. I appreciate that Roanhorse recognizes this story, to be told right, needs more time/space, and she hasn’t rushed to get to a “stopping point” here. I just…there is some type of midpoint that I wish had been found.

Overall, this was a great start to a new fantasy series. I loved the pre-Columbian inspired setting, the magics and beliefs and mythologies, the budding relationships that are resolving and the promise for more amongst them all, the backstories of our characters, and was pulled along by great writing and smooth pacing. A great, unique take on a number of common fantasy-genre aspects.

I really enjoy Rebecca Roanhorse's books, so I was very excited to see that she was starting a new fantasy series that takes place in the pre-columbian America. I had never read a fantasy book that takes place during that time and setting.
I will admit that this book did take me a while to get into just because of the hierarchy systems that are in place are a bit complicated. However, once I understood who the characters were and how they fit into the world, it was really easy to get swept away in this book.
There are multiple persepctives so you get to meet a few different characters and understand their motivation. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy.

Black Sun!! What did you do to me?? I loved this strange new world with the priests and crows. The Sky-Made and the Earth people. The siren mermaid badass protagonist who is the captain of the ship. The first chapter of this book! I hope it's not too spoilery-- The Mom is doing a coming of age type ritual to her son. She has scarred or tattooed him the evening before. Now she gives him a potion to drink for the final parts of the ritual. His father, from a different culture who doesn't approve, is beating on the locked door. The Mother ties her son down to a chair and sews his eyes shut. She says a prayer and proceeds to jump out of the balcony window. Chapter One!! I admit, it took a little longer to normal to finish this book for me, but I started over the holidays. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait for more!!