I usually do not lean towards sci-fi, but this book was an amazing read! I may be a bit biased, since I love Rebecca Roanhorse's other books, but I still think this is a great introductory book for her! There are so many moving parts to this novel that I often found myself taking breaks in order to really invest myself in all that the story had to offer. With that being said, I thought the pacing was great for the type of novel it is and I loved all the characters!

Wow, this book was great! Roanhorse has honed her craft and it shows. Her characters were rich and complex, her plot full of intrigue, mythology, humor and marvelous world building. I really can't say enough about the world building. I look forward to the next book in this series (though I hope she finishes the Trail of Lightning series first because she kills me with cliffhangers).

What a thrilling and captivating fantasy! The characters that Rebecca Roanhorse writes are both complex and relatable. The journeys they undertake winding and interesting. One of my favorite books to handsell right now!

I received a digital ARC of Black Sun from Netgalley, so I want to thank them, Rebecca Roanhorse and Saga Press for presenting me with the opportunity to indulge in a really good book.

I am not a huge fantasy reader. I honestly do not remember the last fantasy novel that I read….and liked. However, Black Sun has really turned it around for me.

Serapio is a young man with a destiny: one of blood and vengeance for the wrongs done to his people so many years ago. Naranpa is the new Sun Priest, hoping to fulfill her role with wisdom and insight, but finds herself thwarted by those she is meant to serve as well as her own priesthood. Xiala, a sea captain, has a few secrets that she keeps close and several that she is just finding out. Together with a most imaginative cast of seafarers, warriors, and magnificent beasts, Black Sun opens up a brand new world that has truly never been seen before IMO.

The world building of Black Sun is top-notch. Roanhorse is extraordinarily adept at creating such a mystical, magical world of priests, trained assassins, godly sacrifices and vengeance, bloody bloody vengeance. The battle between light and dark is not so simple and Roanhorse easily entwines her readers into the intrigue, the suspense, her characters, the inevitable showdown between the Sun Priest and Crow God. And (!) I believe that this is the first fantasy book that I’ve read that recognizes non-gender conformity. The inspirations from indigenous peoples is clear and I highly appreciate the different perspective on the fantasy slant.

I admit to finding this book nothing short of amazing. I am wanting more of Xiala’s history, Serapio and his people, Naranpa’s journey and the potential survival of a certain Knife, Ah, Ms. Roanhorse, give me more please! In the meantime, I'll read Trail of Lightning as I wait.

I have yet to find a Rebecca Roanhorse title that I would not recommend. This is a great title that will attract fans of all genres.

It is a book that has a unique, magical world. This book is definitely a great world builder with the various cultures It has an amazing set of plot threads which you know will all converge. Everyone is traveling to the capital city for the winter solstice festival. Each of the characters has a portion of the prophecy. Ms. Roanhorse has set up a great story line that sets up for a sequel.

This book was awesome. I loved the characters back stories and the plot. I am guessing there is going to be a second book because a lot of things were lady up in the air at the end.

This novel was my introduction to the work of Rebecca Roanhorse, of whom I had heard a great deal. From the beginning, I was struck by the originality of her world and cultures that were at once relatable and quite different from the typical Western-European-derived canon. Set in a fantasy pre-Columbian (or non-Columbian?) Central America, the story weaves together the lives of disparate characters, who will all come together at “the Convergence,” a predicted eclipse. The story is told from multiple points of view, jumping back and forth in time. This is often a recipe for reader confusion and disengagement, but I found the characters compelling enough to hold my interest and to welcome each new section. I found the jumps in time distracting and largely unnecessary, but I admit to a personal preference for chronologically linear stories. In the end, though, it was the novelty and richness of the world that enchanted me.

Black sun is mult POV fantasy story that takes place in a pre Columbia’s society. All the characters were unique and fun and interesting. The world building was charming and fun if interesting lore. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series

This was such a cool story! It started out a bit rough for me, but once I got into it, I absolutely loved this dark, fascinating world! The characters were well-developed, the world and history was rich, and the writing was so powerful. I'm so glad I read this book!

One of the reasons I had a harder time with Black Sun at first was because of the multiple perspectives. There are a lot of different POVs in this book and at first, while I was still trying to understand the world and plot, the myriad of characters made it a little harder to keep track of what was happening. It got better once I started understanding what was going on more, but at first I had a little bit of a difficult time. But, I also did love getting the perspectives of different characters! So I didn't mind the shifts, even when I got a little confused.

The characters were absolutely wonderful. I mentioned that I liked having multiple perspectives, and that really did help get to know the characters better. There were so many strong characters in this book and I loved getting to know them so well! I felt such a deep connection to many of them.

Overall I loved this book! The worldbuilding and characters were phenomenal, and I like how unique this felt. The plot and pacing were great. The only complaint I have is that the ending was a bit too abrupt for my taste. However, I still highly recommend this book!

This was a stunning work! This book has it all. The world building is one unlike I have ever read. If your a fan of SFF looking for something a bit different this is it. Yes, this is a story in ways that are familiar and yes thiers intrigue, political strategizing, power gone awry, but it's told like nothing I have read before and that makes it totally refreshing.

Fabulous. I love the world-building and the characters. This one will stick with me and I can't wait for the next installment.

This was phenomenal, and very queer, which is not what I initially expected going into a Pre-Columbian American-inspired fantasy. I think it was perhaps the first time I've read a non-binary character using xe/xir pronouns, which feels like a queer milestone that I'm frankly surprised I hadn't hit yet - definitely a sign I need to expand what I'm reading.

It has gained some comparisons to The Fifth Season, which I don't think is totally amiss, but I'm not really getting the comparison to Game of Thrones. The "political machinations" in Black Sun are not nearly as complex or interesting as the three main characters, whereas in GoT I feel like the characters are just window dressing for the plot. This, for me, is a point in Black Sun's favor! All three are interesting in very different ways, and again - two of the three are queer or in queer relationships. Black Sun's plot is more of a boulder rolling down a hill to an inevitable (literally fated?) conclusion, picking up speed as it goes and goes, until the smashing end.

Excellent world-building as well, though it did take me a bit to piece together the geography.

REALLY excited for this series and I'm so happy to see it picking up accolades.

The ARC was provided to me by NetGalley.

I try to stay away from reviews and descriptions before I read a book, so I had no idea this was epic fantasy and expected urban fantasy, which would have been fine. But what a great surprise, because epic fantasy is my very favorite genre. We follow four major characters, and I liked each point of view a lot (thank goodness, because I hate when a book switches to a PoV that I just want to skip!)
Serapio starts out the story as a young boy, who is maimed by his mother and trained that he has a destiny. We also have a hard drinking, hard living sea captain with magic of her own, a girl who has risen from the slums to become the Sun Priest (and who is having some political issues), and (not as visible as the others) a warrior who needs to figure out what is happening with his family and his people.

The world building was interesting - it was pretty seamless, yet complex, and I'd like to learn more.

I felt like the book ended at a good spot; however, I'll sure be looking for the next one!

This book was amazing. It sucked me in right from the get go and now I find myself wondering when I can get my hands on the next book.
World building- Great
Characters- Great
Story- superb
Told via multiple points of view, the story takes place in a world inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. As the winter solstice descends upon the holy city of Tova a once in a great while solar event is taking place., all the members of the Sky Made clans under the newly appointed Sun Priest would normally be preparing for the upcoming celebrations. Carrion Crow, disgraced among the clans, with a fanatical splinter group of renegades believe that it is a sign of the imminent return of their god who will take vengeance upon those who stripped them of their power generations ago.
One of my top books from 2020

Absolutely epic and phenomenal. The writing is riveting and the world-building is incredibly fascinating. Every fan of epic fantasy would definitely enjoy this.

Rating: 4/5 Crow spies

Format: E-book/Audiobook. I’d like to thank Rebecca Roanhorse and Saga Press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. I went back and forth with the audiobook and the narration was great.

To sum up:
In the city of Tova, tensions are rising between the ruling class and the other clans. A rare celestial event on the winter solstice is approaching that has the potential to bring about a climactic prophecy and a violent upheaval in their world. Our major characters are a prophesied Crow God named Serapio, Serapio’s captain, Xiala, a Teek sailor charged with getting him to Tova, and Nara, the reining Sun Priest struggling to keep control of her power. These characters go through many struggles as they draw nearer to each other, and the day of the winter solstice, and a world-changing reckoning, gets closer.

What I enjoyed:
This is a story with rich world-building and complex characters. It begins with one of the most shocking opening hooks in recent memory so I was immediately drawn in! The world is inspired by Pre-Columbian Americas, which is not one we see often in fantasy, which I loved. There are many types of people, all with rich cultures, prejudices, and beliefs and our characters must transverse this world to reach their goals. The characters are realistic, interesting, and vibrant. I particularly loved Xiala, a bisexual ship captain who is discriminated against by her crew because she is Teek, a race that has a special relationship with nature and water. Then to put a prophesied monk character in her midst (Serapio) and have them interact and try to learn about each other during their journey was really interesting and full of tension!

What was meh:
While the hook was fantastic, it took me a while to get through the next 30% of the book. I kept putting it down to read other things because the pace was slow, there were a lot of characters and plots introduced all couched in mystery and prophecy without much action. Once I got to around the halfway mark and realized most of Xiala and Serapio’s story would likely take place on the boat they were using to get to Tova, and I was able to settle in and enjoy their unfolding story. I had a hard time connecting with the other characters, unfortunately, and it took me longer than it should to realize how the various parts/POVs were connected. I think it is because I kept putting the book down and getting distracted which is in large part my own fault and no fault of the book. I just wasn’t in the mood to read an epic fantasy that takes concentration and focus haha But once I became invested in the characters I enjoyed the rest of the book quite a lot!

Overall, while the beginning of the book felt like three stars, I would rate the end quite a bit higher. This book has a fresh-feeling world, intriguing characters, fantastic diversity, and definitely made me curious to read the next installment! I really encourage readers to push through to the midpoint if they have similar issues with the beginning because I felt it really paid off!

I’d recommend to fans of The Game of Thrones! The Crow God and the concept of using crows to see made me think of Bran a lot, but Roanhorse actually explains more about Serapio’s powers which was awesome!

Black Sun was a wild ride that I really enjoyed. The setting was fun and unique and there were lots of twists and turns that really surprised me. I was excited to read a fantasy book that had a rich thought out backstory that didn't feel too tried. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Black Sun is one of my favorite fantasies of the year. I went in with zero expectations and left excited and surprised about the direction the story took.

It left me feeling that epic emptiness that sometimes comes from finishing a fantasy story. Shock that it is over, the long story feeling shorter than you wanted and with that distinct feeling that the story has only just begun.