Absolutely stunning! Despite being a fast reader, I took my time with this novel and savoured it. Roanhorse has built such an intricate world rife with prophecies, magic, and politics. There is a balancing act here between explaining the world's mechanics to the reader and also propelling the story forward, and Roanhorse handles this deftly. An A-class work of fantasy, and now I must get my hands on the sequel.

From the synopsis, I knew it was going to be epic, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer brilliance of BLACK SUN. I feel like any words I use will minimize what I feel about this book. It's like standing before the Grand Canyon and trying to take a selfie with it. It's impossible. No photo will do it justice just as my review will never be good enough.

With an eye-widening first chapter, Roahhorse pulls you into indigenous myths inspired by pre-Columbian Americas. The setting is visually stunning in its world-building, and the magic systems and political intrigue accompany you into a world of Sun Priests, giant crows, and mermaids.

This is a multiple POV book. We have a blind young man, a magical captain, a Sun Priest, and a beast rider. All on their own paths that converge with a thunderous roar at the book's conclusion. I loved the different POV's personally, but I know some people have a hard time with them especially with high fantasy such as this one. I connected with each character on a personal level. The author excels in placing humanity in her characters so well that you learn to empathize and cheer for them. The pacing of this book is fast, packed full of action and heart. Everything was superb.

This is definitely one you want to listen to because the audio narrators totally make you BELEIVE the story in a way just reading it doesn't. I thought that it was so well emulated, so well articulated, and the emotions and story got that much deeper in my soul because of that.

There is a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of this one, so be prepared for that! At least the sequel will be releasing fairly soon so you can pre-order it (like I did) so that you can read it right away!

The author set out to write epic fantasy and she hit the mark a million times over. I would compare BLACK SUN to books such as THE FIFTH SEASON, THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER, and KUSHIEL'S DART to name a few. With a YA comparison to THE SEVENTH SUN and SOULSWIFT.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

**Review late coming due to severe illness and death in the family**

Rebecca Roanhorse is truly a master of storytelling. She doesn't write stories so much as she weaves legends...

This book is a sprawling epic that is based on a Pre-Columbian America. Like, imagine a New World untouched by European merchants and colonizers where myths and legends walk among the people and the gods are so very near. The people of Tova are nearing Convergence (their winter solstice celebration) and with it, their world comes unbalanced. Naranpa, the Sun Priest is charged with overseeing the ceremonies, but a mysterious death and the apparent involvement of Clan Carrion Crow, along with those who seem to be scheming against her, seek to disrupt the ceremonies. Across the sea, Xiala, a wayward sea captain and Teek (a siren/mermaid with powers over the ocean) is charged with ferrying a mysterious stranger named Serapio across the sea. Beginning from the first page of this book, you're pulled into a world that is untouched by colonization and filled with magic, mystery, destiny, and duty.

I loved this book for Roanhorse's enchanting details and notable cast of characters. Not only are there Sapphic relationships, but there are non-binary and queer characters that kept me engrossed. While I did enjoy this book, there were some times that I found the story a hit difficult to follow or that the pacing was a bit slow for me, but that may just be a me problem. If you're looking for queer characters, Own Voices, and stories in settings that are untouched by European conquest with lots of intrigue and nuance, I highly suggest this book.

<blockquote><strong>“A single Obregi man,” he said lightly. “Blinded. Scarred. Some kind of religious affliction, as I understand it. Harmless.” The last he said too quickly, as if he was hiding something. </strong>

<strong>“Usually,” Xiala said carefully, “when someone describes a man as harmless, he ends up being a villain.”</strong></blockquote>
<strong>Story</strong>—★★☆☆☆
<strong>Characters</strong>—★★☆☆☆
<strong>Writing Style</strong>—★★★★☆ (3.5 Stars)
<strong>Themes and Representation</strong>—★★★☆☆
<strong>Enjoyment</strong>—★★☆☆☆

<span style="color: #999999;"><em>(Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!) <del>(And I'm sorry I'm about to make you regret it 😅 )</del>
</em></span>
<strong>3 tries. </strong>

<strong>15 months. </strong>

<strong>And I FINALLY finished <em>Black Sun</em> at the end of 2021.</strong>

I'm sorry. Many people love <em>Black Sun</em>. I understand its appeal: solid concept, indigenous author, Central and South American indigenous rep, a blind protagonist, multiple examples of queer rep, and BANGIN opening chapter.

I was hopeful. I mean, I truly loved the first chapter! Dark, a little messed up, sets the tone. I really <em>wanted</em> to like the rest of the book.

But UGH. <em>Black Sun</em> is chock FULL of storytelling problems. The glory of that first chapter cannot compensate for the 95% of the time I spent bored, frustrated, and annoyed.

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">First, the positive</span>: Roanhorse has a confident, competent writing style. She has some mild issues with filter words, but nothing unusual. As I said above, there's lots of rep, particularly indigenous and queer rep, including a queernorm country, and a number of non-binary and trans supporting cast. The core concept and setting? Very cool. Very full of potential.

But… gosh. The flaws. These issues turned a novel with a good premise and exciting world into a dull, embarrassing novel: ZERO conflict, characters and plot that stagnate early, half-assed POV characters, underdeveloped setting, LIMP political elements, weak sense of direction, and pages full of useless crap.

Now, I can't get into all of them or I'd go insane, but here's the rundown on a few:

Roanhorse speedruns our intro to the setting and then doesn't develop or deepen it after. What we learn is through poorly disguised infodumps, padded with useless info, and given in an unintuitive order.

The lack of focus—both in individual scenes and with the overall story—drives me crazy. What sort of book is this SUPPOSED to be? Political fantasy? Sure, politics play a key element, but all of the political scenes are half-assed or off the page entirely. Romance? Technically, <em>Black Sun</em> behaves closest to a romance. <em>(A tepid one, mind you.)</em> Nara spends more time mooning over her ex-lover than contributing to the plot. Serapio and Xiala's shared section IS a romance, but they have two meaningful scenes together over a period of ~3 weeks, and they aren't particularly convincing scenes.

Two out of the four POV characters add nothing. Crowgiy's had a singular useful chapter—his last in the book. Any info we learn from his POV we could've learned elsewhere. While Nara gives us access to the ongoings of the priesthood, she has NO character arc and never advances the plot. Xiala is replaceable. Roanhorse could cut+paste another character over Xiala and we'd never know. She could cut her POV entirely; anything we gain from her POV we could learn from Serapio's POV instead. Serapio is the most developed character, and the ONLY one with any genuine convictions. The only good chapter is his first chapter: it is A+, topshelf shit. But he has the same problem as the others: Roanhorse never once challenges them, their beliefs, or abilities.

But <em>Black Sun's biggest</em>, ugliest flaw?

It's full of useless crap.

Listen: If you're not actively and efficiently driving the story forward; if you're not at the VERY LEAST entertaining us, then you're wasting readers' time. Roanhorse is CONSTANTLY stating the obvious, rehashing recent scenes, padding with useless details, writing weak scenes to pull off a single element and overall filling the pages with content that is neither useful nor carries its narrative weight. Instead, I read tons of useless shit. In a chapter where Nara's political enemy outmanoeuvres her—even using "outmanoeuvre" greatly exaggerates what happens—Roanhorse spends an entire ⅓ of it ruminating on the decor.

<em>Black Sun</em> is a book I should've loved—it's a book with all the elements in place to be great. But Roanhorse neglects those elements, and instead <em>Black Sun</em> is critically bloated and chronically underwhelming.

<strong>Overall</strong>—★★★☆☆ (2.5 Stars)

<strong>Recommended For...</strong>
Readers looking for SFF by indigenous authors; readers looking for inspiration from oft disregarded settings and cultures; readers looking for queernorm settings.

A fantastic, inventive novel by Rebecca Roanhorse. I devoured the last 30% in a single sitting and now am sitting here, wondering what to do with my life... beyond rage about the sequel's far-off release, that is.

Sometimes, the best way to fight a book hangover is to put down the book you are now reading and don't enjoy. And boy, am I glad I did. I took me a month to read this one, but once I caught up with the magic in this story (because it IS magical), it was eye-opening. I couldn't think of anything else.

The descriptions are so well defined (characters, clothing, food.... EVERYTHING. You can see it like you were there). The world building is amazing, it's pretty much like watching an elaborated movie with a thousand eyes, so you can grasp every detail that you can see.

Many, many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh. Oh my. I ... I am truly speechless after finishing this A-Class high fantasy. This story took my breath away from the first chapter and I cannot believe I have to wait until another year to find out how it ends!

First off, blessings on all the reviewers who put the names of characters and places in their reviews. I did the audiobook for this and I think I would never forgive myself if I spelled a single name wrong, because this story deserves nothing but my utmost respect. Inspired by pre-colonialism American culture, this is a masterclass in high fantasy world building. It felt so fresh and different from what I usually find on shelves. The world is lush, vibrant, and so easy to sink into. Roanhorse's writing is truly stunning and highlights every point of this story in the best way possible.

In the sky city of Tova, the winter solstice is normally a time for celebration, renewal. This year, however, the solstice will align with a solar eclipse. Every chapter of the book counts down to this specific moment. It promises destiny, sacrifice, magic, and revenge. This is very much a character-driven story. There is a lot of history, a lot of nuance hidden within the tale, and with the twining of four POVs, we learn every important detail from different walks of life.

Serapio is possibly the most dangerous character in this book. Blinded and scarred when he was younger by his mother, he is to be the vengeance of the Crow clan. The vessel of a god that will destroy the Sun Priestess and all that follow in her footsteps. After his mother left him, Serapio was trained to be a disciplined fighter. A quiet and thoughtful man with magic that allows him to use crows as his eyes, a staff that he is violently proficient with, all that remains for his prophecy, his destiny, to be fulfilled is for him to get to Tova in time for the Convergence.

Xiala is his ticket there. A Teek who can use her own magic to calm the seas (and men alike), she is given the task of sailing Serapio across the dangerous sea. Of course, the sea isn't their only worry, and the pair become close in the face of mutiny. Xiala is a loud and unapologetic woman who has to work every damn day to prove that she is worthy of captaining her ship. Her Teek magic puts a target on her back, with her valuable bones, but she knows how to fight back.

Without a doubt, Serapio and Xiala's interwoven POVs were my favourite. The chemistry between them was really well done, starting out in a hesitant friendship and blossoming into something more as they fight together to survive. But chemistry aside, their stories together and individually were more interesting to me and really helped paint the bulk of this world.

Naranpa is the Sun Priestess, and all she wants is to modernize the position. But on too many sides she faces opposition both as a woman and in being from Coyote's Maw. She is not sky-made like the others, and is treated as lesser for it. Naranpa quickly finds herself surrounded by traitors who want her power. Watching how she is undermined while helpless to stop it is truly breathtaking, and I was so indignant on her behalf.

Okoa was a bit of a surprise addition. We don't meet him until halfway through the book, so I didn't care so much for him. He is the son of the matron of the Crow clan, away at the war college ... and I can't tell much more about him without spoiling it.

I can't believe I let this sit for so long because it is truly one of my favourite reads of the year, and definitely one of the best audiobooks I've had the pleasure to listen to. Absolutely snagging the sequel first chance I get.

4.75 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

TW: blood; mutilation/scarification; self harm; drug and alcohol use; suicide

I wasn’t sure about this book when I started reading it, despite all the praise I kept hearing about the book. For me it took getting through the first few chapters, reading a bit from each character to really be pulled into the story. Tova is the main city where the conflict in everyone’s story comes together but we do also get to see other corners through Xiala, Serapio and the Sun Priestess. There is also a fourth character’s POV about 60- 70% of the way through the book which adds on to on the conflicts that are building up. Xiala is possibly one of my favourite female characters of all time, being quite flawed and a bi-sexual pirate queen. Serapio is an interesting character with a complicated backstory, the wise beyond his years type. The Sun Priestess is struggling with leading as some people believe her background makes her unfit to rule. All of these stories leading to an apocalyptic type event and ending on MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER!!! Honestly that is my reason for not giving the full 5 starts since the ending was very abrupt.

The story within the pages of Black Sun was a bit of a wild ride. I really liked the emotion that Rebecca Roanhorse infuses in her stories.

this is a wonderful novel, full of lovely storytelling and characters that jump out of the book to you. I really liked the writing style and enjoyed the plot. the intricateness of the story really intrigued me

Not only does this book include incredible world building, but the storyline sucked me in and didn't let go. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, waiting for the most anticipated encounter of the book. I am not usually a huge fan of science fiction, but this book was amazing and I can't wait to read the next book in the series when it comes out.

Book. Hangover. Seriously. How could this book do me like that. Do I love this book? Yes. We’re the characters amazing? Yes. Was the mythical information amazing? Yes. Was my heart ripped apart? Yes. Is the the most beautiful damn cover ive ever seen? Again, yes.

An absolutely stunning epic book. A captivating and intriguing mythology I can’t wait to read more about. Black Sun has meticulously detailed world building. Well rounded and fleshed out characters and excellent LGBTQ representation. Black Sun is phenomenal fantasy read that ticks all the boxes and I’m in pain having to wait for the second book

I am so behind on my ARCs that by the time I got to this book , it was already out. But I was lucky enough to get the audiobook from my library so I listened to it as I was reading. I find that with many sci-fi/ fantasy books I am never sure if I am pronouncing names correctly so I like to try and listen to at least some of an audiobook if it’s available. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where this trilogy goes. I immediately found characters I loved (Xiala) and some not so much (you know, the bad guys). I was interested in this book because it’s not like anything else I had read recently because of the setting. Looking forward to the next book in this trilogy.
4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I really liked this book, which had a lot of elements in it I appreciated: fascinating secondary world based on Mesoamerican civilizations, old mass murders driving a terrible vengeance, a captain who makes poor life choices and has a powerful tool and weapon in her voice, difficult politics between clans and within clans, and wonderful, wonderful crows! And an epic scope, gods, prophecies, darkness and violence.

The bulk of the action takes place at Tova, which is built on a cliff, where clans are separated by bridges over deep canyons. The various clans in Tova have an uneasy relationship, and are physically separated by the bridges. There are also poverty-stricken people living in the canyons. And did I mention there are lots of crows in this story, a gorgeous cover and terrific characters.

The author also makes an interesting choice to make each of her point of view characters an outsider to Tova and the concerns of its clans:
-Xiala, the captain of a ship, who is also a non-human Teek, reviled for her differences by the humans she is surrounded by.
-Serapio, the grandson of the Carrion Crow clan (one of the Sky Made clans of Tova), which had been mostly massacred by a Sun Priest in the past. Serapio has been groomed to enact his mother's vengeance.
-Naranpa, the current Sun Priest. She's actually from the poverty-stricken streets of Tova, from the Coyote's Maw, in the deep canyons below where the clans live. She believes strongly that the priesthood should actually care for the people, rather than just dress in pretty costumes and perform rituals for the Sky Made clans. It's pretty obvious that her plans fall on deaf ears.

These characters allow Roanhorse to comment on power and its misuse, and religion, even while telling a story with great action, character development, with deeply entrenched hatreds in a cool setting. She also gives her story extra texture with excerpts of writings by different individuals about the rituals, peoples, travellers to the land and other details giving the story a great sense of history and depth.

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Mesoamerican-influenced story was tense, fast-paced, and wonderfully detailed, expansive in scope and full of interesting possibilities for the next instalment, which I can’t wait to get my hands on.

3.5/5 Stars

This follows two storylines that come together on the Winter Solstice that occurs at the same time as the solar eclipse this year. The first features Xiala, the Teek captain of a ship on their way to Tova, She has been tasked to bring Serapio, a seemingly harmless, young blind man destined to be the vessel for the Crow God. The second follows Naranpa, the sun priestess, who has been waiting to celebrate the convergence of the sun and moon, while dealing with several attempts on her life.

Xiala was my favourite character, she is a fierce bisexual captain of a ship AND a mermaid/siren. I liked her growing relationship with Serapio and definitely enjoyed their storyline better than Naranpa and the Watchers. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Serapio growing up and becoming who he was meant to be. At times, during Naranpa's storyline, I found myself a bit bored of the story, and didn't care much until the POV switched back to Xiala and Serapio. The world building in this was very well done, and I did enjoy learning more about The Watchers as well as The Teek people.

Overall, I am intrigued with the series, but I didn't fall in love with it as much as others have seemed to.

Wow!
This book was amazing!
I loved the world building. The characters are fantastic.
I want more!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

First off I have to say that I LOVE this cover, it's definitely what initially drew me towards this title. I like fantasy but I don't actually read a lot of it, when I read that this was a fantasy novel inspired by the civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas though I knew I needed to get my hands on it! I loved the multiple POV and was drawn to every character, They were fleshed out and so human, I also really appreciated how casually queer this book was. The representation was phenomenal and I loved how it was just slipped in everywhere, there were multiple nonbinary and trans side characters as well as a bisexual protagonist. I would highly recommend this beautiful and evocative novel!

*screams* READ THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY. All the stars. I need book two ASAP.

I loved every second of this book. Keep in mind that that I couldn’t put it down so the amount of seconds wasn’t that many BUT every second was glorious.

A fantastic cast of characters paired with a vivid and detailed setting PLUS high stakes compelled me to read as fast as I could (without missing any details obviously).

Some great books I’ve read have a cinematic quality to them. The writing really brings the story to life and you find yourself thinking you’ve been watching a film instead of reading a novel. Black Sun is totally one of those books.

I was rooting for every POV character I didn’t care if they were the “villain” or not I want them all to be happy. Often times I find that books with multiple view points (especially epic fantasy) bore me a third of the time but that wasn’t the case with Black Sun at all. I was excited to read each characters chapters, time skips included, and every scene felt pivotal, necessary, and exciting.

From beginning to middle AND end Black Sun is perfection. Pick this book up and start reading ASAP!

The self-deprecating part of me that is unused to overwhelming positive emotion (and that attempts to minimize anything of meaning to me) was tempted to start this review off by quipping, "This is the book I never knew I needed!" but that wouldn’t be quite right.

In truth, this is the book my soul—and the souls of many others, I’m sure—has needed for a long, long time.

This is a story that is founded on Indigenous mythology and epistemologies (and written by an Indigenous person); that centres characters of diverse ethnic, gender, and sexual identities; that presents a panoply of worldviews, from the selfishly parochial to the broad and holistic; and that is lush and vivid and utterly immersive. Every word, every sentence, every fantastical thread that makes up this novel is an act of resistance toward hegemonic, Eurocentric, and heteronormative ideals. It is an escapist dream that makes me see my own reality in different lights.

Prior to Black Sun I had read Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning, which I also loved. But this book blew me far and away; this book will set the tone for a radically new imagining of the high/epic fantasy genre. The visceral first chapter of Black Sun caught my attention immediately, and I was not keen to put this book down once I’d begun. THE PACING IS IMMACULATE. Add to that formidable world-building, engagingly ambivalent characters, and quick, captivating prose, and Roanhorse has created a fantasy I guarantee you’ll be thinking about for a long time. I know I certainly will.

I think the reason I took much more to this book over the last two fantasies I read—The Midnight Bargain and The Once and Future Witches, both espousing feminist themes—is because Black Sun is not a spruced-up didacticism with narrative elements thrown in for good measure. This book does not heavy-handedly hammer its messages (of diversity and inclusion, of love and loss) into the reader’s head. Instead, it presents a multiplicity of perspectives: some narrow-minded, others holistic; some drawn to violence, others toward peace. Each character is imperfect in their own way.

And within these interweaving politics and perspectives, the book asserts several matriarchal societies (e.g., the island-born Teek, or the four matron-led Sky Made Clans of Tova) and characters of diverse gender and sexual identities (e.g., Xiala, who is bisexual; Iktan, who uses xe/xir pronouns; Powageh, a person of a third gender who also uses xe/xir pronouns; or Feyou, a trans character). It champions diversity by embodying diversity, in all of its ugly and uplifting forms. No one tries to be more than they are: a young Sun Priest struggling to revolutionize her tradition-bound society; a seafaring Teek captain with a penchant for drink; a boy who plays with shadows and crows, bound for an unfathomable destiny; and a young scion, bearing the bloody legacy of his clan’s oppression, grappling with decisions to maintain the peace or help violent uprising.

From the soaring peaks of Tova, a city built on cliffs and aeries, to the deepest pits of Coyote’s Maw—a thriving, lawless encampment of caves and crevasses—to the far-flung islands of the Teek women, from where no sailors return… This is a world I want to return to, time and time again.