I absolutely adored this book.

The relationship that continued to develop between Mayana and Ahkin and Yemana was amazing.

I can't speak good enough of this.

On the whole the book was a little slow due to it being a quest book, it was never boring.

The character development that happened within each of our main characters was off the charts and I can't wait until the third book!

Warning
Spoiler if you have not read The Seventh Sun.

I loved the first book and this sequel is even better, it features Mayana and Ahkin in the Underworld, they have to climb all seven levels and go through all the trials while staying alive to be able to return to the world of the living. They will have to learn to know and trust each other, something that is not easy for either of them. Mayana will have to confide her thoughts on her faith in the Gods and Ahkin will have to trust Mayana to help her. I really liked the duality of these two characters, they are different but complement each other so much.

On the side of the living we find Metzi who has become Empress and Coatl who is persuaded to become her husband. There is also Yemania who is forced to stay with Metzi as her caretaker. The character that we follow the most and to whom we are really attached is Yemania. I already liked her in the first book, but now she becomes more important in the story. I find her very touching, she is an absolutely charming young girl who will succeed in questioning her convictions thanks to Ochix. I love him very much, you will get to know him and you will love him. He is funny and protective and adorable.

Once again I loved immersing myself in this mythology and I can’t wait to read the last volume of the trilogy. Especially with an ending like this one.

The Jade Bones is told from three different points of view, that of Mayana, that of Ahkin and that of Yemania. My little finger told me that in the last volume we would also have the point of view of Ochix 😊

Quick word: An even more exciting and awesome sequel. If you haven’t started this series go for it!!!

This book was just amazing; Albeit I loved the story of the side characters more than the two mains. And just what was that ending! When is the next book coming out???

The book opens up where the last one left off with Mayana and the Sun Prince in the underworld and they have to pass through many layers of this world to emerge above-world and to pass each one, they have to go through various trials that each layer gives them….I felt that all those trials were made quite easy with the help of the Mother of Creation, nonetheless, at least they were quite difficult than the trials of the selection ritual….

One of the things I liked about the book was how the focus was split between both the worlds, and how the author gave us multiple POVs throughout. I was a little but wary reading Yemania’s POV because I didn’t care much about what happened to her in the first book but the author has literally taken my heart and given to Yemania. I loved Yemania in this book(even more after the first 25%), I loved seeing her character development and how she is becoming an important character in the upcoming book maybe, I also loved seeing her relationship develop with Ochix……Uh! Those two are my babes as I am an Enemies-to-lovers trash.

I didn’t like Mayana that much though, in this book, she’s way too impulsive for her own good. I wasn’t even much invested in her relationship with Ahkin. The only time when I got remotely excited for them was when they were sort of fighting and had to snuggled with each other for the body heat…..and on that note, the very next chapter of Yemania’s POV is my absolute favourite!

One of the best parts of the book was definitely Ometeotl(the Mother of creation) popping up at different places and times, and spewing up some cryptic words and giving things, which we later realise is part of the bigger picture.

Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Lani Forbes for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I came across this Mesoamerican-Aztec-inspired series when one of my Booktok friends introduced me to The Seventh Sun. I enjoyed reading The Seventh Sun so much that I looked up Book 2 and found The Jade Bones was available for review on Netgalley. I immediately put in a request to review and was over the moon when I was approved. As with Book 1, I finished reading The Jade Bones in one sitting.

The Jade Bones picks up the story from when Mayana and Ahkin when they land in the Underworld. The book follows the journey of Mayana and Ahkin in the Underworld and Yemenia and her love interest Ochinx in the outside world. In the Underworld, Mayana and Ahkin have to face a number of challenges in order to escape. They are helped on the way by Mother Goddess Omeototl. Along with her furry friend, Ona, Mayana and Ahkin begin their ascend back to the living world. The trials they face add not only a sense of adventure to the story, but also provides ample opportunity for both characters’ growth. I am happy to say that Mayana’s character was not as annoying as it was in the previous book. I say this because one of the aspects I did not like about Book 1 (The Seventh Sun) was how preachy Mayana sounded. Thankfully, that is not a problem in this book. Not only that, Mayana’s character portrays a level of maturity that comes only from trauma.

The best part of The Jade Bones for me, however, was the POV from Yemenia. Her character growth and the plotline with the mysterious Miquitz Prince Ochinx was a page-turner. I must say that I preferred Yemenia and Ochinx story to the adventure that Mayana and Ahkin were facing. As much as I want to I cannot talk more about this plotline without adding spoilers so I will leave it here.

Metzi as the antagonist was brilliant. I enjoy reading well-written morally gray characters and I think Lani Forbes has done a wonderful job making both Metzi and Coatl lovable antagonists. Metzi is brilliant, smart, and a true politician, while Coatl adds value to the plot with his storyline.

The book was fast-paced and keeps the reader on their toes. The ending was mind-blowing! I can’t wait for Book 3 to find out what happens to Mayana, Ahkin, Yemenia, Ochinx, Coatl, and Metzi. If you enjoy reading mythology-based fantasy, then The Seventh Sun and The Jade Bones are books you must read. Overall, I give it 4/5 stars.

Thank you @Favouritepagesclub @Blackstone and @LaniForb for the amazing opportunity to read The Jade Sun (releasing February 16, 2021) and I'm so happy to be a part of the Book Tour!

#BookReview

I finished this in a day everybody, a day, and the ending still came too soon! Can we address the ending of this book!!?? 😧

The world-building in this is just as amazing as the first book, as well the the character developments. I love Mayana, I feel like I'd make the same decisions she makes, she thinks with her heart and is a strong character.
I love the trek Mayana and Ahkan are set on; physically and emotionally. As well as Yemania and her love interest. This book was filled with emotions and trials and "What!??" moments.
The added POV was brilliant and very easy to follow and I love that it continues pretty fluidly from the first book, The Seventh Sun.

All in all, I'd highly recommend this book!

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
•
4*
Pros: Beautiful portrait of Mayan culture, full of folklore and mythology. Fantastic magic system. Detailed world-building, this time of Xibalba and the different planes of the Mayan underworld. Features new creatures and mighty battles. Lots of feminist notes. Challenges different views and belief systems.
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Cons: Still insta-love, unfortunately.

Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I was so excited to read it as I actually really loved the first book in the series despite certain nuances about the history and Christianity that did not fit the story (in my opinion). I still felt invested in the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them.
However I felt like I was only interested in one of the POVs while the other felt unnecessary.
Sadly it was a bit of a disappointment to read this one.

OMG my soul just died!! I had asked the author on a sale of one to how much will this rip out my soul is the cliffhanger and she was right!!! This one devastated me to no end and now I have to wait a year to read the next one. #DIE!

This one we pick up right where we left off and this time a new POV is added of the princess that can heal. I loved her so much and being in her POV worked so well to keep us informed about what was going on in the world above.

If you loved book one then this one is going to freaking kill you!! I didn't think I could fall harder for these characters but this story kicked my butt. The character arcs in this one worked well and I love seeing Yama somewhat growing a backbone and coming more into herself and Mayana and Ahkin learning more about each other.

Forbes comes back with a book even better than her first!

The Jade Bones is the sequel to The Seventh Sun. Overall the variation of chapters and the mix of the two storylines with what was happening in the world above and the underworld kept things interesting. Definitely a draw with the romance and elemental magic and fantasy fans. It did feel like setup for the final or future books in the series. Overall this moves quickly, has the allure of an adventure book with fantasy elements. Appeal for high school and older, or more mature middle school readers, but the romance remains overall clean with the kissing. This may also appeal to adults who enjoy fantasy, romance, elemental magic and an interest in ancient civilizations.

I liked this book more than the first book in the series. I enjoyed the evolution the main characters took and how they grew. I did find Yemania to be less annoying in this book, but there was still something about her that irked me. I liked the worldbuilding in this book, as it explored more of the mythology and cultures.

Its basically impossible to talk about the plot of this book without huge spoilers for book 1. So I wont be covering anything about the plot.

There are things I loved and things I don't balancing out to a 3 star. Lets start with the setting and world building. This series is Aztec inspired and the fantasy universe is my EVERYTHING. by far my favorite part and will keep me reading all of this series no matter where the story itself goes.

The characters are my "don't" part. For the most part I don't like the characters. Ahkin (and Mayana putting up with his shit) annoys the hell out of me. He acts too young for his position. I know his sister is supposed to be the bad guy but she HONESTLY makes a better ruler than he does for all her "villain" flaws. Ahkin and Mayana's story is built on two tropes that I honestly hate (miscommunication and the guy thinking he needs to protect the girl).

On the other side is Metzi and Ochix. Their story was insta-love and normally I hate that but I felt this did it as well as it could be done. Ochix is the perfect man because he has nothing but faith in Metzi and lives only to support her and Metzi needs a man like him (honestly everyone needs a man like Ochix).

As far of the story/ plot of this specific book goes. I feel like it suffers a bit from middle book syndrome. I was a bit bored reading it and I'm still not entirely sure where the overarching story of the series is going. Not to say this isn't good or its not worth the read, just not my favorite thing ever. Would still recommend.

Interesting premise. Likable/hated characters. Cool plot. I would recommend this story to others. Some spots I found that didn't hold my attention, but overall, I still liked it.

Lani Forbes blew me away with this book! I loved The Seventh Sun but everything seemed a little more elevated in this book.

The biggest thing I have to comment on is the character development and the romance. I complained about things feeling too instalovey with the first book and that is completely not the case with this book. In fact, Forbes seemed to make a conscious decision to show how a healthy relationship should operate. Mayana and Ahkin started this book right where they left off in The Seventh Sun, freshly fallen into the underworld. I loved seeing them acknowledge that they don't really know each other and haven't been treating each other like equals, and then consciously taking steps to understand the other person and see things from their viewpoint. It was great to see their characters develop individually as they journeyed through the underworld and see their relationship develop as they began to see their relationship as a trusting partnership.

And holy smokes, Yemania and Ochix? Almost too much for me to handle, I loved them so much. They balanced each other out really well and, as much as I loved the passion, I also loved their mutual respect and open-mindedness toward each other.

The plot kept me really engaged and definitely left me needing more at the end. I loved reading this from different POVs. Not only did it help me feel closer to the characters and really feel their growth but it kept up the fast-paced feel of the plot.

I will definitely try to get my hands on the next book as soon as it's available, because that was some cliffhanger! I really fell for the characters even more in this book and can't wait to see where the author takes the plot next!

All in all a strong sequel.

The additional POV definitely added more context, and I found myself surprisingly invested in that storyline as well - at time even more than the primary arc. The characters continued to grow and develop, while remaining consistent and flawed. The worldbuilding was also fleshed out more in this installment which I appreciated.

Overall, this avoiding feeling too much like a middle book and had a compelling arc of its own.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Spoilers for The Seventh Sun ahead.

After ending up in the underworld, Mayana and Ahkin struggle to make their way back out. Their world is in danger and they need to retake the throne. However, the many layers of Xibalba are not easy to pass through. Not to mention, Mayana and Ahkin are mad at themselves and each other. The Mother goddess leaves them with a dark warning that one of them won't survive... Meanwhile, Yemania has been appointed to High Healer. When she crosses paths with a death demon, an unlikely romance starts. Hiding their relationship while dealing with their own responsibilities is dangerous for them both.

I really enjoyed this book! The biggest surprise for me was how much I liked Yemania's POV. I was not a fan of her in The Seventh Sun because she just came across as mopey and whiney. Her POVs in this book made me appreciate her so much more. I also really liked her relationship with Ochix! Of course, I was definitely curious about Mayana and Ahkin too. Their trip through Xibalba was interesting. Once again, this book ended with a cliffhanger so I will be desperate to get my hands on book 3! The dual POVs kept the plot moving, but I was a little frustrated at times when a switch would occur. I'm looking forward to seeing what POVs we get in book 3!

If you read The Seventh Sun, make sure you read The Jade Bones to continue on with Mayana and Ahkin's journey, as well as the new journey of Yemania and Ochix! If you haven't read The Seventh Sun, go read it!

"I’ve had a taste of what it feels like to be in control of my own life for once, and I will never give that up... If they somehow think they can delegitimize me for following my heart instead of doing what is best for the empire, then my heart be damned."

Recommended for fans of Endless Water, Starless Sky by Rosamund Hodges.

Spoilers for The Seventh Sun follow! Beware!

The Jade Bones picks up right where The Seventh Sun left off, with Mayana and Ahkin deep, deep in the underworld. Now cognizant of his perfidious sister, Metzi’s betrayal, Ahkin makes an about-face and throws himself into [haha, get it?] escaping Xibalba to save the Chicome empire. The narrative moves between three third person omniscient POVs: Mayana, Ahkin, and Yemania - Mayana’s BFF/Coatl’s younger sister.

Getting equal access to Ahkin and Mayana’s thoughts highlighted the changes in their relationship. In The Seventh Sun, their sexual chemistry seemed to be the sum total of why they were together (besides the whole sacrificial death thing), but in The Jade Bones, they’re forced to truly work as a team and learn who they really are instead of who they have pretended to be.

"So much had depended on Ahkin choosing her, she had made herself be who she needed to be. To become his wife. To become empress of the Chicome. But did he truly know her?"

I can’t emphasize how much I appreciated this. I’ve read too many YA Fantasy novels with unchallenged instalove. Furthermore, I appreciated that Mayana, though tender-hearted, doesn’t sit back on her heels and wait for Ahkin to take charge and fix everything. Repeatedly, she questions his judgment and takes a stand.

"She wasn’t going to let him tell her what to do, not when she had been right about everything from the rituals to his sister. If he wanted to stuff away his own shock and grief and mask it by pretending he was in control, then that was his problem. She was so sick of everyone telling her not to trust herself."

Mayana and Ahkin have a lot of ground to cover in the underworld; this version has nine levels: The passing of the waters, the place of paths, the place where mountains crash, the place of wind like knives, the place where bodies hang like banners, the place where beasts devour your heart, the final river, the city of the dead, and the place where smoke has no outlet. There are also three gross rivers: the river of blood, the river of scorpions, and the river of pus.

I’ve always loved stories like Sabriel and Endless Water, Starless Sky that take us on wondrous journeys through the layers of the afterlife. The Jade Bones incorporates elements of Mesoamerican mythology and weaves them into something new. There’s another long and thoughtful note from the author at the end of this installment like there was at the end of The Seventh Sun explaining the history behind these various elements and why they were selected.

"Although this world is a fantasy and not based on any one historical group, it was heavily inspired and influenced by diverse Mesoamerican mythologies and traditions, many of which do share similarities."

I realize this statement might frustrate readers who haven’t studied ancient civilizations, but this is common knowledge for anthropologists. I have a BA in Anthropology, have worked as an archaeologist on a couple of digs (20BE10 and 20BE23), assisted with mortuary analysis, dug up dead horses for the police department who can’t tell the difference between a human femur and an equine one, generally done weird stuff at the intersection of culture and mortality, and I found The Jade Bones to be an interesting and not disrespectful synergy of fantasy and history. I’m also a POC, and I love that we’re finally getting Mesoamerican-inspired YA fantasy novels to consume. More, please!

Beyond Xibalba, we get a third POV from Yemania who is now embroiled in Metzi’s usurpery (this should be a word) and just trying to keep everyone alive, basically. Let me say that I love Metzi in this book! Her motivation for murdering her family and taking the throne is illuminated in The Jade Bones and not simply “But I am in LURRRV!” She’s a complicated antagonist, painted beautifully in shades of grey.

"To her surprise, Metzi’s smirk softened into a genuine smile. She placed a hand on Yemania’s shoulder and squeezed gently. 'You do whatever you need to. Show them all what you’re really capable of.'"

Personally, I would have loved a Metzi x Yemania romance instead of what unfolds, but hey, we can’t have it all.

My sharpest criticism would be the sequencing of POVs. Literally every chapter switches POV, and most chapters end on unnecessary cliffhangers. It’s too predictable, and the novel would be significantly stronger if we spent longer periods of time with one POV before switching to the next. An insertion of a single Metzi POV would have gone a long way, too.

Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for listening to my fervent plea for an ARC! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mesoamerican legends, romance, and underworld trials? Sign me up please! This was great from start to finish. It definitely assumes you've read the first in the series but you're more or less caught up by the end. The characters were quite engaging.

You probably expect this review to start with the main characters, Mayana and Ahkin, but that's incorrect.
I'm going to start with the new POV that stole the show, Yemania.
She's impossible not to love! This book would have been almost impossible to get through without Yemania there to balance Mayana and Ahkin.
Mayana and Ahkin are having a crazy adventure in the underworlds filled with ancient beasts and dangers pulled directly from the legends of Mexico's indigenous tribes (mostly Maya's). However, this book is really about Mayana and Ahkin's flaws, and to be honest they are irritating. This isn't a complaint, though. These flaws makes them human, reminds us that heroes are not perfect, and is a well executed part of their character arcs. That doesn't mean that I didn't roll my eyes at Ahkin's fight to keep hold of control over everything (save his temper), or Mayana's impulsiveness that usually did as much harm as it did good. Although Mayana does overcome some flaws, I do feel like the book was too heavy on Ahkin's shortcomings and triumph over them, but much lighter on calling out Mayana's shortcomings. At the end of the book, she is still acting impulsively and not working WITH Ahkin. She is still in the mind-frame that she was right about this one major thing, so she is therefore right about it all and continues to not listen to Ahkin when he voices his concerns. We still have book three, and I am eager to see how Mayana changes.
Thankfully Yemania's soft heart was there to break up the tediousness of Mayana and Ahkin overcoming their flaws while they were bickering. She is so insecure after her family traumas, and I love to see how she is built up and still loves so genuinely without bitterness and envy. Not to mention the new relationship she builds! It was in my wheelhouse, and I won't say more so as not to provide spoilers but whew *me muero*.
Does that mean Yemania's POV (my personal favorite POV) was without issues? No. I do think the relationship she was building was rushed when it could have been better built over this book and the third installment that is to come. The last scene Yemania shares with her brother did feel forced and rush too, as if he accepted the nature of their conversation too easily so as to move the scene along.
Another message I caution readers not to get sucked into is 'a player can change for love.' It works for this book set in this setting during this time, but it did make me wary when reading it and I hope it's not a theme for book three.
At the end of this book, I am very excited for book three. I cannot wait to find out how these characters (all named and not named) grow, and find out what happens to them. I hope publishers take the hint to publish more like this and not look at the market and say "oh, well there already is a book out there like this." As a Latina who grew up without these stories but knowing they were out there and wishing for them, I am very happy to have this series in my collection!

I received an Arc from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

The Jade Bones is the sequel to The Seventh Sun, a fantasy series with much of its ideas drawn from the Maya culture. The Jade Bones is an excellent continuation of the series.

Lani Forbes has penned another winning story. The dual story line follows Mayana and Yemania as they each face trials that challenge them on many levels. I appreciated Forbes handling of the men in Mayana and Yemania’s lives being tested and having to trust the intellect and abilities of the women. In fact, they all had to learn to rely on one another to get through their various trials.

This series is full of non-stop tension and unique situations that kept me riveted. I don’t ever remember reading anything similar to The Age of the Seventh Sun series. If you like fantasy, check out these books. The amazing world, the well-drawn characters, and the emotional depth left me wishing for the next book. Highly recommended.

In this second installment of The Age of the Seventh Sun series…
Mayana and Akin have to travel the underworld to find the Lords of the Dead. Their journey is normally for actual souls on their way to their final resting place. Still very much alive, Mayana and Akin are nearly killed in the underworld left and right. Despite the tools given to them by Ometeotl, the Mother goddess, their trust in each other and in themselves is constantly jerked back and forth throughout their journey.

Meanwhile… in the land above…
Lani Forbes flawlessly keeps readers engaged in Mayana’s journey with Prince Akin while also exploring another strong female in this series, Yemania. The story shifts flawlessly between the above and below. Yemania doesn’t realize her own personal strength because she’d been told for years that she wasn’t worthy of anything. She was constantly reminded by her father and siblings that she wasn’t traditionally beautiful, that she wasn’t thin enough, and that she wasn’t the best healer in the family. Her backstory is the setup for why she’s so insecure about her skills and her worth as a person when she’s kept in the palace as the royal healer.

Yemania stumbles into a handsome man on the brink of death and risks her own personal safety to save him. While it would be an adorable “how we met” tale to friends, it’s of course much more complicated than that. In addition to societal issues between them, Yemania has to learn to love and trust herself before she can give love to anyone.

Above and below, time is running out…
Mayana and Yemania are both racing against time and their enemies in the above and the below until finally, their worlds collide. I could almost hear either my heart beat ascending up until the “moment of truth”. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath! I’m so anxious for the next book in this series. As much as I loved The Seventh Sun, I managed to love The Jade Bones, just a little bit more.