Fevered Star

By: Rebecca Roanhorse

Gallery Books, Gallery/Saga Press

Publish Date 19 April 2022

LGBTQIA/Multicultural Interest/ Sci-Fi & Fantasy

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

There are no tides more treacherous than those of the heart. —Teek saying

The great city of Tova is shattered. The sun is held within the smothering grip of the Crow God’s eclipse, but a comet that marks the death of a ruler and heralds the rise of a new order is imminent.

The Meridian: a land where magic has been codified and the worship of gods suppressed. How do you live when legends come to life, and the faith you had is rewarded?

As sea captain Xiala is swept up in the chaos and currents of change, she finds an unexpected ally in the former Priest of Knives. For the Clan Matriarchs of Tova, tense alliances form as far-flung enemies gather and the war in the heavens is reflected upon the earth.

And for Serapio and Naranpa, both now living avatars, the struggle for free will and personhood in the face of destiny rages. How will Serapio stay human when he is steeped in prophecy and surrounded by those who desire only his power? Is there a future for Naranpa in a transformed Tova without her total destruction?

Book Review:

I am at a lost on how to review this book. I gave this book a 2.5 star, but it will be a 3-star rating on Good Reads. I was greatly disappointed in this second book. This book took me almost a month to read because I didn’t want to pick it up. Nothing wrong with the writing style I just couldn’t care about the characters. I so wanted to know what was going on, but I just couldn’t connect with the three main characters in the book. It felt like the story jumped from scene to the next. I did feel for them when something major happened and The Teek couldn’t fix the problem. I like how they really cared for their enemies and really didn’t want a war. I haven’t decided yet if I will finish the series. I am hoping for a better outcome in the final book. I wish I felt better about this book but this one didn’t do it for me, Sorry.

A very strong sequel! What I enjoyed most about Fevered Star is that it is more character focused than Black Sun. It was interesting to see Naranpa's development as she continues to discover who she is as the Sun Priest. I thought she was quite irritating in the first book but she grew on me in this book. We see a more vulnerable side of Xiala, as she navigates her way back to Serapio and we get introduced a new POV from Lord Balam.
The worldbuilding continues to be amazing as we expand further within the Meridian and I enjoyed all of the political drama and power struggle amongst the clans.
Thank you to Saga Press for the gifted copy!

Following the events of the last book, the various factions in Tova are working for power, and also survival. Rumors abound, and followers of the Crow God have hope that they may rise again and avenge some of the atrocities of the past.

My favorite character in this book is Xiala - she is the kind of person I'd want as a friend - and I love her ability to see Serapio as a person - he needs that. I also liked Naranpa, with her desire to build a system built on kindness - and the things she faces as she learns more about herself. One thing Rebecca Roanhorse does beautifully is make her characters so real - they are all flawed and have doubts - and they sometimes don't make good decisions. I got quite worried about people several times in the book.

Another favorite thing of mine is the setting - there is so much legend in the different factions, the work of the gods, and the magic. It's very interesting.

It looks like the final book will be out next year! Hooray! I'll be looking for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for letting me read an ARC of the book.

4.5/5 stars

Fevered Star was an amazing follow up to Black Sun. We get a chance to see where are characters now are now after the convergence and the convergence has changed them. We get a new POV in Balam this go round along with our main characters from last time Xiala, Serapio, and Naranpa.

I loved following our characters this book. While book one was an introduction, we really get see their personalities grow and flesh out in book two. We also get glimpses from more characters I was curious about including my absolute fav, Iktan. Xir can do no wrong in my eyes.

The series really taps into complicated characters and deconstructs the monoliths we see in a lot of epic fantasies. They are real. They have real connections. And their actions have real consequences. This book did exactly what a book two should do and set the scene perfectly for book three. I can't wait.

In Fevered Star, we return to the Americas as conceived by Rebecca Roanhorse for her Between Earth and Sky series, introduced to us by the hit novel Black Sun in 2020.

As we catch up with the point of view characters from Black Sun—Serapio, the Crow God who escaped death; Naranpa, the Sun God who survived betrayal and murder attempts; Xiala, a siren captain with a mysterious past; and Okoa, the second in line to the Crow clan—we see the after effects of generations of court intrigue and distrust among the clans that make up The Meridian. True to its place as the second book in a series, Fevered Star expands our understanding of the power dynamics among the clans while also introducing us to parts of the world heretofore unseen. A great deal of this exploration comes from the point of view of a new character who calls upon a jaguar god and has a hand in motivating Serapio, Naranpa, and Xiala’s choices—often without their knowledge.

Given the emotional toll the events of Black Sun had on each of the characters, it is small wonder that we meet them in varied levels of chaos. Roanhorse does an excellent job of showing the intensity behind the choices presented to each character as well as how these choices change how others interact with them. This is no small undertaking given the number of personal and political machinations proding major sects of The Meridian. From the militant religious followers of the Crow God, to the coyote bosses of disenfranchised Tova, to the roundtable of unknown political leaders from across the countries that make up The Meridian, no character’s allegiances are straightforward and everyone must be on guard at all times. Thankfully, Roanhorse’s maneuvering of these dynamics is masterful and by the end of the book you are primed to see where the character development and courtly intrigue culminates. This is definitely a book that will keep you longing for more, just as a sequel book in a series should.

I received an advanced copy of Fevered Star from Saga Press so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: Graphic violence, grief, death, imprisonment, suicide, torture, death of parent (recalled in memory), murder, war themes, mentions of past child abuse.

Spoiler Warning: Fevered Star is the second book in the Between Earth and Sky Series, and my review contains spoilers for the first book, Black Sun. If you have not yet read Black Sun, I would strongly encourage you to grab a copy because it’s incredible and you won’t want to miss out on this fantasy series for the ages!

The Sun Priest has fallen, and an endless eclipse blights the world while the Crow and Sun gods battle for dominance. After Serapio massacred the Priesthood on Sun Rock, the battle was meant to be over. He was supposed to be dead, a burnt out vessel for a god triumphant, yet he finds himself still alive. Narampa, the former Sun Priest usurped just before the massacre, finds herself in a similar predicament. The world assumes that both Serapio and Narampa are dead, but the consequences of their survival will soon shake the world to its core.

You can get your copy of Fevered Star now from Saga Press!

I absolutely adored the start of the Between Earth and Sky series when it was released last year, and I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel ever since! Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on an early copy so I didn’t have to wait too terribly long to catch up with my favorite characters from Black Sun. My two personal favorites, Xiala and Iktan, got a lot of on-page attention in this sequel, which delighted me to no end! I love seeing their casually queer narratives woven into the story, infusing the world-building with a sense of queernormativity that I crave in fantasy. Fevered Star is definitely paced more slowly than Black Sun, but I actually enjoyed this pacing choice as it gave the characters more room to grow and develop. While there was quite a bit of action in the plot of Fevered Star, it never felt rushed to me. Overall, this book was a fantastic follow-up to the amazing success of Black Sun. The one downside is that I have to wait for the conclusion to this series after a very surprising ending, and I don’t know how I am going to cope for long enough!

My Recommendation-
If you love character-driven high-fantasy series, you need to pick up copies of Black Sun and Fevered Star! I would especially recommend these books to adult fans of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Series, who are looking for a complex and gorgeously constructed world to dive into.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Took a bit to get into it again (read the previous one) but once I did it was a great story. Unique and very interesting. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

I thought Black Sun was epic and the ending gave me goosebumps, but then Fevered Star came along and boom, it really blew my mind. I listened to the audiobook along with reading the book and it was such a 360° experience I would recommend everyone. The way Rebecca Roanhorse writes the magic, the world, the characters, is fantastic and you don't know who you want to win, because every single character winning is not something that can happen. There is so much going on and so much at stake. The characters that were together in Black Sun are separated, then reunited, then separated again and there are new storylines to follow and everything is nerve-racking until you reach the ending you didn't think it was already there, and you are left empty. I might need the third book tomorrow if possible.

I definitely preferred Black Sun over Fevered Star, but I recognize that this was setting up a whole lot to go down in the final book, which I am looking forward to!

Iktan was probably the star of the show for me here. Xiala felt way more soft than what we came to know and love in Black Sun. I wanted more Naranpa overall, I’m excited to see where her story goes. Serapio just wants a friend!!!

Some of the politics were a little too much for me and I was having trouble keeping things straight all the time, but I figured it out in the end. Book three smells like a war is coming and I’m ready!

3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you for the arc in exchange for a review!

The pacing felt more YA this time around, and I was less engaged with both story and characters. So much time was spent setting up for the next book that I never got to know the characters any better, even though I experienced another 300 pages with them. When I finished the first book, I couldn’t wait to start this one. Yet finishing this one, I’m not sure that I’ll pick up the trilogy’s conclusion.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Black Sun is one of my favorite books ever written, so obviously my expectations for this book were sky high. I am beyond pleased to report that this book delivers 100% in every single way. It's just as amazing as the first and sets up so much exciting development for future stories to come.

Roanhorse does a fantastic job reintroducing readers to this vast world and the beloved characters within before ramping things up. Imagine the slow incline on a roller coaster - tugging along uphill, casually taking in the familiar scenery you know and love while also anticipating the thrills to come. Then you crest the top- the drop begins and the wild twists and turns carry you away. And boy, are there twists and turns in this one. There were several gasps, loud exclamations of WHAT, and other assorted inarticulate sounds during this read, but I'll leave those surprises for you to discover on your own.

All in all, this book has everything I wanted and needed in a Black Sun sequel. We get a deeper look into this fantastically colorful world and the various clans that are battling for power. We revisit all of our favorite characters from the first book, learning more about who they are and watching them grow and develop, rise or fall. Readers also get a much better look into the lore that shapes this world - everything from the structure of the magic systems, to the histories of past political conflicts, and even battles between deities.

And amidst all of this exploration into characters and places and histories, the plot weaves and coils, the schemes even darker and more tense than ever before. Our characters ally, betray, and conspire until it's almost impossible to tell who is truly on top from one minute to the next. It's intricate and so incredibly well-crafted - just another example of Roanhorse being an absolute master of her craft.

I loved everything about this book. I cannot wait for the sequel. I cannot wait to read this one again. I know this series is one I will return to again and again for many years to come. And in the meantime, sign me up to autobuy anything and everything Rebecca Roanhorse writes.

Extra special thanks to Gallery/Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for review.

A worthy successor to the first book. Magical world building and memorable characters made this an unforgettable read.

I adored 'Black Sun,' and this sequel did not disappoint. As many reviewers have noted, this one is a fair bit slower, and it's obviously a middle book, but for what it is (i.e., not a standalone, not a series opener, and not a conclusion), it's spectacular. Can't wait for the next one.

I didn’t find this one as captivating as Black Sun, which by the way I can’t believe it already came out two years ago.

The world building is fantastic just like the first book and a lot of development with a few of characters I enjoyed. Some of the changes and development made me not care for some characters I had previously liked so I’m a little salty on that. A lot of this just felt like filler and build up for the next book. I needed something more so I feel like book three better be amazing. I still enjoyed this and look forward to the final chapter!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery books/Saga Press for an advanced copy of this book!

3 stars for Fevered Star. I was so looking forward to this after Black Sun being a 5 star read but it just fell flat for me and seemed like a build up book for a potential next book. I did love getting to see all of my favorite characters again and really see more of Nara this book. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in book 3!

My way is Death.

This is the anticipated sequel to Black Sun and after that ending I had to read this book!

This book was just as chock full of political intrigue and strategy. Through the first book we met most of the players and had a very brutal ending and in this book all the players got mixed up trying to get back to their allegiances while finding out what information they could.

The magic systems are so unique in these books as there are a few chosen to hold the power of Gods and then there are some that can draw on power and those that have gifts to protect them.

Definitely a very deep Gods based fantasy. As the Sun God and the Crow God and everyone in between are fighting for power.

I'm very interested to see where this leads since this doesn't end on a cliffhanger but something has started at the end of this book and the set up to Book 3 is feeling like that book will be a cataclysm.

Thank you gallerybooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This was an absolutely breathtaking followup! I had high hopes and think this will be my favorite read of the year! The worldbuilding, the characters. I absolutely loved it and need to buy this for the library ASAP. Thank you for the arc!

Fevered Star is the sequel to 2020’s Black Sun and book two in the Between Earth and Sky epic fantasy trilogy! Readers return to The Meridian where the great city of Tova is veiled in a lasting eclipse while blood covers the ground after the Crow God’s return.
Serapio struggles with being a man and a god and grapples with his destiny while Naranpa searches for her place within the devastated city. Sea captain Xiala yearns to be with Serapio but understands she must learn the plans being made against him. Clan Matriarchs gather to form alliances as war becomes imminent.

I don’t want to give too much away because the world building and character development is so strong as it weaves together this epic fantasy. I can’t say enough good things about this series! This book has less action but the plot is amazing and sets up the final book to put the intense build up in motion. I can’t wait for the conclusion!

Thanks to Gallery/Saga Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Fevered Star was released on April 19, 2022.

A thrilling sequel to a phenomenal book! I was beyond excited to get this ARC and I’ve already purchased a copy of the book. Absolutely obsessed with the characters and the plot and the development, it’s all so well executed!

I really loved Black Sun, in large part because Serapio and Xiala stole my entire heart and I just sort of put myself in Rebecca Roanhorse's hands and trusted that somehow they would find their way back to one another. So here's a thing I think we should probably acknowledge, you are maybe not supposed to read high fantasy books for the romance. And yet, here I am, a romance reader who just sort of keeps doing that. So now that you know where I'm at as a reader, let's talk about why this book may or may not work for YOU.

If you felt like there was too much romance in Black Sun, well, you're golden. Go ahead and pick this one up.

If you felt like you didn't fully understand what was going on in Black Sun, well, I can't help you there, because that was me and at the end of this book, I'm still sort of wondering what's going on. The world-building isn't so overly complicated that you can't follow it, I don't think. But it is complicated in a way that is not compatible with my brain because there are SO many plots and I cannot keep them all straight in my mind. I really feel like both of these books could have been longer to spend more time with some of these factions so that people who are not so fantasy world savvy can understand things. But if you like authors who don't spoon feed you, which I think most people probably do, then this is a great choice.

If you love full cast audiobooks like I do, then this audiobook is brilliant and I highly recommend it.

If you love character work and character building, then I think this is also a great book for you. The characters are, once again, the reason I still really enjoyed this book even though I'm very confused and wish there was more romance happening. I loved every single Xiala chapter (to no one's surprise), but I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Narampa's POV's this time around. She's such an interesting character to me now and I want her to have a good life.

And finally, if you love the agonizing wait for the next book in the series, pick this one up. Roanhorse has indicated this is a trilogy and I cannot wait to see all of the places the final book is about to take us. Fingers crossed it delivers the HEA I desire for my beloveds.