Fevered Star is the follow-up to Rebecca Roanhorse’s enjoyably original Black Sun, set in a fantastical Mesoamerica (with a few other cultures mixed in as well). As the second book, it does suffer somewhat from that dreaded middle book curse, but Roanhorse offers enough original worldbuilding here to compensate for the book’s weaker aspects, leaving the reader eager to see the trilogy’s conclusion.

As with Black Sun, Roanhorse employs multiple points of view to tell the story, including the Crow God’s avatar Serapio, the Sun God’s priest Naranpa, the Teek ship’s captain Xiala, the Carrion Crow captain Okoa, and Cuecola merchant lord Balam. The book leans heavily into political maneuvering following the events of book one, which saw a power vacuum created in the city of Tova thanks to Serapio’s massacre of the Watchers and the underlying social rules/treaties/alliances upturned. Inside the city, Serapio tries to solidify his place amongst a clan that sees him as a weapon (not all of them necessarily with the same intent); Naranpa works with her brother to find a spot for the Maw in the power structure of the city; Okoa is somewhat stuck in the middle, unsure of pretty much anything; and other clan leaders make their own play for power. Xiala starts off in the city hoping to find Serapio again but ends up leaving with a party sent to Hokaia led by a Ziha, young, insecure daughter of a clan leader and including Iktan, a priest-assassin. Meanwhile, the merchant lord Balam is part of another party heading to Hokaia, plotting his own rise to power and seeking alliances among some of the party.

The book’s pacing is a bit slow and meandering, and some of the characters I’d argue lose some of their compelling nature from book one. Xiala spends a little too much time yearning for Serapio for my liking, a sense of passivity exacerbated by the “land sickness” she suffers from, though the ending finds her story quickening quite a bit. Okoa, meanwhile, feels underused here, and while Balam has some interesting moments, he’s mostly setting things in motion for future events. In fact, that’s probably the biggest “middle book” issue, that much of the novel feels like a positioning of characters and events for later occurrences, all of the movement (literally in some cases) aiming at a place that remains more than a little muddy. Despite this, Roanhorse still offers up several moving scenes and a few pleasant surprises.

Naranpa makes probably the greatest movement in the story, though I won’t go into the details to avoid spoilers. Her relationship with her brother, growing understanding of her powers and her city’s history, attempts to wrest a place at the table for the people of the Maw, and her dilemma over what to do about Serapio are I’d say the most fascinating characters aspects of the novel.

Roanhorse also nicely employs various echoes within the novel, such as Naranpa’s uncertain relationship with her brother mirroring Okoa’s with his sister, or the way in which multiple characters (Naranpa, Xiala, Balam, Serapio) newly come into strange powers must slowly learn their way into using them.

Meanwhile the story’s highlight, for me, remains the lush freshness of the Mesoamerican setting which doesn’t use a singular base, like the Maya or the Incans, but instead is a rich mélange of various South, Central, and North American mythos. Not only do we see more of the world here as characters travel from one setting to another, but we also get more of the culture’s history: the old war is revealed more fully, gods step onto the stage more directly, powers are reawakened. And we get as well some tantalizing hints of more to be revealed, such as the mysteries of the Teek.

If Fevered Star wasn’t quite as satisfying as Black Sun, it still does its job in opening up the world, moving events along, if somewhat meanderingly, and complicating characters’ inner sense of self as well as their relationships with others. Leaving me, as noted, looking forward to spending more time in this world and seeing where these characters end up in it.

Fevered Star was an exciting continuation to the series, and it picked up to answer a lot of questions that were left at the end of the previous book. I enjoyed finding out what happened with all of the characters, but did feel this book was a little bit slow for my taste. I think it had less direction than the first, but I was also anxious to see what happened to everyone.

Rebecca Roanhorse returns to the world of Meridian in Fevered Star - the second installment of her Between Earth and Sky trilogy. This is a world marked by the passing of the gods, and one that is changing dramatically due to their sudden return. Like any good middle book of a trilogy, Roanhorse deftly moves the plot along and deepens her characterization while setting up the endgame that will inevitably come into focus in the final book. Fevered Star is a beautiful, eloquent novel about how power corrupts, as well as a meditation on the nature of identity and faith.

Becoming An Avatar Of The Gods
Fevered Star picks up immediately where the first novel - Black Sun - left off. The city of Tova is dealing with the aftermath of a brutal slaughter of their highest priests. The long oppressed Crow God is responsible, in the form of their avatar Serapio. The tension between man and god haunts Serapio throughout the story, as he knows all too well that he was supposed to die when his god broke free. But instead he survived and now must suffer fame and attention that he never expected, where everyone knows what he represents but no one in the city truly knows him as a person.

However, Serapio is not the only avatar of a god that struggles with his identity in Fevered Star. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Naranpa, the former Sun Priest who was betrayed by her order and left for dead. That betrayal was the only thing that kept her from dying with the rest of her fellow priests, and she doesn’t quite know what to do with that knowledge. She is unsure of where she belongs, as she travels back down into the slums where she was born. There she is reunited once more with her brother and plans to raise the clanless people of the slums back up and reform the tribe that they once were - the Coyote clan.

But all the while, Naranpa is discovering new abilities within herself that she is channeling directly from the Sun God who opposes Serapio’s Crow God. And as her powers awaken, she begins to question her purpose and place. Is she still the last Sun Priest? Is she the head of a newly reborn clan? Or is she meant for something even greater than she ever knew?

The Song Of Xiala
The third main character of the book is Xiala, the former pirate captain who brought Serapio to Nova. In the process of that journey, the two of them fell in love knowing that he was doomed. Xiala starts the book desperately trying to reach Serapio, before leaving the city altogether and beginning her own journey of self-discovery. She falls in with the only other priest left alive - Naranpa’s former bodyguard and lover Ixtan. And before long she has joined Serapio’s enemies, those who wish to overthrow the clans of Nova and claim the city for her own.

Xiala is ostensibly acting as a spy, attempting to gather information that she can take back to Serapio in order to help him. Only he has no idea where she is, or what she is doing. She is acting on her own, brash and headstrong and often foolish. But along the way she finds her own magic waning the farther she gets from the ocean that grants her the magical song of her people. And in order to reawaken these abilities, she must face her own demons and darkness.

It is clear that this series is designed so that each novel is about the awakening of one of the avatars. Black Sun was all about Serapio and the trauma that he endured in order to be forged into the perfect weapon. In contrast, Fevered Star is largely about Naranpa and her magical awakening. The first book was about the Crow God of shadow and destruction. The second is about the Sun God of light and healing. These two stand in opposition to one another, but it is clear that they must find a balance in the end.

So it makes me wonder how the third avatar will affect this dichotomy between darkness and light. Because it is clear that Xiala will become the avatar of the great Mother, the goddess of the ocean who grants her people - the Teek - powers. Her abilities are unlike those of Serapio and Naranpa, with her magical song that can affect the mind and has the power to kill. It is clear that Xiala is still dedicated to Serapio. And it may be that in the end, she will be the only one to break through the darkness of the Crow God that has consumed him. She is the only one who really knows him - and loves him - as a human and not as a god. And it is that humanity and love that will be all too vital to the endgame of the series.

A Strong Ensemble Cast Takes Shape
These three main characters are truly the heart and soul of the story. Each of them are struggling to do what is right, to find their places in the world, and maintain their individual identities in the face of powerful magic and incomprehensible gods. But the ensemble cast for the novel is equally as strong. There is Okoa, a member of the Carrion Crow clan who worships the god that Serapio embodies. Of all the members of the clan, he is the one who comes closest to knowing Serapio and caring for him. He struggles to do what is right for his people, while wrestling with some demons of his own.

Elsewhere there are some morally gray characters that are hard to pin down. Of course there is Ixtan, the former Priest of Knives. Is he truly working for the enemies of Tova, or does he have a longer game in motion? And then there is the merchant lord Balam, who has gained the power to walk in people’s dreams and affect their minds. He seems like he is truly the baddie of the whole series, but he is also the one responsible for bringing Serapio to Tova and he has helped Xiala on more than one occasion.

Rebecca Roanhorse has done an excellent job building the world of the Meridian. With so many different clans, countries, and characters it would be easy to get lost in the minutiae. But Roanhorse has a steady hand when it comes to developing characters and locations. Fevered Star is an excellent second entry in her Between Earth and Sky trilogy and I am eager to see how the story ends.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse is out now from Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Absolutely amazing read!

I really like the directions that our story went to. It's definitely a slower paced read that I think a lot of readers might not enjoy, however, I've always enjoyed "slow" books. I personally don't need big reveal after reveal to keep my attention, but that's subjective to a reader.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was seeing characters we were all familiar with interact with the other half of the cast that they hadn't yet talked to. It's like introducing two mutual friends to each other and seeing/hoping that they like each other.

My favorite character so far is Naranpa. She's definitely coming into her own after her struggles with politicking during Black Sun. And her last interaction with a certain character left me so excited to see how conflicts will change. But I really do enjoy reading from all our main characters.

It seems like people are constantly changing sides and aligning with new people and it really keeps me on my toes. The world is so rich and it keeps getting better with each installment.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse is a deceptively quick read, due in part to Roanhorse’s authentically powerful and experienced storytelling, that actually, at the same time, truly fails to move the plot (storyline) or characters in quite the same way as its predecessor, Black Sun, which was remarkable (and a longer, more detailed read). It is always hard to see a sequel, or the middle (second) book in a trilogy… not live up to what you thought it was going to be. And in this case, I was put off by many of the primary and secondary characters, themselves, especially Serapio, Okoa, Xiala, and Iktan, whom I had quite enjoyed in the first book. However, their storylines and characteristics slowly turned into frustrating disappointments for me. Also, the worldbuilding in Fevered Star made Tova feel small and empty. To be honest, the only part(s) of the storyline that I found myself enjoying in the same way as Black Sun was the Sun Priest, Naranpa, whose struggle, growth, and newfound power are on full display. The other secondary characters that I wanted more time with included Denaochi and Zataya. If Fevered Star had only one perspective or POV, Naranpa would be my first and only choice, based on the decisions that were made in the second book. I truly believe that the third book will provide a reckoning (in terms of character and plot development), but it remains to be seen if Serapio, Okoa, Xiala, and Iktan will redeem themselves and rediscover who they are meant to be and who they must become, in order to prevail. All in all, Fevered Star is the second book in a trilogy that should have been a duology. Roanhorse and her readers would have been better served if Fevered Star had been split and condensed into Black Sun and the upcoming third book in the trilogy…

The Crow God’s botched attempt to slay the Sun Priest has left the city of Tova vulnerable, which has spurred multiple factions to seek power and ultimately leaves everyone poised and ready for all out war.

Oh wow! I was relieved to find that Fevered Star picked up where Black Sun left off, and then the pace never let up from start to finish. The non-Eurocentric setting continues to be refreshing, and the characters’ morals and motives continue to be fascinatingly complex. I personally found each one of the storylines to be as engaging as any of the others, which kept me reading “just one more chapter”. I don’t want to give too much away, but some of the divine powers that the two god-vessel characters grow into are cool enough on their own to make me feel satisfied with this read.

I do feel that Fevered Star has a case of “middle book syndrome”: a lot happened, and not much was resolved. The climax came on quick, and was over fast. However, rather than being discouraged, I’m looking forward to the next book more than ever!

This is one of my favorite fantasy series! Despite it being some time since I read Black Sun, I was able to quickly get back into the world, catching up with the characters and the story. While Black Sun leads to the highly anticipated events of the eclipse and the ceremony on Sun Rock, Fevered Star deals with the aftermath and gets more in depth with the politics and plotting of the various clans. We also get to learn more about the history of the Meridian, especially in regards to gods and magic. I loved every bit of it! The characters really captured me and I couldn't help but root for all of them, even though they're at cross purposes. They're young but saddled with heavy burdens and mystical fates, tangled up in conspiracy and divinity. I absolutely can't wait to find out what happens next!

5 stars !

I ABSOLUTELY LOVEDD the sequel to Black Sun. For context Black Sun was also a 5 star read for me.

Fevered Star is the sequel to Black Sun and the second book in the Between Earth and Sky series.

We start off right after the major cliffhanger of Black Sun and continue to follow multiple perspectives of both old and beloved characters as well as a few new voices.

In Fevered Star we get an expansion of the world, the politics, and its history. Black Sun primarily focused on the Sky Made plans and on the great City of Tova. In this sequel we get to learn more about the history of the Meridian and on the other two larger cities: Cuecola and Hokaia. We also get to learn a little bit about the old world and it's magic.

What I loved the most about Fevered Star is the focus on political alliance and machinations. PLOTS are being PLOTTED, BETRAYAL is guaranteed with the shifting of alliances.

SO GOOD. My only qualm if I had one is that I can't wait to see what comes next.

Fevered Star is a bit of a step down from Black Sun. Maybe we'll call it 2nd book syndrome. While Black Sun had a very clear goal, from the beginning, Serapio reaching Tova by the eclipse, Fevered Star lacks that goal. We know that there is going to be a war but that build up is obviously for the 3rd book. We also know Serapio and Nara still need to have their confrontation, but we're left to wonder if that is going to be solved in this book or the next.

I also still hate Nara and wish I could skip over her prospective chapters, a problem often found with multiple prospective books. Nara is childish and naïve for her supposed leadership role. Her actions never seem to match with her view of herself and her purpose.

Overall, this book is good, but not as good as the first in the series. I'm looking forward to seeing its conclusion.

This book is the 2nd book in the Between Earth and Sky Trilogy, and picks up where the first book (Black Sun) ends. The setting is a pre-Columbian society in the Americans, where magic is real, and their Gods can inhabit the bodies of their worshipers. It can't be read as a standalone, so any reader should plan on reading or rereading Black Sun before reading this one. Black Sun was one of my favorite books from 2020, and one of the most memorable books I've ever read. I can't recommend this series highly enough.

The city of Tova is in turmoil and darkness from the non-ending eclipse - the black sun. The main characters are still Xiala, Serapio, Narapa and Okoa, but Serapio and Narapa are now avatars of gods. After the shocking ending of the first book, it was good to see how these characters were dealing with their changed circumstances. This is a middle book, so everything in it is setting up the events for the third book. I can't wait to see what happens next!

My thanks to the publisher Gallery Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book before publication.

I loved this book. It required one remembering the main premise of book one, but I appreciated the ending. I kind of need a third book now.

This book is alive with strong willed characters that kept me turning the page. I was especially drawn to Xiala a Teek whose voice has power and Serapio who though literally now a powerful god still manages to have the complexity of a lesser man. This is a second book so the various strands of each main character are interwoven together, but they are distanced from one another. The series is set in a Fantasy American Continent drawing from native myths and legends. I would recommend to other readers starting with Black Sun and then reading Fevered Star to better understand the underlying political dynamics at work. The end of Fevered Star definitely left me hungry for the third book in the series.

We are but fevered stars,” he intoned, like an orator on a stage. “Here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away.”

The second installment of the Between Earth and Sky series was all I knew it would be. The first book, Black Sun introduced us to The Meridian where magic and Faith collide. Fevered Star continues as we follow Serapio, Xiala, Naranpa, Iktan and the rest of the treacherous who scheme to rule. As a lover of fantasy series this second installment is what you would expect except it does have a lot more action than normal. The purpose of the second book is always exposition and moving the plot toward the Big Bang… and I believe Roanhorse did this very well! Thank you to for allowing me to get an advanced copy of the book, go read #BlackSun and #FeveredStar which releases today!

This is the continuing story of the characters that were introduced in Black Sun, mainly Serapio, Xiala, and Naranpa. It is the middle book of a planned trilogy, and to me, it didn't suffer at all from any sort of 'middle book syndrome' because while most of the plot was definitely setting things up for book three, it was still a fast-paced read with fantastic prose, and characters I never wanted to stop reading about. 

Serapio and his struggle with being the living avatar of the Crow God was my favorite part of this one, as Serapio was also my favorite character in Black Sun, and since he was never actually intended to survive the events of Black Sun, seeing him at all was a little 'yaaaaay!' for me. Serapio's struggle with being perceived as human despite being among people who worship him as a god, and being separated from the only person who ever treated him as just a person was really well done. I got kicked with a few of the feels for Serapio just like I did in book one. Naranpa and Xiala's stories were also engaging and made this story hard to put down. It's a quick read, and I read it in just two sittings.

All told, I thought that Fevered Star was a wonderful sequel to Black Sun. I can't wait to read the third book in the series. This has been one of the best fantasy series I've read in a while.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley. First of all, whoever does the cover design for Rebecca Roanhorse deserves all of the awards. The covers in this series are gorgeous.
Second, this book has left me with a serious book hangover, and I have a feeling that I will be processing Fevered Star for a few days.
There is a lot going on, plot- wise, and she is weaving a whole bunch of plot threads together. I may not be able to see where they're all going yet, but I definitely have my hopes up for my pet theories. (I also know who I hope will fall and fail.) Watching Naranpa's journey is both tragic and hopeful, and I need to see how her arc ends. All of the main characters are slowly becoming more complex right along with her, and I cannot wait to see how the next book ties everything together. This book is complicated, dark, beautiful, and 100% worth the read.

Black Sun (and its cover) was one of my favorite books of 2020. It’s no surprise that I’ve been eagerly anticipating the next book in the trilogy, though the lackluster cover definitely gave me pause. Luckily, the book itself, while most certainly a middle book, met my expectations. As you’d expect, this review contains spoilers for Black Sun.

After the events at Convergence, the Watchers are dead and Tova remains in a twilight, liminal state. For Serapio, Naranpa, Xiala and Okoa, it’s not only their city but each’s purpose in life that has changed. But dealing with the wreckage at Sun Rock is not all they have to worry about. The coming storm will affect not only Tova, but the whole Meridian.

“They say the storm has come, but to me, it feels like it’s only beginning.”


While in pacing and tone this is definitely intended to be the middle of a trilogy, there’s no recap of the previous events or characters, instead jumping right in. The story picks up directly after Convergence, and if you (like me) read the first book over a year ago, skimming or reading a summary might be helpful. Serapio, injured but bafflingly alive, is left to grapple with what his purpose is now. Okoa, after witnessing the Odo Sedoh in action, struggles with his fear and awe of him, recognizing the man underneath but afraid of what use his sister, the matron of Carrion Crow, has for him, not to mention the revelation over his mother’s death. Xiala’s only wish is to be back by Serapio’s side, whatever that takes, but it seems others have different plans for her. And Naranpa is troubled by strange dreams and worried about what use her brother, one of the clanless Maw bosses, will put her to. It feels like each character is being forced to be reduced to their basic motivations, and often they’re being forced to chose between a bad choice and a worse one. There were several times I basically yelled “oh honey no!!!” out loud at some of their decisions.

While there’s many of the same qualities that drew me to the first book, there’s also a lot more political maneuvering. The death of the Watchers has created a power vacuum in Tova, one that both the clan of Golden Eagle (who failed to kill Naranpa) and Carrion Crow (ditto, via Serapio as Odo Sedoh) seek to fill. Even worse for Tova, the death of the Watchers also means an end to the treaty that kept the various powers of the Meridian contained. With a war coming, can the fractured city defend itself?

“She had tried to be someone she was not when she was in the tower, thinking if only she mimicked Sky Made ways, they would be forced to see her worth and that she belonged. But she was not Sky Made and should have never tried to force herself to be who she was not. The events since the Convergence had stripped all that away.”


In the first book, what stayed with me most was the parallel arcs of Serapio and Xiala, as well as their star-crossed romance. In this book, though, it’s Serapio and Naranpa who are two sides of the same coin. While Serapio was already a favorite, Naranpa definitely grew on me in this book. Vengeance, and its toll on both the main characters and Tova as a whole, are still a focus. Whether justice and vengeance are the same thing, as a character mused in the first book, is something they’re still trying to discover, often with very bloody outcomes. Add to that the surprising reappearance of a character I thought dead (and frankly hadn’t liked) which caused me to reinterpret their actions entirely. And much like the first book, I’m still caught by how so many of the book’s bombshells are dropped in quiet scenes: a moment around a campfire, the archery practice a character has done a million times before, sharing soup. That’s not to say that there aren’t more action-packed moments full of life-changing events, but it’s the quieter revelations, keys to each character’s motivations and the forces moving them, that I really loved.

“Clearly, people having murderers for friends is the problem here.”


As for cons, the pacing felt much more uneven to me than the first book, where each chapter included a countdown until Convergence. The chapter ends often found the characters wrestling with a startling new revelation or in peril, only to switch POVs. While I’m sure this works to build suspense for other readers, for me it’s just frustrating. In some ways, though, I’m glad of it, because otherwise I don’t think I’d’ve managed to put the book down!

Overall, this is very much a middle book, breaking and reshaping what we’ve learned about the characters and their world in preparation for making something new. I am eagerly anticipating the final book and can’t wait to see what happens!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Not as strong as book 1, but a great set up for book 3.. the novel definitely suffers from book 2 syndrome in that there are pacing issues, and nothing really gets resolved since there is one more book to go. I did enjoy being back in the world. Unless you are reading these books back to back, rereading book 1 might be helpful before jumping into the sequel.

Fevered Star is an excellent sequel to the much-acclaimed Black Sun. Many of the things that I enjoyed in the first book, like the complicated characters, the politics of the many clans and cities vying for power, and the magic, were expanded upon.
The book picks up right where the first one ends, and without spoiling anything for anyone who hasn’t read Black Sun yet, I feel that the choices the author made with the story were perfect. I especially enjoyed Naranpa’s arc in this story. I liked her in the first book, but she seemed very reactive and in this book she really began to grow and take charge and be proactive. That goes for many of the other characters as well. We got to see beyond Xiala’s bravado and bluster and witness her facing her feelings for Serapio and her choices from the past. Serapio has achieved his life’s purpose but is struggling with the balance between being man and god. Ugh, it’s just all so good.
We get to see more of the world and learn more about the past, and that really kept me interested as well.

I am really hoping there will be a third book in the series! I want to see what the repercussions are for Naranpa and Serapio and Xiala.

After the massacre at Sun Rock, the city of Tova is in chaos. A permanent eclipse hangs over the city, and rumor says it’s the result of the Crow God’s return. A power vacuum in the city has left the clans scrambling to try and consolidate their power, while new factions emerge from the shadows. But unbeknownst to Tova, the city’s fate may not be decided by its inhabitants, but by a summit happening in a few weeks time – the same day as a comet that signifies the death of a leader and the rise of a new order.

FEVERED SUN is a meandering follow-up to the stellar BLACK SUN, a sequel that left me a bit perplexed at how little it made me feel. I couldn’t be more shocked by my reaction – or rather – lack of reaction to this entry. BLACK SUN made a notable impression on me and Roanhorse has been a favorite author of mine since her captivating character work in TRAIL OF LIGHTNING. Yet here, I just couldn’t connect to anyone. It likely didn’t help that Okoa and Naranpa take more of a lead role this time, with my favorites Serapio and Xiala coming in secondary.

My struggles with FEVERED STAR may be a huge case of “it’s not you, its me.” While the book does include a cast of characters up front, it pretty much picks up from the ending of BLACK SUN without any kind of recap or hand-holding in the early chapters. It’s been over a year and a half since I read the first book, and upon diving into FEVERED STAR, I immediately found myself floundering to recall the political structure of Tova, as well as who was allied with who and what schemes were already underfoot. After considerable skim-reading of the ending of BLACK SUN, I was able to get myself situated, but my enjoyment of FEVERED STAR likely would have been a lot higher if I hadn’t spent so much time trying to reorient myself.

I wrestle with how much to attribute that as a flaw of the book versus my own failing. On the one hand, if BLACK SUN was fresh in my brain, if I’d given it a reread, I probably would have had a better time with FEVERED STAR. But at the same time, isn’t it at least partially the author’s responsibility to help the reader (especially one who read the first book at its original release date) find their way back into the elegant world they created?

To the book’s credit, it does move at a brisk speed; even with my floundering and skim-reading of BLACK SUN, I finished it in just a few days. The magic continues to be a highlight, especially as various characters deepen their relationships to respective gods. I continue to very much enjoy this fantasy world that draws from the myths and cultures of peoples indigenous to the Americas. For those who enjoy political fantasy, that is a heavy part of the book; events at the end of BLACK SUN left a huge power vacuum in the capital city, and multiple factions inside the city and without are trying to capitalize on it.

But all that positioning felt like just that: positioning. I couldn’t quite grasp what climax the story was driving towards. Ostensibly, certain groups are heading towards a summit that is happening the day a comet will pass through the sky, but that was almost an afterthought. Every moment of BLACK SUN reminded you of the impending deadline of the eclipse, telling you how many days away it was so the pressure ratcheted up with every passing page. In contrast, there was no sense of urgency in FEVERED STAR, no ticking clock.

I would not be surprised at all if I end up being in the minority for my feelings towards FEVERED STAR. I got off on the wrong foot from the start and the book never quite won me back. I haven’t written off the final book in the series. If anything I want to reread BLACK SUN and FEVERED STAR before the third book’s release in the hopes that this was just a big misunderstanding between me and a book I was prepared to love. But it might be safe to be warned: after the gripping pacing of BLACK SUN, FEVERED STAR left me a bit cold.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Thank you, Gallery Books, Rebecca Roanhorse and NetGalley for the chance to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of Moon Knight, this is the sequel in the Between Earth and Sky Trilogy (and I cannot wait for the third books to be released after reading this story). The story takes place in a magical pre-Columbian society set in the Americas. Gods can inhabit the bodies of their worshipers, and it picks up right after the cliffhanger ending of the first book. The black sun (solar eclipse) leaves Tova in constant darkness and mayhem. The story follows the characters Xiala, Serapio, Narapa and Okoa. Serapio and Narapa are now avatars of gods. We are given more of Naranpa's and Okoa's POV and journey (which seemed underdeveloped in the first book, so I'm glad there was some redemption). This leads to the characters being more three dimensional and a bit relatable to the reader. I really enjoyed the political intrigue, faith exploration and just being in the world again.

It does have a bit of 'middle book syndrome', but again, this is part of a trilogy so that is to be expected. Many necessary details were given to facilitate your understanding of the final story (I assume), so I'm usually fine with that.

I highly recommend this series, and will be anxiously waiting for the third and final book!