A big thank you to 47North and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author (which came highly praised!) and it did not disappoint!
Her writing style is lovely and engaging and I enjoyed the world she created.
This definitely won't be my last book from her!

On the sunbaked world of Tampere there lies a small village, Emgarden, whose people eek out a living together in a land of limited resources.

Pell, a digger, repairs and reuses the ancient artifacts she unearths, and does what she can to make the lives of the villagers better.

Heartwood and Moseus, keepers of a nearby previously impenetrable tower, ask Pell to repair the complex machinery found inside.

As she works to repair the mechanisms, she is forced to question her reality and to unearth the secrets hidden in her past.

I was happy to read another work from the author of The Paper Magician series, Charlie Holmberg. The story she weaves is elaborate and deep, the characters compelling, with settings one feels they can reach out and touch. This fantasy adventure novel took me places I never anticipated.

While I am not usually a fan of dystopian fiction, I enjoyed this powerful book and I am thankful I had the opportunity to read it.

Published by 47North July 1, 2024

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I have some mixed feelings about this one. The story takes several chapters to really get moving, but once it does, it really takes off. Charlie Holmberg writes plenty of fantasy that has some other genre elements mixed in, but this was the first time there was science mixed with the magic. Maybe that is why the pacing took some time to get flowing, I just needed to adjust to this new sci-fi feel.

I struggled to grasp how I felt about Pell or Emgarden. Holmberg often writes very immersive worlds, but they are very microscopic to the exact story we are reading. This is the first one that felt broader, like it was trying to mimic the Cosmere (a megaverse by Brandon Sanderson). My spidey sense was tingling that these characters or the world snake or the machine will tie into later stories. Not sure that is remotely close to reality, but those emotions were overriding while reading. My headspace just kept throwing me off from deeply immersing into Still the Sun specifically.

Once my emotions settled down into something rational, I couldn't get enough of the machines or the people. While it may not be my favorite Holmberg novel, it provided exactly what I want when I pick up one of her books--emotionally invested entertainment.

Still the Sun
by Charlie N. Holmberg


"Still the Sun" by Charlie N. Holmberg is a captivating blend of fantasy and sci-fi. The story follows Pell, an engineer, as she unravels the mysteries of ancient machines on the planet Tampere.
Initially, the book is hard to get into, with confusing world-building and mechanical jargon, but it picks up significantly after a few chapters.
The chemistry between Pell and Heartwood is well-written, with their evolving relationship adding a charming touch. The plot is unique and engaging, though it could benefit from more clarity and faster pacing. Despite some slow parts and overuse of descriptive language, the final act is satisfying.
Holmberg’s ability to create a quirky, immersive world stands out. Overall, "Still the Sun" is a refreshing and intriguing read for fans of fantasy with a hint of steampunk.

Why do I pick up series on here? Why do I torture myself so?

This was amazing. I loved Whimbrel House, so I picked this up thinking I would enjoy it too. I was absolutely right.

The beginning is a bit obtuse; the reader is immersed in a world and story with no background, which can be hard to get into. Once I was a couple of chapters in, though, I was HOOKED, especially once I deduced who Heartwood was to Pell and who Cassnia was. The machine talk is a bit confusing to someone not well versed in mechanics and tinkering, but easy enough to deal with when layered with this plot. And boy what a plot. I’m so sad I have to wait for the next in the series because I am invested now!

I’m curious as to the genre of this book as it isn’t explicitly outlined and could be dystopian if we have more backstory. It could also just be sci fi. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next one. 4.75⭐️ and the only reason it isn’t a 5⭐️ read is because I understood little machine talk without really focusing, as it is important to the book.

I was very excited to be reading from Holmberg again after I read ARC of her Paper Magician series many moons ago! Just like her previous series, Holmberg presents us with a unique and somewhat quirky world and characters! While parts of a fantasy are familiar and the standard, Holmber again manages to create a world and a story that have a freshness and uniqueness to them. This time, we have a slight steampunkness feel to the world with the cogs and machines.

The chemistry between the main characters was written really well, I loved seeing their relationship development, and I enjoyed their banter and conversations. They're definitely an easy couple to route for!

Final note, Holmberg has given us another story with some wonderful mysteries to uncover and solve.

My only critique is the excessive use of the word "hale". It was used enough that it became noticable and annoying to spot.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this and cannot wait to read yet another novel from Holmberg!

I had not read much sci-fi titles but seeing this book has this genre plus my favourite two genres, fantasy and romance, I had to check it out.
I am glad that picked up this book because the plotline was so refreshing and unique. The characters were amazing specially our protagonist, she was .h favourite throughout the book.
The characters were well drafted and similarly the plotline was executed well too. Overall, I had a great time reading it.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. It's been a while since I've read anything from Charlie Holmberg (I enjoyed the Paper Magician series many years ago), so I thought I'd give Still the Sun a try, and wow, I am glad that I did.

The book was difficult to get into, but once I got to the second half of the book, I did not put it down until I finished it. The relationship between Pell and Heartwood was just the right amount of romance. The world was a interesting blend of fantasy and scifi. And the mystery that started to unfold had me hooked. Still the Sun absolutely worth reading!

In the interest of full disclosure, I DNFed this book after skipping to the end. I had a hard time understanding the description of the machines, and I’m used to hard sci fi. Parts of this book just gave me the ick. It’s far from the worst thing I’ve read, I’m just not interested in pursuing it further.

This book is for those who identify as a Tinker fairy.

Heavy handed on the visual descriptions of objects but for a book that has to communicate what to readers is entirely alien technology it is needed.

If they ever make an edition of this that's illustrated that would be wonderful because I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to have a difficult time imagining the shapes based on descriptions given.

It's pretty majestic in its final act but it takes quite a bit to get there.

So, in the past I really enjoyed her previous book the Hanging City but this one was a struggle!! It was very slow and confusing. I felt like there was no good world building but we were just thrown into the story and forced to try to figure it out which I never really did understand what the heck was going on. What is with the machines? Did I mention it was so slow? I should have probably dnfed it but I really wanted to see where it went. The romance was cute but also underdeveloped. I wanted more of it sooner. Overall, I was just so darn confused.

I would say things FINALLY picked up around 60% but it was still hard to follow what was going on and why? What was the purpose of most of this? Unfortunately, this just wasn't quite a hit for me which is a bummer cause I loved Hanging City. Three stars might be about generous but it could be I just wasn't the right person for this one in the right mood. Or maybe I just suck at paying attention to the details to understand the world.

Another great novel from Holmberg. I never get tired of her interesting and unique worlds. Terrific characters and relationships as always. Really enjoyed this.

I am a fan of other Charlie N. Holmberg books and was excited to read this one!

Pell is a girl in a medieval like village that’s completely surrounded by a wall and has a tower.
Pell is a tinkerer- she digs up and repairs artifacts from the Ancients. This skill is what leads her to be approached by Moseus, a stranger who calls himself a keeper of the tower, to fix the machines within it. While she works on the machines, she also gets to know the other keeper, Heartwood. she is drawn to him but she doesn’t know why. She begins having visions and dreams that show her the past and how important the machines in the tower are.

Likes:
I enjoyed this book over all. As far as fantasy goes, it was a short and easy read and has a really fun ending. I loved the characters and the writing was stunning.

Dislikes:
There is a lot of pages dedicated to the machines and how Pell fixes them. Like a LOT. It really bogs the story down and I struggled to stay with it in the middle. I wish those pages were spent more on world building or building up the romance, because they didn’t feel fleshed out enough by the end.

Overall, it was a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ Charlie N. Holmberg did it again! Still the Sun was so good! It was intense while also having a slow build up to all the answers I was asking myself the whole time. I loved the dynamic cast of characters and the worlds that were created. I struggled here and there with the machine/engineering jargon, but I am nothing but a wee peasant who knows nothing of that world 😂
The sweet slow burn romance didn’t really take off till about 60% but honestly, it was just right 🥰 I enjoyed the romance of course, but it was secondary to the very cool immersive story.
The last 30% packed a punch! Finding out so much toward the end had me mind blown 🤯
Bravo, Charlie!

Thank you NetGalley and 47North for a copy of this book.

I'm not 100% sure about this honestly. I might come back and reread it at some point because I think knowing what's happening might actually make it more enjoyable. The worldbuilding was great but the details about the machines was a bit overdone and got a bit boring. I did really love the characters and the romance. I didn't love how it kind of seemed like it was made confusing or mysterious for the sake of it. The writing was beautiful!

Pell is a tinkerer in an isolated village. One day, a strange man comes to ask her to repair an ancient machine. But there is more to this situation than meets the eye.

This is another entertaining fantasy adventure from Charlie N Holmberg. The world-building is top notch and the characters are compelling. I really enjoyed how, every time I thought I understood what was going on, she introduced another twist! I was slightly disappointed with the ending but look forward to reading the sequel.

A recommended read for fans of Charlie N. Holmberg, the Sword of Shannara series, and dystopian fantasy adventure stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and 47North for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Still the Sun by Charlie N. Holmberg was such a fantastic story!
This was an extraordinary novel.

Thank You NetGalley and 47North for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this story! I loved the world and the characters a lot, and I enjoyed how complex it all was without being inaccessible. I was really compelled by the plot and the wonderful writing--really looking forward to getting our physical copies in at the branch!

This book is full of twists and turns- it's one you have to really pay attention to because you really never know what you'll miss. Put quite simply, this novel is about an interesting and engaging heroine in an almost sci-fi world finds reality unraveling around her when a mysterious stranger asks her to help fix a machine. It's really quite engaging and not a typical romance, although there is a healthy sprinkling of kissing throughout. What I really liked about this book was that it wasn't like other storylines in that you could tell where it was going or following a typical pattern. I liked that the heroine wasn't some helpless girl with helpless girl hobbies. I like the worlds that Charlie Holmburg creates and that she has really evolved as a writer. This is very reminiscent to me of Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet or Star Mother. 

The audiobook was a little bit trickier than the novel only in that you really had to pay attention to what was going on, and it was harder to listen to the mechanic talk found in the story. I do not have a mechanical mind so it was harder for me to stay focused through that, but the narrator did a fantastic job!

I couldn’t read this fast enough!
I devoured 60% in one sitting then you know my body required sleep 😅
I finished the other 40% in another sitting!

I absolutely loved being back in the world’s Charlie N. Holmberg creates and this did not disappoint!

This book kind of had it all! It gave Indiana Jones vibes, magic and portals to other places, a little mystery, ancient gods, the plot was just amazing and for a Romantasy it had twists and shocking reveals I didn’t see coming!

Holmberg does an amazing job as always creating super swoon worth romance between her characters that just is so sweet but also hot that it melts your heart.

I seriously loved the story so much, I loved Pell and Heartwood and all the side characters as well! Super fleshed out and detailed side characters are a fave!