DNF-ed with the intention of picking back up in the future. Slow start with the world building and lack of immediate connection to the three main characters kept me from getting invested.

This is a debut novel and I was here for it. “And the Sky Bled” offers a thought-provoking exploration of environmental and societal issues within a richly imagined world. I’m excited to see what else comes from this author.

This was such an amazing and beautifully told story. The concept was so interesting and kept me wondering and questioning all that was going on.

Well written and thought out, I enjoyed this immensely and appreciate the chance to have read this thankyou bunches

My rating: 3 of 5 stars—

And the Sky Bled is a solid debut fantasy that I enjoyed reading. But beyond that, it simply wasn’t particularly memorable or standout for me. I was entertained, I thought the writing was good, and the premise interesting.

Calor is a natural resource that rains from the sky and that every person depends on to live. But it’s almost all tapped out. The last remaining source is exploited by colonizers, while everyday people scrounge for any they can steal and deliver to slumlords that apportion these supplies as they see fit. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of the moral complexities of mobster-style leadership in an impoverished community.

The climate fiction genre was a definite strong point. I think the disconnect for me was investing in the characters and an oft-referenced tragedy 10 years prior that linked them despite different backgrounds, motives, and circumstances. This plot was enjoyable enough as a casual read, but didn’t offer me anything that stuck with me. However, there was enough here that I wouldn’t hesitate to try out Hati’s sophomore endeavor.

Many thanks to Bindery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

*Tejomaya* presents an intriguing premise—a city on the brink of collapse, a magical fuel in the form of blood rains, and three characters with opposing agendas racing to find a hidden stash of calor. While the world-building and core concepts are ambitious, the execution falters in several areas, leaving the story feeling somewhat underdeveloped and predictable.

The setting of Tejomaya, a city where magic is tied to a precious resource found only in blood rains, is ripe with potential for a rich, atmospheric narrative. The looming drought and the desperation it brings to the slums create an urgent, high-stakes backdrop for the plot. Unfortunately, the world-building, while interesting, never quite reaches the level of depth and immersion needed to make Tejomaya feel fully realized. The political and social dynamics between the slumlord-controlled areas and the elite ruling council are compelling but lack nuance, and the explanations of calor and its role in society are vague at times, leaving too many questions unanswered.

The three main characters—Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia—are all motivated by their own desires for power, freedom, or control, but their arcs feel rather thin. Zain, the resourceful street-smart protagonist, is perhaps the most engaging of the trio, but her character remains predictable, driven largely by her need to escape the grip of her slumlord bosses. Iravan, the revolutionary, has potential but comes across as a bit too idealistic and one-dimensional in his fight against oppression. Anastasia, the heiress, is a typical power-hungry villainess, and while her motivations are understandable, her characterization never evolves beyond a "cold, calculating leader."

The connections between the characters, especially their shared past tied to the fire a decade ago, should have been a rich narrative thread, but it ultimately feels forced and underdeveloped. The reunion of these characters and the impact it has on the city’s fate lacks emotional depth and fails to deliver on its promise of a complex, intertwining backstory. Their interactions are often predictable, and their individual growth is stunted by a lack of meaningful conflict or development.

One of the novel's biggest weaknesses is its pacing. The story drags in places, particularly in the middle, where much of the action is bogged down by repetitive motivations and a lack of tension between the characters. The treasure hunt element, which should drive the plot forward, feels secondary to the characters' personal struggles and ambitions, and as a result, the sense of urgency that should propel the narrative is lost. By the time the climax arrives, it feels like more of a formality than a payoff.

The exploration of power dynamics and the environmental themes surrounding the city’s dwindling resources are important, but the novel’s handling of these issues feels superficial. The broader implications of Tejomaya’s collapse are not fully explored, and the political commentary is often lost in the shuffle of predictable character arcs and a plot that doesn't push boundaries.

While *Tejomaya* offers a unique setting and some promising concepts, the execution leaves much to be desired. The characters, though interesting on paper, fail to evolve in a way that makes their journey compelling, and the world-building, while creative, doesn’t fully immerse the reader in the dystopian world. The slow pacing and lack of tension detract from the impact of the story, and the climax feels anticlimactic, undermining the potential of this high-concept fantasy. With stronger character development and a more focused narrative, this could have been a much more compelling read.

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

So the white colonizer gets a deeper characterization than the brown people being colonized and subjugated? Excuse me while I go throw up

DNF'd at 30%. The premise was really cool, but I was not impressed with the pacing or the plot. I found myself wanting more exploration and a little bit more connection between plot points.

This book was a DNF for me I really wanted to like it and I think the premise was super interesting but I just really wasn’t able to get into it. I didn’t connect with the story and characters very much which is pretty rare so I set it aside. This is something I might pick up in the future but just not loving it right now.

And the Sky Bled by S. Hati is an ambitious debut, blending dystopian fantasy with an intricate mystery in a city on the brink of collapse. Set in the occupied city of Tejomaya, where magic is harvested from blood rains, the story follows three deeply entangled characters—Zain, a thief seeking freedom; Iravan, a slumlord-turned-revolutionary desperate to save his people; and Anastasia, an heiress wielding power with ruthless intent. As they race to uncover a hidden cache of magic that could shift the city's fate, their pasts and ambitions collide in explosive ways.

Hati crafts a compelling atmosphere with striking world-building and haunting imagery. The themes of colonialism, class struggle, and environmental decay are woven seamlessly into the narrative, adding layers of complexity. However, while the book excels in mood and concept, its execution falters at times. The pacing can be uneven, and the writing, though evocative, starts to become overly repetitive as we work our way towards the big reveal at the end.

As the debut title from one of Bindery’s new imprints, And the Sky Bled represents an exciting push for new voices in fantasy. However, the rise of influencer-led publishing raises questions about whether a strong online presence necessarily translates to storytelling expertise. While Hati shows promise as a writer, the novel’s flaws suggest that a more refined editorial process could have elevated it further. That said, fans of atmospheric, politically charged fantasy may still find much to appreciate in this brutal, thought-provoking tale.

This was a really great idea but not the best execution. I couldn't quite connect to the characters as much as I wanted to and it all felt a little unpolished. That said, I did enjoy the story and I can see S.Hati delivering some great work in the future!

This book’s world-building is definitely its biggest strength! The way it describes climate change and the terrifying, dangerous weather is super vivid and really pulls you in. Some of those moments were so cool! That said, I feel like the book tries to cram a bit too much into a short amount of time.

eARC provided by NetGalley and Bindery Books in exchange for an honest review

I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

This is a climate fantasy with a diverse cast of characters and themes of colonialism and classism. I loved the idea of a world built around a limited resource that bleeds from the sky and the exploration of how this affects the different classes of society. While the plot and themes were interesting, the execution fell short.

A major thing that didn’t work for me here was the multiple POV format. In theory, I like that each POV character represented a different “class” of people. However, most of the POV characters were just simply not compelling enough for the format to be effective. I think the same themes could have been more effectively explored by committing to the one dynamic POV or, at the very least, by developing the two weaker POV characters.

One of the POVs was particularly melodramatic, constantly telling and not showing the reader how to feel. I just wasn’t feeling connected to this character enough to actually buy into it. In this sense, it reminded me of Throne of Glass—and I do think Aelin fans could potentially find a lot to love in this story and the writing style.

It took me a long time to get into the story of the book. It wasn't till about 3/4 of the way done with the book that it started to pick up for me. I didn't like the three different point of views for this story, I had to keep going back and forth to make sure that I didn't miss any information. Ultimately I did like how the author was able to get them all to come together and have the relationship grow.. It was defiantly showing two different side of society and how people will rebel to get a better outcome. It also is showing how one may think that someone is your family and they end up betraying you in the end. All and all the book was well written and I have friends that would love this book. It just ended up not being a book for me.

Thanks to bindery for the ARC. For transparency’s sake, I am very good friends with the bindery creator whose imprint this book falls under.

I genuinely And the Sky Bled a standalone cli-fi or climate science fiction fantasy title that follows a couple of different POV characters as they're dealing with this situation in a city in which the sky rains or bleeds this sort of like red substance and from the rain it creates this like energy source called Calor. The resource is rare and can produce amazing magical feats but because it only appears in one place and very infrequently, people scramble to collect and sell this resource. The stakes are immediately presented, and we follow characters in a world that is currently dying and the only sort of resource that can help is not renewable and constantly being fought over.

The book is well written, I think S. Hati is a good writer and does a fine job balancing the world and showing your important details about it without it feeling like a lot of info dumpy. The information in her writing is clear, it's concise, and I was very impressed in the 1st chapter how much information was presented to me without it feeling like I was reading a textbook—things were happening, characters were doing what they were doing and at the same time I was learning all about the world. The characters of the book are well crafted--the main character, though a bit trope-y protagonist at times is a good anchor of the story.
I actually found a lot of the supporting casts more interesting—Anastasia was probably my favorite, and I wish we had a bit more involvement from her.

Where the book sort of detracted stars from me, if we're going to put it that way, is in the pacing though if you've been here a long time you know that I'm quite picky about how fantasy books are paced. It is not as egregious as others I've read in 2024, but I do think the first half takes a bit of time to capture interest, but once you get to the 50% mark the interest in the story also picks up.

All in all, if this is a first title from bindery, I am really interested in the stories the are going to publish next.

4/5

And the Sky Bled
S. Hati

Amidst a dying city three rivals race to find a magic to save their city.
Finding magic might be the key to Zain’s freedom. The determined Iravan might be a slumlord but he is anticipating that the magic might save his people in the slums.
At the same time the heiress Anastasia guides the ruling class to an island close by seeking safety. With magic for herself she could finally rid her city of the slums once and for all. They all are searching for magic for their own gain and some will do anything for it.

I love fantasy books with multiple points of view. And all three of the characters were amazing. I loved this book, I would recommend it to anyone. I’m kind of bummed out that this is a standalone, I would have loved going father with the characters and story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.


A big thank you to Bindery Books and NegGalley for this eARC in exchange for my review.

And The Sky Bled is a standalone climate-based South Asian influenced fantasy following three main characters as they navigate a dying world with. The rapid use of calor - a bloody liquid, that burns those who come into contact with it, (and a non-renewable resource), has led to an international shortage and the three characters are competing to find a rumored cache each for their own purpose. This book is great for those who love dystopian fiction, and series like Divergent and The Hunger Games, and looking at themes of power, oppression, class and race.

This book had a really strong plot/synopsis but I really struggled to get through the writing style. There's an important twist that I wish had been midway in the book instead of at the end

Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I chose to DNF this book at 30%.

This book is a dystopian climate-change centered fantasy set in a dying city and controlled by colonizers who are hungry for the resource, calor. A rumored cache of calor drives three distinct individuals, a theif, a slumlord, and an heiress, to race and find the precious resource.

I loved the synopsis of this book, the focus on climate change, and the nuanced characters. I felt like character (depicted from their pov) each had a distinct motivation for their actions. However, the world building was hard to grasp, even when I restarted the book. In my opinion, the pacing at the beginning was too slow and convoluted to make sense, even for a reader who regularly reads fantasy books. Overall, this book was not for me but I do think that readers who enjoy complex fantasy worlds with diverse characters may enjoy!