I love fantasy standalones. So when I saw bindery was releasing this book, I was excited. This book is definitely one you have to commit to and focus on. The world building is intense and lush. The politics and plot twists brilliant. I enjoyed the not so subtle nudges toward Soto-economic standings, climate change, and colonization. This book definitely contains deeper meanings and symbolism. A very intriguing and fascinating read!

This is a very solid debut fantasy with a unique setting and a fast-paced, attention-grabbing plot. And the Sky Bled pulls you in from page 1 and immerses you into a dying world, as you follow 3 POV characters on a mission to fix it. Overall, I thought the pacing was good, though it starts to drag just a bit right before the halfway mark; however, there is a shift just at that point that is very necessary and pulls you right back in. The setting and plot really work together to make the world feel realistic and kept me entertained the whole time.

I did have a few complaints that kept this from reaching 5 stars for me. I felt like it took quite a long time to get to know the characters, because a big shared event is kept a mystery until the end. This kept me from really connecting with them at the beginning. I thought the writing was overall good, but the dialogue was a bit clunky and awkward at times. Finally, I could’ve done without the romance elements, as I didn’t feel like they added much to the story. Perhaps if the book was longer and the romantic relationship had more time to develop I would have enjoyed it more.

Overall, I think this is absolutely worth your time and would recommend to fantasy readers who like a little dystopia as well!

Well, I think i liked it.

The writing was great and, to be honest, I went in pretty much blind. I liked the world-building, the plot and how the multiple pov's came together with multiple interpersonal connection. The political theme was really interesting and somehow scary to think about (distant from our reality or not so much?).
I think I might need to read this book again, I feel like I missed a lot on the symbolism in my first read!
Damn, am I realizing it just now?

The concept of this book is really, REALLY intriguing. The atmosphere was rich, the character were slowly built together with the plot. I feel like you could understand what was going to happen in the first half of the book, BUT the second act was really emotional to me, I couldn't put it down by the end.

Yeah, I need to read this again, I guess I'll run to buy it now!

And the Sky Bled is such an interesting and horrific science fiction story! I absolutely could see this being adapted into a horror movie of sorts, dealing with cataclysmic climate events, a sort of drug/resource addiction, and class politics.

I needed this book to be about 200 pages longer, at least. Both because there was so much to pack in there that I wanted more exposition and world-building and that I wanted more time getting to know the main characters. The story has three POVs, and a lot of side characters. I did have trouble keeping up with everybody (and part of this is to blame on the fact that I was reading it during election season which addled my brain a lot) and I feel like I had just gotten the hang of everyone when the story began to conclude.

This did have a decently fast pace too. I'd recommend it to people who enjoyed the Dune books, who want to see more climate sci-fiction, and for when you want to drop into a different world and figure out all the puzzle pieces.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the e-ARC!

This book was amazing! The concept of sky mining was interesting and unique- can't say I've ever read the likes before. 3 POVs that end up intertwining perfectly to build one heck of a climax for the story. Speaking of characters they were very well fleshed out.
The writing was exquisite and I look forward to rereading this book

As a South Asian, I love finding South Asian representation in books and being able to relate to parts of the book, sometimes being able to pick out words in my language. When I saw that this book was influenced by SA culture, with an SA author, I knew I had to read it. I don't have much to say at this time, because I believe going into it blind is the best way to enjoy it, but I will say that I was enthralled from the first page, and once I hit the 50% mark, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I loved the writing and the way the author was able to weave the three separate POVs was so great to read. Please, if you pick up this book, make sure to read it without any spoilers, it'll be so much better to go in blind!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book for an honest review. All thoughts in this review are my own, and have not been influenced in any way by the publisher or Netgalley.

I didn't get the chance to finish "And the Sky Bled" prior to it being archived due health issues. But I did make it to about 20% and have to say that I absolutely adored what I had the opportunity to read. The writing was beautiful and engaging, the world building was unique and I'm curious to explore it and the characters more when I buy myself a physical copy to own!

DNF @ 50% I found myself not caring about the characters enough, and after trying to read it for a month and a half, I decided to DNF. I hope to one day come back and try it again, but right now is just not possible.

My rating of 3 stars is a neutral rating since I did not finish.

This was an intense, thrilling introduction to cli-fi fantasy for me, and I’m so grateful to have received an ARC of this debut! The story takes place in Tejomaya, a city under colonial rule, where magic exists in the form of "calor"—a rare, powerful fossil fuel found only in the “blood rains” that fall from the sky. With a six-month drought, the city is on the edge of collapse, and the race to find a rumored stash of "calor" brings three complex characters together.

Each of these characters—Zain, the cunning thief; Iravan, the driven slumlord; and Anastasia, the powerful heiress—has their own motives and secrets tied to Tejomaya’s past. I loved the way the story explored how rage and trauma can push people to either destruction or transformation. The tension builds as their paths intersect, leading to a powerful, chaotic climax.

This book’s worldbuilding was rich and immersive, and I appreciated the themes of power, colonialism, and survival woven into the fantasy setting. If you’re into unique, high-stakes stories with morally complex characters, It is definitely worth reading!

This book has a unique story about the effects technology and advancement can have on a planet. I did feel it was slow pacing wise and trying to learn the ins and outs of the world and the science was a bit dense. But I'd still say it's worth a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for the ARC!
I liked it overall,(I think?) but I never fully felt connected with any of the characters which made it hard to stay in the book. The setting was entirely unique and stood out to me, being the characters themselves just felt...forgettable. I read it, and said okay cool and promptly forgot most of what happened. I don't know if I would recommend this to just anyone, it feels pretty niche which isn't a bad thing in itself, just a thought I had.

3/5 stars

I was really hoping to enjoy this book more than I did because the premise seemed so unique and interesting. I think the storytelling just fell a little flat to connect the events and emotions I know the author wanted to convey.

Plot: The plot continuously alluded to a major event that happened 10 years prior which is vital to the 3 POV characters but I felt it held out far too long to the point it was frustrating. I needed more breadcrumbs to "unravel" the mystery or keep engaged. Instead it felt like the author was withholding information without purpose. I didn't enjoy the ending and it felt a bit unrealistic. There were a few parts where things felt out of character or unrealistic in order to further the plot.

Setting: The setting was interesting but I really wished there was a map so I could understand where things were and how the city was laid out. This info would be helpful as there was military/slumlord battle strategy dependent on positioning.

Characters: The characters were fair. I think I liked Anastasia's character the best even though she is a bit big headed. Zain's mysterious past was just not fleshed out enough throughout the book and instead used more as a big reveal... and I felt the romance was a bit unrealistic for being over the course of a week (?). I think the side characters were more interesting and dynamic.

Writing: The writing was beautiful but took me a while to slow down to understand what was being said.

Overall, I think this is a unique premise with good writing but would need a stronger plot and characters to really have me behind it. I wish things were more logical and fleshed out, the world building, characters and major plot points felt light handed for me to get immersed.

Incredibly written with emotions spilling between the lines.
The land has had enough.
Zain, Ana, and Ravi have been though enough.

As the past intertwines with the present, I felt so deeply connected to these characters.
My heart surged multiple times and I could not help but smile at the beauty of the meaning between the lines.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Three rivals race to find a hidden collection of magic that could change the course of each of their lives, and the world in very different ways.

I appreciate the combination of fantasy and real-world climate crisis.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery for the ARC!

This was a unique and well-thought out futuristic sci-fi climate dystopia novel. I felt a little lost at times with some of the world building and characters, but I think that was more on me for being distracted from the book by my daily life. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style, even when I didn't always remember who was who, and thought this was a fresh new take on the concept of various groups depending on and fighting over a limited resource - in this case, calor, a sort of blood rain that falls from the sky and powers their world, but is dangerous for humans to come into direct contact with. If you liked Dune, give this a try.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for the e-arc!
This book is worth every single piece of praise I have seen! I initially picked this book up as everyone kept saying it was perfect for fans of Fonda Lee and N.K. Jemisin but make it a standalone and they where right! This is a chaotic and immersive climate fantasy/sci-fi with 3 different perspective, Zain, Iravan and Anastasia. In this book the world runs on calor, a magical fuel that is slowly running out, but there is a rumor that there is a hidden stash of calor. Each character is trying to find this hidden store of calor for their own reason but as the book goes on, their paths weave together in a way no one expects.
Now this book starts out hard from the first page; one of my concerns for such a complex fantasy world in a standalone is if the world will be adequality explained/developed but this book didn't have any of these issues. I found the world well crafted and surprisingly easy to understand. Not only was it easy to understand but the inspiration for the world really came through. It felt so vivid as I was reading. The premise is unique and thought provoking; the real life comparisons where there and the overall themes of climate, colonization, and destruction made for a heartbreaking and moving piece.

Holy cow this book is amazing! A world in chaos, 3 points of view and when their stories all come together…oh man! Mining the sky is such an interesting concept. This book took a little bit to fully understand but what a crazy world this was. I enjoyed the climate themes and the resource depletion but also the characters journeys and backstories. At one point I was nervous for one of my favorite characters and had to stop reading. I was so attached that I needed a break so I could continue the journey. What a wonderful story!

This was such a unique book with an incredible world. From the first few chapters I was absorbed in this story and wanted to keep flipping pages. This is the type of book you really need to pay attention to as there is a lot of political intrigue going on within its three POV’s. I found myself getting lost at times but that was completely on me as I get easily distracted. I immediately thought of Dune when reading this book with a little Game of Thrones sprinkled in there. Overall I really loved this story and was satisfied with how it concluded.

A brilliant blend of science fiction and fantasy, Hati makes a bombastic debut with this thrilling adventure, set in world where rivals may very well be your best chance at survival. With compelling characters and a plot that sucks you into mystery and intrigue, And the Sky Bled is an enrapturing book featuring climate, political intrigue, and a cast of characters you can't help but root for. Hati's writing style sucked me in from the beginning, and the interweaving stories of the three protagonists kept each moment fresh enough to keep me coming back for more!

It's been almost a month since I finished this arc, and I legitimately don't remember anything remotely important that happened other than the blood rain and the huge rip in the sky. I don't remember any of the characters, or their history, or their motivations.

Trust me, I really wanted to like this novel. I love anything to do with fantasy colonialism, inequity, revolutions, etc. but this felt so generic and a rehash of other POC-led apocalyptic fantasies I've read before.

Two stars because I did like the setting and apocalyptic worldbuilding. It was very immersive and made me feel like I was living in a hellscape colored with reddish orange tones. But sadly, the characters weren't as memorable as the setting.

Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for this arc.