3.75/5 rounded up to 4/5

This is one of those books that I feel is perfect if you're ever in a reading slump- a standalone that is under 400 pages long but manages to have compelling characters with an interesting plot and a world that leaves you wanting to know everything about it. The book takes place in a country quite literally sucked dry by the environmental ramifications of colonialism- the violence inflicted on its people literally leaving a gaping wound above its sky which rains down blood that the invading forces harvest for power and deny the native people. We follow three perspectives, three characters all connected by one event which broke them all in different ways and irrevocably changed the path the city was heading towards for good. Anastasia, the daughter of one high-ranking councilmembers who seeks to crush the city beneath her heel after she was forced to flee in the wake of tragedy and betrayal, Iravan, one of the dons leading the city, desperate to realize the dream of freedom and stability for his people which slips further and further from his grasp every day, and Zain, a "leech" working under the dons while she struggles to face her past and untangle herself from the noose placed around her neck by one of the powerful dons controlling the city. The characters were probably the best part of this book for me- they were all fleshed out and compelling in their motives and the actions that they took to realize them, all of them fueled by a desperation that was only exasperated by the constant feeling while reading that everyone was rapidly running out of time.
The only portion of this book that I felt didn't work for me was that some moments felt like they didn't carry the amount of weight they should due to how quickly they passed and in the same vein some character relationships felt slightly hollow yet predictable due to there never really being focus on them in order to build them naturally. It often felt like some relationships developed simply because the characters were there and it was just the obvious thing to do, but there was no real buildup that made their realization feel satisfying. But since this wasn't really a huge focus of the book, it was never enough to actively bother me or keep me from enjoying the rest of this book- because there really is a lot to enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

In a city ruled by colonizers and suffocating under a six-month drought, three rivals race to find a hidden cache of magic that could save—or destroy—the crumbling world of Tejomaya. With themes of climate catastrophe, power, and resistance, And the Sky Bled is a bold, atmospheric debut that takes you on a dark, twisty adventure.

WHAT I LOVED:

The world-building: A city where magic comes from blood rains? Yes, please! The imagery is sharp, grotesque, and unforgettable.

The characters: Anastasia stole the show for me—morally grey, ruthless, and utterly fascinating.

The themes: A biting commentary on colonialism, environmental exploitation, and survival in a dying world. It’s heavy, thought-provoking, and so relevant.


WHAT FELL SHORT:

Pacing issues: The plot sometimes felt rushed, especially in the opening and the big reveal of the shared past event. It left me wanting more time with the characters and their relationships.

World-building gaps: The concept is brilliant, but I had lingering questions about calor and the political structure of Tejomaya.

Some emotional disconnect: While the characters were complex, the storytelling often “told” instead of “showed,” making it harder to connect with Zain and Iravan.


And the Sky Bled is fierce and ambitious, and for fans of political fantasy with dark, dystopian vibes, it’s worth the read! While it didn’t hit every mark for me, S. Hati’s debut is unique and full of potential. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on what they write next!

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for this ARC Copy!

I really like the idea of Bindery creating imprints for influencers because the influencers that I go to for book recommendations should be able to identify manuscripts that they know will be able to pick books that we will all love. This is the second book from the Bindery influencer program that I have read and so far I am really enjoying them. I do not think that this would have been a book that I would have picked up otherwise but I am glad that I did. It was different than my usual brand of fantasy and I was to say it was refreshing, but this book was far from refreshing, and that was the point. It really opened up opportunities for us to think about the dangers we face if we allow our climate to be destroyed.

In this fantasy standalone, we follow 3 MC’s who have been heavily impacted by a mysterious event/fire 10 years prior. While the story begins with the 3 separated, their journeys come together toward the end and are shown to have been intertwined from the beginning. This world is powered by an element that rains from the sky and is slowly being diminished due to climate change and overuse.

This book was okay. While I liked the overall premise and themes, the execution left much to be desired. I felt disconnected from the characters and from the plot. At times, I had difficulty remembering which POV I was reading from because they were all so similar. None of the MC’s were developed on a deeper level; it felt like they all had one thing that defined them and that’s it. I didn’t understand their motivations throughout the story and, at times, it felt like the author did not know either. While I read the book relatively quickly, I found myself forgetting what happened. Plus, the plot felt repetitive (Zain constantly talks about the mysterious event from 10 years ago, Anastasia always talks about how she doesn’t want to go back to the mainland because of what happened and puts on a tough act for others to make up for the event, and Iravan is jealous that his best friend has other friends). Some of the plot points also felt pretty rushed (like Zain and Theron’s relationship - I actually forgot why they initially worked together but then they were having feelings for each other so quickly and all of a sudden knew each other really well. It felt like the relationship was an after thought and because the two characters spent time together, it was enough for the relationship to develop). Overall, I enjoyed the overall premise but the execution of the plot and lack of character development made me feel disconnected and uninterested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very attractive and atmospheric in its wording held my attention very well! Fast paced and amazing characters loved loved this book would recommend it

I feel extremely biased to be writing this review considering I am the person who picked this book to be published and brought into the world. There’s not much I haven’t said already about how much I love this book. When I picked And The Sky Bled to be the first book I published under my imprint, Fantasy & Frens, I knew it wasn’t going to be a book for everyone. After all, not every book should be for everyone. It was a book for ME.

And The Sky Bled is special because it has stuck with me long after I read it the first time. It was terrifying to read because the environmental disasters our characters are grappling with are a direct reflection of climate events happening in our world. I chose this book because it’s about perseverance and hope. It’s about community and banding together in the darkest of times.

In short, if you love climate fantasy/sci-fi, multiple POVs, found family, magical fossil fuel, morally gray characters, sentient forests, and are curious about why this world is LITERALLY RAINING BLOOD, I urge you to pick up And The Sky Bled! <3

Fabulous debut!!!! S. Hati is going to be the new it fantasy author, so I will be recommending this to everyone!

This might win the award for most boring and derivative read of the year. Fantasy cli-fi with impetuous and unpleasant characters who never seem to learn or grow, and remain flat throughout, this book tries to be complex and full of intrigue, but in the end failed to interest me in any of the things going on. It feels a lot like an attempt to cash in on the success of other works, better works in the genre: Jemisin's Broken Earth series; Okorafor's Who Fears Death and its new prequel; and others.

This book hit me like a ton of bricks. I absolutely could not put it down. I’m still reeling from the last 100 pages.

And the Sky Bled is a climate fantasy about rivalry, power, and control. It’s set in a South Asian-inspired world, and it will absolutely grab you by the throat. It’s embedded with symbolism and meaning, villainy and utter desperation. It hones in on the relationships and hierarchy that exist in a colonized society, a place sucked completely dry by greed and selfishness. The characters are spectacularly written. Horrifyingly detestable in some cases, devastatingly determined in others. No matter the side, the author gives every character breathing room, the choice of being dynamic. She’s nailed the complexities of turmoil and hatred. The action moments are as intense as the dialogue, leaving you feeling deeply uneasy as early as the first few chapters.

Regarding the climate aspects of this, it hits a little too close to home for a book that is both fantasy and fiction. The air pollution, the barren sky, the heat - it all coalesces into not-so-otherworldly chaos and despair. In that way, it’s entirely successful. Combine that with searingly realistic depictions of colonialism, and you have a novel that will break your heart and fill you with dread. S. Hati toys with perception, crafting a world where the fates and histories of enemies and acquaintances are intertwined. The cause of one’s suffering is seen as a gift to another, a curse to the populace and a blessing to those in power. It’s one of the most lifelike depictions of how humans think, how we can be filled with a callous, self-centered disregard for humanity itself.

Let’s talk about the writing: the prose is phenomenal, and most impressive given that this is a debut (and ~300 pages). I feel like you can tell when an author is really passionate about a story - it flows fairly seamlessly, they can get a lot done in few pages, the characters have very well-defined personalities and goals, and so on and so forth. That’s this book, that’s S. Hati’s writing. I love books that not only have a unique premise, but also give you a deeper look into the more despised characters’ attitudes and thoughts. It makes for a gripping read, and is a refreshing break from books with main-character-only perspectives.

“Perhaps the sky had rotted because of everything it had witnessed below. Perhaps it wept because the pain was too much.”

This year, I’ve tried to take a sizeable step back from relying on ARCs and limit the amount of times I peruse that old standby, NetGalley. Partly because I still have some books from last year I need to get to and partly because chasing new releases was burning me out. But earlier this summer, I fired up the site and stumbled across the cover of this next book. Enraptured, I read the synopsis and could not stop myself from requesting a copy. And The Sky Bled, by S. Hati, is a laser focused debut that examines our relationship with fossil fuels through intricate characters as they try to survive in a world on the brink of collapse.

Calor used to be found everywhere, and it powered everything. The continents to the North controlled much of the supply, and when extraction began to dwindle, they formed a council to control whatever was left. Occupying the city of Tejomaya, located in the southern hemisphere, they harvest what is left from the blood rains in the sky. After a six month drought, however, rumors of a secret reserve that had been buried decades ago begin to re-circulate. Zain, an orphan who stole calor in service of her slumlords, is back in the game. Iravan, one of those slumlords, has revolutionary ambitions and begins to take the rumors seriously. And Anastasia Drakos, seeking a position on the council, sees finding the reserve as her ticket to total control. As tensions rise, these three lives will intersect again in the search for the treasure that could uplift, or bury, the city of Tejomaya.

It’s been a while since a debut kicked in my door as hard as And The Sky Bled did. Hati confidently beckons the reader into her world, trusting they will be able to pick up on how it works. There aren’t pages of exposition setting everything up; it’s just Zain, sneaking around stealing what little calor she can and the trouble that ensues during the gathering. There is an energy to the events that makes sopping up the details easy without weighing them down. Before I knew it, I was several chapters deep and still not willing to put the book away. It certainly helps that Hati is a sharp writer. Not only are events clear, but the metaphors sink deep. I particularly resonated with her ability to write metaphors you could feel, hear, and smell. She also had a knack for metaphors that pulled you into the world, and gave you insight into each character’s relationship with calor. It made the whole experience intense, so that when the character drama ensued, you were primed for it.

I can not explain how much I loved Hati’s character work. Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia were fleshed out, each with baggage that could fill a cargo container. Watching them orbit around each other, seeing their decisions affect one another while they barely interacted physically was a dance I could watch again and again. Seeing their individual and collective pasts begin to surface as the novel moved forward was an act in emotional archaeology. Slow, methodical sifting of the dirt to uncover things both important and unimportant. Despite having good access to their minds through perspective shifts, Hati convincingly hides their sins as they lie and convince themselves to keep their pasts bottled. And when things start to come together, the full reveal is a heartbreaker. I’ve recently read a few books wherein a character with a purportedly troubled past hasn’t done anything truly wrong. Hati does no such thing as these people have done real damage to others, the world, and themselves. I loved the destruction, while also feeling the horror of it.

While these are things that people often look for in a good book, it’s rare to see them executed so confidently. Where And The Sky Bled truly soared is how the writing, characters, and plot all get intertwined in heavy themes around colonialism, power, environmental degradation, and community. Calor is one of the best composites for fossil fuels I’ve encountered in fiction. It’s powerful, it’s nasty, it causes problems for the handlers and harvesters, and it suffuses everyday life in invisible ways. Those who have it need more, those who don’t can barely keep their communities running. And not because the people are reliant personally, but because the spaces they exist in have been designed to need it as much as everyone else. The systems that maintain its flow are rampant and brutal. Oppression in all forms is utilized to keep the game running, and the game allows for power plays by individuals. Hati captures it all wonderfully, in small and big ways.

Hati then steps beyond the normal shit surrounding fossil fuels and looks into how our relationship with them taints all other relationships. Not in a “you’re contributing too,” but how the constant search for extraction of calor, pushes onto the characters a similar mining mentality when it comes to their relationships. They look at how to leverage situations for power or survival, only to require more and more of someone until they are drained and tapped. This feels more purposeful here because of her use of metaphors. They are often directly linked to each other. They are taught only to think in terms of calor, therefore people are also resources. And it suffuses every strata from top to bottom. It’s not a question of guilt or personal conviction, it’s just how society is organized. There are even small moments where Hati mentions that life, especially in Tejomaya wasn’t always this way, that there used to be a respectful relationship with the world that was lost after the calor revolution (ie industrial revolution). The northern continents built up the southern ones with calor infrastructure so that everyone was stuck in the cycle.

It’s an incredibly dense packing of the themes in a 330 page standalone, and this would have been a perfect book had the ending not happened the way it did. I won’t say Hati threw it all out, but I found myself disappointed with the sharp thematic turn. It doesn’t undo all the value that I found in the book, it just was an unfortunate stumble at the end of a mind blowing routine that combined technique with artistry. I don’t want to get into details because, spoilers, but I had a hard time wrestling with its implications after everything that pushed me towards it.

And The Sky Bled is a fantastic debut that makes S. Hati an author to watch. It’s a book I will cherish and tell people about whenever they want an environmentally themed science fiction book. If you need an exciting debut in your life, definitely pick this one up when it comes out.

Rating: And The Sky Bled – Yeah, Just Read This One
-Alex


An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.

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!