I am absolutely floored by this release from debut author, S. Hati. And the Sky Bled was a powerful introductory novel and I am so excited to see how this author continues to grow as an author. If you enjoy political intrigue, multi-POV with dynamic characters, and a rich and immersive writing style, then this book is for you. And three cheers for a standalone! I have been waiting for an epic fantasy standalone and this novel DELIVERED.

First, I want to be up front about the fact that I DNF'd this book at about the 45% mark after coming to the realization that the reader that I am right now is not the right reader for this book. I wanted to go forward with a review because, while this wasn't the story I needed right now, I think it carries huge potential in the hands of those ready for it!

And the Sky Bled by S. Hati is a cli-fi/fantasy novel that deals heavily in themes of colonization, power, and oppression. Three central characters become our central guides through a world devastated by the use and depletion of calor, a magical energy source found only in blood rains from the sky. The story begins in the midst of a drought, leading tensions between colonizers and colonized to new fever pitches and characters to new levels of desperation. Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia each hold a unique place in the conflict brewing in this complex and well-formed world.

The reason this wasn’t for me is the same reason I expect many to love it - the novel can and should definitely be categorized as highly political, which I only reach for in very specific moods (which I don’t happen to be in right now). From what I’ve read, I think the politics are done incredibly well! When I am in the mood, I absolutely plan to give this another chance, but please pick it up in the meantime if a well-built political world appeals to you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy!

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book! I find multiple POV books a bit hard to digest at times, as it often results in a lot of character building and less plot. While this was true in this book, I found the themes addressed in this book were well done and the book was overall entertaining. The plot started to pick up after the first half and I found myself engaged in the story at that point.

I found the magic system quite interesting and unlike anything that I have read. It was expecially well equipped to discuss the political aspects of the book and how people can presevere through tough circumstances. I struggled connecting to the characters a bit and understanding their motivations for certain actions. Although I struggled a bit, I still overall enjoyed the writing style throughout and the reveal/twist at the end.

I know this is this authors first book, and I am excited to read more by them.

I think the premise of the story is interesting but the execution fell short. It feels like it needed more developmental edits. I also think the POVs took away from the story. Maybe lessening it to at least two, if not just one, third person omniscient POV. This story is a climate dystopian novel, which I haven't read much of this sub-genre. I think the biggest flaw of the story was the continuous reference to this "event" that happened in the past. I wish we could have started with that "event" so we would have that knowledge and it wouldn't have to be repeated so often across the POVs and it wouldn't take as long for us to figure out what happened.

I don't think any of the characters were particularly strong and the story felt more geared towards a Young Adult audience, rather than adult. We would get hints of things that happened to the characters in the past, but not the full story, so we never fully understand who they are or their motivations. Don't get me started on the "romance", we could have left that out completely.

I think the writing was the strongest part of this book, but the plot, story-telling, and characters needed more work. I never had a solid grasp on the type of world they were in and I can usually create a good visual from a good description and good word building, but this was lacking. Overall, it didn't feel cohesive. I have hope that with more practice and hopefully a better editing team, this author's next book could be really good.

Compelling, unique, and quick-paced, And the Sky Bled is an impressive debut.

A few things kept this book from being amazing, but overall I found it stunning and fascinating. The calor (which stands in for fossil fuels or unrenewable resources in our world, I gather) was something I had never come across before. It led to some really interesting and cool imagery, as well as the basis for the main conflict. It was a clever way to address climate in real life but it wasn't too heavy-handed that the story suffered.

The premise and world-building was super interesting, but there were some things that were muddled for me. If the sky rains “blood” does it also rain regular rain? If not, where does drinking water come from?
Who is running the city? I understood there was a council on an island that was made up of mainly the one colonizing force with a few seats given to two other subjugated peoples who helped them with the occupation, but who was in charge of the city itself, like the day-to-day running of it? The slums aren’t the only area of the city, so is there like a mayor? We only ever see the colonizers who live on the island then the two slumlords. But then the slumlords are considered somehow important to the plans of the council, though I wasn’t sure why or how they had such power. This wasn't a big deal - in fact, a lot of people probably wouldn't notice, but I'm a nerd for this sort of stuff.

In truth, the novel’s biggest problem (and, to be clear, it's into a huge problem) is that it’s either too short or there are too many characters with too many facets. You have POVs from the one slum lord, a young woman who works for him stealing calor from storage units, and one of the council members - all three are linked by the mysterious event that ends up not being that mysterious (so why it was teased out as such was a little bit of a letdown). On top of these three, you have, by proxy, some characters without POVs but still of high importance: a second slum lord, two guards, a calor miner (I think?) and her daughter, a woman’s father, some random woman, another man who dies, and the miner’s father. As well as minor characters! The book almost got there (almost!), but every person had something missing about them, or a part of their arc was truncated so that they didn’t land as strongly as they could have. They all made sense and were likable (or dislikable, if required), and all of them had their parts to play in what is really an intricate story, but there was just something missing.

For example, one character has a romance that I was really into (because it's a trope I like), but it was too short - it happened almost without any real build-up to develop those emotions. I could have used a few more scenes of why they liked one another and/or yearning to really make their coming together explosive. This same character also seems to have developed a friendship with another character at the end of the book - to the extent of hugging - but where this friendship came from felt like it was missing something.

Yet, I will stress that this book is still super exciting and fun and addictive to read. I love third-person multi-POV, and this book nails it. All three characters felt distinct. The writing is just lovely. There are some beautiful turns of phrase, and the descriptions of the climate disasters are fraught and tense.

The book also has a great twist at the end, an engaging and emotional climax, and despite not feeling you knew them as much as you could have, characters you do care about. Broadening them out would have turned this book from, “This was great” to “This was AWESOME.”

Still, if any of this does sound interesting to you - it really does move at a great clip and the concepts are so cool - do check it out. I’ll be reading more from this author, for sure!

First of all, I read this as an ARC, so there might be new editions out now. And thank you netgalley and bindery books for a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe I am dumb, but I did not understand what was going on in this book most of the time. It felt like a lot of unnecessary characters and a ton of backstory the reader was just supposed to pick up on throughout. It would have been helpful to have a map and maybe some sort of timeline/explanation of the characters and their roles in the beginning.
That being said, And the Sky Bled was very well written. I thoroughly enjoyed the prose and the dialog. I can tell the author is very well versed in fantasy in general and did a great job explaining the magic system, etc. I love the cover and title. I went in thinking there would be a lot more action though, but the treasure hunting aspect doesn't come in until after halfway through the book. Before then there is a lot of political intrigue, which many people like!
Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of high fantasy books and deep world building with a multicultural lens.

AND THE SKY BLED is very different from stories I typically read, and there was a lot going on, but I absolutely loved it. The authors writing style was fantastic.

4 ⭐
2 🌶️

I found And the Sky Bled to be a challenging read. It was hard to read at times because of the extreme poverty many lived in, but the community they had, family, and friendships forged in the slums were apparent. As opposing sides vie for Calor's precious but deadly commodity, we become entwined in the lives of three people: Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia. Zain and Iravan's land has been conquered, and the control of the Calor is the goal. This complex storyline is complicated to keep up with and, honestly, was a challenge to read. There was such great world-building that the author's tech-speak was actually like reading detailed scientific discussions. A lot went over my head. Add to that all the political machinations and intrigue; like I said, it was a complex book with heavy themes. I am sure others will find this a five-star read, and I am giving four stars for the breadth of detail, emotion, and characters created in this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bindery Books, for the eArc. These opinions are mine.

Interesting premise, but I think I'm not a climate-fiction type girlie. I had a hard time getting all the way through this one.

This had a really engaging premise, however I struggled to connect with the characters. I think this is because the writing and story seemed very plot driven as opposed to character driven. The shifting POVs also took me out of the story. However the plot was fast-paced and I enjoyed all the commentary on climate change.

In some ways, that cover reflects my thoughts about the book itself: there's a lot going on and it's kind of messy and hard to know exactly what it all means.

For me personally, there was A LOT of world-building dumped in the beginning of the book that made it is slog to get started. There isn't really a clear villain in this book, (the environment?) so we're just kind of dropped into a world in the midst of enormous geopolitical change, and left to fend for ourselves to figure it all out. Some people are on an island, some are not. I wasn't really clear until later in the book what pieces were in play in the game.

Ultimately I really enjoyed the main characters we follow and the way their lives intersect. But again, it was hard to get to the point where I was able to enjoy them as full realized people and sit back into the action. Additionally are some great visceral scenes in this book (e.g. the storm at the market) but those tend to be sporadic rather than episodic.

So ultimately, this was a hard one for me to review. The writing was solid. The concept was interesting. It just didn't come together in a way that sustained and drove my attention. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review

TL;DR Review: Fascinating worldbuilding, high-stakes adventure, and a subtly, well-crafted message about climate change.

Full Review:
It’s safe to say that I have never read a story set in a world quite as creative as this one!
And the Sky Bled takes place in a (nameless) world where the skies don’t rain water, but blood. And yes, I do mean that literally.
At some point in the history of the world, humanity learned how to extract a form of magic called “calor” from not only the earth, but also the skies. That magic powers everything—from their flying ships to their homes and water systems—and so, true to human nature, so much calor was extracted that it has led to the total deterioration of the environment.
Now, when the skies bleed, the “bloodrain” is collected by giant funnels and transported to turbines that process it and extract the few drops of calor that remain.
This is where our story begins, following Zain, a young woman working with a group of street-level criminals to steal the calor that is tightly regulated by the government that has conquered her city. She barely gets enough to “pay her dues”, and you can feel her desperation as she tries to find ways to get more—not only to survive, but to help the people around her who are in just as dire straights.
We’re also introduced to Anastasia, the head of the conquering government. From her perspective, we get a great look at how this world is run, who is in charge, and all the political squabbling that results from such scarcity of so many basic human necessities.
Finally, we meet Iravan, one of the “dons” who control the street gangs stealing the calor. He doesn’t do it to gain power (or not only), but he is portrayed as a decent man who is trying to do what’s best for his people, to help them the only way he knows how.
But as we soon learn, there is more tying these three together—we just won’t find out exactly what until much, much later in the book.
There was a lot to love about And the Sky Bled.
The world put me in mind of a sprawling city on the Indian subcontinent (Kolkata or New Delhi), with everything from crumbling slums to opulent palaces. There is very much a hint of “British Empire” in the conquerors who have subjugated the people of Tejomaya, but not so much to be overt.
And the Sky Bled is “climate fiction” (cli-fi), showing a very real possibility of how bad things on our Earth could get as a result of humanity’s excesses. Yet at no point did that come across as “preachy” or shoved in my face—it was simply an element in the story that served as a poignant object lesson in the background, but didn’t override the characters’ individual stories.
The characters were complex, complicated, and enmeshed in their own troubles—many of which were connected—and through their perspectives, we get to see this world that is slowly deteriorating.
The pace is slow and steady, the action scenes are simple but well done, the emotions are raw, and the colors are vivid and vibrant. While it’s not a perfect book (I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters, and so much of the world needed further explanation to really anchor me), it’s definitely a reading experience I will never forget.

S. Hati's debut novel, And The Sky Bled, a dystopian climate fantasy, is simultaneously terrifying and breathtaking. In a world sheared apart, quite literally, by a magical fossil fuel called calor, three unlikely allies race against the clock to search for a hidden cache of calor, which may just save their lives or destroy them.

I quite enjoyed this very ambitious novel. The world was vast and well-thought-out, although was at times hard to understand. The worldbuilding was quite expansive and so was quite confusing in the beginning, but once I understood who the characters were, which factions were vying for power, and what calor was, etc., it got more enjoyable. This is partly par for the course in a fantasy novel, especially one that is a standalone. The imagery was absolutely breathtaking and so vivid in my mind.

The characters were distinct and memorable, and their backstories were extremely well woven throughout the entire storyline. I loved that everyone was intertwined in some way, even though their storylines didn't cross over much in the present timeline (until the end). The slow unraveling and revealing of their backstories was very well done, although sometimes felt slow. I had a lot of frustration with each of these characters at different times throughout, but the reasons why were very reasonable; they had each gone through a trauma that had literally rewired their brains, and only by reading more did we fully realize why they made the decisions they did.

I quite liked the romantic subplots and really loved the conclusion of the story.

I have been following Zoranne and her Bindery journey all the way through and am thrilled that I was able to be in some way involved; I will definitely be looking out for more from S. Hati and am so excited this was one of the first Bindery projects!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.*

I think this would have been better as a duology. As it is, it's fine. The premise is interesting, but I'm not sure it's executed very well in this single volume format. I would have liked more build-up for certain things, and for the explosive events of the second half of the book to be expanded a bit more. The third act love story was predictable and honestly not necessary for the story; it almost felt like an afterthought. I'll read more from this author because she does have a way of crafting a beautiful sentence.

Thank you to Bindery and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC!

I liked the premise a lot and the set up, however it just didn’t work for me because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. They were just blend all together.
I think though that this book will get a lot of audience as it reminds me lot of the apocalyptic books from like 10 years ago and surely will get an hype.
From me 3 stars and would recommend.

I enjoyed this book overall, however some of the relationships between the characters and overall world building felt lacking, which did lead to confusion at times, though I believe this may have been intentional. I also found some of rhe characters to be quite childish, like the ones you'd get in a YA book, so I was a little thrown off when I found out they were adults with kids. The plot and interactions between the characters are quite fun and easy to read. In total its a nice short dystopian novel.

This was such a lovely choice for Bindery. I am so incredibly excited to see what S. Hati does next!

And the Sky Bled is a powerful glimpse at colonialism, reliance on fossil fuels, and the impacts of divides amongst community. This story follows multiple perspectives, though all written in 3rd person, that lead you through the story of the community as a whole.
It becomes clear how the colonialism has impacted the well being of the ancestors of the colonizers and the colonized alike.

Structurally, what I loved most about the book is the chapter lengths representing the intensity of the story. There are not really any epic battles in this story, but the tension and intensity of the story are shown through the rapid changing in the chapters leading to the climax of the story.

This book meshes the hard to read truths and the hard to put down beautifully.

DNF'd at 30%

This book had so much potential but I felt like if you are going to drop in the middle of the world with Characters I have not attachment to I think it could have been handled better. I do think this will work for some readers but it didn't work for me.

Thank you Bindery and NetGalley for this ARC!

I will start off by saying the premise for this book made me believe this was going to be one of my favorite books of the year. All of the elements that make up the story looked so incredibly good with an environmental fantasy, told with multiple POVs, messy characters, government and corporate corruption, and revolution. Unfortunately this missed the mark for me.

The world building was extremely sparse, there was barely any information about the government entities and their level of corruption, and the characters’ backstory were revealed so late in the book that I just didn’t care by the time we got there. I had been very excited about the fact that S. Hati has a Master’s degree in STEM (specifically biotechnology) and figured there would be a well-built science/magic hybrid system that would be delved into throughout the story, but all that was offered was base-level explanations that the world needs a substance called calor for energy and one colonizing government has sucked the sky dry of it which is causing the environment to suffer. I finished the book with so many questions about what it actually was that by the end I was just frustrated. A further frustration lies with a lack of understanding how all of the other countries were connected and what their roles were. Most of the other countries mentioned should have been big plot points but were only there to serve convenient solutions toward the end.

Now for the reading experience itself, I would have DNF’d this after reaching 25% because I was so bored and cared about none of the characters. As a reader, being dumped into a situation with three main POVs, there needs to be some character building, but I just felt like none of the characters had a personality until after halfway through the book. There was a lot of telling the reader what the character is like instead of actually showing the character and it was underwhelming. Then for the political intrigue, the two characters who would have had ample access to witness and be involved in the politics did nothing and witnessed nothing until the very end. They made notes of the environment changing and what they were seeing, but everything was happening around them and they essentially were doing nothing.

Since I’ve ranted because I was so let down, I do want to end it on a slightly positive note. I think this book still did have good bones. In my opinion, it seemed like it suffered from massive over-editing making the story disjointed and missing key components. I would have fully appreciated it more if it had been longer so more of the world, magic/science, and characters could have been fleshed out. Also, after about 55% the action sequences really stepped up the interest of the book and are the reason why I finished it in the first place and brought my rating to 3 stars. It did help that following these sequences the characters started having real personalities and some of their vague motivations became clearer. I would be hesitant to read anything more from this author later, but I wouldn’t rule them out completely.