The Jade Bones

There are books that take you on an adventure and there are books that you consume, then there are books like The Jade Bones that do/are both. After devouring The Seventh Son I was excited for more. The Seventh Son left me with a killer book hangover, and I could not get it out of my head for weeks, so when The Jade Bones was announced, you bet I was beyond excited because I needed more from these characters and more from this world.

The Jade Bones starts out almost immediately where The Seventh Son ends and it take the reader on the adventure of their life, or should I say their afterlife? We once again meet Ahkin and Mayana as they fight their way out of the darkness of the afterlife and back into their world and reality. I loved that this story was both in duel POV and in duel worlds. Being a part of both the real world as it was happening and the afterlife as the characters were experienced it, really brought the story to life.

The way the author brought to life the mythology and historical life stories of this culture and religion adds another dimension to both the characters and the story. The characters come alive within these pages and the story line keeps the reader engaged. I could not put it down and it met all my hopes and expectations from book one. I could not The Jade Bones or The Seventh Son more then I do. Both books are on my Best Reads of 2020 list and I will continue to read and love them. I received an ARC via NetGalley and Blacksone Publishing and I am leaving my honest review.

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I will be positing this review on release day (February 16th, 2021), on the following sites as well as recommending this story in many Facebook groups. My posts will consist of my review and/or option of the book, the links to buy and any graphics I can find to share:

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In Facebook groups that are YA focused or with readers who enjoy YA stories as well as anyone who will listen.

I have already posted on the sites that have allowed early posting: Goodreads, Bookbub.

Lani Forbes blew me away with this book! I loved The Seventh Sun but everything seemed a little more elevated in this book.

The biggest thing I have to comment on is the character development and the romance. I complained about things feeling too instalovey with the first book and that is completely not the case with this book. In fact, Forbes seemed to make a conscious decision to show how a healthy relationship should operate. Mayana and Ahkin started this book right where they left off in The Seventh Sun, freshly fallen into the underworld. I loved seeing them acknowledge that they don't really know each other and haven't been treating each other like equals, and then consciously taking steps to understand the other person and see things from their viewpoint. It was great to see their characters develop individually as they journeyed through the underworld and see their relationship develop as they began to see their relationship as a trusting partnership.

And holy smokes, Yemania and Ochix? Almost too much for me to handle, I loved them so much. They balanced each other out really well and, as much as I loved the passion, I also loved their mutual respect and open-mindedness toward each other.

The plot kept me really engaged and definitely left me needing more at the end. I loved reading this from different POVs. Not only did it help me feel closer to the characters and really feel their growth but it kept up the fast-paced feel of the plot.

I will definitely try to get my hands on the next book as soon as it's available, because that was some cliffhanger! I really fell for the characters even more in this book and can't wait to see where the author takes the plot next!

All in all a strong sequel.

The additional POV definitely added more context, and I found myself surprisingly invested in that storyline as well - at time even more than the primary arc. The characters continued to grow and develop, while remaining consistent and flawed. The worldbuilding was also fleshed out more in this installment which I appreciated.

Overall, this avoiding feeling too much like a middle book and had a compelling arc of its own.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Spoilers for The Seventh Sun ahead.

After ending up in the underworld, Mayana and Ahkin struggle to make their way back out. Their world is in danger and they need to retake the throne. However, the many layers of Xibalba are not easy to pass through. Not to mention, Mayana and Ahkin are mad at themselves and each other. The Mother goddess leaves them with a dark warning that one of them won't survive... Meanwhile, Yemania has been appointed to High Healer. When she crosses paths with a death demon, an unlikely romance starts. Hiding their relationship while dealing with their own responsibilities is dangerous for them both.

I really enjoyed this book! The biggest surprise for me was how much I liked Yemania's POV. I was not a fan of her in The Seventh Sun because she just came across as mopey and whiney. Her POVs in this book made me appreciate her so much more. I also really liked her relationship with Ochix! Of course, I was definitely curious about Mayana and Ahkin too. Their trip through Xibalba was interesting. Once again, this book ended with a cliffhanger so I will be desperate to get my hands on book 3! The dual POVs kept the plot moving, but I was a little frustrated at times when a switch would occur. I'm looking forward to seeing what POVs we get in book 3!

If you read The Seventh Sun, make sure you read The Jade Bones to continue on with Mayana and Ahkin's journey, as well as the new journey of Yemania and Ochix! If you haven't read The Seventh Sun, go read it!

Mesoamerican legends, romance, and underworld trials? Sign me up please! This was great from start to finish. It definitely assumes you've read the first in the series but you're more or less caught up by the end. The characters were quite engaging.

You probably expect this review to start with the main characters, Mayana and Ahkin, but that's incorrect.
I'm going to start with the new POV that stole the show, Yemania.
She's impossible not to love! This book would have been almost impossible to get through without Yemania there to balance Mayana and Ahkin.
Mayana and Ahkin are having a crazy adventure in the underworlds filled with ancient beasts and dangers pulled directly from the legends of Mexico's indigenous tribes (mostly Maya's). However, this book is really about Mayana and Ahkin's flaws, and to be honest they are irritating. This isn't a complaint, though. These flaws makes them human, reminds us that heroes are not perfect, and is a well executed part of their character arcs. That doesn't mean that I didn't roll my eyes at Ahkin's fight to keep hold of control over everything (save his temper), or Mayana's impulsiveness that usually did as much harm as it did good. Although Mayana does overcome some flaws, I do feel like the book was too heavy on Ahkin's shortcomings and triumph over them, but much lighter on calling out Mayana's shortcomings. At the end of the book, she is still acting impulsively and not working WITH Ahkin. She is still in the mind-frame that she was right about this one major thing, so she is therefore right about it all and continues to not listen to Ahkin when he voices his concerns. We still have book three, and I am eager to see how Mayana changes.
Thankfully Yemania's soft heart was there to break up the tediousness of Mayana and Ahkin overcoming their flaws while they were bickering. She is so insecure after her family traumas, and I love to see how she is built up and still loves so genuinely without bitterness and envy. Not to mention the new relationship she builds! It was in my wheelhouse, and I won't say more so as not to provide spoilers but whew *me muero*.
Does that mean Yemania's POV (my personal favorite POV) was without issues? No. I do think the relationship she was building was rushed when it could have been better built over this book and the third installment that is to come. The last scene Yemania shares with her brother did feel forced and rush too, as if he accepted the nature of their conversation too easily so as to move the scene along.
Another message I caution readers not to get sucked into is 'a player can change for love.' It works for this book set in this setting during this time, but it did make me wary when reading it and I hope it's not a theme for book three.
At the end of this book, I am very excited for book three. I cannot wait to find out how these characters (all named and not named) grow, and find out what happens to them. I hope publishers take the hint to publish more like this and not look at the market and say "oh, well there already is a book out there like this." As a Latina who grew up without these stories but knowing they were out there and wishing for them, I am very happy to have this series in my collection!

I received an Arc from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

The Jade Bones is the sequel to The Seventh Sun, a fantasy series with much of its ideas drawn from the Maya culture. The Jade Bones is an excellent continuation of the series.

Lani Forbes has penned another winning story. The dual story line follows Mayana and Yemania as they each face trials that challenge them on many levels. I appreciated Forbes handling of the men in Mayana and Yemania’s lives being tested and having to trust the intellect and abilities of the women. In fact, they all had to learn to rely on one another to get through their various trials.

This series is full of non-stop tension and unique situations that kept me riveted. I don’t ever remember reading anything similar to The Age of the Seventh Sun series. If you like fantasy, check out these books. The amazing world, the well-drawn characters, and the emotional depth left me wishing for the next book. Highly recommended.

In this second installment of The Age of the Seventh Sun series…
Mayana and Akin have to travel the underworld to find the Lords of the Dead. Their journey is normally for actual souls on their way to their final resting place. Still very much alive, Mayana and Akin are nearly killed in the underworld left and right. Despite the tools given to them by Ometeotl, the Mother goddess, their trust in each other and in themselves is constantly jerked back and forth throughout their journey.

Meanwhile… in the land above…
Lani Forbes flawlessly keeps readers engaged in Mayana’s journey with Prince Akin while also exploring another strong female in this series, Yemania. The story shifts flawlessly between the above and below. Yemania doesn’t realize her own personal strength because she’d been told for years that she wasn’t worthy of anything. She was constantly reminded by her father and siblings that she wasn’t traditionally beautiful, that she wasn’t thin enough, and that she wasn’t the best healer in the family. Her backstory is the setup for why she’s so insecure about her skills and her worth as a person when she’s kept in the palace as the royal healer.

Yemania stumbles into a handsome man on the brink of death and risks her own personal safety to save him. While it would be an adorable “how we met” tale to friends, it’s of course much more complicated than that. In addition to societal issues between them, Yemania has to learn to love and trust herself before she can give love to anyone.

Above and below, time is running out…
Mayana and Yemania are both racing against time and their enemies in the above and the below until finally, their worlds collide. I could almost hear either my heart beat ascending up until the “moment of truth”. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath! I’m so anxious for the next book in this series. As much as I loved The Seventh Sun, I managed to love The Jade Bones, just a little bit more.

The Jade Bones picks up right were 7th son left off. The action is straight away and you fall fully immersed in the story almost immediately. There was a bit of a slump in the middle but then picked back up by the end.

I do wonder if it has the same tone as the first though. There felt to be a disconnect between them.

The Jade Bones picks up right where we left off in book one. So if you don't remember what happen to Ahkin and Mayana, I suggest you re read The Seventh Sun to get caught up.

The odds were certainly not in Ahkin and Mayana's favor in this book and these two could not catch a break. I wasn't sure they could survive everything the underworld was putting them through and I was even more worried about whether their relationship would survive.

Where book one was more romance oriented, this book is more action and fantasy, which surprisingly I liked!

There were a couple things that annoyed me in the book. One being Yamania, again. In book one I just didn't care for how whiny and "weak" she seemed. Although she seemed to be stronger and seemed to be growing a backbone, the whining was still present. I DO feel like by book three I might very much enjoy her character arc though and I actually did enjoy her situation with Ochix.

Secondly, Mayana seemed quite selfish in this book to me. Her intentions were selfless, but I felt she didn't think a lot of things through and didn't consider Ahkin or the big picture of things. So I wanted to scream at her quite a few times!

The cliffhanger was a treat since I totally did NOT know this was going to be a trilogy, and after what happened I just want to know if I can have book 3 now??

I loved the first book so I was really excited to read the second one. This story and plotline is so interesting and I am obsessed. I read it so quickly because I could not put it down. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and patrons at the library.

I absolutely adored this book.

The relationship that continued to develop between Mayana and Ahkin and Yemana was amazing.

I can't speak good enough of this.

On the whole the book was a little slow due to it being a quest book, it was never boring.

The character development that happened within each of our main characters was off the charts and I can't wait until the third book!

Thank you @Favouritepagesclub @Blackstone and @LaniForb for the amazing opportunity to read The Jade Sun (releasing February 16, 2021) and I'm so happy to be a part of the Book Tour!

#BookReview

I finished this in a day everybody, a day, and the ending still came too soon! Can we address the ending of this book!!?? 😧

The world-building in this is just as amazing as the first book, as well the the character developments. I love Mayana, I feel like I'd make the same decisions she makes, she thinks with her heart and is a strong character.
I love the trek Mayana and Ahkan are set on; physically and emotionally. As well as Yemania and her love interest. This book was filled with emotions and trials and "What!??" moments.
The added POV was brilliant and very easy to follow and I love that it continues pretty fluidly from the first book, The Seventh Sun.

All in all, I'd highly recommend this book!

OMG my soul just died!! I had asked the author on a sale of one to how much will this rip out my soul is the cliffhanger and she was right!!! This one devastated me to no end and now I have to wait a year to read the next one. #DIE!

This one we pick up right where we left off and this time a new POV is added of the princess that can heal. I loved her so much and being in her POV worked so well to keep us informed about what was going on in the world above.

If you loved book one then this one is going to freaking kill you!! I didn't think I could fall harder for these characters but this story kicked my butt. The character arcs in this one worked well and I love seeing Yama somewhat growing a backbone and coming more into herself and Mayana and Ahkin learning more about each other.

Forbes comes back with a book even better than her first!