And the Sky Bled

S. Hati's debut novel, a climate fantasy, is rich, complex, and breathtaking—through three distinct POVs, it imagines a world in which a magical fossil fuel powers a society. The intertwining themes of environmental devastation and colonialism are deftly handled and explored with nuance. The high stakes and breathless pacing will keep you turning pages, and the relationships and growth arcs of each character will have your heart aching. A stunning debut and a talent to watch!

thinking about this even more a few days after i finished and that's always a sign that a book will stay with me and how much it affects me. it's hard to believe
S. Hati is a debut author bc of how impressive this story is. it's also solidly a climate fantasy, which, as a sustainability professional, i very much love reading about as much as it makes me anxious. but not only that, it's a SOUTH ASIAN cli-fi and that means even more to me. once you get to 50%, you will be LOCKED in. what's even more impressive to me is that this is a standalone. to write a full story that isn't a million pages long yet still completely effective is actually a talent and there is no denying that S. Hati is meant to be a storyteller

LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I RATED THIS BOOK 4 STARS. SUCH A LOVELY STORY AND THE CHARACTERS ARE SO COOL AND AMAZING.

Amid the chaos of a dying city ruled by colonizers, three rivals—a thief, a slumlord, and an heiress—race to find a hidden cache of magic that will decide the city’s fate.

In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil fuel—is found only in the blood rains that fall from the sky. While a six-month drought has brought Tejomaya to a desperate standstill, rumors of a secret stash of magic propel three unlikely treasure seekers to risk everything.

Tenacious and street-smart Zain Jatav has been forced to steal calor for her slumlord bosses for years. Finding the magic reserve might be her only key to freedom. But she’ll have to contend with Iravan Khotar, a slumlord himself and an ambitious revolutionary hoping to use the same magic to save his people from the mysterious illness devastating the slums—and to bolster a fight against their oppressors. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia Drakos leads the ruling council of Tejomaya from the safety of a nearby island. With the hidden magic, she could finally take full control of the city and crush the slums beneath her unyielding fist.

As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia draw closer to finding the treasure, their paths tangle, and not for the first time—they met before, a decade ago, in a fire that destroyed each of their lives in different ways. Their reunion might bring the already-weakened city to its knees.

Exploring the devastating mechanisms of power, this searing climate fantasy breathes life into a crumbling world hovering on the brink of total destruction.

An Asian inspired sci fi fantasy that will grip you from the first page. Great characters, amazing world builiding and an addictive plot. Definitely an author and series to watch!

THE climate fantasy. What happens when violent imperialism leads to overmining of a magical fossil fuel? You are not prepared for the answer.

This is a heart-rending story of greed, betrayal, and loss, but also of perseverance and community. There was a growing sense of impending doom that had me devouring page after page, something I haven't felt since Crime and Punishment. I panicked, I felt sick, I cried.
What a debut! I'll be tuning into everything S. Hati writes.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: multiple POVs, climate fiction, political intrigue

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to my review blog on 6/25 and to Instagram on 7/25.

This book just didn't do it for me. It had elements there that I liked and that should've made this a higher rated read, but it just wasn't working for me. That being said, there's not really a lot wrong with the book, it just ended up not being for me.

One of the things that bothered me was the secrecy around how our three narrators--Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia--are connected. It's pretty obvious from the get-go that it's related to the fire that happened a decade prior and, imo, it's also pretty clear how each character is connected to the other(s) through that fire. But the characters don't start saying it more explicitly until around 40% of the book, and the so-called 'big reveal' about the fire happens in the last 90-95% of the book....and I called it around 10-15% in. The characters validly make a big deal about the fire, but it's cloaked in so much insincere/flimsy secrecy that I got over hearing about it well before the characters were willing to stop talking about it.

Then, the 'big reveal' about the fire was a little...iffy feeling to me. One of the narrator's reveals two somethings that, again, I guessed pretty early in (and, to be fair, one of which was almost explicitly stated a few chapters prior), and two of the other characters react in the way you'd want them to react, but it has an almost choreographed quality to it and doesn't feel natural. Especially considering the character narrating that chapter insinuates that there were hints ten years ago that everyone ignored. If the character narrating the chapter is correct that 'everyone' picked up on things and chose to overlook it, then just because one of the other character's reacts correctly now doesn't mean they're absolved. Anyway, the whole thing just felt a little off.

In this world, the environment has been ruined by the harvesting and usage of something called calor, which can be used for all sorts of useful things from electricity to medicine to fertilizer. Tejomaya is the last place it can be harvested, where people get it from the blood rains. But there are also whispers that the rains have turned poisonous and that there's a 'soul-sickness' making people ill. Despite that, the plans to harvest calor are still in full swing. It is, essentially, the folly of man in pursuit of money and power. Why care about the environment when they won't be the ones reaping the consequences?

All three narrators come into the story clearly carrying baggage. Zain is particularly secretive about hers, but we're able to glean that it has something to do with why she disappeared from the slums during the drought despite the fact that she clearly cares deeply for the people there. Zain is someone stuck with really no good options. She even notes the fact that every time she tries to do something to make up to the ghosts in her past, something else goes horribly wrong. The poor girl really needs a break, and I'm glad that she has some people around who can comfort her and provide her hope for a better future.

Iravan is much less secretive about what bothers him. His daughter died in the fire and he's been haunted by that and everything that happened after. I liked Iravan and it's clear that he's trying to make the best of dwindling options. He cares about the people of the slums and genuinely wants to try and improve their lives, but with limited calor to go around and the soul-sickness taking ever more victims, there's little power to be had. I will say though, Iravan is a bit blind when it comes to his business partner and friend, Dev, and it isn't until close to the end that he realizes his friend is not a good person.

Anastasia is the last narrator and she falls somewhere between Zain and Iravan in terms of how much she shares about the fire. Imo it's clear pretty quickly what happened with her, but she doesn't mention it for a while. She's not the most likable of characters. She's the type who doesn't fully see her privilege and who lashes out majorly in her grief, even ten years out from the event. She doesn't really stop to consider all sides, she just wants what she wants. She's blind to her friend Charvi's opinions and needs solely because she's driven by a desire for revenge. That being said, while she's not likeable I can kind of understand how she got to be the way she is, even if I disagree with her. She does redeem herself toward the end and comes to realize some things about herself, the people she used to care about, and the world.

Theron...not really sure how I feel about him. I did end up liking him by the end, but he does some stuff at the beginning that I don't really like or agree with. Zain obviously has some trauma/issue/etc. with Dev, and Theron elects to essentially call her a coward and useless for not wanting to get anywhere near Dev without stopping to think that maybe she has a good reason for acting that way. And then later, once he becomes more tolerable, he doesn't apologize or anything.

Charvi had some hard decisions to make in this book. She's definitely a catalyst for a number of things that happen, both past and present, and I don't envy her the position of being caught between conflicting loyalties (and worlds). If Anastasia had just listened things might have turned out differently, but she didn't and so Charvi makes her decisions based on what she thinks is best for her, her daughter, and honestly for the world at large. Not all of these decisions turn out well, particularly for her, but she's definitely one of the movers and shakers of the story.

Overall this is an interesting read, but I just don't think it was for me. The characters were interesting and nuanced, and I would say they're all morally gray.

“And the Sky Bled” is an adult fantasy written by S. Hati, here at her debut. A powerful book with a strong climatic component, characterized by an epic and urgent atmosphere, captivating and evocative prose, and a fast and tantalizing pace. A tale that won me over completely with its expansive, curated world building on the brink of total destruction, a tough story full of action, political intrigues and power plays, and the three protagonists portrayed in a masterful way.

In general I'm always a little wary of standalone fantasy books, but this one really impressed me with its thoroughness and care! Seriously, I was pleasantly pleased!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the arc! I loved this, and it reminds me why I love reading, why I love stories. There were so many themes and concepts and ideas and somehow S. Hati managed all of this with grace. This book is also incredibly refreshing and unique; I’m so shocked that this is a DEBUT! Here are some things I loved about this:

The concept of calor is hauntingly fascinating. A fossil fuel with nearly unlimited uses and HARSH drawbacks. It reminds me of recent favorite of mine, Metal From Heaven. However, in this book we also get fucking blood rains! BLOOD FUCKING RAINS!

The world building in general was vast and satiating. Loved the way it mirrored our current world while still being distinct and unique on its own. I truly felt immersed.

I love the concepts and themes (this was my favorite aspect)!!! The concept of loneliness and what it could make out of you was beautifully explored. We have 3 protagonists who have all experienced loss and loneliness, and all 3 of them have been affected in different ways. Anastasia is vengeful, Iravan became a shell of himself, and Zain made some decisions that led her down a dark and tragic path. All of them are compelling. We also have concepts of colonization and greed, absolute power corrupting absolutely, decay and inevitable doom, the land remembering its people and its oppressor, reaping what you sow, destruction and rebirth, and all of them were beautifully handled. I won’t say much more though; you’ll have to read it ;)

The story itself was lovely. All character arcs were deeply satisfying, the reveals and twists were lovely (even if I predicted a few of them), the ending was wild and incredible, the city truly felt alive, and we get a dash of TRUE enemies to lovers. The concepts, themes, and ideas played off the story beautifully too.

All in all, this was an incredible book and an even more incredible debut. Very much looking forward to what S. Hati does next ~4.5

It's surprising to me that this is a debut novel because Hati is such a talented writer. I wish the ending was a little more fleshed out and the connection between the characters was a little clearer. Overall, an enjoyable read!

4.5 stars

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a climate fantasy book like this before, but I genuinely really enjoyed this debut! I thought the overall idea was really interesting (and slightly terrifying…) and the execution was well done. I love a stand alone and sometimes get nervous that things will be so bogged down with info dumping, but that wasn’t the case here! I do wish there was a bit more information on why things are the way they are when the book began. Things are explained over time, but I still had a few questions by the end. It also took about 30% for me to be fully invested in the characters and story; which isn’t always a bad thing- slow build ups can work and this one did. The last 50% had me staying up late and getting up early to read! I thought the characters were very nuanced and I really enjoyed reading about them and watching their growth, expect Dev…he can kick rocks and catch these hands. I really enjoyed the themes of environmentalism/climate change, found family, and forgiveness.

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

"And the Sky Bled" is an absolute masterpiece in writing. S. Hati is a force to be reckoned with, this book has redefined climate fantasy, one can only hope the genre successors can follow in its footsteps.

A story told with searing honesty and quiet subtlety, both elements balance so well within every tenet of the plot. The pacing is beyond compare, igniting readers with a catchy hook within Zain's first few pages while also sowing breadcrumbs of the past to keep you reading until the whirlwind of an ending. Everything involving the world-building, especially surrounding calor and Tejomaya, feels so thoroughly researched and meticulously created. The themes of colonialism and the ways colonialism extends its arms to fracture communities and people apart by piecemeal shows a level of nuance and attention to detail that goes above and beyond, especially in the ways the events that happen to these characters feel like mirrors of our own reality.

And on the characters themselves: every glimpse of Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia's histories piece together strong and multi-faceted characters, all of whom have let their past dictate their present. I found myself constantly surprised by the characters I grew attached to (I never thought I'd see the day where a colonizer [Anastasia] was my favorite character in a story and yet here we are), and the twists and turns had my opinions in a constant back and forth, all markers of characters who will leave a lasting impression. The relationship between characters also felt like they morphed and shifted alongside the character's changes, and it was incredibly fascinating to see the ways Hati wove a web between seemingly unconnected characters, altering their perspectives at the drop of a hat.

This was a jaw-dropping whirlwind of a debut, and I cannot wait to see what S. Hati writes next. I'm giving this book my highest recommendation, but be warned that the ending will leave you in shambles.

This was a really cool ARC review book - And the Sky Bled had one of the most original and badass settings I think I've read for a while. Calor, a sort of Spice Milange for S. Hati's world, is the pivotal substance that drives the politics and dramas of the story. Aside from being a powerful metaphor for everything wrong with the world, I love the way it exists as a substance of desire and hate, a highly vivid motivating factor for the characters.

Against this background the scenes and action in And the Sky Bled were striking and often had been sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen.

For a bit of balance however, I did have a bit of beef with this book - the characters themselves were somewhat hard to really get into. It wasn't that they were flat or even uninteresting, it was the strange way their pasts and motivations were presented through the story. Compared to the intensity of the setting I found the internal and character motivations of the book relatively disconnected - weird to read a book where I was more invested in the Calor than the characters! But it certainly showed a unique talent that should be celebrated.

I absolutely loved this; it's a fantastic fantasy standalone! I loved the rich and atmospheric writing. I really enjoyed the multiple POVs. I loved the characters, and the character development was excellent. The world-building was absolutely perfect. I loved the plot and all the deception. I really liked the mounting tension and sense of urgency, and the pacing was great. I would have liked a little more depth to the characters and more insight into the whys of the choices they made.

The author skillfully weaved history into the narrative, making the story not only captivating but also educational. It felt effortless to immerse myself in their world, as if I were growing and learning alongside the characters. This book has undoubtedly earned a permanent spot on my recommendation list. However, now that I've finished it, I find myself in a reading slump

I really enjoyed And the Sky Bled. The premise of the book is that there is a society where a substance called calor both powers and poisons their society. There are classes of people trying to hoard the wealth of calor and hoard power, while many others are left to suffer. The story is told from the perspective of many different characters, all from different groups in their society. I liked the complexity of the characters, although it took me a while to remember all the different connections and relationships between them. It was an interesting contort of the conflicts that arise between those seeking power and those thinking in the best interest of humanity.

Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god???

I cant believe this is a debut book. And I refuse to believe this entire story was under 400 pages???

I was drawn into this world and story damn near immediately and it didn’t release me until the end. This book may be up there with Red Rising for me and I do not say that lightly. I cant wait to buy a physical copy and experience it all again.

I am totally blown away by this magnificent debut. The creativity, the execution, the language, and the story all weave an amazing tale that swept me off my feet immediately. It’s jarring and compelling in equal measure.

The characters immediately grabbing my attention. I loved the way they interacted with their world and how it guided the story. I fell in love with the way this author writes and I so hope to see more from them in the near future. This was such a treat to read early.

And the Sky Bled by @shatiwrites has made my list of my most anticipated releases for 2024.

While epic fantasy/ sci-fi isn’t always my jam, your girl does love some Piers Anthony and Brando Sando. This story brings to mind the complex world building of the Stormlight Archives while finding its own voice with a cast of unique brown voices.

The novel also deals with some very heavy topics, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge those before listing pros and cons.

Trigger Warnings:
🔹Child SA (mentioned but not seen)
🔹Loss of a child
🔹Loss of loved ones
🔹War
🔹Poverty
🔹Colonialism

PROS:
🩸The way all the above trigger warnings are handled with respect.
🩸THE IMAGERY *chef’s kiss*
🩸Stone forests
🩸Calor being a necessary evil
🩸Mariam
🩸Community
🩸Found family
🩸Overall use of they/them pronouns. Because we love representation.

CONS:
🩸There are multiple POV’s, so it can be a little jarring to jump between them depending on the content of the previous chapter.
🩸Dev. For so many reasons.
🩸The bloodstrippers… mostly
🩸People abusing the planet
🩸People abusing each other for resources
🩸”White men are dangerous” -the voice of Chief Powhatan every time the Gehannese did colonizer things
🩸People peopling and destroying the Earth and each other.

✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ out of 5 model planes

Thanks to S. Hati and @netgalley for giving me the chance to read, review, and fall in love with this book.

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In a city on the brink of destruction where blood rains from the sky, a thief, a slumlord, and an heiress race to find a hidden cache of magical fuel in a quest for power and to save their home.

This fast-paced, standalone, Asian-inspired climate fantasy is filled with political intrigue and deception. While this is a story about the consequences of climate change and of colonialism, portraited both from the perspective of the colonizer as well as the colonized, it is also a story about loneliness, revenge, redemption, and love.

While I struggled to get into the different POVs initially, I was soon locked in, and S. Hati’s beautiful writing made it hard to put down. Overall, a wonderful debut and an emotional and thrilling read.

Thank you to Bindery and NetGalley for issuing me with a copy of this ARC.

i LOVED this dark and gripping take on climate fantasy. the characters working together in a seamless way, and the idea of calor as a powering force and what people will do to access it had me hooked.

And the Sky Bled is S. Hati's debut novel, and it is fierce! I have never read a fantasy book quite like this one, and for it to be a one and done is quite remarkable. A dying city ruled by colonizers where they are harvesting something called Calor which is a magical fossil fuel from the blood rains. It has many uses, but the harvesting of it is destroying the environment. Where man's greed takes precedence over it's consequences, and other's are foced to steal it to survive. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia tries to take control of the city and crush the slumlords, when her path crosses with Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia who have set out to find the treasure and their reunion may bring this city to it's knees.
A unique climate fantasy that will be sure to draw you in.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My my, what a captivating little book we have here!

S. Hati introduces a magnificient world-building, simple enough to focus on one city, yet complex enough in political issues and history. It's equally magical and scientifical, charming in this connection and surprising in its intelligence. The author settles on the story that lately is not so popular – one that is driven by actual sotry, and the characters are just a part of a bigger picture. Do not be fooled, it doesn't equal they are flat or uninteresting, quite the opposite actually. But given so different perspectives it feels like all the characters are important, even those from the background, as they all work towards the same goal. And it works greatly. It evokes emotions, it drives your interest, while simultaneously providing clever commentary over discussed topics.

I love finding niché fantasy books that end up being a real treasure, and I'm glad to state that Hati's one definitely belongs among them. Amazing!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for a copy of an eARC. Wow! This is a climate fantasy and it was terrifying. How many generations away are we from a global climate tragedy that finally wipes us out? Not only that but the hoarding of unsustainable resources is too realistic ugh.

I loved the prose. I can't believe this is the author's debut. I felt smarter after reading this 😂

I had trouble connecting with the characters during the first half of the book. The climate crisis was intriguing and the world building was great, but I just didn't really care about our 3 MCs until about half way through and I can't explain why. But I'm so glad I gave it time because by the halfway point I was here for all 3 of them. I think this is a book I would enjoy even more on a reread since I have a much better understanding of the world and the characters now.

Overall, so excited for my print copy to come in the mail this October.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for this ARC. I love this book! An interesting and thrilling climate fantasy. Loved the tone of the novel and was completely hooked by 50%. Congratulations to S. Hati for her debut novel.

an impressive and compelling climate fantasy mixed with politics and a multi-pov narrative!!!

lots of tension and emotion, an impressive welding of characters and motivations - they’re messy and complicated, but the culmination of their efforts is so cool. everything leads up to a very dramatic moment, and is fuelled by the hate and desire for calor, making for some very intriguing moments and movements within the world!

with the characters all having such vastly different backstories it meant that they all brought something different to the story, especially with how they view power and money

a powerful and gut-punching climate fantasy highly focusing on the misuse of power and the destruction it can bring!

A dark and gritty fantasy, in all the best ways! I absolutely loved the world that this story took place in. The setting was raw and unexpected, drawing me right into the action. Although I wish I would have been able to connect more with the characters as I feel we barely got to scrape the surface, this was an overall great read.

I’m very impressed by this debut novel and can’t wait to read more books by S. Hati in the future!
A special thanks to Bindery Books for bringing these books to life and for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review!

Ok wow. Just wow. This was actually really great which I honestly didn’t really expect? I hadn’t read much about it before and I guess I should go in blind more often to be pleasantly surprised ❤️

4.5 stars 🌟

In this standalone climate fantasy, three rivals—Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia—whose lives are intertwined race to find a magical reserve that could save everyone and their city from total destruction.

This is a solid debut. As someone who feels strongly towards the environment and has worked on climate action projects, I was instantly hooked with its premise. The book’s events act as a glaring metaphor and a parallel to our current reality. It’s fast-paced, emotional, and compelling.

I suppose this is also a character-driven story, but the characters, however, felt a bit off to me. Maybe I wasn’t able to connect with them, or the POVs slightly threw me off, or I didn’t manage to firmly string together their connections with the other characters.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it to others. This was my first climate fantasy book and I’m so happy this was the book that introduced me to the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC! :>

I love the concept of this book but have too many other things I have to focus on it now. I’m sure the confrontation between the three main characters will be explosive. I ran out the clock on this once and I don’t know if that will work again. I do have this book (and House of Frank) preordered because I want to support the new Bindery books coming out in October. I won a digital copy of Strange Beasts (and might buy a physical copy too) and I am getting Inferno’s Heir through Patreon. Thank you Bindery Books, Fantasy and Frens, Zoranne Host and S. Hati for a chance to read this before publication date. If I can finish it before the book archives, I will update my feedback.

(3.5) I enjoyed the book overall, even though it got off to a pretty slow start. I found the constant references to the fire a bit grating- it felt very tell-don't-show, as we could have known it was always on our narrators' minds without the explicit references to it throughout. The final reveal felt a bit lacking as a result because it had been built up so much. I liked Zain from the start, Iravan grew on me, but I didn't care about Anastasia until the last few chapters. I think that was in part because the figurative language in her chapters felt over the top and clumsy (the razor wool comes to mind), especially in the middle of some really charged conversations and scenes. My favorite character was probably Bilal or Kanak (Kanak!<3). I thought the magic system was really interesting, especially the way that the science seemed interwoven with faith, and that kept me going to finish the book. It broke my brain trying to picture the sky and the rain, but in a good way. The setting was interesting, and I liked the references to the characters moving through different parts of the city. It was confusing at first, but it felt more alive by the end because there was a lot to keep track of.

I received this book as an ARC. And I absolutely loved every minute of it.

I found this story to be fascinating and engaging. It focuses on 3 POVs and spends a good amount of time getting the reader into each mindset and understanding of the choices each POV takes. I don’t typically like multiple POVs but think they were well done and necessary for the story.

I liked the fast-paced nature of the book and really enjoyed the twists and turns along the way!

I'm a sucker for creative/artistic covers, which is why "And the Sky Bled" got my attention. This book is dark and sometimes traumatic. It paints a good picture of how creed can transform the world and change people. You experience the story through different points of view, their conflicts and their own motives.
S. Hati has an engaging writing style combined with a unique setting. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for everyone who likes a standalone fantasy book combined with politics and climate change/crisis.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And the Sky Bled is the story of a dying city, told from the point of view of three different characters - Zain, a thief; Iravan, a slumlord, and; Anastasia, an heiress and quasi-politician. Everything centers around calor, the fuel that runs the city, which is only found in blood that rains from the sky in Tejomaya. In addition to their fight for resources and control of the city, a dark secret connects the three narrators.

The climatic element to the story was unique, and was part of what originally drew me to this book. Hati spun a convincing narrative around the main characters. The reveal of the dark secret that ties them together wasn't entirely a surprise by the end, but the characters' reactions to its reveal felt raw and authentic.

I do wish this book had been a little bit longer in order to flesh out some of the characters and their relationships a little more. It took me a bit to get interested in some of them, especially Zain, since I didn't initially understand their motives and connections. There was also an enemies-to-lovers romance that doesn't appear until almost the very end of the book that would have been better off either be cut completely or given more time to develop the relationship.

Overall, this was a good read, especially if you like stories with multiple POV, a little political intrigue, and some morally gray characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

I'm quite conflicted on what to rate this book. On one hand, the premise of this book was excellent. We got three main characters who are hunting for this special resource called calor. At one point in time, calor was abundant and easy to obtain, which was awesome because it helped crops grow, made people feel better, gave people special powers, etc. Now, people have over-mined this resource, making it incredibly hard to find calor as it is only found in blood rains (which does not rain very often). Calor has also now turned into this dangerous substance where you can die from it. The three main characters are Zain (a thief who wants to gain her freedom back from the guy who is forcing her to collect calor), Irvan (a revolutionary leader who wants to use calor to free people from the slums), and Anastasia (a council member who wants to rule the city). All of them are hunting a mysterious/hidden reserve of calor that could save thema all. There's politics and romance and friendships all on the line! I thought this was all very interesting and unique. It made me think about how we as a society over-fish/over-mine/0ver-whatever natural resources and are now struggling to find replacement.

On the other hand... I simply could not focus on this book. While I wanted to like this so much, I really could not stay focused while reading for whatever reason. I struggled so hard to finish this (though I'm glad I did). I don't know if it was the writing style that made it hard for me to focus. I might just have to reread this book again to see what my true feelings are.

For now, I'll give it a 3.5 stars out of 5 stars, but maybe I'll reread this book next year and readjust.

This might just be one of my favourite debut novels in a long time. It's incredibly well-crafted, with even pacing and beautiful writing and a plot that never, not for even a second, left me feeling bored. The story is also a little terrifying: "And The Sky Bled" takes place in a world which has been stripped of its resources so thoroughly that the sky literally bleeds from a wound above the city of Tejomaya. This wound seems to be the last source of calor, the very resource everything in this world needs to function. It comes as no surprise then that it's been forcefully taken over by the most powerful nation which claims every last piece of calor for itself. It's what ruthless colonizers do, after all.
The characters are incredibly well-written and distinct, and while the "twist" that connects all three protagonists is a bit predictable, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. I was just mesmerized from page one, and I loved every one of the three perspectives though surprised myself when Anastasia's actually became my favourite. There is heartbreak, there is action, there is deep exploration of complex and frightening themes that despite this being fantasy, or climate fantasy to be precise, it's very relevant to what we experience in our own world.

4,5 stars, easily rounding up to 5.

This is one of the most impressive debut novels I’ve read in a long time. The writing is masterful, with a well-balanced pace and a plot that kept me engaged from start to finish. The story itself is haunting: “And The Sky Bled” is set in a world so depleted of resources that the sky literally bleeds from a wound above the city of Tejomaya. This wound appears to be the last source of calor, the essential energy that everything in this world depends on. Naturally, the most powerful nation has seized control of it, hoarding every last bit of calor for themselves—a harsh reflection of the ruthlessness of colonization.

The characters are deeply compelling and distinct, and even though the “twist” that ties the three protagonists together is somewhat predictable, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment. I was captivated from the very first page and found myself particularly drawn to Anastasia’s perspective, which surprisingly became my favorite. The novel is a powerful mix of heartbreak, action, and a profound exploration of complex, unsettling themes. Despite being a fantasy novel—more precisely, climate fantasy—it resonates deeply with the challenges we face in our own world.

And the Sky Bled follows 3 POVs - Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia. Zain has spent her life thieving in order to keep her family afloat, Iravan spends his days overseeing the slums, and Anastasia is an heiress who lived in the slums before betraying her friends. All three are racing to find a rumored reserve of calor, a fossil fuel that powers everything within their cities. For Zain, it means her freedom from the slums. For Iravan, it means the ability to solve a mysterious disease that is affecting his people. For Anastasia, it means finally coming into power and fully taking control of the city.

This was my first climate fantasy and it certainly won't be the last! I found the premise of this novel to be so unique and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I found the concept of calor so interesting - a resource that has the power to heal and save lives while also brings about environmental destruction as it is harvested. I particularly enjoyed how we get to read about the consequences of colonialism from both perspectives and how each of their motivates played into the climate crisis. I enjoyed how Hati explored themes of grief, rage, betrayal, revenge, and love. For a standalone fantasy, this was so well done and didn't leave me wanting more in the end, which I feel is rare!

My only issue with the book was that it was a bit hard to be invested in the characters at the beginning and navigating how their stories were going to intertwine. As I would begin to feel invested in a character, we would switch POVs and then had to start the process all over. As the characters became more connected this wasn't an issue, but it does take a bit to get to that point.

And the Sky Bled is an immensely impressive debut and highly recommend!

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

This book is a gripping and immersive fantasy that pulls you into the heart of a city on the brink of collapse. The race for hidden magic is intense, and the stakes couldn’t be higher for Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia. Each character is driven by their own desperate needs, making the story all the more compelling as their paths cross in surprising ways. The world-building is top-notch, with a setting that feels both vivid and hauntingly real. If you’re into stories about power, survival, and the lengths people will go to for control, this one’s a must-read.

This is one of those books that just stick with you forever. S. Hati's novel is complex, high fantasy with multiple POVs. There are themes of environmental consequences, global warming, anti-colonialism and late stage capitalism that makes it so applicable the meaning and values Hati is trying to show. This book was such a great debut novel and I NEED MORE

“The sky bathed the world in blood and fury.”

In a world reliant on the substance calor, 3 rivals in the chaotic and suffering city of Tejomaya fight to find a cache of treasure that could be the answer to all their problems. Whilst Zain, Anastasia, and Iravan all begin their stories separately, their paths tangle as more powerful forces beyond their control threaten to upturn everything they know.

“The decades had been merciless in teaching them about the fallibility of humans under a sky that bled … nothing was as effective at showing someone how little power they had as when the world decided it’s had enough.”

What an incredible story. It is hard to weave such a complex storyline with multiple characters into a standalone novel, but this was just perfectly complete. This book will stay with me for some time. It is so beautifully written and descriptive, I connected with all POV characters, which isn’t an easy thing to do. All I wanted was to give Zain, Anastasia and Iravan a giant hug. It had a good balance of world-building, action, politics, and more emotional, interpersonal parts. The build-up and mystery was also so well done, it kept me engaged till the end!

This novel explores some heavy themes, about loss, grief, abuse, and the hopelessness that can arise in terrible circumstances. However, it is a story of perseverance against insurmountable odds, and how hope and salvation can be found, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

“Just know you are worth more than you think. Make sure you’re fighting something worthy.”

Thank you Bindery Books and NetGalley for the arc of this book in exchange of an honest review.

The story started a little bit slow, but then I just couldn’t put it down. S. Hati wrote an amazing and heartbreaking story, with an incredibly original plot, and all in a standalone, short book. I feel like I’m going to keep thinking about and processing this book for a really long time, and I mean that as the biggest compliment.

Dystopian world, everything at stake, complex characters and even more complex relationships between them, aching heartbreak, exploration of grief and trauma, unexpected twists. Just do yourself a favor and read this book.

“Hard circumstances breed desperation. Desperation breeds innovation.”

Told through the POVs of three main characters (all desperate to unlock the secrets of calor, a valuable yet dangerous natural resource) And The Sky Bled is a compelling debut standalone sci-fi/cli-fi book.

Zain, Anastasia, and Iravan all had their own unique yet interwoven character arcs that provided really great views into the occupied-by-colonizers world of the story. I thought the world building was really well done, and the cast of characters really helped Tejomaya feel like a living, breathing city. The only thing I will say is it has a bit of a slower pace at the beginning but the story really picks up in the second half.

This debut is powerful and even devastating at times; it will stay with you long after you finish the story.

This is a multi pov novel that follows 3 different as they struggle to deal with the issues of calor in their city. Zain is a leech who is paying off her debt to the slum leader Dev. Irivan is a slum leader who is trying to find more calor to help his district that has struggled since the invasion. Anastasia is from the powerful Drakos family and is trying to use her power and influence to destroy the slum leaders. This book weaves these three stories together.
I haven't read an environmental fantasy in a while, and I loved the way the subject was handled. It was not heavy handed, but it showed us a future that could realistically happen. I thought that the calor was an interesting magical substance, but I do wish we would have learned a bit more about it and how it functions.
Although this book took me a bit of time to get into, after about half way through I couldn't put it down. While I think that the characters could have used more depth at the beginning of the book, by the end of the book their motivates and actions made sense. Keeping their reasoning and backgrounds secret did make for quite an ending reveal.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book! My opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

I didn't have that many expectations when I started this book. I thought the cover was pretty and the synopsis did pique my interest, but I could not have imagined the way this story intrigued me and kept me up at night reading!

The story follows three main characters, from different walks of life. All three of them live in or close to the city of Tejomaya, the only city in the world where calor, a sort of magical fossil fuel, still falls from the sky to be harvested. Calor was used to power anything, from aircraft to medicine. It has however become incredibly scarce, especially after a six month drought. The city now has to deal with a shortage of resources, causing illness. The people who live in the slums of Tejomaya can only do so much to survive.

Zain, Iraven and Anastasia all have their own reasons to try and find the mysterious calor reserve. But they will have to deal with the pasts they'd rather forget and the repercussions of decisions made long ago, to reach the goals they so desperately need to achieve.

I loved how we're only given small snippets of what has happened to the main characters in the past. It truly kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to find out what would happen and how the stories were intertwined. But it wasn't just their pasts that intrigued me - it was the present, too. This book is a little darker than you might expect. While the characters are very well written and my heart ached for them more than once, the setting in a city that has to deal with disaster certainly added another layer or two to the story. They don't just have to deal with their past, they have to do it while their future is quite literally falling apart.

This was one of my favourite books this year and if you haven't picked out anything to read yet for the fall, you definitely have to add this one to the list! In fact if you have your tbr all sorted, I suggest you make room for this one, too ;-)

I can’t believe this is a debut novel! Such an original world and story. I loved the world building. Still thinking about this book a week after finishing it. Excited to see more from this author!

I have come back to this book again and again over many months and unfortunately, it’s time I set it aside for good. The premise did its job and the promise of themes such as eco-capitalism and colonialism sold me. And while I fell easily into the world here, I struggled to connect with the characters, as they seemed deeply affected by events off-page and prior to the start of the book. In the end, the characters couldn’t hold me, but the writing itself was great.

This book was a confusing amount of… something. I’m not quite sure what though. For a debut novel this book is incredibly impressive, the pacing was good, the syntax was spectacular, the worldbuildin was intriguing, and the characters were fantastic. All the parts of a good story were there and bound together in a plot that sounded incredibly interesting. Except for the fact that this book is incredibly confusing to read. The plot itself has little coherency to it. Things happen that you never see coming, in a sequence of events that make little sense. Furthermore, while I understood the gist of the world, it’s never explained enough to make the situations being explained make sense. Like some characters are on an island, and others are in a city, but it’s not explained who is where until the end. Many characters also have a past, but similarly, the past is not shown until the end. The magic oil of this book has specific properties and is apparently dangerous, but once more, <i>it’s danger is not explained until the end</i>. In Hati’s seeming want to keep information from the reader to compell them to continue reading, they commit one major sin, which is not explaining anything enough to actually have their book make sense.

Ultimately while I did enjoy this book, and do think it was good, it could use another round of edits to just… make the reader feel less lost.

I haven't read much climate fiction books, but this is a stunning novel that I am genuinely shocked is a debut novelist. The overall idea is great, albeit a terrifying parallel to what is happening in the current world as we continuously ignore the way that we're destroying our planet. If authors want to know how to write an interesting story with fascinating world-building and a diverse set of characters, they really need to look no further than this as an example.

I think why this isn't a five star book is that it is sometimes clunky in it's exposition. The characters reference the fire that took place 10 years before the story begins, almost constantly, for 95% of the book until you get the full picture of what happened, by which point I'm just tired of hearing about it. This, and once again I'm on my box about forced romances in books. The romance wasn't bad, I see how it happened, but I still felt like it was very much the case of a man and a woman spent too much time together, so the narrative has to have them fall in love with each other.

Either way, I'm really impressed with this book and will be following Hati to see what she puts out next! She definitely has a bright future as an author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 — I thought this was an interesting fantasy debut! The world was particularly interesting to me, because it’s based around a climate phenomenon where it rains blood. I found it a little hard to connect with the characters, and while the 3 POV characters did have interwoven stories, we spent much more time hearing that “something” happened in their past than we did actually watching them interact. And, this “something” wasn’t revealed until the end, so the frequent references to it seemed to make it difficult to truly settle in with the characters. I think the story was well-contained, which isn’t always the case with fantasy standalones — the location it takes place in isn’t too big, which was a good choice!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in October. I really hope to reread this again in the future, because normally these stories are right up my ally but I couldn't follow elements of the story due to the impact longcovid currently has on my brain. Despite of that I just kept on reading because what I could follow was interesting, and it was really well written.

And The Sky Bled is a unique standalone fantasy exploring climate disaster, colonialism and power.

I’m not sure how I feel about it though. I found it a bit hard to grasp the broad politics/worldbuilding and connection between the characters. There’s a lot in the details of the individual characters and what their lives are like living under oppression, but I couldn’t get a sense of wider things like - what elements were inherent to the world and what were recent changes as a result of the climate catastrophe? Maybe that’s beside the point - I just wasn’t sure of the overall context. Quite possibly that's partially an issue of my western viewpoint to a South Asian inspired fantasy, honestly. However I do appreciate that it’s a complete standalone story! Unfortunately I never felt super sucked into the book or connected to the characters - I also felt like the romance came out of nowhere.
Honestly I think a lot of this is a me problem - I would still recommend checking out this book if you're interested in character driven stories and unique fantasy concepts! 3.5*

And the Sky bled took me some time to get into but once I did I really loved it!

I'd say this book is a dystopian climate change fantasy books with some anti-colonialism sprinkeled in there as well (which I always love).

My only real problem with this book was with the first ~30% of the book. The POV characters of this book are all somehow connected in their past you don't get told how to build up suspense for the big reveal in the end. While I think the ending was really satisfying and everything came together nicely, I struggled in the beginning connecting to the MCs because you don't really understand their motivations without that background info. I think a slower start into the story to get to know the characters might have helped here.

Other than that I really enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner and I'd constantly find myself saying "Just one more chapter" when I should have already been sleeping.

The characters (once you actually get to know them) felt fleshed out and very distinguished from one another.

The writing was nice and I could picture the world pretty clearly in my head.

I'd definetly recommend this book to anyone who likes the central themes of this book and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the opportunity to read this book.

And The Sky Bled is a unique dystopian novel where the rapid depletion of calor, a vital substance for human survival, throws the world into chaos and threatens global peace. The story follows three main characters: Zain, a young woman fighting to survive in the slums; Iravan, a worshipped slumlord; and Anastasia, the colonizer's successor. Bound by the memory of a traumatic event from a decade ago, they now find themselves in a desperate race to locate a rumored reserve of calor, each with their own agenda.

I was captivated by Hati's writing. The author’s exploration of themes like colonization, climate change, and class struggle makes this story compelling. The prose is sharp and poignant, particularly in the vivid descriptions of the violent effects of calor. However, while I loved the imaginative and unique plot, the novel’s structure left something to be desired. I often found myself struggling to connect with the characters and understand the backstory, which made the narrative feel disorienting, like a surreal afternoon dream.

The ending, however, truly stood out and is the reason I bumped my rating up from 3 to 3.5 stars. I recommend this book to readers looking for something new and different, though be prepared for a slow start and some initial confusion as the story unfolds.

This was my first climate fantasy and boy did it raise the bar. This was a fantastically written book, perfectly balance between characters and plot. It was so driven and I was so intrigued the whole time. I found the book a little slow in the beginning during the world building but as we moved closer to half way, I truly fell in love with these characters and it was so beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved the South East Asian representation and it really created a unique atmosphere and storyline. S Hati's debut novel was truly fantastic and I recommend everyone read it.

I don't quite know how I would describe this book, other than as an intense novel about an unexpectedly interconnected group of characters trying to survive a catastrophy that has been building for generations.

The reader is thrown in to the story and while there were some things that I wish were developed a bit more (some of the relationships for example), I can appreciate the way the story was told. Tension was carried consistently throughout and I was emotionally invested at the end.

We are left guessing much of the time as to the characters motives, but I appreciated the mystery and felt that the pace kept me reading once I got to the 30-40% mark.

Overall a good read and I look forward to more by S. Hati.

''And the Sky Bled” through S. Hati is a gripping climate fable set within the dystopian metropolis of Tejomaya, wherein a paranormal fossil fuel called calor is discovered simplest within the blood rains that fall from the sky. The tale follows 3 most important characters: Zain Jatav, a tenacious thief; Iravan Khotar, an formidable slumlord; and Anastasia Drakos, a powerful heiress. Each man or woman is pushed by way of their personal motives to discover a hidden cache of magic that would change the fate of their city.

Pros:

Rich World-Building: The writer creates a shiny and immersive world, mixing elements of magic and dystopia seamlessly.
Complex Characters: The protagonists are well-developed, each with wonderful motivations and backstories that add intensity to the narrative.
Engaging Plot: The intertwining testimonies of Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia keep the reader hooked, with masses of twists and turns.
Themes of Power and Survival: The ebook explores the devastating mechanisms of power and the lengths people will go to continue to exist, making it idea-frightening and relevant.
Cons:

Pacing Issues: Some readers would possibly locate the pacing uneven, with sure sections feeling slower than others.
Complexity: The intricate plot and multiple views can be tough to comply with at instances.
Graphic Content: The ebook includes scenes of violence and bloodshed, which might not be appropriate for all readers.
Overall, “And the Sky Bled” is a dazzlingly original and epic fantasy that breathes existence right into a crumbling world getting ready to destruction. S. Hati’s debut novel is wealthy, complex, and breathtaking, deftly handling themes of environmental devastation and colonialism. While the pacing and complexity would possibly pose challenges, the compelling characters and engaging plot make it a profitable examine for lovers of the style.

Thank you to the author and the publisher,Bindery Books, for sharing an ARC of this book with me on NetGalley.

More like 3.5 stars for me.

This is the type of book where I like everything except the main characters... and the plot 😅.

I like the idea of the world. An oriental dystopia based on limited access and ending “deposits” of a substance that drives technology and the economy. It's not exactly a source of energy like our fossil fuels, but more of a panacea for everything - medicine, fertilizer and fuel. But it's easy to imagine what will happen to our world when the oil fields are depleted. And it's easy to remember how countries colonizing the world mindlessly consumed other countries' resources.

However, the first 25% of the novel was quite difficult to digest. And it's not because of the world-building, here we get a very nice balance, we're not saddled with lengthy descriptions, and we learn about the world through the events and comments of the characters. There is a lot going on, and the chapters are fragmented and it's hard to figure out the passage of time. Are we still in the same square in the slums, or is it another day and another encounter? The action rushes headlong before the reader has time to get a good feel for the world, the rhythm and the characters. Before the mysterious meeting is properly outlined, we get a town fire that lasts half a page and we end up in jail. This is a treatment that works well in describing the climax rather than outlining the action. The frequent POV changes mean that we only get to know the characters well, somewhere in 3/4 of the novel.

The author conducts a dispute about colonization, we get two POV of the characters representing the native population of Teyjomaya city and one POV of the daughter of the leader of the occupying council. And this plot is really well conducted and developed. Different points of view, different social classes, resentment, contempt, but also some forced coexistence and cooperation. There were many beautiful and heartrending moments and musings - about freedom, loss, sacrifice and duty.

Great worldbuilding (too bad it's limited only to city), an interesting place of action, engaging, and a difficult theme. The idea is really good. However, the plot, the plot is the problem here. We have a clearly outlined main plotline, but we can't get into it for too long. The characters circulate, reminisce, ponder, and take pointless actions. There is a lot going on, but nothing of greater significance. In addition, the secondary characters are more interesting than the main ones.

This book had its brilliant moments, when the puzzle fell into place with a satisfying click, but it also had many awkward, unflattering and detached scenes that ruined the experience. The trio of Zain, Theron and Leander was an awful stretch, as a reader I don't believe in this plot, I don't buy it, it has no justification for me. It's needed, but it's simply badly introduced and motivated. The whole POV is lost in the fact that Zain is clearly not the smartest fish in the pond. A tedious circle of bad decisions and self-pity.

In conclusion, the story is worth telling and paying attention to, while it would still need refinement. Both the plot and the characters and the interactions between them were artificial and forced in places. At times I had the impression that I was reading a very long elaboration, and it turned out that this book in paperback is supposed to be less than 400 pages. This was caused by the fact that the important events and interesting action were described in bulk and too quickly, while the aimless wanderings of the characters around the city took up too much space. However, I intend to keep an eye on the author, because for a debut it is quite an interesting, ambitious position, and the writing is very good.

Something of a slow start, but it all becomes worth it in the second half of the book. Seriously, the build up is worth every second.

Well written, with sharp world building, this is a desperate blood-soaked tale of revenge and redemption, power and all that comes with it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the intertwined backstories that gets slowly revealed throughout the book, and the premise of - what happens after the good guys fall apart after trying to change the world? Were they even the good guys in the first place?

I digress. This was an excellent book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this dystopian climate fantasy that doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Dealing with issues of colonialism, internal feuds, and politics, it’s like a fast-paced thriller. The south asian characters with their familiar names feel more real somehow and I could picture them clearly. Skies weeping blood can be traumatic to read about but it’s a very timely book with an important premise.

Although it made the book a bit slow and confusing in the beginning, the suspense is maintained until the very end. Told from the perspective of three main characters, it also has depth and necessary details.

If you like climate-based fiction or dystopian worlds, this might be a good fit for you.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bindery Books, and the author for this chance to review And the Sky Bled. Speaking of, what a captivating title, that combined with the description I knew I was going to be hooked.

In this book, the world is dying. The sky has split open and from it falls the blood rains carrying to desired but deadly calor. We explore this dying world through three main characters. The first being Zain, a "leech" under the thumb of Tejomaya's most dangerous don which has become more than she can bare and her journey to end his rule will lead her on a collision course with the colonizing forces. Then there's Iravan another don of Tejomaya, a lifetime of loss and grief has cut him down, but when their beloved homeland is in danger will he raise to the occasion? Lastly, is Anastasia, a daughter of the council that rules from a far, stripping the city of any wealth, but Anastasia won't be happy until the slums are crushed under her boots.

The world building in this book was impeccable. It is such an interesting concept and the names of places, phenomena, and positions are invocative and capture the imagination so readily. The only thing I wish I understand more is the science (or magic) behind the blood rains, I would've liked to know more about the catastrophe and how it caused the blood rains. That part was a bit confusing, but other than that I applaud the author for such a unique world, and I think it's a testament to her debut novel that I would love to know more about Tejomaya's past.

The only thing that kept me from giving the book 5 stars is how the characters backstories were revealed. I thought I was almost crazy for feeling this way, but several reviews mentioned it as well. From the start of the book we know there's been this huge traumatic event that ties everybody together, but all we get are allusions to it. Which is fine, that builds suspense, however, when you have three POVs with allusions to the same event it kinds makes you want to grab somebody and shake them till they give you a straight answer. I think that getting at least one character's POV of the event earlier would've allowed the reader to connect with the characters more and make later revelations more impactful.

All in all I would highly recommend this book and I've even talked to my students about it, as we are currently learning about dystopian stories. It is very topical and combined with the world created around the message, its a must read for any fantasy lover. I hope this is just the first of many books for this author as I love her creativity and her writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

What a poetic and emotional book! The way a single action 10 years ago (in the book) affected the 3 main characters, and how they grew afterwards was so moving. For the character growth and writing alone I would recommend this book! There were times that the book was confusing, especially regarding calor? But, honestly I don’t think the main story is about the scarce resource, more about the resilience of mankind, especially when you have a community to support you. 4⭐️

3.75 stars
Spoiler free review.

First, a huge thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for an e-Arc of And The Sky Bled by S. Hati.

This story grabbed my attention immediately and I kept wanting to read and read. The world itself was extremely intriguing (I mean the sky literally bleeds) and ambitious, but I found at times, that certain things were not fully explain and left me wondering at how they work. However, the story was still engrossing and I can see what the author was trying to achieve.

This story follows three POV’s; Zain, Iravan & Anastasia who are looking for a reserve of calor, which is a very rare and dangerous energy source responsible for driving everything in this world (though I do feel like this took a backseat at times with everything else going on). All 3 characters are connected by a past event that affected them all. I will say the “secret” of this event got old at times as it was brought up over and over again but it is slowly to be revealed which caused me to be frustrated with the whole thing.

There’s mystery, vengeance, romance, many betrayals and lots of twists that I did not see coming.

Solid debut novel and I definitely recommend to those who are looking for a climate fantasy.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. As such, all quotes are taken from an advanced reader's copy and aren’t final. Please refer to a finished copy.

3.75/5

<I>"I have ruined this city. I drowned a decade ago, and it never stopped. I'm still drowning."</i>

And the Sky Bled is, I suppose, a standalone dystopian fiction. The world here runs on "calor," which falls from the sky like bloody rain. The resource is mostly non-renewable in that most of it has been used, and it comes in such short supply that the characters, including our 3 POV characters and several others, are all in a race to find a "hidden" source of it that has been rumored but never found. Tejomaya is our continent here, and it is effectively separated between the slums, the upperclass, and the bloodstrippers (who are guards, soldiers, and oppressors). Ultimately, there are hints of revolution and colonialism, but we barely scrape the surface of both.

<I>People spoke of rebellion like they did about good habits-- insistently and with no intent.</i>

Our main POVs are Zain, a somewhat privileged orphan (as much as you can be, I guess) slash leech, Iravan, one of the primary mob bosses of the leeches, and Anastasia, a councilwoman. I will admit that Zain and Iravan greatly overshadowed Anastasia's chapters for me. I found that the politics were extremely lacking when it came to the ruling class and instead preferred the political nuances of the slums. Other important characters include Leander and Theron, who are bloodsplitter brothers, and Iravan's partner in crime, Dev.

Ultimately, this was a fantastic read with a few flaws that I think were personal preferences. I found myself annoyed by an incessant hinting at our characters' pasts without showing anything for it. Even when they talk to other characters about the events of the past, it's almost like a big black line has been stricken through it and we're not allowed to know until the climax of the book. I also loved how the romance in the book was important but not overshadowing. There is no smut, which is refreshing for an adult fantasy. Though I will say, all of the characters seemed a little younger than they were (Zain read like a teenager, and Iravan a young man) which gave it a YA with swear words feel to it.

<I>They would never understand why Zain refused to put her gun down. It didn't matter that it was never loaded.</i>

Everything else was really great. The writing is poetic and beautiful, and the despair and hopelessness each character faces in the bleak reality they live in hit hard. I found myself on the brink of tears a few times just because of some of the mental roadblocks the characters experienced that were relatable. There is so much to learn from these characters about letting yourself be loved when you think your past is a reason to keep your distance.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

And the Sky Bled by S. Hati is a third person multi-POV climate fiction fantasy. When there is a drought of calor, a magical fossil fuel, the city of Tejomaya is flooded with rumors of a secret stash. Three different factions want the stash for themselves and their desires will have devastating consequences.

I'm very torn between Zain and Anastasia for my favorite POV character. On the one hand, Zain shows us more of the daily life of this world and has some very strong emotional beats, including her slowburn romance arc, while Anastasia provides a lot of worldbuilding in terms of the history of the world and her emotional beats lie more in how she's always felt abandoned. They both hit on different things for me that usually point to a favorite and if Zain wasn't there, Anastasia would be my clear favorite and vice versa.

Calor as a fossil fuel but also a blood rain was fascinating. I've read about acid rain before and know about the black rains that fell after the atomic bombs, so the blood rain felt like a culmination of all these things, both powerful and a product of something horrific. The fossil fuel aspect definitely shines through, but I found myself gravitating more to how calor impacts individuals and creates more and more problems.

The pacing is more on the slowside, letting the reader see into the daily lives of the people of a colonized city from a variety of POVs. A political fantasy that moves on the slower side should definitely focus more on character over plot and the day-to-day of the political system that is failing, and the novel certainly succeeds on that end. Anastasia at times feels both oblivious and aware of the impact her family has had on the world around her, but her childhood friend Charvi adds an extra layer to it that makes me think she ultimately thought she was doing the right thing.

I would recommend this to fans of political fantasy who want cli-fi elements, readers of mutli-POV fantasies that prefer different classes being highlighted, and those looking for a cli-fi fantasy that explores fossil fuels

Wowza!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than I had anticipated. This was my first cli-fantasy novel and this is a new genre that I plan to keep exploring.

The world building was completely elemental and so creative that I was sucked in from the first chapter. As the story evolved and secrets are told, I had some emotional damage towards some characters and some hatred towards one in particular 😉.

I love the character growth and how everyone is overcoming their past to become better than where they currently were.

This had a very interesting set up--I generally love climate fiction, and the idea of calor being both dangerous, necessary, not fully studied, and raining from the sky was a fascinating combination. Unfortunately, I did struggle to connect with the characters in the novel. I felt like so much effort was put into hiding the "big reveal" that connected the three of them (which honestly was not as unpredictable as you might think) that it kept a lot of their own inner thoughts mysterious/unknowable, which in turn made it harder to enjoy their POVs. Anastasia in particular was tough for me. I didn't mind the scheming and political nature of her, I just didn't understand why she really wanted some of the things she wanted other than sort of a vague caricature of being power hungry. Zain was definitely my favorite of the three. I also felt like it was hard to get a handle on the ages of the characters, because they would often talk and think like teenager age characters but be constantly referring to an event 10 years ago. Some of the class structure was a little heavy handed.

This definitely picked up around the halfway mark and I found the pacing in that second half to be quite a bit better, especially since things were getting less and less secretive with the characters. A book I might recommend to people based on their past reading preferences, but I don't know that I would be rushing to grab something else by the author again unless the premise was really unique.

Thank you so much for the ARC! And The Sky Bled is such a powerful, hungry story. It is very well written, a master of tension. There are three perspectives, three narrators, and only when woven together does the entire thing make sense.

This is a review that's hard to write, because of the aforementioned storytelling. It's something you can't be told about, that you need to sit down and experience. The story of Tejomaya and her people is heartbreaking. Every fantasy has the edges of reality around it, and the pain experienced on the pages is true to someone's life. The sooner we learn to treat our planet with reverence instead of painting it with blood, the better, lest it become the portrayed monster that it was forced to become.

Rating is closer to a 4.5. Extremely well written; a powerhouse of a novel. Emotionally, it couldn't have hurt me more.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so different for me and I was very into it. It did take a little time for me to be invested in the story and characters but once I was I was hooked. I really enjoyed the found family aspect to the story. This is a great debut.

I *think* I liked this story; I maybe even liked it a lot.

To be honest, the plot, the writing, the themes, and (even, probably) the symbolism at play here went a bit over my simple mind, but I know I was fully engaged the entire time I was reading, and I finished the book feeling fairly impressed by the concept, quality, and execution of this fairly unique and era-relevant story.

There’s really no point in me rehashing the synopsis (mostly because I wouldn’t know where to start)—truth be told, I went in pretty blind and I think that actually worked in my favour. But know that you’re going to experience a multi-POV, climate fantasy, that’s a slow-burn in the telling and thought-provoking in its deeper message.

The world-building didn’t namby-pamby to exposition, which I really appreciated. I felt like I was dropped straight into this fully formed world—a world struggling to survive in the face of political upheaval and rapidly diminishing life-sustaining resources.

I liked the way the 3 distinct POV’s wove together, slow-building in character development, interpersonal connections, and plot reveals in the first-half of the story, but then barrelling into unputdownable territory in the very eventful and emotionally gripping second act.

Fantasy readers jonesing for a well-written, provocative cli-fi story—with South-Asian inspired characters and rich, atmospheric world-building—should definitely consider giving this book a look-see. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of S. Hati’s professional writing journey, if the quality of this debut is anything to go by.


***A special thanks to Bindery Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“A throne was open for the taking”

“Fortune favoring Zain Jatav? Surely the world was ending”

“That has always been the problem, Iravan,” she said, quietly, her eyes shining with sorrow. “You light the fire in all of us, but you’re never there to watch us burn”

Three different povs all thrilling and engaging. With the same purpose but different reasons. Three people with nothing in common but the only thing that binds them. I feel especially sad after finishing this book. It brought me back to the reason why I love fantasy book. It brought me back to the realm why I love impossible quest and people getting together for selfish and selfless reasons. The characters did remind me a lot of the six of crows bunch whose are a complicated lot. But it is true that alongside Iravan, Anastasia and Zain I felt constantly pulled from one side and pushed towards another. Living this experience alongside them felt like walking a maze you don’t know how to exit but you know you have to. Criminals, rebels, lords and councils and beneath it all, secrets that need to be revealed. What a wild ride. And when it got to the end, it did make me exceptionally emotional !!! Oh what a great thing to find good fantasy books.

“Everyone says they live the sunset … but the sunrise is far superior. Not necessarily in beauty, but in the intimacy do it all. Sunsets are observed by lovers, friends, and families, all locked together in awe of its magnificence. Not everyone is awake for the sunrise. It’s you and the glorious, balding sky, watching as the light shatters the darkness above your head”

“The things that matter, this world, what it has to offer us … it’s all been lost to us for a long time. We are biding our time, trying to relish in the scraps”

“The power of the fallen skies has always belonged to them. It was time to see if the land remembered”

“The past is a beautiful thing … It’s resurrection, even more so”

Rating: ★★★★½ | 4.5/5

Recommended For: Readers who like multiple POVs, climate fiction, light magical realism and political intrigue.

Triggers: Injury Detail, Sexual Assault, Violence, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire Injury, Child abuse, Gun violence, Emotional abuse

This was . . . everything. A dash of magical realism paired with climate commentary and the drastic results that come about as a condition of imperialism. I loved this book. However, I won’t say that it doesn’t have its shortcomings. I think any good piece of literature should have something critique, particularly as a piece of tangible, digestible art created by the human mind.

And the Sky Bled is set in a world that has had it’s ecosystems and environments destroyed by a magical substance called Calor, which can, in turn, be used for a plethora of things: medicine, farm fertilizer, energy and then some. Calor was previously harvested from the skies, until the sources were depleted. At the point in time that we begin our tale, the only chance of harvesting Calor is from the land after a phenomenon known as the Blood Rains.

In Tejomaya, where our narrators reside, the blood rains have turned poisonous, and raw exposure to calor is beginning to affect individuals with something known as “soul-sickness” but that doesn’t stop the harvesting and collecting of calor, as it’s become vital to the establishment of the basic processes of human life in Tejomaya and the surrounding areas.

Truthfully, And the Sky Bled starts off really heavy, just given the events of the past that have culminated into the narrator’s present. The amount of baggage some of them have is brutal, and simultaneously, makes the characters feel more real and relatable:

We first meet Zain, who is incredibly secretive about her past. But rightfully so, to a degree. Zain is someone who has felt an extreme amount of trauma, and we aren’t entirely sure what those traumas are from the beginning, but they shape her into the individual she is; and also contributes to her feeling a particular listlessness in life. Feeling that her options are finite, or non-existent, she does what she needs to survive.

Iravan is dealing with an extreme loss that has removed his sense of life and vibrancy after losing his daughter. He, too, suffers from limited options and he does what he can, but he has an overall kind heart that wants to see the lives of those around him be improved, despite the equally dwindling amounts of Calor to go around. It is this trust he puts in those around him, though, that proves to be a detriment at times, rather than a boon.

And, lastly, we have Anastasia, who is on an overarching quest for vengeance. Her morality falls somewhere in the middle between Zain and Iravan, given their shared history and her character overall teeters between the two sides of a moral polarity, which I found highly fascinating as a perceived villain. Because of her path of vengeance, she doesn’t consider all parties involved and often lashes out because of unresolved trauma and baggage. She isn’t designed to be likable, but I found myself sympathizing with her more than I thought I would.

My biggest critique, overall, with this novel was the length of time it took for the intersection between our three narrators lives to be fully explained. Though they all left breadcrumbs, it was easy enough to follow the threads and put together my own conclusions, but I feel that they brought it up far too often for it to have taken as long as it did.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this novel. And I'm excited to read more of Hati's work.

Ranking this 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4.

☠️

This powerful debut from S. Hati has climate driving the plot, a precious commodity being sought by various characters with various motivations, and a pace that never lets up.

Calor (Spanish for heat) is what keeps this world moving, a fuel derived from the bloody, deadly rains that fall upon the land. Except there is a drought and now calor is being stolen just to survive. Then there is the discovery of a secret cache that sets off our main three characters, each of whom will wield the power of calor for their own purposes.

The three are also tied by something that happened in the past, and this event is slowly hinted at and revealed throughout the book.

A solid story and a writer I will follow.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.