Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Posted Wed Feb 26 2025
The first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic. A god will return When the earth and sky converge Under the black sun In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world. Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.
I have read more epic fantasy novels than I can count, but this is the first I've read that is influenced by Mesoamerica and not Europe or Asia. Black Sun is a riveting, epic fantasy novel that sucked me into its world and characters.
Black Sun has all of the aspects of a great epic fantasy series. I enjoyed every POV because each character offered a different perspective and history. From a blind man who is an avatar of the Crow God, a banished sailor who can speak to the sea, to the Sun Priest who rose her way up from the slums, it was fascinating to follow each character and see how their fates interweave.
The setting of Black Sun was unique and refreshing compared to the typical epic fantasy world. I enjoyed how much of the story occurred on the sea and how crows were worshipped. Although the setting differed, Black Sun has standard aspects of epic fantasy with magical characters, politics, and a clash between two opposing gods. Roanhorse executes it well, and I like epic fantasy, so I had no issue with it.
In addition to changing POVs, each chapter also takes place at a different time. I loved seeing Serapio's childhood and how he trained to harness his powers. These flashbacks gave insight into his behavior and how he became set on vengeance.
Community, destiny, and revenge are significant themes of the story. Many characters struggle with a sense of belonging, either feeling like outsiders themselves or being perceived as such by others. Xiala was banished by her people, Nara is the only priest to emerge from the Maw, and Serapio never met anyone from his clan.
Although Black Sun was an engrossing read, I thought the romance between Xiala and Serapio was forced. In their time together, Serapio mostly listens to her and doesn't contribute to their conversations. I don't know why Xiala was utterly smitten with him when she knew almost nothing about him. I didn't see any romantic chemistry between them, and the bathhouse scene was especially unnatural. Serapio grew up isolated and trained for revenge, so how did he suddenly gain charisma during this scene?
I was hooked throughout the book and am excited to see how the series continues. I recommend reading Black Sun if you're craving fantasy with high stakes, unique worldbuilding, and entrancing characters with cool powers.