From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes 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.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.

I sat here trying to start this review for like 30 minutes and had no idea what to say. Mostly because I was stuck thinking about how the book itself started, and how my review will pale in comparison to the impact of that first chapter.

I’ll start with the obvious, and the basics. Black Sun is a brutal, intense, and immersive novel set in a high fantasy world inspired by cultures of the pre-Columbian Americas. That alone should honestly make you want to read it, since we all know that high fantasy is oversaturated with worlds inspired by medieval Europe. DIVERSIFY YOUR READING!!!

Hello friends! Well clearly I have dropped off the map the last month or so – which I fully blame on the game Animal Crossing New Horizons. Actually, Shari is the one who got me in to playing this game. We’ve been playing quite a bit together and it’s so much fun. I love that books brought us together, but our friendship has really evolved from that. ANYway, I found this book tag based on the game, which was created by Two Book Thieves. I figured it would be a perfect way to get back to blogging!

And GUESS WHAT?????? Shari is gonna join me on this tag too!!! She’s been very busy kicking ass at art school, but has a little bit more time now to hop in on this post. SO YAY!

With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.
A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage. Alone and sometimes reviled, she has only her servants on her side. This evocative debut chronicles her rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden, at once feminist high fantasy and a thrilling indictment of monarchy.

I had been wanting to read this novella since the cover was revealed because it’s beauuuuutiful. After finishing, it is almost more beautiful because you know the significance of the different animals that are depicted. This novella tells the tale of the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune, and what her life was like.

Guess what? Yes, it’s my birthday! I was looking for fun tags to do and I found this one from Antonia @ Always Books. So let’s get started!

1) Birthday Cake (A book with a plot that seems cliché but you adore it anyway)

Hmm I think it’s not so much the plot – because that was pretty novel – but the general idea of urban fantasy, and the kickass heroine. But the Kate Daniels series! I think the basic idea of warrior girl fights bad guys and there’s werewolves and vampires is a pretty cliché premise, but oh man you guys! This series is so much more than that basic premise. Even the werewolves and vampires are totally not like what you’d think. And Kate herself is THE BEST. So yeah. I love this series haha. Also – there’s nothing wrong with loving cliché things!

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Thank you to Tor Books (via NetGalley) for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

FIRST OF ALL – look at the blurb okay?? “This book is very close to perfect.” – Seanan McGuire AKA MY QUEEN. How could anyone NOT want to read this book based on that alone?? Okay fine, if that wasn’t enough, then this bit from the synopsis might reel you in:

“…he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist.”

To me that is like the perfect cast of characters haha. And Linus himself! He’s such a softie – albeit a boring one at the onset of the book. But wow does he grow into himself! This book is truly a shining example of a character driven novel – and after reading about 20% of it, I knew it would go on my list of favorite books. It was a true joy to read, and made my heart all warm and fuzzy.