There are surely scenes of exciting violence in both Black Sun and Fevered Star, but there are also complex conspiracies that keep separating the main characters and deflecting them from their inevitable confrontation. This makes for a very long book, and a reader accustomed to the explosive inventiveness and high energy of Roanhorse’s first duology, The Sixth World( Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts) should be prepared for subtler and more inward looking characters.

As a god, Serapio, the Odo Sedoh, can not only obliterate the crow god’s enemies but also turn into a flock of crows to fly with them and see the world as they do.īlack Sun and Fevered Star tell one story (I think a third part must be on the way) and should be read together, as I did. Through Fevered Star, she is focused on reuniting with him in his human form. She is given a chance to prove her ability to help navigate a ship through stormy weather with the power of her song, and it is on that voyage that she meets and falls in love with Serapio, the man. Xiala is the tough and rowdy outcast from the Teek who loses herself in drink while trying to find a place as captain of a ship. She undergoes many tests to learn how to control her power, including being nearly killed by a priest who tries to take over her role. What she gradually learns, though, is the glowing energy that can emanate from her body is a sure sign of her destiny. She would be the first Sun Priest from such an upbringing and that gnaws at her self-confidence. Yet she does not come from one of the Sky Made clans of Tova but from a more common background. Naranpa is similarly chosen to serve as the vessel of the sun god, setting her on a course to fight the crow god. Yet he feels sharply the separation from his family, especially his father, as his mother takes him in hand and puts him under the care of priests who prepare him to act as the avatar of a god. He struggles with this destiny, which calls on him to seek vengeance against the sun god.

The sign of the crow god is carved into his chest, and his eyes are sewn shut, preparing him for the day when he becomes the body for the Odo Sedoh and can see through the eyes of crows.

In Black Sun, we meet Serapio as a teenager who is being prepared for a fate he will not be able to control. It’s a world I wanted to spend a lot of time in, but the core of the story, naturally, is the way Meridian shapes the lives and fates of the people who are so vividly brought to life. Roanhorse has created a rich background for the Meridian, detailing its rituals, priestly orders, magic traditions, history going back many centuries, writings, complicated geography, as well as its cities that play a big role in shaping the culture and personal outlook of her characters.

Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse