welcome back to the Meridian, and introducing my favorite book of 2022 thus far ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

in Tova, winged serpents, golden eagles and crows fly the skies as water striders take to the waters below. alliances are born, war is looming, clan matriarchs clamor for control, magics are wielded, Gods are reborn and remade, assassins plot, love is torn and complex, friendships and families blossom and implode, political intrigue is rampant, plotting is thick and our guides from their varied points of view take us on journeys through it all - intermingling at the perfect moments.

in a surprise to no one, #FeveredStar is the sequel #BlackSun deserved and i have no regrets about how i’ve anxiously awaited and yelled about it nonstop. and if for some reason you still haven’t read Black Sun (my favorite book of 2020) despite my literal begging everyone to - PLEASE do.

in Fevered Sun we’re brought back to see how our characters, only hours later, are dealing with the aftermath of Black Sun’s blood soaked finale. we watch throughout as they scramble to find their places, their people, and purpose in a now darkened city. we’re also given new, clearer perspectives of characters who were more aptly sidelined in the first novel (don’t even get me started on Iktan🫠).

as invested as i became in our lead Serapio and his equal, Xiala, and their part of the story, i was hungry for and devoured Naranpas chapters. fleshing out her character was one of the absolute highlights of this book. i had my vague opinions on her in Black Sun, but this sequel brought her to a whole other level and shone a truly bright light on her abilities and political prowess. i can not wait to see what she becomes, quite literally, in the next installment of this series.

one of Roanhorse’s strongest abilities is to write her characters as complex and gray as people, fictional and real, truly are. you are hard pressed to find specific “villains” and “heroes” as each person contains the traits of both and the decisions and paths they follow determine their actions that can be seen as either “good” or “bad” depending on circumstances as they themselves, and we, see them. many are put to the test and stretched to their limits in these 388 pages and i was invested in them all.

Roanhorse is a powerhouse of a writer. if you are a reader who appreciates and enjoys a slow and precise build of a rich story, complex characters, LGBTQIA+ representation, a fully realized and detailed world, magic systems, politics and a truly epic journey - the Between Earth and Sky series is for you and i could not recommend it more highly.

stay tuned for my inevitable breakdown and longing for the third installment and her upcoming novella, #TreadofAngels releasing in November.