Overall some tips but even from 2021 to 2022 there were some outdated things. The beach recommendations are the best part. 

Interesting and fun audiobook. Author narrated! 

A fellow book club member has been campaigning to get everyone to read this for so long and I’m glad I finally did! 

The authors note says she wrote this book for anyone who had ever felt “too much” and there were parts of this book that just hit so hard. Just please read it. It will make you squeal with joy, and give you all the feels.

4/5🌶️

This was an absolute romp of a read. Super funny and had me laughing so much. I do this thing where I go into books knowing very little and this one surprised me! A really unique premise, loved the setting of a reality tv show. Great bisexual rep. Literally tho, the most disgusting man I’ve ever read Jordy - like you want to strangle him this entire book (that's the point tho). Taylor Swift song for this one (besides the obvious) is Vigilante Shit “picture me thick as thieves with your ex wife”

1.5/5 🌶️

Read this book (series) if you like:

2.5 🌶️

It was a bit slow to start but once the tournament actually gets going it really picks up. The magic system is interesting and unique. I like how everyone’s magic or special skill/ability seems to have a disadvantage too. Hunger Games-esque. Switching allegiances. Mysterious. Def morally gray characters. A bit of romance. Betrayal.  A good time and def looking forward to reading the second one, glad I started this once it was already out 🙃

If you are looking for an immersive, epic, non-Eurocentric fantasy adventure with some romance, and with characters that you are rooting for then please read Black Sun! This is also a fantastic audiobook! I did a combo of listening while reading a physical copy. Full cast narration is well done.

A joy to read. I truly loved the world Rebecca Roanhorse has created. I think my favorite thing is that with the multiple POVs you are really getting attached to all these characters because they are complex and interesting, but they are (seemingly) on opposing sides so you're just wondering how it's going to play out. I love the inclusion of a character list, and maps! the only thing that would've pushed it over the top was a little glossary since this is a high fantasy (I found myself a bit confused mainly on the hierarchy of The Watchers and The Sky Made Clans). 

As always check content warnings - there are some pretty dark things that happen, in particular with Serapio's backstory. The backdrop of the plot is political/religious tensions and power struggles.

This book also has fantastic LGBTQ+ and specifically nonbinary rep. There are unique non-gendered pronouns aside from she/her and he/him. Several of the characters are queer, and Xiala is definitely bi or pansexual.

It's definitely written as the first book in a series, so the ending is very unresolved, but in a way that you are just so excited to read the next books and find out what happens.

You gotta go into this knowing it is really about the characters and their interpersonal relationships. I enjoyed this a lot while I was reading it, but after finishing it and thinking about it more, there are definitely a lot of questions and potential plot holes I am not sure about (I say potential because there is a third book yet to come out and it is possible that they could be answered).

This second book in the series is a lot more science fiction leaning than the first. Although they do a fairly good job of explaining some of the physics concepts, as someone without a scientific background, it did feel a bit above my head at parts. I chose to just again, focus on the relationships and personalities. There's some character development - a few characters def go more towards the morally gray side. Still at the end you don't really know who can be trusted.

HOWEVER I WAS SCREAMING during Belen's whole chapter and also GIDEON AND NICO AHHHHH! <3

I do look forward to the conclusion of this series, and I'll def be re-reading the first two books before that comes.

A masterpiece. This into a full length novel will actually ruin me