And the Sky Bled

S. Hati's debut novel, a climate fantasy, is rich, complex, and breathtaking—through three distinct POVs, it imagines a world in which a magical fossil fuel powers a society. The intertwining themes of environmental devastation and colonialism are deftly handled and explored with nuance. The high stakes and breathless pacing will keep you turning pages, and the relationships and growth arcs of each character will have your heart aching. A stunning debut and a talent to watch!

thinking about this even more a few days after i finished and that's always a sign that a book will stay with me and how much it affects me. it's hard to believe
S. Hati is a debut author bc of how impressive this story is. it's also solidly a climate fantasy, which, as a sustainability professional, i very much love reading about as much as it makes me anxious. but not only that, it's a SOUTH ASIAN cli-fi and that means even more to me. once you get to 50%, you will be LOCKED in. what's even more impressive to me is that this is a standalone. to write a full story that isn't a million pages long yet still completely effective is actually a talent and there is no denying that S. Hati is meant to be a storyteller

LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. I RATED THIS BOOK 4 STARS. SUCH A LOVELY STORY AND THE CHARACTERS ARE SO COOL AND AMAZING.

Amid the chaos of a dying city ruled by colonizers, three rivals—a thief, a slumlord, and an heiress—race to find a hidden cache of magic that will decide the city’s fate.

In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil fuel—is found only in the blood rains that fall from the sky. While a six-month drought has brought Tejomaya to a desperate standstill, rumors of a secret stash of magic propel three unlikely treasure seekers to risk everything.

Tenacious and street-smart Zain Jatav has been forced to steal calor for her slumlord bosses for years. Finding the magic reserve might be her only key to freedom. But she’ll have to contend with Iravan Khotar, a slumlord himself and an ambitious revolutionary hoping to use the same magic to save his people from the mysterious illness devastating the slums—and to bolster a fight against their oppressors. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia Drakos leads the ruling council of Tejomaya from the safety of a nearby island. With the hidden magic, she could finally take full control of the city and crush the slums beneath her unyielding fist.

As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia draw closer to finding the treasure, their paths tangle, and not for the first time—they met before, a decade ago, in a fire that destroyed each of their lives in different ways. Their reunion might bring the already-weakened city to its knees.

Exploring the devastating mechanisms of power, this searing climate fantasy breathes life into a crumbling world hovering on the brink of total destruction.

An Asian inspired sci fi fantasy that will grip you from the first page. Great characters, amazing world builiding and an addictive plot. Definitely an author and series to watch!

THE climate fantasy. What happens when violent imperialism leads to overmining of a magical fossil fuel? You are not prepared for the answer.

This is a heart-rending story of greed, betrayal, and loss, but also of perseverance and community. There was a growing sense of impending doom that had me devouring page after page, something I haven't felt since Crime and Punishment. I panicked, I felt sick, I cried.
What a debut! I'll be tuning into everything S. Hati writes.

4/5 stars
Recommended if you like: multiple POVs, climate fiction, political intrigue

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to my review blog on 6/25 and to Instagram on 7/25.

This book just didn't do it for me. It had elements there that I liked and that should've made this a higher rated read, but it just wasn't working for me. That being said, there's not really a lot wrong with the book, it just ended up not being for me.

One of the things that bothered me was the secrecy around how our three narrators--Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia--are connected. It's pretty obvious from the get-go that it's related to the fire that happened a decade prior and, imo, it's also pretty clear how each character is connected to the other(s) through that fire. But the characters don't start saying it more explicitly until around 40% of the book, and the so-called 'big reveal' about the fire happens in the last 90-95% of the book....and I called it around 10-15% in. The characters validly make a big deal about the fire, but it's cloaked in so much insincere/flimsy secrecy that I got over hearing about it well before the characters were willing to stop talking about it.

Then, the 'big reveal' about the fire was a little...iffy feeling to me. One of the narrator's reveals two somethings that, again, I guessed pretty early in (and, to be fair, one of which was almost explicitly stated a few chapters prior), and two of the other characters react in the way you'd want them to react, but it has an almost choreographed quality to it and doesn't feel natural. Especially considering the character narrating that chapter insinuates that there were hints ten years ago that everyone ignored. If the character narrating the chapter is correct that 'everyone' picked up on things and chose to overlook it, then just because one of the other character's reacts correctly now doesn't mean they're absolved. Anyway, the whole thing just felt a little off.

In this world, the environment has been ruined by the harvesting and usage of something called calor, which can be used for all sorts of useful things from electricity to medicine to fertilizer. Tejomaya is the last place it can be harvested, where people get it from the blood rains. But there are also whispers that the rains have turned poisonous and that there's a 'soul-sickness' making people ill. Despite that, the plans to harvest calor are still in full swing. It is, essentially, the folly of man in pursuit of money and power. Why care about the environment when they won't be the ones reaping the consequences?

All three narrators come into the story clearly carrying baggage. Zain is particularly secretive about hers, but we're able to glean that it has something to do with why she disappeared from the slums during the drought despite the fact that she clearly cares deeply for the people there. Zain is someone stuck with really no good options. She even notes the fact that every time she tries to do something to make up to the ghosts in her past, something else goes horribly wrong. The poor girl really needs a break, and I'm glad that she has some people around who can comfort her and provide her hope for a better future.

Iravan is much less secretive about what bothers him. His daughter died in the fire and he's been haunted by that and everything that happened after. I liked Iravan and it's clear that he's trying to make the best of dwindling options. He cares about the people of the slums and genuinely wants to try and improve their lives, but with limited calor to go around and the soul-sickness taking ever more victims, there's little power to be had. I will say though, Iravan is a bit blind when it comes to his business partner and friend, Dev, and it isn't until close to the end that he realizes his friend is not a good person.

Anastasia is the last narrator and she falls somewhere between Zain and Iravan in terms of how much she shares about the fire. Imo it's clear pretty quickly what happened with her, but she doesn't mention it for a while. She's not the most likable of characters. She's the type who doesn't fully see her privilege and who lashes out majorly in her grief, even ten years out from the event. She doesn't really stop to consider all sides, she just wants what she wants. She's blind to her friend Charvi's opinions and needs solely because she's driven by a desire for revenge. That being said, while she's not likeable I can kind of understand how she got to be the way she is, even if I disagree with her. She does redeem herself toward the end and comes to realize some things about herself, the people she used to care about, and the world.

Theron...not really sure how I feel about him. I did end up liking him by the end, but he does some stuff at the beginning that I don't really like or agree with. Zain obviously has some trauma/issue/etc. with Dev, and Theron elects to essentially call her a coward and useless for not wanting to get anywhere near Dev without stopping to think that maybe she has a good reason for acting that way. And then later, once he becomes more tolerable, he doesn't apologize or anything.

Charvi had some hard decisions to make in this book. She's definitely a catalyst for a number of things that happen, both past and present, and I don't envy her the position of being caught between conflicting loyalties (and worlds). If Anastasia had just listened things might have turned out differently, but she didn't and so Charvi makes her decisions based on what she thinks is best for her, her daughter, and honestly for the world at large. Not all of these decisions turn out well, particularly for her, but she's definitely one of the movers and shakers of the story.

Overall this is an interesting read, but I just don't think it was for me. The characters were interesting and nuanced, and I would say they're all morally gray.

“And the Sky Bled” is an adult fantasy written by S. Hati, here at her debut. A powerful book with a strong climatic component, characterized by an epic and urgent atmosphere, captivating and evocative prose, and a fast and tantalizing pace. A tale that won me over completely with its expansive, curated world building on the brink of total destruction, a tough story full of action, political intrigues and power plays, and the three protagonists portrayed in a masterful way.

In general I'm always a little wary of standalone fantasy books, but this one really impressed me with its thoroughness and care! Seriously, I was pleasantly pleased!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the arc! I loved this, and it reminds me why I love reading, why I love stories. There were so many themes and concepts and ideas and somehow S. Hati managed all of this with grace. This book is also incredibly refreshing and unique; I’m so shocked that this is a DEBUT! Here are some things I loved about this:

The concept of calor is hauntingly fascinating. A fossil fuel with nearly unlimited uses and HARSH drawbacks. It reminds me of recent favorite of mine, Metal From Heaven. However, in this book we also get fucking blood rains! BLOOD FUCKING RAINS!

The world building in general was vast and satiating. Loved the way it mirrored our current world while still being distinct and unique on its own. I truly felt immersed.

I love the concepts and themes (this was my favorite aspect)!!! The concept of loneliness and what it could make out of you was beautifully explored. We have 3 protagonists who have all experienced loss and loneliness, and all 3 of them have been affected in different ways. Anastasia is vengeful, Iravan became a shell of himself, and Zain made some decisions that led her down a dark and tragic path. All of them are compelling. We also have concepts of colonization and greed, absolute power corrupting absolutely, decay and inevitable doom, the land remembering its people and its oppressor, reaping what you sow, destruction and rebirth, and all of them were beautifully handled. I won’t say much more though; you’ll have to read it ;)

The story itself was lovely. All character arcs were deeply satisfying, the reveals and twists were lovely (even if I predicted a few of them), the ending was wild and incredible, the city truly felt alive, and we get a dash of TRUE enemies to lovers. The concepts, themes, and ideas played off the story beautifully too.

All in all, this was an incredible book and an even more incredible debut. Very much looking forward to what S. Hati does next ~4.5

It's surprising to me that this is a debut novel because Hati is such a talented writer. I wish the ending was a little more fleshed out and the connection between the characters was a little clearer. Overall, an enjoyable read!

4.5 stars

I don’t know if I’ve ever read a climate fantasy book like this before, but I genuinely really enjoyed this debut! I thought the overall idea was really interesting (and slightly terrifying…) and the execution was well done. I love a stand alone and sometimes get nervous that things will be so bogged down with info dumping, but that wasn’t the case here! I do wish there was a bit more information on why things are the way they are when the book began. Things are explained over time, but I still had a few questions by the end. It also took about 30% for me to be fully invested in the characters and story; which isn’t always a bad thing- slow build ups can work and this one did. The last 50% had me staying up late and getting up early to read! I thought the characters were very nuanced and I really enjoyed reading about them and watching their growth, expect Dev…he can kick rocks and catch these hands. I really enjoyed the themes of environmentalism/climate change, found family, and forgiveness.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bindery for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!