"Thrust into leadership upon the death of his emperor father, young Prince Ahkin feels completely unready for his new position. Though his royal blood controls the power of the sun, he's now responsible for the lives of all the Chicome people"

Wow. I really loved the world that this novel was set in. I enjoyed reading the Aztec and Mayan elements. One of my favorite part of fantasy YA books is the way that they can weave in myth along the way. I also find it hard to find books with male protagonists these days. I am excited to offer this choice to my students and not just have female protagonist options.

Wasn't a big fan of this one, honestly. I didn't think it was very well-written, and although it was clearly based on a real historical culture, the perspective and was obviously white-washed. I felt a bit uneasy about that.

This one got me interested right from the get go! Im quite new to this type of mythology but the story and descriptions are so well written that i had no trouble following the plot. A girl questions everything she has been taught to know and her life is the price. intriguing, romantic, rebellious and twisted, great first book in the series.

Apocalyptic disasters! Royal competitions to the death! MAGIC!

If that sounds exciting to you, you're in for a treat.

THE SEVENTH SUN was filled with all that -- and more. There are strong, fierce female characters, an elemental magic system, and the looming threat of the apocalypse on the horizon. The tension just builds and builds throughout the pages, hooking you into the story and not letting you go until the very end -- and WOW, what a ride.

The world is absolutely breathtaking, Forbes's worldbuilding lyrical and spellbinding. The action never ceases. And the myths and legends that the story is weaved around -- those inspired by Mesopotamian and Aztec culture -- are so brilliant, so underused, and so INCREDIBLE.

I loved this story -- Forbes knocked it out of the park with her debut, and I cannot wait to see what she dreams up next!

The setting of the book was definitely my favorite part. I am interested in all ancient cultures and mesoamerican is very underrepresented in fiction. The ending had a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Unfortunately, The Seventh Sun was my biggest bookish disappointment of the year.

And *whispers* it is not an Own Voices book.

As a history lover, particularly about my own culture (I am Mexican and I live in Mexico), The Seventh Sun just did not do my people's rich culture & history justice. In fact, this book tried to erase Mexicas. Won't even start on the plot itself (the trials were only TWO and super weak?!?!) and it's the typical storyline with girl-on-girl hate and a perfect main character (Mayana) who is ALWAYS right and has a Christian mentality that doesn't fit AT ALL the time and place of the book.

This is another *gentle* reminder that you CANNOT insert Christian morality/values into a book about ancient civilizations because that is the CONQUEROR'S POV (aka colonialists). This is not right, particularly when the main character is supposedly from those cultures. Again, it's a big NOPE.

And quick history lesson: this story says it is inspired by Aztec mythology, but that's actually wrong. MEXICA mythology inspired this book. It's actually a disservice to call Mexicas "Aztecs" since, in short words, Mexicas were Aztec descendants who were oppressed by them, which led them to abandon their oppressors and later on build their own empire (Tenochtitlán​​).

But *sigh*, history loves to erase Mexicas and call them Aztecs. They are not interchangeable. And it's sad how everyone keeps making this mistake.

The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes was a dream to read. It is just the fantasy book I have been looking forward to reading. what a complete surprise this story was. The Mayan and Inca era and Mesoamerican culture intrigues me a lot and I have always been interested in this part of history. So I knew when I saw this was based in that era, I had to read this book straight away. What a joy! I am excited for the next installment of this book because the ending was frightening, enriching and exciting.
The different powers were so interesting and different, I have never come across this type of magic system before. I loved it.

I received an electronic ARC of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes is a tale based on Mayan lore with magical elements and a love story to change the rules of the world.

I unfortunately wasn’t able to read the entire book before it became archived :( but what I did read I quite liked! I read basically half of the book and it was just getting juicy with the main female protagonist. I wished I could have finished it! I was so excited to see where the story would go. So I’m giving the book the benefit of the doubt with 4 out of 5 stars.

I liked the relationship of Ahkin and his sister. I also really liked the portrayal of the royal families, how they were humble because they knew they weren’t the gods but just faded descendants.

Really interesting and great world building I’m definitely going to pick up a copy and finish this dang book!!!

What originally made me picknthismup what the idea that ladies had to fight for themselves otherwise they were sacrificed, and wasn't disappointed in the tension that this created. I also liked the political ideas in here. Although similar and resonant to other books in have read, this was different enough to keep me hooked.

The only thing that stopped me from giving this 5 stars is that the descriptions of people of color didn't seem very varied I.e. tanned was a frequent word. It made me wonder if the author could've benefitted from an own voice reader having a quick look.

I loved this book! The atmosphere was great and it really drew me in. I will definitely be recommending this book to others!

This book was beautifully written; with heavy Aztec Mayan culture at its core. It follows a prince Ahkin and a water elemental Mayana. Full of of rituals and adventure, And with a killer of a cliff hanger; this is a must read for 2020.

Unable to read as the "Send to Kindle" feature malfunctioned.

Interested enough that I plan to buy the book

Inspired by Aztec and other Mesoamerican myths and legends, The Seventh Sun is a fantastic debut by author Lani Forbes. The story of a young emperor who has lost his parents and must now choose a wife and a princess who questions the dictates of her faith, this is a novel that I could hardly put down. This story of pain and love plays out against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized and captivating world. Forbes does world building incredibly well and takes inspiration from myths and legends used too rarely in fantasy. It's a fresh read that keeps you on the edge of an obsidian knife.

The Seventh Sun is a phenomenal novel. I had trouble finding places to put it down and continue on with normal life. I always love that feeling and being completely drawn into a book, and that was certainly the case with Forbes' debut. One of the things that made the novel work so well for me was the unique setting. It's not every day that you come across a fantasy novel with an authentically realized Aztec-inspired world. Beyond this though, Forbes does so much of her world building in very subtle ways. A description of clothes or food here, a half a sentence over there, combine to create this world that you can almost see and smell and taste. It's wonderfully vibrant and unique and fresh. The subtly doesn't end there, either. The characters in this story, especially Mayana are asking important questions about faith and belief and whether one should uncritically accept what one is told. Is it faith to believe what has always been believed, or is it more faithful to investigate yourself and perhaps come to different conclusions? I appreciate this subtle and authentic take on personal faith, which is an element all too commonly lacking in fantasy, even fantasy that deals with gods and myths. Forbes gives us great ruminations on religion and faith. The main characters wrestle in true-to-life ways with their emotions, their experiences, and what decisions they ought to make moving forward. Several of the side characters are also well developed, though I was particularly engaged by Princess Yoli, who has the aesthetic of a modern goth without becoming a caricature. It's impressive that I've made it this far in and haven't yet mentioned the wonderful magic system in this novel! It's multi-faceted, has important costs, and plays a huge role in the culture and world. It's nearly everything I love about magic in fantasy! The final ten or fifteen percent of the novel rushes to a conclusion that is a cliffhanger, but manages to be so in a satisfying way - but I still really need that next novel.

In terms of weaknesses, there are a couple that warrant mentioning. First, and this is very much an issue of preference, the story - particularly in the back half - makes extensive use of the keeping-things-from-your-significant-other trope. I'm constantly irritated by this trope, because I'm a big believer that most things can be solved by simply telling the truth, being honest with one another, and working through it. I find the idea of essentially lying to one's significant other to be incredibly juvenile. I suppose I can grant that it makes sense for young adults to behave juvenilely, but I don't like it. Second, and this has less to do with my own preferences, I did find a few of the plot elements somewhat predictable. This is particularly true of a sequence that sets up the endgame. The finale does redeem that predictability somewhat. Even with those two criticisms, this is still one that I enjoyed immensely.

The Seventh Sun is the start of something special. An incredibly unique world, characters you care for, and authentic grappling with personal faith all combine to make this a captivating read. Fans of YA fantasy, those looking for unique and interesting worlds, and readers who love legends and myths are sure to enjoy this. I'm confident that when you finish, you'll be looking forward to the next book as much as I am!

Okay, I loved this! Starting the book, I wasn’t sure I would stick with it. But I continued on, and by the third chapter I was hooked! The dark fantasy of the book reminds me of Girls of Paper and Fire mixed with the romance of The Selection! A perfect mix of romance and suspense!
Full review to come on my blog!

A story based in the legends of the Aztec and Mayans, set in a post apocalyptic world with archaic rules, the book gave me the two lead characters Mayana and Ahkin, two lost souls trying to find their way back.
Akhin was raised to the throne, he wanted a bride. Mayana was sent to him, who tries to win him over Sounds quite romantic, but it wasn't only that. Other politics soon entered the gray, and it became a test for the lead characters.

My first book by author Lani Forbes, the world building blew me away with its powerful imagery. The book was slightly slow paced for me initially, or perhaps I was too eager, but that was due to detailed laying down the foundations of the story and the development of characters.

The book had everything, and it evoked so many emotions. Anger to romance to action to a cliffhanger, the story kept me gripped in its pages. Lani Forbes is a brilliant author, the powerful streaks of her imagination could be well seen in the descriptions and layers of subplots within the story.

Overall, a great read.

Title provided via Netgalley for an honest review

The summary of this book is what drew me in. I love books that delve into other cultural fantasy worlds besides Eurocentric (Celtic, Roman, Greek etc...). The adventure and just the newness of the type of world itself really propels this book. An interesting thing I found was the third person alternating points of view. I don't tend to like that, but since the story was still told from a third party perspective, how it read didn't feel interrupted.

Early Aztec mythology and history is something I've never read in teen books or YA titles in general, so I was very intrigued to see how the author would pull it all together. This read also very much like old mythology tales would, in what the characters had to do - very similar to your "hero's quest/journey" archetype, but not with Greek or Roman mythology, and a little romance sprinkled in.

I struggled with this book. The ancient Latin American cultures and the ritualistic blood magic were fascinating and completely unlike anything I've ever read before. However, the mediocre main characters and the tropey interactions were enough to make me cringe and roll my eyes almost constantly. I wanted a badass magic-wielding princess and instead I got a whiny, self-conscious weak-hearted child who barely knows how her own magic works. And it was frustrating and disappointing when the world around her is SO COOL. But all of the focus is on her and her stereotypical brooding, serious but-with-a-heart-of-gold love interest. The characters behave like children and - while they are from our modern viewpoint - in these cultures, they would have been decision-making adults by this age.

As excited as I was to start this book, I ended up dismayed by the very apparent cultural appropriation of the world. The cover is pretty and the premise is captivating, and I found the writing style very compelling. But combining real, historical cultures (especially when not from an #ownvoices perspective) gives me pause, especially as I talked to a friend who pointed out all the harmful cultural inaccuracies. And honestly, even looking past that on grounds of it being a magical fantasy world...the storyline was full of instalove, girl-on-girl hate, the religion felt christianized by the end, and the high-stakes trials literally ended up being girls gossiping in a hot tub at one stage. Mayana judged and snobbed every girl she came across, because the only appropriate personality for a girl is demure and pure I guess (??), and I can't even sum up Ahkin because he didn't do anything except be worried he wasn't a good enough emperor.

It wasn't for me, but I also think it's inappropriate to otherize real POC cultures because they seem "fascinating".

4.5 stars!

One of the things this book did very strongly was weave together a fantastical, post-apocalyptic fantasy land with the legends of the mayan, aztec, and inca civilizations. That right there is almost reason enough to pick up this book. The world building was complex and incredible. The characters are diverse and compelling. I found myself getting attached, which to me is always the mark of a good book. Characters first, then plot.

Well, the plot happened to be fantastic too.

In Seventh Sun, there is the Chicome Empire, a land that has been thrashed by six apocalypses to date, each one of a different nature- water, storm, fire, famine, sickness, and beasts. In order to appease their goddess, the people hold rituals, rites, and sacrifices in an effort to gain her favor and her mercy. However, in the present day, the sun is setting earlier and earlier each day, indicating that a seventh apocalypse is on the horizon.

The characters here are, overall, strong! I did find the main protagonist to be a bit cookie-cutter, typical YA heroine-esque, but you know what? I didn't mind it. The story was strong, the other characters strong. I found myself being whisked from page to page at a pace that I haven't been reading at in months. And I have a newfound interest in the mayan, aztec, and incan cultures!

I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I can't believe the ending of this book! The sequel couldn't come fast enough! Oh how I want to know more about Ahkin and Mayana, and see how this story will continue! Can't wait to see how everything will unfold.

This book is a perfect mix of romance, fantasy, and history of the Aztec and Maya people. Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.