Ok so I happen to love prehistoric fiction and fantasy. Those are me sweet spots and this novel hit both of them with beautiful imagery to boot. It did get a little to YA romancy for me but I’m old so... I think the kids are going to love it though. 15-year-old me probably would have reread this a thousand times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free book.

At first I wasn't considering this book, but I figured why not try it, and I'm glad I sent in the request. Honestly, it does tick a lot of familiar boxes in the fantasy/alternate history category, but I like that it focused on a culture that isn't often explored. I don't know a lot about Aztec/Maya beliefs and culture, but I could feel its influence all over this book. I'll talk about this more when I get into what I liked, since I leave the positives to later.

One of the big negatives in this book is character inconsistency. Particularly with the prince. In the beginning, characters comment about how serious-minded he is, how dour and grim, how logical. Yet he almost never acts that way. He's constantly teasing and playing with his sister or lamenting over how he lost that playful teasing with his friend, acting with his heart around Mayana and being very physical with her, and being so naively trusting he instantly believes someone when they say it's the will of the gods. Other characters act pretty inconsistent too, like Coatl being inappropriate and teasing to Mayana and then all of a sudden shifty and closed off. While there is a reason for this, it feels odd why he would act teasing in that first scene only to change behaviors a scene later. Also, why is Mayana the only princess that is being targeted and bullied? Seems like her friend Yemania at least would be another target, but it's only ever Mayana.

Do I even really need to talk about the romance in this? It's yet another case of telling us rather than showing, of these two clearly just in lust with each other with little snippets of understanding. They don't talk much about anything but decide they're falling in love because they're both attractive, I guess. Multiple POV's can either be a strength or weakness and in this case I think it could've been a strength, because all of the other princesses were interesting and I would've loved getting their perspectives and having their characters fleshed out more. It might've helped convince me Mayana was the best choice, who knows. And then of course we have a "liar reveal" plot that drags on where I wanted to roll my eyes and bang my head against something.

I think what I liked most about this book was the examination of religious ritual, and how men trying to control their fates can come in opposition to the divine. There's question on the necessity of sacrifice and suffering and how a person can truly honor the gods. True these are fictional gods, but I saw a lot of parallels with real religions and spiritual beliefs. I don't see that very often in YA, especially with the main character still believing in and loving the gods. I also found it really interesting that everyone saw Mayana's aversion to animal sacrifice as selfish, heretical, and weak. Stuff like this is perfect for book club discussion.

I also liked the other princesses, for what we got to see if them. It's a shame more isn't done, because all of their stories seem super interesting. I don't hold out much hope of them being fleshed out in future sequels, but maybe if this series gets popular enough the author will write a novella for them or something.

Overall, this was a solid start. I like the world and some of the ideas explored here. I am definitely going to read the sequel when it comes out to see where the story goes from here.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title The Seventh Sun

Author Lani Forbes

Release Date February 18, 2020

Description from Amazon

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. And despite all Ahkin’s efforts, the sun is fading–and the end of the world may be at hand.

For Mayana, the only daughter of the Chicome family whose blood controls the power of water, the old emperor’s death may mean that she is next. Prince Ahkin must be married before he can ascend the throne, and Mayana is one of six noble daughters presented to him as a possible wife. Those who are not chosen will be sacrificed to the gods.

Only one girl can become Ahkin’s bride. Mayana and Ahkin feel an immediate connection, but the gods themselves may be against them. Both recognize that the ancient rites of blood that keep the gods appeased may be harming the Chicome more than they help. As a bloodred comet and the fading sun bring a growing sense of dread, only two young people may hope to change their world.

Initial Thoughts

I saw this book on GoodReads a while back while browsing 2020 YA releases and it sounded so cool. I studied a lot of Meso-American history throughout my many years studying Spanish and American history and I have always loved it. (I was also always terrible at pronouncing the names.) I applied for this book a few weeks ago and was surprised to see that it was just sitting in my NetGalley queue the other day. (I think I accidentally turned off my email alerts for new books.) Despite the fact that I have several other titles already in my queue, I had to start this one right away.

Some Things I Liked

History and culture. I love that this is a fictionalized version of Meso-American history. I haven’t read too much about it in fantasy books. I loved this unique take on the gods, rituals, and culture of a people that I have studied a decent amount about from a historical point of view.
Animals. I loved that one of the main characters was driven by her love of animals throughout the story. I feel like YA and fantasy books often forget about animals. Someone is riding a horse in one scene, and then it’s just gone, forgotten about and never to return to the story. This book was so thoughtful about the role of animals and I loved the way everything came full circle in the end.
Banter and sass. This story had all of the wit and phenomenal conversations that I would expect from one of my recency romance / murder mysteries. I loved the banter between Ahkin and Mayana and even Mayana’s exchanges with Yemenia were fun. Mayana was a witty and fun character to read about and I can’t wait to see more of her story.

Series Value

This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. But, despite what I usually say about hating cliffhangers, I like the direction this took. The first arc of the story is over and we’re starting something new. I liked the openness of the ending in that we can now still have two storylines. I am interested to see new characters introduced on one front and to see the way the remaining characters interact in the other.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. I read it relatively quickly (in under a week) and would definitely both purchase a finished copy for myself and recommend it to a friend. This is a series I’d stick with and I think there is a ton of potential here.

Lastly, I just need to point out that I am all about those Dante’s Inferno vibes. I can’t wait to see where that storyline goes.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Gods of Jade and Sorrow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – while the time settings are different between these books, both stories focus on Meso-American culture and are about the struggles between gods and mortals.
The Selection by Kiera Cass – one of the main elements of this book is that Prince Ahkin has to choose an empress from one of six eligible princesses. If that part of the story appealed to you, definitely check out The Selection series by Kiera Cass.
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa – if you liked the secrets that Mayana kept and the journey to save the world from demons elements of The Seventh Sun check out this series by Julie Kagawa. Book three is coming out in March 2020.

The Seventh Sun was an unique and enjoyable reading based on Maya and Aztec mythology. In fact, what I loved most was the worldbuilding (the author did a lot of research), which was fascinating and very detailed. I also adored the story in general and there were some unexpected twists I didn't see coming. The only thing I didn't like very much was the romance, too insta-lovey. They barely knew each other and in two weeks they already declared themselves. Too rushed for my liking. But if you love this kind of romance, then you're going to fully love it because, in the end, the book was worth reading!

I'd like to start by saying that I love that this book is inspired by Aztec/Mayan beliefs; it was a refreshing take on typical YA fantasy stories. However, as this is not material I am incredibly familiar with, I did find some of this book challenging to engage with and understand. I found myself googling things often to make sure I wasn't missing references that might be important later in the story. The writing of this was nice; I liked the characters. The bridal selection and tests reminded me vaguely of The Selection and other stories, particularly since there was the catty girl trope included. The defiance between the two girls was never fully explained, but was left mostly up to reader and character interpretations. Overall, this was a unique read for the genre.

This book kept me interesting in the plot throughout the entire thing. I really enjoyed this book and will keep an eye out for this authors books in the future. I will be recommend this book to my friends and purchasing it for my library.