Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star is a strong continuation of the story the first novel in the series, Black Sun, began to tell. Black Sun was one of my favourite books of the year when I read it, and while Fevered Star didn’t quite match my expectations in that regard, it was still a superbly crafted tale of political intrigue, shifting allegiances, and navigating a world for which you have no frame of reference.

Pacing-wise, this is much slower than the first book, but with good reason; the deepening of the worldbuilding and the exposition of various political factions in this universe is impressive and expertly done. There’s a richness to it that I enjoy, and it makes the climactic events of the novel hit that much harder once the pace finally does pick up.

The characters continue to be a strong point in this novel, although some arcs were more to my personal taste than others. Regardless of preference, there is a lot of growth and complexity in the characters we visit, particularly those who return from the first novel. Every POV character presents a compelling thread of story. And of course, the diversity in this world is a vibrant breath of fresh air.

This series is shaping up to be a go-to recommendation of mine for fantasy fans and I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga for an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

4 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I read this before the release and fully intended to do a review prior, but alas. It was really good and focused a bit more on other characters from the first one. The story continues right where the fist ended, so I don’t want to say too much about the plot. There is more of a focus on Nara and Xiala and less of Serapio. We explore more of the other worlds and get introduced to more magic but the pacing felt a bit off from the first one. Such a great fantasy series.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a good sequel. I really enjoy this world and the characters

I initially requested Fevered Star on NetGalley because I had Black Sun sitting on my unread shelf, and had heard strong reviews, so figured "what the heck". And after consuming Black Sun in March... and I mean I loved that book... I was ecstatic that I had book two in the series ready to devour.

Fevered Star picks up right where Black Sun left off. Tova is in chaos, as the various clans work to gain the upper hand in the ongoing struggle for power. Roanhorse has taken her immaculate skill for world-building, and expanded it further, adding a level of political intrigue and chaos that I crave when reading fantasy. But to call this series "fantasy" is almost demeaning. These characters and plot lines are brought to life on the page, and as a reader, I completely disappeared into the secrets and the pain and the confusion. I will be waiting with baited breath for a release date for the third book, I need to know how this all transpires.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I got approved for an advanced copy of this book I actually screamed. Black Sun was brilliant and Fevered Star is an excellent addition to the series (I looked there is going to be a third book, thank god)! I love this series so much it has the magic elements I love in fantasy books, but is set in a Mesoamerican like civilization that takes me somewhere I’ve never been before. Goblins and Fae no, winged serpents and giant crows heck yes, this book is such a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre!

Black Sun dealt with world-introduction and motivations of the return of the Crow God, Fevered Star sees the movement of pieces on the board and the amassing of forces, audiences sought, alliances forming and breaking, and duplicitous betrayals being unearthed. Roanhorse deftly and easily continues the layering of complex characteristics and vulnerabilities of her characters, questioning of identities, qualities, and past actions. the reader begins to see the stage that is being set and the players as they plot their way to ultimate power.

Here is the story where Serapio and Naranpa can begin to work their way forwards, to choose a path that they wish to walk, the path that will either lead them back to each other or away, as they are after all bound in eternal strife for supremacy. This is a compelling narrative of selfhood and obligation, which of these is stronger, which will prevail, and who will chart the eventual realization in each.

I enjoyed this book however I felt it fell a bit short of the first book. Black sun is one of my favourite fantasy books that I have read so far so I was going into fevered star with high expectations. Overall the book was good however I felt that a fair amount of the book was just for setting up book three. I know this is common in multi book series however I was hoping that there would be a bit of a faster pace so more could happen. That being said this was still a really good read and I still adore the characters. The world building remains stunning and the characters continue to develop well and draw the reader in. I enjoyed the addition of extra narrators and I felt it helped tie in what was going on in the book. I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series and am not so patiently waiting for the third book. Thank you for the advanced copy of this book!

Black Sun ended with such an earth-shattering bang that I knew the sequel was going to be one of my most anticipated reads of 2022. It also doesn’t hurt that The Meridian is one of my favorite settings in an ongoing fantasy series at the moment. I was more than happy to immerse myself in this world once again.

Fevered Star broadens the horizons and worldbuilding of the series in many ways. We get to see more of the cities outside of Tova and learn much more of their combined histories and magic. New characters are introduced that are compelling enough to keep up with the main cast – and amongst the main cast there are new relationships and dynamics explored. It’s interesting to see how certain characters behaved around those that they never interacted with much in the first book. Xiala and Iktan had to balance their sharp tongues and their secrets as they bantered, while Serapio had to navigate how to interact with Okoa who is part of the clan he sacrificed a great deal for but whom he doesn't trust and isn't truly trusted by in return.

And honestly, I’m just glad to see all the main characters again in general. They’re still just as multifaceted and complicated as I remember them. Naranpa, Serapio, Xiala and Okoa all have their own trials ahead of them, and all are shaken in varying degrees about the ending events of the last book. They each seem to be re-orienting themselves towards new goals while trying understand the new precarious state of their world – and in some cases even themselves – at the same time. This book is the turning point for those questioning their role or purpose, and it’s obvious that eventually they must make the choice to double-down on their chosen path or change course.

This does all mean that many events in this book do just seem to be setting up events for the final one, but I personally never found them uninteresting or slow-paced. My only criticism is that the execution of a few pivotal moments had a lackluster impact due to the lack of sufficient narrative buildup. There’s one moment in particular that happened so suddenly that it didn’t quite provide the emotional resonance I would have expected from such a huge moment in a character’s arc.

But there are other elements that I really enjoyed! I loved the new element of political intrigue. Politics between the clans in Tova are complicated enough as it is, but watching the merchant lords of Cuecola, Tovan delegates, Hokaian spearmaidens and some rather abrasive Teek all cross paths and butt heads is frankly even more entertaining. I hope to see much more of it in the rest of the series.

I think I still preferred Black Sun overall, but this is a satisfying sequel and in no way curbs my expectations for the final book. I’ll be looking forward to see what’s in store for them all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars. The ending really brought this one home and has me anticipating book three already. I also loved getting a peak inside a few new characters heads in this one. Xiala continues to be my favourite and I’m really anxious to see where her story thread goes.

I absolutely adored Black Sun and I’ve been waiting in eager anticipation for the second.

Though I do prefer the first to this one, it did not disappoint. We’re tossed in right where the last book left off and though it did take me a bit longer to get hooked, once I got a few chapters in it sealed the deal. Once again the multiple POVs were executed beautifully and the politics and world-building were chefs kiss. The story is easy to follow along while also being complexly intwined; as someone who has quite a hard time remembering names and why certain characters are important Rebecca Roanhorse is my exception. This books feels like a huge countdown, I can’t wait for the next one!

My library has preordered the audio book for Fevered Star and I loved Black Sun’s so much that I’ll definitely be giving this one a listen as well.

I was super excited to get an e-arc of this book from Netgalley! Less suspense this way :D

Was this my favorite of the two books so far? No. (I devoured the first one and recommending it to everyone). Was it still a fun read? Absolutely! It was really nice being back in this world with it's lore and characters. This book helped flesh out some of the character's histories and such, which was nice. It picks up almost exactly where the first one left off, so be ready to jump back in full force.

The mood of this one is different than the first. Not so much of a 'umm what the heck is going on and what is this countdown going to lead too' and more of a 'well that just happened. guess we gotta figure out what's next' type book. It's laying the ground work for the next book. It felt slow in the sense that there wasn't too much action and 'gasp' moments, but it still felt like a short book (in a good way).

I'm not a huge fan of the star rating because my mood changes on the day. Would I read this book again on it's own? Probably not. Will I read it again if I do a series re-read? Probably. I guess it depends on if the third book sticks the landing.

In any case, if you read the first one, you absolutely need to read this one because I feel like book three is going to be a wild ride and I'm here for it.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada / Gallery / Saga Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Black Sun is one of my favourite books and I’m happy to say I loved Fevered Star just as much!

The world-building and build-up of the brewing war are just incredible. The conflict that started in Tova has pulled in every corner of the Meridian and both sides have solid reasons for charging into war despite the body count that will rack up. A large part of the plot also explores what unchecked power, religion, and devotion to a God can do to people. If that wasn’t enough, every corner of the world is fleshed out and steeped with Indigenous values, including the complexities of things like tribal identity and blood quota.

The characterization is also immaculate. Each character is complex and has clear motivations. I also love the trans/non-binary rep. Xiala remains a fantastic character but Serapio’s journey is one of the best I’ve ever had the privilege of reading. Naranpa was my least favourite POV in the first book but I loved her character progression in this book. We also get some new POV narrators that really add to the storytelling.

Finally, I thought the ending for Black Sun was good, but wow this ending really has me questioning which is better. Roanhorse really has a gift for building tension that leaves you wanting more without feeling frustrated. I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store!

I went into Fevered Star with sky high expectations, as I love Black Sun so much. I was not disappointed. Fevered Star is a multi-perspective continuation in the world of the Between Earth and Sky series. It is difficult to summarize the story without spoilers for Black Sun, so I will say this; what makes this series special is the lack of clear heroes and villains. Readers can expect to be conflicted about who to root for and against. I love that this fantasy novel explores the complex nature of human motivation and decision making. As always, in a multi-perspective narrative, I had favorite perspectives and didn't love when I was taken away from them. However, as the story continued, it became apparent why these perspectives are included and I grew to appreciate them.

I would not recommend reading Fevered Star unless you have read Black Sun. The story is a direct continuation of what happened in the first novel and, in my opinion, Fevered Star would not have the impact or be as enjoyable without that knowledge.

Whoever at NetGalley approved me for this book, I owe you my firstborn child.

This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 after reading Black Sun last year and it did not disappoint! The world that Rebecca Roanhorse has created is so rich and the characters are complex. While they're all deeply flawed, and while the majority of them are on conflicting sides politically, I'm rooting for them all to come together and succeed (with the exception of course of Balam). The plot and politics had me hooked while reading, and I can't wait to see where things go in the final book of the trilogy!

While it didn’t blow me away like Black Sun, Fevered Star is a worthy sequel that serves to answer questions, raise the stakes, and deeply entertain the reader. I very much enjoyed it!

While I definitely enjoyed the novel and thought it was so much fun, it’s focused on setting-up book three. A great deal of time is spent on maneuvering the characters into position for what can only be a war. Perhaps it’s because I read way too many books (can you though?), I had some trouble remembering how the city functioned in book one. I remember Naranpa in the tower and definitely Xiala and Serapio on the boat, but the rest took a while to come back. Either way, it’s not too hard to follow - it’s people wanting control of the city both inside and out.

We also learn some interesting backstory about magic in the world, and there is a twist with Xiala’s story that, to be honest, I wasn’t super thrilled about (as we’ve seen this sort of thing before).

One thing I liked a great deal is that we won’t be getting the “I thought you were dead” moment - this is a trope that always annoys me and I was really happy this was avoided. This trust, that they'd get back to one another, showed their deep care and trust.

There were some really fabulous scenes in this novel that were either very exciting or very impactful. Roanhorse really excels at fight scenes or moments of high tension and while there weren’t as many in this novel as the previous, when they do appear they are entrancing.

The novel is broken into three main storylines with a smaller fourth one, though sometimes side characters take a point of view as well. This kept the story moving but at the same time, it felt like we didn’t get enough time with everyone. The pacing was also a little off. It felt like it took time to build momentum - with a lot of travelling and people having to figure stuff out - and then ended when it started to peak. Likewise, when it came to the politics, there were too many new or side characters so their squabbles felt like just that: squabbles, and not the basis for war.

Yet, even if the politics felt a bit thin, the characters are the (fevered) star and I am definitely interested in seeing where they go and end up.

The book is an incredibly fast read. I was shocked at how quickly I blew through it, but Roanhorse has such an easy-to-digest style it could have been five hundred pages with no complaint from me. I really enjoyed it and look forward to book three!

I'm starting to realize that this series is very character and politics-based. While I am fascinated by the worldbuilding and characters of this series, I find that the pacing is way too slow for me. What I liked about Book 1 was the pirate vibes and learning Serapio's origin story. Book 2 felt slower to me because of all the land travel and the fact that we weren't working towards a big event like the Convergence.

I think what I liked most about this book was watching the characters from book 1 get to interact now that they are closer together geographically. I liked seeing Iktan and Xiala being friendly and the tension between Naranpa and Serapio.

I think I'll read the next book because I'm intrigued but I'm hoping for more action.

This much anticipated follow-up to *Black Sun* picks up right where the first book left off. For me, *Fevered Star* has all the things I loved in *Black Sun* — intricate worldbuilding, solid character development, a compelling plot, and effective use of multiple POVs — but also has quite a different feel than its predecessor; it is definitely less fast action and more political maneuvering and strategy in terms of its plot. This is neither a positive nor a negative — I enjoyed it just as much as the first, if not a bit more. Roanhorse has also managed to write a middle book that doesn’t, as far as I’m concern, fall into frequent “middle book” problems: while it is clearly setting up the third book in the trilogy, it also has a sufficiently conclusive ending to feel complete. It is definitely *not* a stand-alone (in that reading it without having read *Black Sun* first would really make zero sense) but it holds up as a novel on its own, if that makes sense. Definitely recommend this series, & I’m looking forward to the final book with much excitement!

*Content warnings:* gore, injury detail, violence, body horror, blood, grief, death, murder, torture, self harm (mention of self-cutting to activate magical abilities)

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for this review*.

This book has quite a different feel to it than the first book; it is less dark, much more character focused and is mostly based around the political scene. It really helps you get to know all of the major players better and sets the world up for what I'm predicting will be an explosive third book. Fingers crossed!! I ended up feeling for and understanding the characters so much more by the end.

The only character that I liked less in this book was Xiala; she did start to get better at the very end, but for most of the book she seemed to lose her personality completely. She lost all of her interesting characteristics and became nothing but a girl who cannot stop thinking about a boy. It was literally all she thought about or based all of her decisions on. It got old fast. I don't mind some romance, but I don't like when the female character totally loses herself in the process. I wish that wouldn't have happened but like I said, it did get better at the end so hopefully she will be back in book three.

In my opinion this was not near as good as the first book, but, I did still really enjoy it and appreciate what it is hopefully doing for book three. I cannot wait for the next one!!!! Will 100% be reading it!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read Black Sun in less than 24 hours and I am happy to report that Fevered Star was no different. I am so captivated by Rebecca Roanhorse's world and characters. Fevered Star focused a bit more on the politics but still kept the pages turning. Each character point of view was interesting and felt important to the story. I won't say too much as I do not want to spoil Black Sun or this book, but I fully believe these books need more hype. They are so inclusive, but in a way that feels natural to the story. I feel like I've learned so much in reading these two books. I cannot wait for the next one!

4.5/5 stars

I really liked Black Sun and was very excited to read Fevered Star. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

The plot was exciting and engaging in this follow up, and some of my favorite characters congreged or are in positions where their story will go interesting places in the sequel.

My only criticism of this book is that I wish it was longer. It has a lot of plot and is shorter than Black Sun, and some character growth is sped up in order to get characters where they need to be, without putting in as much time as I felt necessary. Each character needed just a bit more time to breathe and hopefully they get that in the next book.