I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Note: I ended up purchasing a final copy to read in the future.

I was delighted by the conclusion of this trilogy. The stakes were high and the characters went though a lot! Loyalties were tested, alliances formed and dissolved, schemes rose to cause chaos. I'm grateful for Lani Forbes, may she rest in peace, for she created a beautiful world inspired by Mesoamerican culture with respect and sove that seeped through the pages.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this conclusion.

A brilliant ending to beautifully written trilogy steeped in Aztec and Mayan mythology. It picks up right where the previous book left off reuniting the four main characters and pitting them against the dangers of the eclipse, demons and former allies.

Loved this conclusion to the series. Character growth, storytelling, story continuation, all fantastic. Will greatly miss this author

I am still extremely sad that we will never get another title from Lani Forbes but this conclusion to the Age of the Seventh Sun was so breathtaking. Lani we miss you!

The Obsidian Butterfly was one book I could not put down. It was hard to dive back into this world after learning about the loss of the author but I did it one page at a time and I fell in love with this world all over again.

This was the perfect conclusion to this series and I hope that more readers enjoy this story. This one picks up where book two left off and gave me everything I could as for in an ending. I love these characters and are sad to know that their story is over. But I will forever love this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc. (even though I'm reading it late) 😅

The first thing I will say is: Lani did an amazing job making sure the readers remembered what happened in the first and second books. The second thing I will say is: may Lani Forbes rest in peace.

I don't want to go into too much detail as I do not want to spoil anything that happens in the first two books.

This was a great ending to this trilogy. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. It has the main thing I can't stand about final books.

The final fight at the end just ended too quickly and not enough people died. This series had the potential to be one of my favorites. It just didn't do it for me completely.

I did like the epilogue that gives us a glimpse into the future to show that everything is still changed though!

I can't read the final installment of a series without going back to the beginning! Sometimes. Sometimes you get lucky (ie you can ignore the entire first season of Parks and Rec and not miss a beat) And other times the subsequent books (ie everything after A Curse So Dark and Lonely) makes the allure of the first pale. Needless to say that is NOT the case in this series so go back and make sure you read the first two. I can say this bc that's the leap of faith I took, shelled out the cash and was very happy I did. The good part upon stumbling into a series (which has happened to me several times) is that I discover books and authors I had looked over perhaps when they first came out and I get a chance to enter the fandom. 3 stars!

This was a great conclusion to The Age of the Seventh Sun series. I really enjoyed the storyline of each book and the authors use of multiple povs made it a fast paced read. The Obsidian Butterfly is close to making her move. With the blood of either Ahkin or Metzi, she can return to earth with her star demons and devour all of the Chicome people. The story picks right back up from where the second books ends with Ahkin and Mayana escaping Xibalba and walking straight into the Miquitz territory where they are captured and held to be used as sacrifices for The Obsidian Butterfly. With the help of Ochix, the death prince, Ahkin and Mayana manage to escape.

Once reunited with Yemenia, the four of them, along with some other captured Chicome, make their way to Millacatl to seek support for Ahkin's return and claim as emperor. Once there, Ahkin learns the only way to secure Millacatl's support is to marry their princess, Teniza. Knowing they need Millacatl's army for the upcoming battle against The Obsidian Butterfly and to regain his right as emperor, Ahkin agrees the marry a reluctant Teniza. Once back at Tollan, our main characters find themselves separated once again. Mayana, Yemenia, and the other princesses start their journey of collecting the storm princess, Itza, and going to the Caves of Creation to resurrect the bones of Quetzalcoatl. Ahkin must convince his counsel and the armies not to go to war with Ehecatl. He needs to find a way to speak with the Lord of Ehecatl and convince him help him defeat the star demons that are bound to be released if Metzi's blood is used. Ochix is tasked with taking a small force to Miquitz to rescue Metzi.

While their storyline's overlap occasionally, for most of the story, Mayana and Ahkin are separated. It is as if everything is against them being together. I wish they had more opportunities to fight together like they did in The Jade Bones. In this book, it felt like they were each sacrificing one thing after the other and they were both losing faith in their ability to be together. It wasn't until the end of the novel that we really got to see them support each other together and fight for what they believed in. I also wish we would've gotten to see more of Ochix and Yemenia together. They were a fun couple to see in The Jade Bones and in The Obsidian Butterfly they were together in the beginning and the end and there was still not a lot of interactions.

Overall, I loved the trilogy. I appreciate that we got the different povs because it made it feel like something was always happening. The storyline is very plot driven. I also loved the way everything wrapped up at the end for all of the main characters as well as the other princesses.

What I liked:
The Age of the Seventh Sun is an exciting series that takes the beliefs of ancient times, such as having to perform a ritual to raise the sun and placing a character to challenge tradition. Ahkin is vital in all three books in his determination that the sacrifices made to increase the sun are unnecessary. It is to believe it took three books for that fact to be proven true. This book is packed full of love, friendship, laughter, mythology, hard lessons, patience, sacrifice, bravery, trust, and unexpected happily ever after.
Final Verdict:
At the end of the book, the author's note provides greater cultural context into the events that inspired the story. She admits that while the world and characters she created are fantasy, they are pulled from actual life events and religions. The pacing of this final book did seem weighted down by the political discussion in the first half of the book, but the conclusion was satisfactory and echoed more of what the first book had.

I've been a fan of this series since it started! A Latinx fantasy filled with magic, adventure, and romance? it's exactly what I love and need in a book. The author has a beautiful writing style that has continued through the books and into this one! While the beginning of this book dragged a bit, I loved how the story concluded for the characters. The epilogue had tears in my eyes but gave me everything I wanted. Parts of the story were predictable, but that's entirely expected in a YA series! I actually really enjoyed the political focus of this book. Books with political intrigue are some of my favorites and this one didn't disappoint! The Seventh Sun is still my favorite book in this series, but you definitely don't want to miss this one!

Overall I will say that this was a very satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. It is jam-packed with a lot going on and I loved the dynamic between all the characters.

Mayana and Ahkin’s relationship after The Jade Bones seemed stronger than ever but a cumulation of events in this book force the couple to assess their goals and desires. I really enjoyed their relationship’s arc throughout this book. My biggest wish after book two was to see Yemania and Ochix’s relationship grow and I am happy with the direction their relationship went. The bromance between Ochix and Ahkin was so cute and I loved their banter.

We need to talk about the princesses though! I absolutely loved seeing them unite and grow strong bonds. It didn’t feel like some cheap “girl power” moment throw into the book. It felt like it developed naturally, starting with them simply wanting to survive and developing into something stronger and more powerful. It was really great to see.

The plot was packed with a lot that I can’t really say much about without spoiling the book. There were some parts of the book that were more predictable than others but I enjoyed the journey to get to those points. The pacing, however, did feel a little disjointed at times. There’s a lot packed into a short timeframe- I think the book takes place over the course of about a week, if I remember correctly- and yet there are lots of ups and downs that get a little glazed over. For example, Ahkin goes from feeling bold to feeling meek around his advisors very quickly, and then suddenly is bold again. I understand the feelings, it just felt a little rushed for such strong emotions to change so much and so frequently.

Two notable things that I want to mention before wrapping up are the way death and lgbtq+ rep are addressed in the book. I think it’s perfect! There’s lgbtq+ rep and it feels so normal, I loved it. I love seeing representation in such chill, natural ways. I also really love how death is viewed as a step toward peace and paradise rather than a horrible end. It’s just a beautiful way of looking at it, especially for some of the character deaths that happen. Those little moments of respect and hoping that the deceased will find peace are great.

Other than the pacing I really loved this book! The epilogue was sweet and fit with the rest of the series nicely. I loved the dynamics between all the characters and loved this last hurrah with them. I would strongly recommend reading this series. It has a great cast of characters, lots of influence from historical Mesoamerican culture, and a wonderful plot.

This series hand picks the deities of the Mexica (Aztec) and Maya, and then repurposes their history and legends while using the deities' very names to tell Mayana's quest to change the very core belief of the religion, sacrifice. In the acknowledgements the author admits that her personal faith is so strong it of course bleeds out in the writing. This is beautiful for a person of faith, except when choosing to write about another's religion--especially multiple religions (the Mexica and Mayas did worship different deities). There were moments of interesting political intrigue. I adored Yemina and Ochix. At the end of this series I cannot say that an an unbiased, well researched, story was told with respect to the indigenous cultures-- one that is still alive--and their history and belief. I cannot in good conscious recommend this to readers looking for a series that is a good representation of Pre-Columbian Meso-America.
I cannot help but end this by stating that a group of farmers were simply referred to as "peasants" multiple time and never people. Once they reached their destination, the peasants were forgotten and never mentioned again.
Thank you net galley for providing this series in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

*Spoilers ahead for books 1 and 2 in this series*

This book picks up right where book 2 left off. Mayana and Ahkin find themselves in enemy territory after escaping Xibalba where they find Yemania and Ochix. An eclipse will take place soon, temporarily leaving the barrier between the heavens and the earth unstable. Star demons are desperate to escape and feed on the humans on the earth below. As time runs out, Mayana, Ahkin, Yemania, Ochix, and the other princesses have to find a way to save humanity.

I enjoyed this conclusion to the Age of the Seventh Sun series! I did have some issues with it (which I will get to), but overall I was satisfied with the ending!

I liked that the characters were reunited in this book, including the princesses from book one. We get to learn a little more about them which was nice! I also thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Ahkin and Ochix! Yemania's character growth was excellent, and I thought she was one of the best characters in this book!

While this book mostly around politics and action, I still enjoyed the romance between Ahkin and Mayana, as well as Yemania and Ochix. There were some love triangle-ish things that drove me slightly crazy, but I did like the romance in this book overall!

There were a few things about this book that bothered me. The main thing was how the first 60-70% of this book was essentially about the politics of the Chicome empire. It was frustrating to read through, especially after the faster pace of the first two books. Mayana also got on my nerves a lot, mostly toward the end. The timeline got a little confusing as the POVs would change.

However, the last 20-30% of the book had more action, and the ending was done well! The epilogue was probably my favorite part! It did a great job wrapping up the entire series.

The Seventh Sun remains my favorite book in this series, but I do like the series as a whole. It has been a pleasure watching over the journey of these characters, and I am glad I saw it through to the end!

Content: blood sacrifices, animal sacrifices, violence, death, some minor language

First of all, let's talk about this cover, it’s absolutely beautiful, like all the other covers of the trilogy.

Then, if you haven't read the first two books, what are you waiting for? This series is great, you will find action, adventure, love, friendship, betrayal and Gods.

Last but not least, Lani Forbes is a talented author and she is fighting against the disease. By buying her books you help her and if you want to do more there is also a Go Fund Me campaign.

Let's talk about this last book, we find Ahkin and Mayana who managed to get out of the Underworld, unfortunately they are made prisoner by Ochix's father. The goddess called the Obsidian Butterfly acquires much more power and even if her plans are thwarted at times, with the help of Metzi and Ochix's father she achieves her goals.

I love all the main characters in this book, Mayana has a hard time understanding Ometeotl's decisions but in the end she will understand why Ometeotl has done all this. Ahkin is beginning to emancipate himself and understand that the Emperor is him and that he doesn't have to listen to the advice of his advisors.

I love Yemania and Ochix, they are both adorable and frankly they both have father issues.

As far as the other princesses go, they are absolutely great too.

I really enjoyed this last book and the entire trilogy, I had murderous urges at times on some of the characters. The parents and counselors are truly vile beings.

I hope with all my heart that we will get more stories from Lani Forbes because she has a real gift for telling them and taking us to another time.

Quick Word: A trilogy to read urgently.

Mayana and Ahkin have escaped from the underworld and Ahkin plans to reclaim his thrown with Mayana, the love of his life by his side. Except things dont go as planned when people aren't accepting of change.

Unfortunately I had some problems with the conclusion to this series. I still think its good; surface level good. The premise of a YA Fantasy Romance with a Mesoamerican cultural inspiration instead of typical European based settings was EXCELENT. This particular book heavily involved politics and battles, making it pretty boring when the first book started out as the bachelor with deadly consequences. I struggled a lot with the timeline of the dual narratives as the timeline seemed to overlap when it shouldn't. My last complaint could be due to the horrible formatting of the ARC copy that I read but the perspective would swap characters/locations almost mid sentence making following the story extremely confusing.

Overall I'd still recommend this series to YA Fantasy readers for the setting and magic system alone, just go into it realizing it has its flaws.

I really loved this conclusion to the series! I loved getting in all our main characters' heads and seeing how they're dealing with everything that they've face and are still facing, and how they all came together to finally bring the truth to their people sand save them all. I loved the friendship between Mayana, Ahkin, Yemania, and Ochix, and how the four of them trusted each other and worked together to save everyone. I adored Ahkin and Ochix working together, they were so funny and great together.

I really loved all the princesses coming together again and how they worked to save everyone. They were all so great, and I wish we could have spent more time getting to know them more over the course of the series.

This was a grand ending to a grand series, and I loved how Mayana and Ahkin found their way back to each other, how after everything they've been through, the finally get to be happy.

The story is being told from multiple pov’s which gives you so many perspectives of the same event. There were also a couple of moments that I’m pretty sure made me hold my breath because the suspense was so intense. There was so much more action in this book, so many events taking place once after the other and there was no dull moment. And I really enjoyed the pace of the book.

There were also a couple of tropes that I’ve found to be enjoying lately, such as: found family, fighting for what you believe in, doing the right thing even tho you’ve got a whole world against you. The subject related to religion and believing in what’s right I found it interesting it wasn’t as if something was forced on you – even tho almost a whole world was against Mayana and her beliefs eventually they were right and have chosen the right thing and really enjoyed that subject.

The magic system in my opinion is very unique, they do use blood as a sacrifice but their own blood is what is magic and can be used from healing to manipulating the sun. There are also some animal sacrifices mentioned but this time they aren’t that descriptive to make them a trigger but they’re mentioned. I enjoyed a lot of the subjects the book has touched including embracing death or sharing the pain with someone else and knowing you’re not alone through it

The book contains a variety of diverse ancient Mesoamerican influences for its settings and mythology and I really loved this part in the story, my imagination was going wild and everything was like a movie inside my head. I am sad and happy at the same time. I am sad to see the story coming to an end but happy for having the chance to read the 3rd and last book on this world. It’s been a great adventure.

Water and light make a rainbow

A nonstop ride from start to finish! There’s no plot filler here, and we hit the ground running. All your favorite characters from the previous installments are back and ready for action as Metzi and the Obsidian Butterfly team up for some hardcore world domination.

Once again, I loved the author’s note at the end which provided greater cultural context into the events of the book and what they were inspired by. I’ve been dipping into Mesoamerican mythology as a companion to this novel, and the traditions and beliefs on display are an intellectual delight.

The epilogue was an abrupt change, I liked the tone it set overall. There are plenty of plot holes throughout to ignore, and you should for the sake of the adventure and a unique story richly dressed in a non European background for once. It was nice to see this series maintain its tone and momentum to stick the landing—a feat that’s tripped up many an author.

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a free ARC.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***

I have been waiting for the final book in The Seventh Sun series ever since I finished reading The Jade Bones (book 2). The Jade Bones set up the premise for The Obsidian Butterfly beautifully with Mayana-Ahkin trek through Xibalba and Yemenia-Ochix relationship. In the culmination of the series, all four of them find themselves and the remaining Princesses from the first book thrown together in what feels like an impossible challenge. I loved the beginning of the book and how it set up for all these characters to get together again. The. Book does drag a bit in the middle and some of the “challenges” these characters face feels repetitive and highly predictable. I understand the authors was trying to up the tense moments but it was done so often that every time a character said that they were going to do something you knew that they were going to fail and that it was going to drag on for a bit before the deed is done or plans change altogether. I would’ve liked the book a lot better, if some parts of these challenges were edited out and the book was shorter thereby making the pacing tighter and faster.
I did enjoy the finale, and how the author tied up everything, bringing all the issues to the ending to tie up the loose ends. My fav characters since book 2 has been Yemania and Ochix and that remains true in this book as well. I did not like the portrayal of Coatl’s character-he was made to look too weak and useless in this book. I wished the author had given him something more to do. Metzi was wonderful as a strong opponent although she did make some questionable decisions towards the end.
Overall, the book did make for an interesting read as the culmination of a series. The best part was the sweet epilogue at the end that leaves you feeling full and satisfied. I give it 3.5 stars for the book and 4 stars for the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.