Ah the end of the trilogy. Serapio is the ruler of Tova. Xiala is back on her home island of Teek. And Naranpa is on a journey to save her beloved Tova from the Carrion King. These three entwined lives are all fighting to do what they honestly believe is best. In the background one other is doing what he can to become a god himself.

I will be honest, this book took me like 20% in to remember all the details and characters. I am not one to reread books and know all the details and am more of jumping in and enjoying the ride. This series is hard to do that with as it came out, but if you are reading them all in a row, I think this will be fantastic.

The end of trilogy where not everybody survives, there is not a perfect picture happy ever after, and some realize they became the bad guy. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I liked how it was not a picture-perfect ending but I was not left with a ton of questions.

I am giving this book five stars because overall the trilogy was interesting and so good and I believe this book did good to wrap up the ending. This book on its own, is a four but that’s because it took so long to sort out in my own head. If I had read these closer together, I think I would have loved it. I absolutely recommend these books. Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Rebecca Roanhorse for this free ARC. This was an honest review.

I'm plagued by conflicting feeling about what is ultimately a mixed finale to a long=beloved series. Too much happened within too short of a time frame, compressing a story that could have easily been two books into a trilogy format. The vast range of characters is both a strength and a weakness: it was interesting to follow such diverse perspectives, but I found that emotions remained strongly tied to Xiala, Serapio, Naranpa, and Iktan. Outside of these four, I wasn't sufficiently drawn into the other POVs, which felt like they distracted from the stories I most deeply cared about. I loved the payoff of the Xiala/Serapio storyline and getting more of Xiala's background generally, but was otherwise disappointed by the ending which felt weak in comparison to what was otherwise a very strong series.

This was a fantastic conclusion to the series.

My favorite part about this series was how you see from the perspective of people on all sides of the conflict. It's hard, in some ways, to distinguish hero from villain because characters on both sides do terrible things for their own reason, and they are not villains in their own minds.

The one flaw was that because it had been a while since the last book, I kept forgetting who certain characters were and what they had done in previous books, but the writing, character development, description and detail were so good that it didn't matter. I figured it out eventually.

I love the word Roanhorse created in this book. I love how each character is so developed. I love the magic system. And I was happy with the ending for at least some of the characters.

Looking forward to seeing the next thing she writes!

Educator note: these books are probably to long for the kind of classes I teach, when I teach at all these days. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone, student, friend, or family, looking for a good fantasy novel!

Mirrored Heavens is a strong next entry in the Black Sun series, following Black Sun and Fevered Star. It follows Serapio, the Crow god avatar; Xiala the Teek sea captain, Iktan, the Knife, Naranpa, the Sun-god avatar, and Balam, the Jaguar lord in a complicated mix of love and betrayal, magic and politics, power and revenge. The world-building is loosely based on Central American mythology, but it's the complex characters and their interactions that make the story shine. It definitely helps to have read the earlier stories, because otherwise it's difficult to keep all the twists and turns and people involved straight. But the end result is SO worth it. And no, I doubt that this book is the end of the series, considering the open questions that remain at the end of the book. I can't wait to read the next addition to the series and to see what happens to these wonderful (and bloody ruthless) people.

The first two books in Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky series, Black Sun and Fevered Star, are two of my favorite books of the last five years. I’ve proselytized these books so many times, and now, at last, I can tell people the end is worth it. Mirrored Heavens is a tense read. There were many points where I had to put my tablet down and pace in circles because otherwise I would scream just to relieve the pressure. This is exactly the kind of book you want to do a live react to because So. Much. Happens!

The Treaty Cities of the Meridian are getting ready to go to war with Tova. Serapio, Carrion King, the Crow God Reborn, is working to defend his city, and to quell the clan matrons whose power over the city has been upended. The Cuecolan lords, Balam and Tuun, seek to build empires. Naranpa, once the Sun Priest, and Xiala are each shoring up their own powers to thwart the Cuecolans’ dreams of empire. The gods are at work in their own ways.

Between Earth and Sky is high fantasy for grownups. There are gods, kings, magic, and journeys. There is a war between good and evil, but the good is at best morally grey. In the high fantasy books I read growing up, Serapio, disfigured and blinded and dedicated as a tool of vengeance, would have been the monster that the poor innocent farm boy had to defeat to save the light and win the princess. Serapio is both the powerful being created to destroy the Sun God and it’s minions, and the innocent farm boy raised to do a job, unconcerned for the political maneuverings of the outside world.

I will note that the violence in the book can be hard to read while also reading and seeing images from the current violence happening in our own world. Empires are bad. Dreams of empire are evil dreams. Every person has inherent worth and deserved better than to be used as a means to an end.

I read this to fullfill the The Diverse Baseline Challenge March Prompt B: a book by an indigenous author.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Saga Press and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

The long awaiting conclusion for this trilogy! Overall, I'm satisfied with how things wrapped up and was glad for more time with Xiala. That said, I do think this was the weakest of the 3 books due to the pacing - I wonder if it had either been extended & there were 4 books OR this had been scaled back, if it would have had been more successful for my tastes.
But that being granted, I just love Rebecca Roanhorse's writing so, so much. The way she paints the setting and builds her characters... chef's kiss! I just was happy to be back in a RR book and had a lovely time seeing this story draw to a close. I can't wait to see what's next!

How else do I start this review other than saying that I cried in the end because it was over!?

Spoilers from the first two books ahead!

Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky series is an absolute powerhouse. After just rereading Black Sun and Fevered Star in anticipation of Mirrored Heaven's release, these books were just as good, if not better, when returning to them. The characters developed even further in Mirrored Heaven; Xiala, the powerful and beautiful Teek, who grows so much into herself, while learning to navigate her powers. Serapio, our dark and brooding Crow God reborn, who attempts to learn his path while reckoning with a prophecy from a Coyote witch. Naranpa, the avatar of the Sun God, whose path is so different than where I thought it would go and who's story is only made richer because of Iktan, the former Priest of Knives. I love that each character goes through their own transformations and growth and that none are "good" or "evil" -- they are human (or part god lol), with flaws, who all do terrible things and must learn to reckon with their pasts.

Not only are Roanhorse's characters deep and complex, but the world building is incredible and rich and I loved the span of this novel; we of course see Tova and how the city changes under Serapio's rule, but we again see the Maw (although not as much as in Fevered Star) as well as Cuecola and (v small spoiler) the islands of the Teek. I felt like I was traveling across the world with them.

While I both loved and hated Mirrored Heavens (hated it because now its over and I'm sad, what do I do!?), I will say the pacing of the end was a off for me. It felt a little bit rushed to me, but that also could have been me rushing through because I wanted to know how it would end? Or again that could be on me because I just wanted more! That being said, the rest of the book's pacing felt fine and in line with the rest of the full story.

One thing I particularly appreciate in this series is Roanhorse's inclusivity of queer and nonbinary characters and how they are front and center (Xiala is bisexual, Iktan uses xe/xir pronouns) as well as the important themes of white supremacy and colonization. There's so much to dissect in this book and I can surely see another reread in the close future.

Overall, I thought Mirrored Heavens was a strong ending to the series and that the series itself overall is an excellent and refreshing fantasy trilogy to get absolutely lost in.

Mirrored Heavens is the fabulous conclusion to the Between Earth and Sky trilogy by Rebecca Roanhorse.

With fantastic world building, magic, and intrigue, the Between Earth and Sky trilogy is on par with some of my other favorite fantasy series, such as the Broken Earth, and Inheritance trilogies by N.K. Jemisin.

Naranpa, avatar of the Sun God, and Serapio, the Crow God Reborn, both seek to save their people. They each face their own enemies, as we traverse the lands of Meridian, from the depths of the wastelangs, to Tova where the sun no longer shines, and the island of Teek, where the all-female islanders' magic is fading.

At over 600 pages, it's another long one, as are the first two books in the trilogy. However, I can't recommend this enough! I loved the whole series, with its unique take on mythology, legends, magic, and the place of gods among us.

Mirrored Heavens is the satisfying ending that I hoped for when I started this series. It was gratifying to watch these characters fully harness their abilities and throw themselves into the dark one last night to change the course of their world. Despite my praise, it sits firmly at a four star, because some of the events happened too quickly for me or felt a bit unnecessary. However, this is still one of my favorite series of all time and for everyone who's been waiting for Serapio and Xiala to reunite: it'll be worth it.

The dazzling conclusion to the series does not disappoint. Multiple characters with multiple schemes and different agendas all come to a conclusion in a stunning battle. This is a very complex story which moves from one set of characters to another and back again in the intricate workings of the plot. This sometimes make the book difficult to read and follow. I have read the first two books in the series and the reader needs to read it all from the beginning to even begin to understand the plot. There are brutal murders and tender moments of friendship and love. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, it is one of the most original and unusual stories I have ever read. The uniqueness is what made this an excellent read.

A beautiful finale to the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, Mirrored Heavens picks up where Black Such and Fevered Star left off and continues with the war between gods and man.

Mirrored Heavens is the last book in Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky trilogy. Once again, we join the world of Naranpa (avatar of the Sun god), Serapio (avatar of the Crow god), Iktan (priest of Kinves), Xiala (Teek ship captain), Okoa (Carrion Crow scion) and the treacherous Balam, who turns out to have an unexpected connection to Serapio.

One thing I like about Roanhorse is that she takes characters directions that I could never have anticipated. I also love the fantastical preColumbian Mesoamerican setting. I found volume to be a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy, if not a conclusion that I expected.

I support all of Xiala's rights and wrongs. I would honestly read a book about just her - she reminds me of Amina.

Anyways, I was able to read this trilogy all at once - books 1 and 2 I listened to the audiobook (which is fantastic, by the way) and book 3 I read as an arc. I do prefer the audiobook because of the way it brought the characters to life. I did use the list of characters at the front often purely because I had a hard time remember who was who since there were a lot of characters.

Overall, it felt like a satisfying conclusion to me. The beginning was my favorite mostly because we did spend a lot of time with the Teek and again, Xiala is my favorite. This was a book series where I didn't try to predict and just listened to the story.

Oh I would also like Xiala and Iktan to go on little adventures together their friendship was my favorite part of book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for this DRC.
This book three of the Between Earth and Sky trilogy. Serapio is now king of the Crow Clan and avatar of the Crow God. The matrons of the other clans conspire against him. War is coming. Xiala, a Teek woman beloved of Serapio, has ended up back on her island. She struggling to control her powers as her island comes under attack. Balam has continued to use blood magic and will wage war on everyone.

A slow but wonderful build. The love stories and the lies are complicated and rich. I loved the characters and the crows, the infighting and expansiveness of this story.

#mirroredheavens #NetGalley

OH MY GOODNESS. I am absolutely obsessed with these characters and this story. There are so few books that truly keep you guessing until the end, but Rebecca Roanhorse did it in this one. This book takes morally grey to a different level. I think morally grey tends to be less somber and heartfelt, less duty driven. But in Mirrored Heavens you feel the weight of every morally grey decision made and it made this such a masterpiece. Riveting.

arc review

Gonna keep this short and sweet. This book had just about zero redeeming qualities. Book 1 had great worldbuilding and a lot of potential with the characters and story set up, but the series seemingly has no interesting in following through. Much of what made book 1 so appealing seems all but absent, and while I thought book 2 at least had the fun factor, this one is a slog.

Judging from some other early reviews, this books seems to have found it’s audience and I’m glad it did. But I’m not a part of that audience.

What can I say other than Rebecca Roanhorse grabbed and turned me every way but loose and I enjoyed every minute of it! This is my best read of the year and I can’t wait until it’s officially in the world.

The first time I heard of Rebecca Roanhorse was on a list of Native/Indigenous booms you should be reading, Black Sun lived up to each and every bit of praise. A lush landscape from history never conquered by European explorers filled with characters that tug at your heartstrings and souls as they play the game of gods. Serapio. Xiala. Their own people and yet the pawn of the gods and destiny. Fevered Star continued their journeys to complete the tasks set before them by others some with good intentions and some to use them as the pawns of their ascensions. When asked if I would be interested in an ARC, it was an immediate yes. Mirrored Heavens finished the carefully crafted trilogy, tying all the strands together in an epic conclusion and finishing each character’s arc in meaningful ways that stay true to each of their stories. You will not be disappointed at all with Mirrored Heavens or Between the Earth and Sky trilogy, if you haven’t already begun this beautiful series.

I don’t normally read high fantasy but this series has been the exception to my rule. Roanhorse didn’t hold anything back with the final book. It’s bloody, it’s ethically grey, it’s lush. And I’m sad it’s over.

This third and final book of the Between Earth and Sky Trilogy by Rebecca Roanhorse completes the series in an exciting and satisfying manner. The multiple story lines and characters are drawn together well and the twisted plot gallops to its final conclusion. Overall this was a great final book to the trilogy. All three books are highly recommended.