Book Review: “Black Sun” by Rebecca Roanhorse

May 22

Håfa adai! Håfa adai! November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States. Throughout November 2025, I will post reviews for works across various genres written by Native American authors and depicting important experiences within Native American communities. My second selection of Native American Heritage Month 2025 is Black Sun, the first book of the Between Earth and Sky trilogy by Rebecca Roanhorse.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Fantasy bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

The winter solstice is approaching, and the city of Tova is eager to prepare for this time of renewal and celebration. But once it becomes predicted that this year’s winter solstice will coincide with a solar eclipse, the Sun Priest of Tova warns that this “convergence” could only lead to conflict and a terrible shift of balance in the world.

My Thoughts on Black Sun: 4.5 stars

Rebecca Roanhorse is a New Mexican author of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and African American descent. Her Between Earth and Sky trilogy is an epic fantasy that takes the reader through multiple locations and timelines while following the paths of four distinct protagonists. I was amazed by the worldbuilding throughout Black Sun. I am an Indigenous Pacific islander trained as an archaeologist with almost 15 years of experience in island Southeast Asia, western Micronesia, the North American Southwest, and Mexico, and the scenes Rebecca Roanhorse depicts throughout this story conjure highly detailed images I have seen in my personal life and learned about throughout my professional life.

The chapters in Black Sun alternate between the perspectives of four protagonists who, from my interpretation, feel like characters created in a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons. Serapio of the Obregi Mountains, the Crow God reborn, comes across as a druid. Serapio must live to fulfill a destiny decided for him long before he was born. Captain Xiala, a Teek sailor in Cuecola, very much feels like a bard. She is skeptical of those around her and is able to quickly adapt to the changing tides of any journey. Naranpa, a Sun Priest in the Order of Oracles in Tova, mirrors a cleric. Her piety and integrity are matched by her assertiveness and ambition. And Okoa of the Sky Made clan from Tova reminds me of a ranger. He is cautious and intelligent, rejecting the station that he was born into.

An aspect of Black Sun that I truly appreciate is its limited magic system. It is a major pet peeve of mine when a high fantasy series relies so heavily on seemingly limitless magic systems that the characters are essentially invincible. Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series is especially guilty of triggering this pet peeve in me. But Rebecca Roanhorse does not go down that path! In Black Sun, there is a distinction between magic-wielders and everyone else, with the former being deeply untrusted and even vilified by the latter. This contention against magic-wielders adds to the challenges some of the characters face and effectively drives the plot forward.

My rating for Black Sun is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed Rebecca Roanhorse’s premier installation of the Between Earth and Sky Trilogy! I first received a copy as a gift in 2021 but did not get around to reading the story until preparing for this book review. Rebecca Roanhorse’s writing is vivid and emotional, her worldbuilding is concise yet nuances, and her character development is complex and consistent. I also deeply enjoyed what I perceived to be Dungeons & Dragons influence on the personalities and growth of the protagonists. I greatly look forward to experiencing Fevered Star and Mirrored Heavens. I highly recommend Black Sun to fans of high fantasy, D&D players, and those who want to experience fanciful storytelling rooted in Indigenous cultures from North America, pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, island Southeast Asia, and western Micronesia.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of Black Sun, the first book of the Between Earth and Sky Trilogy by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.