Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star is set to release with Saga Press on April 19, 2022.
Many thanks to Saga & NetGalley for providing an e-ARC for review.
Tumultuous and introspective, Fevered Star is a devastating high fantasy sequel that pairs political intrigue with incredible world-building in a fast-paced, character driven plot. Written with precision and care, Rebecca Roanhorse continues to develop the richly imagined world of the Meridian across multiple POVs, beginning where Black Sun ended: on the shadow-tinged, blood-soaked streets of Tova following the Crow God’s awakening.
Bathed in the inky darkness of a failed eclipse, Tova is in mourning for the Sky Made clans, ravished by a vengeful god. With ranks of Watchers and Scions decimated in the massacre on Sun Rock, fear bathes the great city as Serapio, the Crow God reborn, stirs to life in the wary care of Okoa, Shield of Carrion Crow. With devout fanatics of the Odohaa flooding in to witness the start of an era, a war three hundred years in the making stirs to life, a power vacuum blooming in the wake of the broken Treaty of Hokaia that unites the varied plains of the Meridian: the floating, holy city of Tova; the bustling trade center that is Cuecola; the volcanic, closed-off islands of the sea-maiden Teek; and the battle-centered, steepled plains of the historical Hokaia.
While the threat of war propels the narrative forward, fear is what keeps it going – not for the destruction of clan and empire, nor the dissolution threatening the newly reformed Carrion Crow, but for the individual. Serapio, surrounded by a fanatic people that see him as a specialized weapon rather than an individual, lost following the decimation of his life’s purpose. Xiala, floundering in the dry air and cracked earth of the Meridian without her Song, in an unfamiliar sea of trauma, guilt and shame as she is pushed further and further away from her homeland. Naranpa, reborn in the name of the Sun, abandoned in a tomb to find herself, no longer torn by the duties of the Celestial Tower, but unsure of herself and her place – as a sister, as the former Sun Priest, and as a scion of newly the reborn Coyote, a fifth clan denounced in neutrality 300 years prior. Okoa, newly appointed Shield of Carrion Crow, torn between protecting his growing faith in the gods and denouncing his sister, his clan, and everything he thought he knew about the world.
It is in Serapio and Xiala that fear is at its height, stripping them of their power and self-worth, united in emotion even as they are separated by fate. Serapio plummets in the wake of failure, having expected death at the Crow God’s mercy during the Convergence. He wakes up, alive and afraid, due to the sacrifice of many crows. Without purpose, without power, Serapio is diminished to a husk of a man – one that longs for normalcy and humanity in the wake of his growing feelings for Xiala, the only person to see him as a human being rather than a god. Fear touches Serapio’s early chapters, penetrating and dark as he navigates a world that expects nothing but vengeance. While the Odohaa worship the ground he walks on, they do not see him for what he truly is: a man. Shadow magic gone and loyalties torn, Serapio longs for the only constant in his life – Xiala – and it is in these moments of intense longing that the romance subplot continues, a temporary balm to two confused, weary souls, hurting in the void that is the Crow God’s temporary departure.
He was a child, again. Alone, afraid. Waiting for the world to make sense, to become the god his mother had promised. He could not go back to that place. Small and weak. At the mercy of those who professed to love him but whose actions betrayed their selfish intentions. He grasped for something to fill his lack, something to anchor him, something he knew was true.
“Xiala,” he whispered.
– excerpt from Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star
While Serapio wars with longing, anger, and confusion, piloted by a god determined to kill the Sun Priest, Xiala finds herself in enemy territory, separated by the very thing that brought her to Tova. Riddled with guilt, Xiala wonders the shadow drenched streets of Titidi in search of something, anything to tide the shame threatening to drown her in the wake of the Convergence, where her Song inadvertently aided in the massacre on Sun Rock. With memories of her past threatening to resurface, Xiala clings to the only lifeline she has outside of the calming waters of the sea – Serapio. On increasingly unsteady legs, she makes the trek to Odo only to be swept away by curiosity, the threat of Iktan, Priest of Knives upon her, whisking her further into the dry, cracked earth of the Meridian. As she travels with the mysterious tsiyo, who avoided a blood-soaked fate upon Sun Rock by conspiring against his own, Xiala unravels secret alliances, unearths Meridian histories, and offers fresh insight into the world, Roanhorse layering world history with political machinations. Rich attention to detail blends seamlessly into Xiala’s increasingly difficult travels, with lush, vibrant descriptions of people, places, food and clothing bringing color to a world eclipsed in shadow.
Around her, flowers bloomed in glorious profusion. She had found them beautiful once, enchanting even. But now they seemed profane, gaudy in their unseasonal dress. They leered at her, mocking her grief with their forceful gaiety. They possessed a rich fragrance that had once made her swoon. Now they smelled like a dying thing, sweet with rot. They were false, all of them. Little liars. They were a promise of life that only ended in death.
– excerpt from Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star
Though I longed to see Serapio and Xiala reunited, I found myself entranced by Naranpa, whose presence truly shines in Roanhorse’s capable hands. While Serapio has arguably been the crux upon which the overarching narrative is built, it is Naranpa who steals the show in Fevered Star, clawing her way from the shadows to forge a new path – for herself, for her displaced clan, and for the Watchers who attempted to undermine her at every turn. In Naranpa, bonds are tested – of faith, family, and future – all of which allow her to soar in the face of despair, triumphant and reborn. Though Naranpa’s trials in the Maw are many, they allow her to test the boundaries of life and death while coming into her own confidence and power. While she may be on the fringes of society, Naranpa continues to have a profound impact on the Sky Made as she, alongside Xiala, unlocks secret histories, discovers unknowable magic, and aids in the restructuring of a people lost to darkness and superstition.
Impeccable attention to detail is not Roanhorse’s only strength, with Fevered Star offering another glimpse at bias, prejudice and discrimination – not just in Naranpa, who was denounced by the Sky Made and betrayed, but in Serapio, who, in becoming an unwilling vessel, lost his humanity alongside his heritage. To the Odohaa – and Carrion Crow at large – Serapio is nothing more than a weapon, not because of his status or his ability as a fighter, but because of his blood. He may bear the haahan carved into his skin and color his teeth blood red, but he is of Obregi blood as well, and, despite everything he has given, he will never be enough. The Odohaa may offer him thoughtless devotion, but they do not see him. The house of Carrion Crow may acknowledge his power, but they do not trust him. No one knows his name, except for Xiala, and in her, we see true acceptance when Serapio does not. When he loses himself, questions his identity and his purpose, Xiala is there, unwavering in her companionship, accustomed to the stares, to the preconceived notions, to being othered.
He sacrificed everything to help you, but where were you when he needed you? When he was a boy alone in Obregi? When his mother blinded him? And now you wish to judge him because his blood is not pure enough and he bears a foreign name?
– excerpt from Rebecca Roanhorse’s Fevered Star
Much like its predecessor, Fevered Star owes everything to its incredible characters. Where Black Sun was action-packed and tense, a whirlwind of emotion culminating in an explosive finale, Fevered Star is propulsive, driven by character development against the tense backdrop of impending war. For some, the character driven nature of the plot may feel slow, but this is where Roanhorse truly shines, characters intertwining in unexpected ways, developing even as they slowly further the plot by revealing secret histories, ulterior motives, and the truth behind ancient magic. The patient reader will be rewarded with betrayal, murder, and power plays in the face of a stunning revelation: dark and light are closer than they appear.
From impeccable and elegant character descriptions to atmospheric details, Fevered Star is an absolute joy, an intricately crafted, high fantasy adventure. Best read alongside its predecessor, Fevered Star is a world-building triumph that plays on politics and ancient magic. Inspired by Mesoamerican societies and mythos and brought to life in brilliant color, the second installment in the Between Earth and Sky series is treasure that paves the way for an epic conclusion.
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