Read History
2026 | Score: 6
Short book, got a lot better as it went on. I would recommend not doing the audiobook for this one, took a lot out of the story. The writing is solid, but just a pretty bland story for most of the first half but then shoves a ton of action in the back half. It was enough to make me want to finish the series someday, but better pacing could have made this a way better book. I also went on a nice long walk when I was finishing it and that always helps.
Format: Audible
Days: 4
Date: 2/10/2026 -> 2/14/2026
Summary
Black Sun
Rebecca Roanhorse
Between Earth and Sky #1
The People of the Meridian
The Obregi Mountains
Serapio - Crow God reborn
Saaya - Searpio’s Mother
Marcal - Serapio’s father
Paadeh - Serapio’s first tutor
Eedi - Serapio’s second tutor, a spearmaiden
Powageh - Serapio’s third tutor, a knife
City of Cuecola
Xiala - Captain, Sailor, Teek in origin
Callo, First mate, sailor
Patu - Cook, sailor
Loob - sailor
Baat - sailor
Pooc - sailor
Atan - sailor
Balam - Merchant Lord
Pech - Merchant lord
City of Tova
The Watchers:
Naranpa - Sun priest, order of oracles (hawaa)
Iktan - Priest of Knives, Order of knives (Tsiyo)
Abah - Priest of succor, order of the healing society (seegi)
Haisan - Priest of records, order of historical Society (Ta Dissa)
Kiutue - Former Sun Priest ( deceased)
Eche - Dedicant, order of oracles
Kwaya - Dedicant, order of the healing society
Deeya - servant
Leaya - servant
Sky Made Clans:
Yatliza - Matron, carrion crow
Okoa, Yatliza’s son, carrion crow
Esa - yatliza’s daughter, carrion crow
Chaiya - Captain of the shield, Carrion Crow
Maaka - Leader of the Odohaa, Carrion Crow
Ashk - stablehand - carrion crow
Feyoue - healer, carrion crow
Kutssah - giant crow
Benundah - giant crow
Paida - giant crow
Ieyoue - MAtron, water strider
Aishe - water strider
Zash - Water strider
Tyode - water strider
Paipai - giant water strider
Nuuma - Matron , golden eagle
Peyanna - Matron, winged serpent
The Dry Earth (Clanless):
Denaochi - Brother to Naranpa
Akel - Brother to Naranpa
Jeyma - Father to Naranpa
Zataya - witch
Serapio is a boy, and his mother has told him he is going to be the Crow god reborn. She gives him a numbing agent then carves his “Hey-Han” (Audiobook spelling), basically scars to make it look like he has crow features (wings and beak). This is an old tradition of the Carrion Crow clan. She also stitches his eyes shut. His father starts banging on the door trying to save his son but his mother then kills herself to complete a ritual.
Xiala wakes up with a hangover in prison in Cuecola. She sleeps with women which is frowned upon a bit, but also pushed a merchant lord (very powerful dudes) off his ship. Lord Balam comes to bail her out but says she has to crew a ship for him and escort a passenger (adult serapio) to Tova city before the “convergence” (eclipse + winter solstice) which is in 20 days. People are also racist to her because she is a Teek and has magic powers. Her first mate Callo is racist to her, but they take off on a boat.
Nara (Naranpa) was born in the dirty, gross, poor dry earth region, but has worked her way up to being the sun priest. People in the “sky made clans” view those who live below as second class humans, so it is shocking she made it this far and has caused some ripples. Her family is all dead except her brother Denaochi who is now a crime bos, but she has not seen him in 23 years. She is out caring for people when she is almost killed by an assassin with a Hey-han, making it seem like carrion crow is behind this, but her best friend / body guard / ex Ichtan saves her life then says lets think this over more before jumping to conclusions.
Throughout the book we get flashbacks of Serapio training. His father mostly ignores him due to his scarring and blindness, but he has three tutors of prophecy to forge a new vessel for the crow god. He learns many things but mostly how to be a really good fighter, even blind. He can also do some magic and see through the eyes of crows.
Xiala uses her magic to propel the ship at night while the crew rests, and begins to form a friendship with Serapio in the meantime.
Nara is trying to pass reforms in Tova to help out the less fortunate and generally be a decent human, but faces pushback from a lot of people. Another priest, Abah, who is only 19, outwits her several times and makes her seem like an idiot and is really annoying. The matron of Carrion Crow dies so now they have to deal with that along with the convergence coming up.
Okoa, who has been at a war college for a long time, returns to Tova when his mother dies to take up his role as his sister’s shield. He should not have had any POV chapters.
Xiala and her crew are doing ok, some tension, but then a storm comes they have to fight it, so she has them tie together. Her and 2 dudes get washed over so she cuts one free and uses her magic to transform into a mermaid and save the second guy, but he was already drowned. When she returns to the ship the crew hate her and lock her up with Serapio. Buyt eventually the cook gets sick and dies and more people are getting sick so they come to her for help but some people still say they should just kill her. It gets dicey and then someone tries to cut her throat so Serapio goes crow mode and him and lots of birds kill the entire crew. Every man.
Nara is facing more and more challenges in the priesthood. Ichtan seems to be keeping secrets from her. Then at the crow funeral, Okoa is just trying to say hi and shake her hand but Ichtan attacks him and claims he meant to hurt Nara. There are riots in the streets and stuff. Many in the priest hood seem to want to keep crow clan as the enemies (some events the night of knives happened a long time ago where abunch of crows were killed).
Serapio saves Xiala and they grow even closer, eventually reaching a port town where they find a barge to take them up river to Tova in time for the convergence. Xiala tries to do sex on Serapio but he says no. They make friends with the barge people and the owner knows stuff about clan carrion crow.
Abah maneuvers the priests and gets Nara stripped of her title basically and a rich dumb kid put in her place. Nara sneaks out and climbs down her tower to “The Coyotes Maw”, where she was born, and goes to visit her brother. It seems they used cocoa beans for currency? Denaochi introduces her to his witch Zataya, who gives Nara a necklace so she can find her. Nara returns to her tower and eventually Ichtan fully betrays her and takes the sun priest mask and leaves.
Xiala learns the truth of Serapio’s mission, and understands he is going to die to birth the crow god. She is devastated and almost convinces him to live with her, but he must do it. They spend one last day together in Tova before Serapio leaves to prepare for the Convergence tomorrow, where he plans to kill the sun priest while the sun is weak.
Abah comes to Nara’s room and uses 5 men to kidnap her and threaten to kill her. She wanted to pin it on Carrion Crow, but Ichtan is w orking hard to find and save Nara so they end up just planning to slit her throat, but Nara manages to jump off a bridge to save herself. Her body washes up on the shore and the witch finds her and prepares a ritual to revive her.
Serapio summons Okoa’s big crow Benundah and uses it to fly close to the priests during the convergence. He cuts his eye stitches and speaks his true name and the crow god takes over his body, killing a ton of people and all of the priests, but Nara is still the true sun priest and he senses he failed.
Xiala uses her magic to try to calm the crowds that are rioting and dying.
Benundah takes Okoa to where the priests are all dead, and he grabs Serapio’s dying body (Covered in dead crows) and takes him back to crow home or whatever.