4 out of 5 stars

I read this book because a number of people in my writing group recommended it and I really enjoyed it. It’s a well-paced, interesting, fast read with a lot of gorgeous details and intriguing world building.

The basic synopsis is that in this alt-world there is a civilization inspired by the pre-Columbian Americas and they’re preparing for a solar eclipse which is supposed to solidify the power of the Sun Priest and their retinue of believers. However, there is something traveling across the ocean, something dangerous and ancient that may disrupt this society’s way of life.

Honestly, I think my favorite part of this book was the world building. It’s effortlessly done, very few exposition dumps, and it feels real and tactile. There are giant animals that can carry humans, there are versions of mermaids and human vessels for gods, and there are various levels of magic. I love when an author really stops to think about how adding magical or scifi elements will affect society (as oppose to being like here’s magic that can produce wealth at will and it’s freely available to everyone but there’s still massive poverty!) I felt that Rebecca took the time to really think things through while still giving herself room to go some cool things with crows. I’m also a big sucker for pirates and seafaring adventures so the the fact that one of the main characters of this book was a pirate mermaid meant I was in love with the story by page one.

The characters are entertaining and endearing, but could have been more developed. The strongest character is Serapio, the young man connected with the dark, dangerous thing that can destroy everything. I love his struggle and his story and he’s one of the more tragic characters I’ve read in a long time. I liked Xiala. the mermaid pirate, until about midway of the book and then I felt she became a motive for Serapio and stopped being her own character. Naranpa was a little too naive for me to really connect with, although I found the intrigue she was involved in very interesting.

STOP READING IF YOU WANT TO AVOID SPOILERS

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