“We are but fevered stars,” he intoned, like an orator on a stage. “Here a little while, bright with promise, before we burn away.”

Tova is shattered. The Crow God is holding the sun in eclipse, as a comet that marks the death of a ruler and the rise of a new order streaks across the sky. Xiala, the Teek sea captain is caught up in the chaos of the city and finds an unlikely ally in the ex-Priest of Knives, while Serapio and Naranpa are now both living avatars struggling for free will. A struggle between them is imminent, but will there be a future or will all be destroyed.

I’m so glad to be back in Meridian and while this does avoid much of a middle book slump, it does still drag in parts. I still find this world to be absolutely fascinating even if I still have no desire to live there. We got to see different parts of the world that we didn’t get to experience in Black Sun and all of our favorite characters are back. Xiala, Serapio, Okoa, and if you like naive and boring characters, Naranpa. However, this book could have used more conflict and higher stakes. It felt like a long set-up for book three.

Fevered Star gives us more details about the world and its history, that we didn’t experience in Black Sun. The characters are mostly divided to the four winds and we get to see some of the places that were mostly just mentioned in the first book. Hokaia being the one that I personally was most interested in, but I still wanted to see more. For certain characters, a lot of this book is moving from point A to point B.

I was happy to see Xiala and Serapio again. However, I still really find Naranpa obnoxious. Really obnoxious. I understand that she’s supposed to be growing and developing into a stronger person, but I still find her obnoxious. I just don’t find her journey as compelling as Serapio’s. I know that it may sound strange that I find Serapio so much more lovable than her, but I really do. Xiala and Serapio are very much my favorites, along with Okoa.

I wanted more conflict from this book. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of maneuvering behind the scenes of things by the Matrons, but I wanted more direct conflict. The stakes just didn’t feel that high and everything that Naranpa worked for during this whole installment was dissolved by the end and not by any particularly dramatic means. Even Xiala didn’t really get to shine because of the company that she got to keep through most of the book. Honestly, even though I love Serapio and Xiala, Okoa carried this book for me. He had the most interesting things going on both internally and externally. He also had the most contact with the other main characters.

Overall, I would recommend this for readers looking for non-eurocentric and accessible “epic” fantasy. This book has an array of interesting characters and representation, battling gods, and loads of political machinations. Fans of the first book should be fairly satisfied, the plot is moving forward, there are some big reveals, and groups of lovable characters (new and old). I’m excited for the next installment, I just hope that it won’t be two years in between.

Have you read Fevered Star? What did you think? Who are you rooting for? Let me know in the comments below!

Important Bits:
Length: 384 pages
Published: April 19, 2022 by Saga Press
Content Warnings: Violence, Blood, Murder, Mass Murder, Death of a Parent, Mention of Prostitution
Awards: None yet.
Between the Earth and Sky Series: Black Sun (2020), Fevered Star (2022), Mirrored Heavens (2024)
Also by: Trail of Lightning (2018), Storm of Locusts (2019), Resistance Reborn (2019), How I Resist (2018), The Mythic Dream (2019), Hungry Hearts (2019), Race to the Sun (2020), A Phoenix First Must Burn (2020), Vampires Never Get Old (2020), Black Sun (2020), A Universe of Wishes (2020), Ancestor Approved (2021), The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities (2021), Fevered Star (2022), Tread of Angels (2022), Never Whistle at Night (2023)