The Seventh Sun

The Age of the Seventh Sun #1

by Lani Forbes

Winner of the Realm Award for Best Debut, Best Young Adult, and Best Epic Fantasy

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

A Good Reads YA Debuts Pick

Thrust into leadership upon the death of his emperor father, young Prince Ahkin feels completely unready for his new position. Though his royal blood controls the power of the sun, he's now responsible for the lives of all the Chicome people. And despite all Ahkin's efforts, the sun is fading -- and the end of the world may be at hand. For Mayana, the only daughter of the Chicome family whose blood controls the power of water, the old emperor's death may mean that she is next. Prince Ahkin must be married before he can ascend the throne, and Mayana is one of six noble daughters presented to him as a possible wife. Those who are not chosen will be sacrificed to the gods. Only one girl can become Ahkin's bride. Mayana and Ahkin feel an immediate connection, but the gods themselves may be against them. Both recognize that the ancient rites of blood that keep the gods appeased may be harming the Chicome more than they help. As a bloodred comet and the fading sun bring a growing sense of dread, only two young people may hope to change their world. Rich in imagination and romance, and based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people, The Seventh Sun brings to vivid life a world on the edge of apocalyptic disaster.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Mythology, Young Adult Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2020

About the author

Lani Forbes is the daughter of a librarian and an ex-drug smuggling surfer (which explains her passionate love of the ocean and books). A former teacher turned trauma counselor, her passion was showing readers the transformative and encouraging power of story on the human experience. A California native whose parents live in Mexico, Lani resided in the Pacific Northwest where she stubbornly wore flip flops no matter how cold it got. She was a proud nerd, Gryffindor, and member of Romance Writers of America and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She passed away on February 3, 2022.

Reviews

[Melissa (thereaderandthechef) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, The Seventh Sun is my biggest bookish disappointment of the year.

And *whispers* it is not an Own Voices book.

As a history lover, particularly about my own culture (I am Mexican and I live in Mexico), The Seventh Sun just did not do my people's rich culture & history justice. In fact, this book tried to erase Mexicas (because it keeps being promoted as Aztec when the real term should be Mexica). It draws from several Mesoamerican cultures and smashes them all together + Egyptian too into the "Chicome" people whose lives depend on blood sacrifices to keep their gods happy. And no one objects to the blood sacrifices except for a young princess who *surprisingly* has Christian views/morality that don't fit AT ALL the time and place of the book. Won't even start on the plot itself (the trials were only TWO and super weak?!?!), questionable romance, girl-on-girl hate, and let's not forget our perfect main character (Mayana) who is innocent and ALWAYS right.

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Edit: The Seventh Sun is obviously a Fantasy book with fictional people (OF COURSE) but this does not erase the fact that someone who is not #ownvoices (aka not from Mesoamerican descent/Indigenous) is writing outside their lane. This is still appropriating culture & you will never be able to properly represent our culture. It is NOT your story to tell nor to profit from.

And if your work was HEAVILY influenced by our history, then sure, you can claim "it's fantasy and should not be seen as historically accurate" because fiction is always like that and we do know the representation is not going to be accurate. In fact, it's probably going to be harmful. But if the presentation and marketing uses our history & culture to boost your sales, criticism will always be valid.

We are in 2020 and the book community is constantly pointing out why it's wrong to appropriate another culture. Why is it so hard to understand? :(

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This is another *gentle* reminder that you CANNOT insert Christian morality/values into a book about ancient civilizations because that is the CONQUEROR'S POV (aka colonialists). This is not right, particularly when the main character is supposedly from those cultures. Again, it's a big NOPE.

And quick history lesson: this story says it is inspired by Aztec mythology, but that's actually wrong. MEXICA mythology inspired this book. It's actually a disservice to call Mexicas "Aztecs" since, in short words, Mexicas were Aztec descendants who were oppressed by them, which led them to abandon their oppressors and later on build their own empire (Tenochtitlán​​).

But *sigh*, history loves to erase Mexicas and call them Aztecs. They are not interchangeable. And it's sad how everyone keeps making this mistake.

Overall, The Seventh Sun is just hurtful and offensive, it just portrays these ancient civilizations at their worst, just to make way to a character that shows no love or respect to their ways, This is why Indigineous stories should be left alone if you are not part or descended from their community.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a complete surprise this story is! what originally lured me to the book was the promise of ancient mesoamerican culture. i dont know much about the mayans or the incas but, after reading this, i am thoroughly intrigued.

i love how this story takes their history and uses their influence to create such a unique world and people. there are moments that reminded me of ‘the selection’ series, as well as ‘avatar: the last airbender.’ which isnt a bad thing. if anything, they added entertainment value to what is a more serious plotline. but i think the balance between the two works well.

i am quite impressed with this debut. it does end on a little bit of a cliff hanger (its more like a large ledge lol). but it is a really great set-up for the next book, which i am more than excited about!

↠ 4.5 stars

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was originally very excited about this novel, as I assumed in today's day and age it would have been an #ownvoices publication. It became quickly apparent, however, that it was not. This is a dual POV novel between a noble daughter, Mayana, and a prince-soon-to-be-emperor, Akin.

Here is a quick summary before launching into my full review. When Akin's father dies in his sleep and his mother sacrifices herself to be in the underworld with him, Akin finds himself taking on the role of emperor during a time of peril for the Chicome people. The stars are doing some weird shit, and light is fading, and he must find himself an empress to complete the male-female duality and find his one true pair. Each of the noble houses must submit a daughter for a candidate-enter Mayana- and the daughters who don't get picked will be sacrificed to bless the marriage. Cue The Selection vibes (I'd say Akin even has some of the seriousness Maxime (I forget his name) does in the Selection series).

My biggest fault with this novel, and perhaps I'm just projecting here as someone who is native (not mesoamerican though) is that I am so tired of White Morality in native spaces where the native/indigenous people are too primitive and fall into dangerous sacrificial/savage stereotypes as these primitive beings who aren't "enlightened" enough to know better. EXCEPT for our two main protagonists, Akin and Mayana.

Mayana is a character who is never wrong and somewhat of a Mary-Sue... she's beautiful, clever, the prince immediately is drawn to her, she's friendly, and like-able, and her only flaw is that she doesn't believe in sacrifices. So essentially her flaw is that she doesn't fit in with her society (where sacrifices were deeply spiritual) and she's the only one who can see the wrong-doing in this. This book is rife with colonization views of meso-american religion and rituals, and constantly refers to sacrifices as "victims" just in case the wrongness of sacred indigenous rituals weren't obvious to the modern-day reader. The author makes sure to even sprinkle in a bit of Christianity to this culture by adding into the sacred codex no sex before marriage. *insert eye roll*

But then the author immediately contradicts herself when Mayana and Akin go to the underworld and see that everyone sacrificed (cue Mayana's childhood dog) are living their best lives in the underworld just as they've always believed. ???? Only now the mother/god confirms Mayana was the only one who was right and could see all along that she simply wants to be loved and not have sacrifices??

Also, she continually described people as "tanned" versus actual skin-tones? I'm still not 100% sure what that was about, as brown people can still be brown without being tanned? If I had to guess it's a small indication that the author might be writing outside of her lane.

Even though this is set in a very different setting from a European/Western-inspired fantasy, her use of "noble" houses and addresses like "my lord" and "my lady", kinda jumped me out of the aesthetic as I didn't feel they fit well in this world.

Also the line "My only wish is to serve the gods." seemed like a direct line lift from Chel in The Road to El Dorado, which had its own views on this sacrificial stereotype/"wrongness". I'll be the first to admit that tackling this topic and clear meso-american inspiration is not easy. So therefore I really would have loved to see what an #ownvoices author would have done here. I get that the sole responsibility does not lie with the author here either. I'm tired of publishing wanting these narratives. This is what sells.... native/indigenous stereotypes because its "exotic" and perpetuates an image that white publishing wants. It doesn't push the envelope on native/indigenous images or expand beyond what Hollywood and post-colonization/modern-era historians have painted us as.

Take it or leave it. Forbes was a talented writer craft-wise, I just really wish this isn't the image or narrative she chose to lean into. I'm probably just screaming into cyper-space. Peace out.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Quirky Title Card · Rating 1 out of 5]

this isn't ownvoices, and immediately its clear the author is conflating mayan, aztecian, and eygptian culture. just cherry picking whatever she likes, and then having no problem disrespecting the culture's for her 2 MCs which are, of course, the only "morally enlightened" of these people.

tired of white people using sacrifices as a stereotype for native culture and writing their self-insert versions of morality into the narrative to prove all their misguided and "primitive" people wrong.

its gross. and if i can stomach more of this, i may update this review, but for the moment the writing itself is mediocre and best.

[Isabel (The Reader & The Chef) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quick note: I am an own voices reviewer & The Seventh Sun is not own voices. It disrespects Mexican Indigenous culture/mythology plus the author takes the liberty to draw from other of our ancient civilizations and Egyptian practices for "creative liberty".

But moving on:

I didn't find The Seventh Sun to be a good read. And it is sad because I was willing to give it a chance.

I found Mayana (the MC of this story) a very irritating character. She belongs to one of the six noble families that are recruited to be candidate as a possible wife to Prince Ahkin. Mayana showed no love for her people, made fun of almost every aspect of her culture and she was just mean. Not to mention that this book had a lot of girl on girl hate.

Most of The Seventh Sun takes place in the city greatly inspired by Tenochtitlán. Tenochtitlán was a magnificent empire built by the Mexicas (NOT AZTECS!!!) and I'm just so tired and angry how this book's entire plot focused on diminishing all of their accomplishments to simply revolve around the human sacrifices (which had sacred & religious meanings to the true ancient civilizations) and were used for ploy to make a character with Christian morality (you can TELL) be the only one that sees how the people were nothing more than cruel and ignorant.

EN FIN. No es buen libro. Es ofensivo y ni tan siquiera es una buena historia. Mexicanos & Mexicanas, nos merecemos mejores historias si van a hablar de nuestra cultura. :)

Could spend a lot more time on it but nope.

[Roobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.5 stars⭐️

You always think that knowledge gives you power, but you will never learn enough to feel ready.
There are some answers in this life that will elude you.
Sometimes there are none to be found.

I had so much fun reading this! Loved the Azdec and Mayan elements.
Wish I had the next book now :(

Thanks to Edelweiss for an ARC of this book

[NAT.orious reads ☾]

Omigoodness, the description sounds marvellous!

[The Nerd Daily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Hannah Bujold

The Seventh Sun follows two equally lost souls, conflicted in a world where one minuscule transgression might mean perpetual damnation. Inspired by ancient Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilisations and cultures, the novel is situated in the Chicome Empire, a land that has been devastated by six individual apocalypses; by water, storm, fire, famine, sickness, and beasts. It is because of this that the Chicome people endeavour to uphold the sacred sacraments of the creator goddess, either through blood or sacrifice. This fresh perspective on religion was refreshing, adding a new dimension to Forbes’ world-building, however, I did find the followers unsettling to the say the least—almost reminding me of the Ku Klux Klan because of the pathological devotement instilled into the society from birth.

In the opening chapter, the reader is introduced to the plagued notion that Chicome might be on the threshold of another apocalypse, as the sun sets earlier with each passing day. This imposes a short timeframe for which the novel spans, with the events of the storyline occurring within a mere two weeks. Due to this, I found that some negatives did eventuate from this, namely the unrealistic relationship between the main characters that progressed from like to love in a matter of days. However, there were positives, for instance, the time pressure subjected a certain amount of weight to each respective action of the characters and provoked a sense of distress for the welfare of the Chicome Empire.

Although, because of this brief timeline, I felt a portion of the chapters were unnecessary and rather out of place. Case in point, the battle that transpired against the Miquitz (who were kidnapping outskirt villagers for their own sacrifices) appeared as a foolish ploy for Prince Ahkin to validate his worth as a soldier. Moreover, the battle ensued far too hastily, with little show for war room strategies and tactics upon the field, both of which are significant factors of war.

Moving on to the primary protagonists, the plot reflected the perspectives of Mayana of Atl and Prince Ahkin of Chicome, both of whom followed expected tropes of the genre. Mayana represented the cliche nice girl, someone who is delicate, beautiful, and sympathetic to all, with an innocence to be unparalleled. She is someone who can do no wrong. Whilst Mayana is somewhat weak-minded, she does show a significant amount of resolve in refusing the ritual sacrifices of animals, something that I can respect in her character. However, I find this to be the only thing I can really connect with her on and have difficulties not showing disappoint towards the typical company Mayana keeps.

Firstly, she is surrounded by mostly vague side characters, such as Yoli, someone who is alleged to appear badass, but because of limited development and scant information provided, it’s tough to regard her as anything more than a blank canvas. Secondly, the other princesses selected for the chance at empress from their respective regions portray stereotypical behaviours, where there is one that exists solely to despise Mayana, attempting by any means to destroy Mayana’s social upstanding. Then, there is the compliant, feeble one, the one that Mayana coddles and protects, and yet inevitably hurts in her pursuit of empress. Despite this, I found each individual princess fascinating for their unique ability to employ elemental magic through the drawing of blood — taking the use of magic to a whole other level.

Otherwise, in analysing Prince Ahkin, his temperament indicated that of a usual fictional prince, with his prowess asserted at any given chance. However, there was one deviation, where Ahkin was actually shown to be unsure, to be indecisive and fear failure, a trait that is rarely acknowledged. This made Akin very much understandable as everyone throughout their lifetime worries that they are not enough or that their ability is not enough. In other respects, I would have preferred to see more of Prince Ahkin in the political field and the politics both within Chicome and outside its borders as I felt the novel lacked in this area. Moreover, I felt Ahkin advisors were not well suited or rather inconsequential in the Prince’s decisions, having let Ahkin trust the word of Miquitz soldiers, which displays an obvious absence of expertise on part of the council members. Apart from this, there also should have been a justification for the evident fear of servants whom surrounded Ahkin, as they always stumbled, mumbled, and stuttered in their speech, sweating even at the presence of their Prince. To me, this kind of dread should not be condoned, as it indicates the servants are used to some degree of hostile treatment and thus are anxious around their perpetrators. In summary, although, Prince Ahkin’s personal development is one of my more favoured aspects of the book, with appealing prospects for future novels in Ahkin’s religious, personal and political stances.

Overall, I would have loved more description within the writing, but this was balanced by the compelling attention to detail in the world-building. With the politics, the gods, the magic system, and the societal structure all instrumental in the orchestration of the plot. So if you are one for world-building, then this is the story for you. In conclusion, in spite of the flaws in this novel, I found myself up all night reading The Seventh Sun, with each chapter leaving me wanting to know more.

[Wilmarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Seventh Sun, what can I say about this book? First of all, I received an arc of this book from Edelweiss so thank you, Edelweiss and the publisher for it. I must say that this did not affect my review of it, which you can already tell due to the rating.
Second of all, this book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I mean, a historical fantasy novel with Mayan main characters actually set in the Mayans time and civilization?! It sounded and still sounds fantastic, but sadly this was a HUGE disappointment. From the story to the characters everything but the ending was just okay.
The characters:
This story is told from two points of view. We have Mayana—who names a Mayan female character MAYANA?!—a noble girl that seems to hate everything that is Mayan and then we have Ahkin the soon to be Emperor looking for a bride.
Mayana, this character was not only one dimensional and freaking boring, but she also seemed to be against everything that did not fall in the white perspective. Yeah, yeah sacrifices are bad, showing skin is bad, having sex before marriage is bad, animals are bad, the jungle is bad, should I go on? And let me not get into her whole, girls are dramatic and b*tches and guys are so much better. Guys just punch you and get it over with but girls are catty, blah blah blah. Please excuse me while I throw up.
Ahkin started being an interesting character he believes in the gods and sacrifices but has a struggle accepting how these affected her mother's actions. He believes he's not good enough but wants to prove he can follow his father's footsteps. He sounds interesting, right? Well, guess what. He falls in love in less than three days and the only thing that he ever thinks about is her which made him switch from a well-rounded character to a character that only thinks about one thing, Mayana.
The three most interesting characters were her enemy, Ahkin's twin sister, and Coatl because if she was a bland character Yesmania (her friend) was the most boring person in the world. Sadly, we didn't get enough of the other characters. I feel that if we would have met the other noble girls and if Ahkin instead of having instalove would have tried to give the other girls a chance, it would have been better.
Other things that I dislike here:
The "trials" were only featured like three times and it was only a few pages and it was then resolved by the main character in the easiest way possible. She did not even try and not because she was good.
The instalove!!! The author makes it seem likes two weeks have passed but when you do the math it doesn't make sense. They were already in love and ready to be together forever three days into the relationship. THREE DAYS SINCE THEY MET!
The girl hate. Yeah, I get it that whoever is not chosen gets sacrificed but the girl hate is too much. There's no need to keep mentioning how she prefers guys because they aren't dramatic.
For a fantasy about Mayans, this was kind of white. This whole story felt like a white generic fantasy novel set in the Mayan civilization with characters and gods named after those in the Mayan culture. I was expecting something completely different but it was like if you took Mayans then taught them everything they do is wrong and that the right way is the white "civilized" way.

What I liked:
The ending, it was a fun one. If only the ending was a bigger part of the story. It would have made the book A LOT better. The ending gave me Rick Riordan's books vibes and it gives me hope for the sequel but a fun ending is not enough to make a book good.


Do I recommend this book? No, you want a book about Mayan? Look for a book by an author that grew with this culture, a novel with an author that knows about the culture, an own voices novel.

Rating: 2 stars

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edit: I am removing my review and pulling support from this book.

I fell into the trap of reading this book from the colonizer’s gaze and did not hone in on the cultural appropriation and anti-indigenous rhetoric of this book.

I implore you to please check out the own voices reviews of this book.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe the ending of this book! The sequel couldn't come fast enough! Oh how I want to know more about Ahkin and Mayana, and see how this story will continue! Can't wait to see how everything will unfold.

This book is a perfect mix of romance, fantasy, and history of the Aztec and Maya people. Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I do not want you to honor me with death. I have had enough of death and loss”

This book was actually good but I expected something different. I expected more about the problems with the sun and less about a “The Selection” type competition for the heart of the prince.

Even still I enjoyed the story. I felt it was a little unrealistic how quickly Ahkin and Mayana fell for each other but it was still sweet.

And of course we had our bitchy “I’m gonna make your life hell and not play fair” type girls who honestly made me role my eyes so much, I thought they’d get stuck. I didn’t feel bad for Yemania and I wanted to scream for her to pull herself together. She annoyed me more than anyone else in the story and every time she acted like a wounded puppy I thought about throwing the book!

But I felt the world building was awesome and I loved the blood powers everyone had. I thought it was very unique and held my interest.
The ending was a bit confusing to me and I’m wondering if there will be another book? It definitely ended as if it could be another. Overall I enjoyed the book and I’d definitely recommend it!

4/5 🌟’s

UPDATE: I just read a interview with the author where she states there is definitely a second book! :)

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg y’all!!! It’s so fun to read that I finished the entire book in one long marathon reading sesh. Every detail feels necessary, every character is REAL, and I love this seriously unique spin on the kind of strong princess story that I’ve always loved and haven’t come across since childhood. Yet! This version is mature, nuanced, and so well-written that you barely realize you’re even reading. This book kinda just happens to you in the best way, so that you can lose yourself in it completely. It’s nostalgic, but totally original.

The setting is so lush and rich and intriguing, too. Nothing really comes to mind when I think about YA of this kind set in Mexican Indigenous culture (but correct me if I’m wrong!), so I’m super glad we can fall in love with and open the door to learning about their myths the same way we did with Percy Jackson & Greek mythology. (Note: this is definitely for a slightly older crowd than Percy. I would call this New Adult more than Young Adult, really. It’s kinda dark and sexy in a way YA doesn’t usually hit)

Anyway just give it a read, I was hooked from the first few pages but I promise if you’re on the fence by then sh*t starts to get crazy in the very best way. Action, romance, mythology, adventures, and strong women who make difficult choices and have complex personalities while living in a male-dominated world.

[Olivia Wildenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendously lush and romantic adventure.

I cannot thank Lani Forbes enough for allowing me to read an early copy of her book.

Everything about THE SEVENTH SUN was stunning, from the prose, to the myths, to the romance between Akhin and Mayana, to the magic system and intrigue.

An absolute must-read!

I need book 2. (Hope you won’t make me wait too long). ;)

[Mel (Epic Reading)]

So excited to get an eARC of this one! Don’t know the author but read the premise and tell me it doesn’t sound awesome. From apocalypses to ritual sacrifice to Aztec/Mayan roots; I’m all in! (Will read close to publication date)

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this highly anticipated and original book!

I first saw THE SEVENTH SUN on Instagram reposted by another Blackstone author. I am a huge follower of this publishing company because they churn out some really unique stories. This book was no different.

When the young prince is declared king after his parent's death, he immediately sends out word to find a bride for he cannot officially be crowned without a queen by his side. Enter Mayana, daughter of a lord. She's sent to the palace to compete with other girls to win the prince's heart. But this isn't a SELECTION type contest. This is gritty and violent and Mayana thinks she doesn't have the heart for it but soon realizes that she may have a shot, lies to the prince and carries on a love affair with him. This doesn't bode well with the other girls and others within the court alike. Corruption wriggles underfoot like a snake and Mayana has to figure out where her loyalties lie.

I loved the Mayan history and mythology in this book. It is something we don't see too often. Mayana was a heroine to root for. The writing was excellent and kept me engaged.

A few things I didn't like was that I wanted more on the other girls. They were introduced and then fell into the background. I wanted more girl power, perhaps. Another thing was almost instant-love. I understand authors only have a certain number of pages to get their point across but this one seemed oh so quick. These things were minor though and did not affect my rating too much.

Overall, I liked this book and I will read the second for sure. I had a great time reading it and that is what matters most to me.

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty enjoyable fantasy novel! There are large sections of it that do rather read like a YA romance within a fantasy setting, so readers should be aware of what kind of book that they're picking up, but it was rather good for what it was doing and it had some good thematic clashes to boot. I did find the use of actual Mexica gods in an otherwise-fictional world and culture to be a bit jarring for me personally while reading the book, and I wonder if an entirely-fictional culture may have made for a more seamless world. But I did rather like the unique magic system based on blood that the story featured. Good read overall.

Rating: 3.5-4 Stars (Good).

[Mogsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2020/03/09/...

Set in a fantasy world heavily inspired by the legends and traditions of ancient Mesoamerica, The Seventh Sun is a coming-of-age novel by debut author Lani Forbes featuring a rich blend of history, magic, and mythology.

One of the two protagonists is Ahkin, a young prince who thought he had years to learn the sacred rituals which would prepare him for the day he will succeed his father and lead the Chicome people. But as the story opens in the early hours of an ill-fated morning, he is interrupted by a nervous servant who tells Ahkin that his powers are urgently needed to call the sun. It appears that the emperor had passed away suddenly in the middle of the night, and according to tradition, his wife must now also sacrifice herself and follow her husband into the underworld.

And so, within moments, Ahkin finds himself losing both his parents and becoming the emperor, responsible for the wellbeing of every life who lives under his rule. As it is his royal blood that controls the sun, it is his duty to spill a few drops of it each morning to bring about its life-giving rays and please the gods, preventing the coming of another apocalypse. In order to ascend the throne, Ahkin must also marry, choosing a wife among the daughters of the empire’s minor kings, each descended from the gods and are hence blessed with their own unique powers.

This is where our second protagonist, Mayana, comes into play. Her birthright is control of water, but unlike her family, she doesn’t believe the gods demand sacrifices in return for peace and prosperity. However, when she becomes one of the six young princesses called to the palace, Mayana knows she must keep her blasphemous beliefs to herself in order to survive. Only one woman can become Ahkin’s wife, with the rest to be sacrificed to bless the match. In order to ensure she will be the one chosen by the matchmakers, she’ll need to play the role of devout subject and hope to catch the young prince’s eye and keep it. But as she grows closer to Ahkin, and as he begins to develop deeper feelings for her, Mayana knows she won’t be able to keep her secrets forever. As empress, she would be called upon to take part in the bloody sacrificial rituals she doesn’t agree with. How can she rule the empire if she doesn’t believe in its traditions, and what would Ahkin think of her when he inevitably finds out?

To start, The Seventh Sun was a novel full of surprises for me—some good, and some admittedly not so good. On the whole, while I thought it was impressive for a debut, it was also not without its share of “first novel problems” including unstable pacing and issues related to telling not showing. The story itself was interesting, but predictable in a way that you can probably zone out through much of the novel’s middle sections without missing out on anything too important, and in fact, that’s exactly what happened to me with the audiobook. The other issue related to this is the writing style and storytelling. Although I knew this would be a coming-of-age novel, what I did not expect was for elements in it to skew so heavily YA. The plot boils down to a competition between the six young women, who are put through multiple trials with only one winner to emerge while failure will mean death (like we haven’t seen a variation of this scenario in YA a million times before?) In play is also the ever-annoying miscommunication trope, in which two people claim they are on so in love, but of course never tell each other anything.

But there are positives. The world-building is strong, and though the book synopsis describes The Seventh Sun as being based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Mayans, I would say it’s the author’s own flourishes (and here she does take a lot of artistic liberties) that make the setting of her book and the magic of her characters memorable. The final chapters were also a bit surprising, and though I was disappointed to discover that there would be no clean ending to tie everything up neatly, I enjoyed finally getting a few twists and certain developments I didn’t see coming.

Though I wasn’t completely blown away, I saw a lot of promising things in The Seventh Sun that will make me strongly consider picking up the sequel, if nothing else because the ending took the story in a direction I completely did not expect, and I would be curious to see what will happen to Ahkin and Mayana. The audiobook narrated by Stacy Gonzales was another reason for my increased interest, because she made the characters come to life and their emotions feel real. When the next book comes out, should I decide to pick it up, it will definitely be the audio format again because of her fantastic performance.

[Sheila G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited to be a part of THE SEVENTH SUN blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club, from February 12th - February 18th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Blackstone Publishing via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Death of a loved one and animal, Suicide, Human & Animal sacrifice, Self harm (cutting palm to perform magical rituals)

The entire Chicome Empire now relied on him. Hundreds of thousands of lives depended on his blood. He and his twin sister, Metzi, were now the only two surviving descendants of the sun god.

To what lengths must a leader go to bring honor to their deities? It is a question that Prince Ahkin asks himself shortly after the passing of his father. Due to tradition, Ahkin’s mother takes her own life so that the emperor will not pass through the Underworld alone. But Ahkin is not ready to lead an entire nation. Without the guidance of his parents, Ahkin must grow accustomed to his new position. His first task to truly claim his title is to pick an empress to rule Chicome at his side.

She was sick of the stifling and suffocating shackles of the rituals. She had fought against her heart for years to submit to them, constantly wrestling between what she wanted to do and what she should do. They had stolen the joy from her life. Now, they demanded her actual life.

Mayana is the daughter of the leader to Alt--the water region of the kingdom. Due to being born into royalty, Mayana is from a line directly derived from the water goddess, and is able to bend water to her will. The magic calls for a price, and can only be summoned by blood.

Sacrifices are a daily reality for the Chicome people. Due to the sacrifice Ōmeteōtl made for them when sacrificing her children to reinstate a new sun, the people must pay the gods back in blood. For some, like Mayana, these traditions don’t make sense. Why would a god, who supposedly loves the people, call for such a violent recompense? It is heresy to question the beliefs and practices of the gods, by Mayana cannot ignore her intuition that something isn’t correct.

Upon the death of the emperor, the prominent families in neighboring cities must send their most worthy daughters to compete for the hand of Prince Ahkin. Mayana is chosen, but at the apprehension of her father. Mayana hates making sacrifices--so much so that her family has to make excuses for her and why she won’t do them. One of six contenders, Mayana must win against descendents of gods with fire, air, earth, healing, and animal powers. But if she doesn’t win, she will see her end with the others that aren’t chosen, as the losers will be sacrificed to strengthen the waning sun.

The true core of a person encompassed their whole being. Now that she saw Yemania’s heart, the girl radiated beauty. Mayana hoped the prince would see Yemania’s beauty as she did, but at the same time, she realized that if he did, it would seal her own fate. How was she supposed to hope for Yemania without dooming herself?

The ceremony of choosing an empress naturally sets the girls against one another. For a compassionate soul like Mayana, the thought of sending someone to their death if she is chosen tears her apart. She makes fast friends with Yemania, a girl sent for her mediocre looks by a father who doesn’t care about her fate. It highlights the intimately harsh reality that most women encounter throughout life, wondering if their beauty will measure up for others.

As the competition unfolds, Mayana finds herself in the prince’s favor, but for reasons that aren’t her truth. Believed to be a pious follower of the gods’ and the codex of beliefs, Mayana knows that the prince is falling for someone that isn’t the real her. Her mission becomes proving to not only herself, but to others that the codex they follow isn’t entirely true. This, however, always puts her at risk to fall out of favor with the prince once he discovers her true beliefs. Mayana finds herself positioned between a competition to literally fight for her life, but another that requires her to remain true to herself.

The Seventh Sun will keep any reader at the edge of their seat. This isn’t entirely always for a good reason, as human sacrifice is a terrible reality in the Aztec and Mayan-inspired culture represented. I thought that this book gave a fantastic look into the lives of those that followed these traditions day-to-day. Sacrifice was a norm, but should never be taken lightly. Mayana’s character was far too soft for this society, and it makes me wonder what the souls of others’ were like. Of course, this is a work of fantasy, so liberties may have been taken when compared to one hundred percent accurate historical fact of practices and traditions.

A strong, sometimes disturbing, but deep read The Seventh Sun promises much more to come as Ahkin and Mayana must figure out their stance with the gods, and with one another. I’m curious if the threat from the Miquitz and their soul-abilities will reappear and pose an even deeper threat due to the positioning of Ahkin and Mayana at the conclusion of this installment.

Vulgarity: None that I recall.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: A lot. This read is, in my opinion, not appropriate for younger readers due to the material discussed at length about human and animal sacrifice.

My Rating:★★★★

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[Fanna]

September 27, 2020: It's unfortunate to me that I didn't come across the ownvoices reviews beforehand or even around the release date because considering them, and the fact that the author is far from being ownvoices for the culture being depicted or used as an inspiration for this book, I can't recommend this any longer.

February 19, 2020:
➝ Sum it up in points!

✔ based on Aztec & Mayan civilisation
✔ slight inspiration from Egyptian cultures
✔ do-or-die obstacles to be faced
✔ mesoamerican culture and myths
✔ royalty romance
✔ sacrificial blood magic
✔ an empathetic princess meets a young emperor

The Seventh Sun rises against a backdrop of culture, legacy, and magic. With an apocalyptic legend worrying this world, an eighteen-year-old prince who has just lost his parents shines to bring some hope. Though, this golden city also expects him to bring an empress, which leads to a survival competition between princesses of the other cities. Painting the sky with romantic strokes, the book also offers the insta-love trope for the two royalties, making the readers fall in love with the new strong headed empress too. A magic system that asks for blood sacrifice builds on the inspired mythology and the great writing is bound to captivate the readers.

➝ Trigger Warnings

✔ human & animal sacrifice
✔ death of parents
✔ witnessing a suicide
✔ frequent self-harming (cutting)
✔ blood spilling & mentions

December 14, 2019: Inspiration from ancient mythology always draws me in! This is going to be a sure shot amazing read, I can already feel it. Received a digital copy via Edelweiss.

[R.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! This book is amazing! The world building is based on Aztec mythology. Princesses from different city-states each have a unique power, and the power is connected to the God or Goddess of their area. You feel completely immersed in the world, but it's so incredibly easy to follow at the same time. I felt like I learned a lot about the culture without trying. It was entertaining the whole way through.

I am a romantic, and the sweet tension between Mayana and Ahkin kept me intrigued and gave me heart flutters.

I loved the character Yemania. She was very relatable. I think at some point we've all felt that we weren't good enough or valued by those we desperately want to be valued by.

I also really liked the contrast of Mayana and Ahkin in the way that Mayana follows her heart and Ahkin follows his logic, just like following all the rituals of the religion. I think this is such an important reminder to weigh the heart in decisions, even those that are not to be questioned.

Definitely a five star!

[Shealea]

I'm going to sidestep the fact that The Seventh Sun is "based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people" (according to the synopsis) and its main character is named Mayana. (A clear red flag, in my opinion.)

I've seen numerous reviews that have criticized the poor depiction and white-washing of indigenous culture in this debut novel, which is written by an author who has no significant connection to the Mesoamerican culture. Since I trust the opinions of own-voices reviewers, I definitely won't be picking this up.

Before you decide whether or not to give this book a chance, I highly recommend that you take the time to read the reviews of Melissa, Tiffany, and Quirky Title Card.

[nitya]

Can't remove this from my TBR GDI

Anyway, not here for a white author writing about Latinx experiences and profiting from it

Support Latinx authors and artists, not this racist and appropriative waste of trees!

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect mix between The Selection and ancient Aztec/Maya/Inca mythology. I loved it from the beginning to the end, with one slight exception.

We have Prince Ahkin, whose father, the emperor of the Chicome has just died unexpectedly, and who must now become emperor himself, choose a bride among several royal daughters and deal with the empire's looming war. On the other side, we have Mayana (I LOVE that name !), one of the royal daughters sent to Prince Ahkin, capable of mastering water and possessing quite a strong mind.

Mayana must take part in several trials to hope to become the Chicome's next empress. If she fails, she dies.
Among all that, some political plots blossom , the enemies of the empire taking advantage of the death of the emperor.

The whole book is set in an ancient Aztec etc... like world. I don't think I have read one before, and what a shame it is. I really loved that setting, and even though I'm sure all the traditions depicted in the book are not all real, it was like diving in a parallel ancient world reminding me a lot of Tomb Raider.

All in all, the trials for a prince trope reminded me of The Selection series by Kiera Cass, and I had loved that specific trope. Mayana was really a loveable character, and I thought she handled the competition really well. Of course, competition means competitors. And if there are competitors, there's jealousy, and where there's jealousy, there's a mean girl.

Yes, it was probably expected with that trope, but I was disappointed by how cliché this was. We have that one girl who really dislikes Mayana because she's great, and who does everything in her power to put Mayana in tricky positions. That was just overdone in my opinion.

However, the cliché aspect of things is the only thing I disliked about the book. My guilty pleasure is reading about royalty falling in love, so I awwww-ed while reading all the cute moments between Ahkin and Mayana (which is a lot in the book) so I was more than happy with the book.

The rythm of the story flowed nicely, nothing was rushed, and it introduced quite smoothly a deeper plot for the following book. I don't know how many sequels there will be, but I know I'll probably make sure to read them. I definitely want more of Ahkin and Mayana, and the cliffhanger the book leaves us with is so gripping I can't do anything else than wait impatiently for the next book !

[Nour Mazen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn't expect to like The Seventh Sun as much as I did. I thought it was going to be average, and maybe a 3-4 star rating. But this turned out to a pleasant surprise. It's so different from all the fantasy books out right now, the magic system is one of a kind, the world was very interesting, even the Chicome's religious perspective and belief was so intriguing. Also the world building was perfect. You get all the details without feeling overwhelmed with the description of everything.

It's also worth mentioning that the MC, Mayana, is such a GOOD character. I enjoyed reading about her and was flying through her chapters because of how much I liked her. She's such a strong and fun young lady, she sees things differently than others around her, follows her heart, and even though those are the reasons that get her in trouble, it's also what makes her so good.

And Ahkin, even though he is the complete opposite of Mayana, was just as good to be honest. He as a character does have flaws, but I was willing to look past his flaws. What I mean by that is, at times he sounded a little childish and whiny but it wasn't in a way that would make you hate him, in fact you do find yourself sympathizing with him.

Last but not least, that plot twist at the end..... I was beyond shocked to the core. I absolutely didn't see it and I just want the second book RIGHT NOW because of that open ending.

Aztec culture is one of those cultures I heard about but never got around to reading about, but turns out it's really interesting, so I would hundred percent recommend reading this book even if you don't know much about the culture. You will not be disappointed.

[Eryn Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery. Aztec/Mayan Myths. Romance. Magic. Blood Sacrifices.
COUNT ME IN!

The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes follows two points of views. Set in South America, based off of Aztec and Mayan myths and history, this book weaves a beautiful, magical story. The emperor of Chicome has died, leaving his son Ahkin to take over as emperor and to raise the sun each day. Through studying the skies and the sun setting earlier and earlier each day, hints of chaos looming over his nation. He also cannot fully inherit the title of emperor until he chooses a wife.

The wife he chooses must be a noble descendant of one gods who are continually worshiped for the sacrifices to keep the Chicome people alive. Of the six noble daughters sent, Mayana, descended from the water goddess, is sent. She must prove to Ahkin she is worthy of his hand in marriage. However, she disagrees with the traditional sacrifices her people make in honor of the gods. She must hide this secret belief in order to win over Ahkin and not be sentenced to become a ceremonial sacrifice to bless Ahkin's rule and marriage.

This is a book I didn't want to put down!
Not going to lie, but I accidentally stayed up until 2 AM finishing this book (midnight has been my bedtime for the past week or two in attempted to wake up early). My husband came in to come to bed asking if I knew what time it was. I didn't care, I had about 2% left in the book.

Firstly, this book is not a sappy romance novel.
Which in my opinion is a good thing. There are romantic elements to it. Even a little bit of insta-love. The book's timeframe is about 2-3 weeks-ish. I understand why it's like that though. The impending doom looming over the nation and the belief that the last four days in the calendar are bad luck so Ahkin has a tight window to find a wife and adhere to his people's beliefs. And Mayana is trying to avoid death.

Let's talk about our two main characters.
Ahkin is a great worrier. At the age of 18, he is left without his parents' guidance on picking a wife and ruling over a nation. There's a lot of conflict within himself because while he knows he must follow tradition and rules, he doubts their validity at times. He is in turmoil because of the death of his parents and has to remain strong, unable to really mourn his loss.

Mayana is an empath. She cares deeply for her family, friends, and even animals. She tries her best to make her father proud of her by performing the rituals required of her as a noble's daughter but is constantly letting him down when she can't perform animal sacrifices. She studied the Codices, the religious text, and found nothing about blood sacrifice.

I loved the balance between Ahkin and Mayana. I really felt for both of them while they both tried to deal with their own conflicts. There were so many times I wanted to scream at Ahkin because he didn't know things about Mayana or things she knew. This book really set up their relationship though. I really got to know each of them as a character and look forward to seeing their relationship meld in the next book.

One thing I didn't quite enjoy was how much of a pushover Mayana was at times. She was so strong and willful during parts of the book, but there were times where she seemed to shrink back into the background. Though claiming she is stubborn, sometimes I thought she allowed herself to get pushed around by some of the other princesses.

Speaking of other princesses.
HOLY SHIT! So each of these noble daughters, or princesses, have powers. Water, fire, wind, plants, animals, healing. Each princess seems to be developed with amazing backstories that I would love to delve deeper into. Yemania, the healing princess, is so sweet, but timid and shy at times. She and the princess of fire befriend Mayana. I really liked Yemania until Yoli, the fire princess stepped in. Yoli takes the cake for just a badass girl who is secretly kind and friendly. I hope we can see more of each of these princess in the next book.

Blood controls magic!
Okay. I won't lie. When I first read that blood controls magic and our leading lady controls water, I thought, Water bender? Elemental magic to control animals, plants, healing, fire, AND WIND? LONG AGO, THE FOUR NATIONS LIVED TOGETHER IN HARMONY. THEN EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE FIRE NATION ATTACKED! Before I get too carried away, no it's not Avatar. In order for any one of the descendants of the gods to use their powers, they must first cut themselves (please don't cut yourself to control elements, it won't work). By spilling their noble blood they can do things their god or goddess could do like raise the sun, move water, or grow plants.

This is a magic system I really liked. Although the healing seemed a little "overpowered," it was reserved only for nobles and emperors. The healers also gave the others chances to use their powers without losing too much blood, even for daily tasks like the emperor having to raise the sun each day. I think what I liked about it most was it's not like they could continually use these powers. They had to spill their own blood while also being careful to not let too much spill (or, you know, they'd die).

The looming apocalypse.
I don't want to give too much away here. So this will be brief and mostly taken from the summary. The sun has been destroyed six different times by various disasters (hence the name The Seventh Sun lel). After each of these apocalypses, the creator god/goddess allowed one of her children to sacrifice themselves in order to save the Chicome people. Ahkin's father, the emperor, dies in his sleep suddenly and his mother takes her life to travel with him in the afterlife. Ahkin inherits the throne, but a red comet is spotted in the sky and the sun sets earlier each day. He fears the worst, that the seventh sun is dying for reasons he can't understand. Because of this, he must figure out if the apocalypse is near whilst also dealing with a neighboring nation, the Miquitz who are kidnapping villagers.

This. Is the blood magic isn't going to convince you to read this book, I LOVED this plot element. There's mystery. You want to know what is up. What is happening? Is everyone going to die in an apocalypse or will Ahkin save his people?

Overall...
I loved this book. I was sucked into from the moment I picked it up and didn't want to put it down. I loved the characters so much. I'm rooting for you, Ahkin and Mayana! I am so excited to read a book set in South America too. I need to read more Native American/South American books.

Blackstone Publishing provided a copy of The Seventh Sun through Edelweiss.Plus in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seventh Sun was an interesting book. One that was never truly on my radar until recently. Which, I'll admit can be a good or bad thing. This was definitely a good thing even though I'm giving it 3 stars.

In the beginning, things were great and moving quickly. Then the romance came, and I was kind of okay with it. Definitely got insta-love vibes and I'm not a huge fan of those. Still, I kept going with the book hoping for things to become exciting. In some cases, yes things did pick up but in others they lacked.

What I mean is, I definitely wanted more when it comes to the actual worldbuilding and the characters themselves. Don't get me wrong - I love romance in books. I just think other things were important as well. Maybe my opinion will change in the sequel, maybe it won't. I'm intrigued enough to find that out.

In the end, I will probably dive into the sequel if I cross paths with the book. Just because I want to know what's going to happen next and if things will get better.

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: Self sacrifice (stabbing themsleves), animal sacrifice

Well that wasn't great.

Sorry, I lie.

The last 10% was really good. The rest was quite dull.

Essentially it was a drawn out "Does he like me?, "Does she like me for me or my crown? drama. The writing was clunky in places and nice in others. I was disappointed that the world was neglected in favour of the romance. I have read other reviews and see that there might be some own voice or not own voice issues. I don't know enough to comment but I do prefer to read own voices as it brings authenticity to the story.

To me it could have been set in space and it wouldn't have made a difference because the focus wasn't really on the world itself for the majority of the book. I found it disappointing that only the last part of the book really delved into the fantasy elements of the story.

Just not for me.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

See this review and others at Whispers & Wonder

When water and light are joined together, it creates something beautiful.

The Emperor is dead. A blood red comet streaks across the sky. The seventh apocalypse is nigh. Prince Ahkin finds himself leading an empire in the darkest of days. In order to obtain the crown, he must choose a wife from the noble daughters of the city states, but will his youth and naivety doom his people to suffer the end of an era? Mayana, daughter of Atl, questions the barbarity of the demands of the gods. Her disobedience will surely bring nothing but pain and heartache to the people of her lands. Summoned to the high seat of the empire, will she be able to conceal her beliefs long enough to make her father proud and save herself? Or will she be sacrificed to appease the gods she so questions?

The Seventh Sun is author Lani Forbes' beautifully engrossing Young Adult Fantasy debut, heavily influenced by Mesoamerican history and mythology. At its heart, it's a tale of balance and harmony, two opposing halves making the uniform whole. It explains the sacrifices, both physical and emotional, that must be made in the name of the greater good, although ensuring that it's perfectly fine to question those demands. It also highlights the power of lies and the faults of man, but it consistently promotes the ideal of unyielding beliefs. Simply put, it's a gorgeous book.

Forbes creates a wonderful narrative that rests on the shoulders of two point-of-view characters, both of which I loved right from the start. I always appreciate characters that hold positions of power, yet still exhibit modesty and feelings of unsureness, and this is captured well with both Mayana and Ahkin. Mayana, a headstrong, stubborn, but beautifully compassionate princess that struggles with the feelings that lurk in her heart and mind. Ahkin, an uncertain, dutiful, but ultimately selfless prince that bends under the pressure of the needs of his people. Individually, they're charming. Together, they're exquisite. Theirs is a romance, that while seems improbably rushed, flourishes in the most dazzling of ways.

A supporting cast of characters perfectly fleshes out this story to fully invest readers. Each of the daughters of the noble households are the living embodiment of their respective gifts in every way possible: imposing and regal, strong and wild, wispy and powerful, striking and dark, reserved and benevolent. Their interactions create a tension that keep the pages of this book turning at a rapid pace. The villains, well, I'll just say some are glaringly obvious, while others are wolves hiding in sheep's clothing, and I'll leave it at that.

Simple prose allowing for close and deep character connections leads to a straightforward plot, which can be summed up as the princesses must complete a series of trials in order to allow the prince to choose his empress. Threats, both internal and external, define this story of apocalypse, war, deceit, and profound, yet complex love. It's apparent the author is extremely knowledgable in the content she bases her fantasy world on, which feels incredibly real due to stunning worldbuilding and vividly portrayed settings. A whole new layer of wonder, which blindsided me to the fullest, is injected in the last few chapters, which left me anxiously counting down the pages until the end, and wishing I had book two in my grasp.

The Seventh Sun was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it has gone above and beyond all my expectations. I absolutely adored this book, and can't wait to continue my journey alongside Mayana and Ahkin. While at times some aspects seemed highly improbable, the sheer enjoyment of this read made those easy to overlook. If you're looking for a little bit darker of a YA story dominated by the gifts of choice and love and hope, then look no further, because this is exactly the one you want. I highly recommend.

Note: A huge thank you to Lani Forbes and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an advance complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and to The Fantastic Flying Book Club for organizing and inviting me to participate in this book tour.

Be sure to check out all the other stops along the tour by visiting the official schedule here.