Hi everyone! I am one of today’s tour stops for the blog tour of The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes, which is hosted by the awesome team over at Fantastic Flying Book Club. Be sure to check out the other incredible bloggers taking part by checking out the schedule here.

The Seventh Sun

Author: Lani Forbes

Publication Date: 18 February 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pages: 336

Publisher: Blackstone

The sun of the Chicome people has been destroyed six times. First by water, then by storm, fire, famine, sickness, and beasts. After each apocalypse, the creator goddess allowed one of her divine children to sacrifice themselves to save civilization. The gods paid their blood as the price for the lives of the people, and the people owed them blood in return.

Mayana is a noble descendant of the water goddess and can control water whenever her blood is spilled. She has always despised the brutal rituals of her people — especially sacrifices. She can’t even make it through a routine animal sacrifice without embarrassing her family. Prince Ahkin has always known he would be emperor, but he didn’t expect his father to die so suddenly. Now he must raise the sun in the sky each day and read the signs in the stars. But the stars now hint at impending chaos and the sun has begun setting earlier each evening. Ahkin fears he might not be strong enough to save his people from another apocalypse. And to add to his list of worries, he can’t truly become emperor until he selects a wife.

Mayana and six other noble daughters are sent to the palace to compete for Ahkin’s hand. She must prove she is a true daughter of water and face the others who have their own magical gifts from wielding the elements to the control of animals, plants and healing. And in a society centered on rigid rituals, Mayana must conceal her traitorous beliefs because if she doesn’t make Ahkin love her, she will become a ceremonial sacrifice to bless his marriage. But darker forces are at play and it won’t matter if Mayana loses if the world ends first…

Rich in imagination and romance, and based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Mayan people, The Seventh Sun brings to vivid life a world on the edge of apocalyptic disaster.

A richly imagined fantasy world inspired by Mayan/Aztec/Incan mythology? Yes, please!

Prince Ahkin was always destined to be emperor…he just didn’t think that day would come as quickly as it did. Following the untimely death of his father, Ahkin is now responsible for raising the sun in the sky each day as well as reading the stars. But before Ahkin can truly be crowned emperor, he must choose a bride as per tradition. He is to choose a noble daughter from one of the six houses. The catch? The other five ladies that are not chosen must be sacrificed.

Mayan is one of the daughters of the six nobles houses, and her blood allows her to command water. Unlike the rest of her people, she cannot stomach the animal or human sacrifices that are decreed by their gods. Shortly after meeting, the connection between Mayan and Ahkin is undeniable. Mayan doesn’t want the other girls to perish if she’s chosen. To make matters worse, it seems like the gods aren’t so keen on Mayan and Ahkin being together. With the sun fading faster every day, the next apocalypse is rapidly approaching.

For the positives, this world building in this story is both complex and lush. The author has clearly done her research on the intricacies of the Aztec/Mayan/Incan civilizations, which provides the foundation for the Chicome people. Another aspect of this novel that I absolutely loved was the blood magic. It was fascinating that depending upon which god or goddess the characters descended from, they each wielded different forms of incredible elemental magic. I am always here for the elemental magic…especially when it’s source gets a little dark.

So what I struggled with in this story was the timeline of the romance. I am all for romance in fantasy, and there were definitely some swoon worthy moments in this one that I definitely enjoyed. However, this book takes place within the span of two weeks, so I just felt that the romance was rushed and more of a love at first sight versus a gradual build. That’s just my personal opinion, and you may feel different.

Overall, I think that this series is off to a good start, and I would definitely continue to see how the story progresses in the future.

Thank you to the author for the giveaway review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Get your copy of The Seventh Sun at one of the retailers below:

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo | Google Play

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 California native whose parents live in Mexico, she now resides in the Pacific Northwest where she stubbornly wears flip flops no matter how cold it gets. She teaches middle school math and science and proudly calls herself a nerd and Gryffindor. She is also an award-winning member of Romance Writers of America and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Author Links

• Website: https://laniforbes.com/
• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18903487.Lani_Forbes
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaniForbes
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laniforbes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaniForbes/

GIVEAWAY

Prize: Win (1) of (2) signed hardcover of THE SEVENTH SUN by Lani Forbes, a Worry Doll, a button and a bookmark (US/CAN Only)

Starts: 12^th February 2020

Ends: 26^th February 2020

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