The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes Pages: 336
Published by Blackstone Publishing on February 18, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic
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.
The Seventh Sun is the first book in The Age of the Seventh Sun series by Lani Forbes. This series is a young adult fantasy series. I felt like The Seventh Sun was a very strong start to the series. I had a few, minor issues with some of the plot pacing, but overall, I loved the story and characters. I am very excited to continue on with this series, and I am already itching for book two. The series itself felt upper young adult, or maybe even lower new adult, so I think it will appeal to readers in both categories. The Seventh Sun is going to be perfect for fans of young adult and new adult fantasies and readers that enjoy mythology, and competition elements in their story.
In the Seventh Sun, we meet Mayana, our main character. She is sent to enter a competition, where the prize is the Prince himself. But this was no frou frou, girly competition. It was gritty and fierce and way more violent than I expected it to be. There are also plenty of court politics at place. Mayana does something that really annoys some of the other contestants in the competition, which also plays into the story. And a staple feature for a court based fantasy, is always the secrets and court intrigue. I love seeing not only the political system but also the social court aspect of the story, and The Seventh Sun does not disappoint on either of those fronts.
The Seventh Sun is steeped in Mayan history and mythology, which I loved. Hearing the myths, and seeing the magic system that was in place was my favorite element of the story. I loved it! There is a nice romance in The Seventh Sun as well. It felt a bit insta lovey to me, which wasn’t my favorite, but I enjoyed the romance so much that I didn’t really care as the story went along. My only issue with the book was the pacing on some of the scenes. I felt like some of the action scenes felt a little rushed and jumpy, and because of that sometimes they felt a little confusing to me. I would have liked for a bit of a more consistent pacing and descriptions/details throughout the story, but overall it wasn’t a big issue and it didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the story. This is certainly a series that I am looking forward to continuing.
And because I love maps in books so much, Here is a map from The Seventh Sun
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About Lani Forbes
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.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2020
Denise Duvall
Love the cover and have added it to my TBR list. I love most genres.
sherry fundin
i love reading about the mayans. i have made numerous trips to mexico and loved it
sherry @ fundinmental
Lily M.
Love that its based off of Mayan and Aztecs legends, me being Mexican-American, i don’t see books like this a lot. Can’t wait to check it out, definitely on my TBR 🙂
Debra Branigan
Thank you for the excellent review of the book. The story sounds like a very edgy fantasy and I am definitely interested.I have added to my TBR. The cover is very apropos to the storyline. Best wishes to the author on the new release.
Penny Olson
I love that this book is based on Mayan and Aztec legends. Thanks for the review and the giveaway.
NANCY
Sounds like a terrific read.