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Book: “Mirrored Heavens” by Rebecca Roanhorse
Publishing Info: Saga Press, June 2024
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: Serapio, avatar of the Crow God Reborn and the newly crowned Carrion King, rules Tova. But his enemies gather both on distant shores and within his own city as the matrons of the clans scheme to destroy him. And deep in the alleys of the Maw, a new prophecy is whispered, this one from the Coyote God. It promises Serapio certain doom if its terrible dictates are not fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Xiala is thrust back amongst her people as war comes first to the island of Teek. With their way of life and their magic under threat, she is their last best hope. But the sea won’t talk to her the way it used to, and doubts riddle her mind. She will have to sacrifice the things that matter most to unleash her powers and become the queen they were promised.
And in the far northern wastelands, Naranpa, avatar of the Sun God, seeks a way to save Tova from the visions of fire that engulf her dreams. But another presence has begun stalking her nightmares, and the Jaguar God is on the hunt.
Previously Reviewed: “Black Sun” and “Fevered Star”
Review: This was on my list back in January for most highly anticipated books of the year, and we’re finally here. So many massive events that have been slowly building up over the course of this series will be resolved! Prophesies will be either fulfilled or thrown off! And, most importantly for my romance-loving-heart, Serapio and Xiala will finally reunite (unless something goes wildly off track!). And while I do think there were a few weakness to the overall book here and there, in the ways that truly counted, this was a successful conclusion to an excellent trilogy!
I’ll say right now that, as a whole, I think this series is excellent. However, it did take an interesting trajectory as far as my experience reading each individual book. Looking back at my reviews, I gave a “10” to the first book, a “9” to the second, and this one is an “8.” Luckily, since it started out as the very top, even if each book dropped a bit in my estimation, that still left plenty of room to be solidly good reads. The main reason for the drop for this one had to do with the balancing of the various characters (their arcs and POVs) as well as the pacing towards the end of the book. Because of this former point, I think that readers’ reception of this book will largely come down to which characters are their favorite.
From the beginning, I’ve been here mostly for Xiala and Serapio’s stories, both individually and as a couple. And luckily for me, both of these two were done best by in this last book. Xiala, especially, was really given some of the best elements of this story. Not only do we finally make it back to her homeland, but we learn more about her connection to the ocean and her abilities (something that we barely touched on in the second book, really). Not only must she learn to wield these powers (game-changingly powerful abilities, as it turns out!), but she also travels an interesting arc of coming into her own as a princess and leader of her people, something she’s been fleeing from for most of her adult life. There was some real tragedy in this portion of the story, but we also get some of the best action sequences, as well.
I also loved seeing her and Serapio finally (FINALLY!) reunited. Both of these characters are excellent in their own right, but even some of the other side characters comment on the fact that they both seem to become fuller versions of themselves together. Theirs is a relationship built on radical acceptance, and it’s especially gratifying seeing it play out for Serapio, a person who is held at a distance by literally everyone else around him for his godly persona. For his part, Serapio’s story is once again wrapped up in a prophesy, one that he must fulfill in order to win the coming war. Some of this began to feel a bit like filler, but because Serapio’s personal story and arc is so compelling, the character himself brought a sense of gravitas to a plot line that could have felt superficial at times.
Unfortunately, the book begins to fall apart a bit when it comes to the many other POV characters. Most unexpectedly, this carries over to Naranpa, the third main character who has shared equal billing with Xiala and Serapio up to this point. By the time I finished up this book, I was frankly left a bit baffled by this character and her story here (both in this book, and, by extension, the entire trilogy). She’s off on a side quest throughout most of the book, and by the time it wraps up, I’m not sure what the point even was? It’s honestly a bit hard to describe just how little there was for this character to do, especially without getting into spoilers. It seems like it may be building up in one direction, but then just…doesn’t. And then it’s over and the reader is left wondering whether they would have even noticed had Naranpa’s storyline been excluded altogether? Pretty shocking stuff for a character who had been equally as important as Serapio and Xiala in the first two books.
While this was the most egregious example, primarily because of Naranpa’s positioning as a main character from the first two books, the unnecessary POVs carried over to other characters as well. For example, we get numerous chapters told from the villain’s perspective. Now, some of these take place in the past and thus serve to flesh out the history behind Serapio’s birth/creation. But, at the same time, again, much of what we got here felt rather unnecessary. Especially any of the chapters set in the modern time period. I simply didn’t need as much exposure to this character, and, given the way the story builds and concludes, there were no twists or swerves that would retroactively make these inclusions worth while.
Lastly, the pacing of the major conflict felt a bit off. Xiala’s storyline is the main point of action for the first two thirds of the books. All of the other characters are following much more passive arcs, mostly spending time looking ahead to and positioning various pieces for the the great battle that is coming. I can’t emphasize enough just how much time is spent discussing and preparing for this conflict, how great the scale is meant to be, how insurmountable the odds our heroes face. And yet, when it actually comes, everything sort of falls flat. Again, I don’t want to spoil how it resolves, but given how much time is spent building to this moment, by the time it arrives, the reader would be excused for getting through it all all before realizing that it is, in fact, now already over.
So, a bit of a dour note to end on, but I don’t want that to tint the rest of the positives of this book and this trilogy as a whole. While there were definitely flaws in this last book, it also concluded in an extremely satisfactory way, especially if you’re fans of Serapio and Xiala. The world-building remained excellent throughout, and the author’s sheer skill as a writer is not to be underestimated. I definitely recommend this trilogy to any fantasy fans out there looking for a high quality, unique story!
Rating 8: Not without some flaws with regards to pacing and certain character POVs, but an excellent resolution to the trilogy as a whole.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Mirrored Heavens” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Ancient Mesoamerica Books and Polynesian and Native American Fantasy.
The Library Ladies 