I am here for the climate fantasy. For books that examine the effects of climate change, of droughts and disasters, on our speculative fiction world. And the Sky Bled is a multiple perspective story about resources, nature, and inequality. Keep reading this book review of And the Sky Bled for my full thoughts.
Summary
In the occupied city of Tejomaya, calor—a magical fossil fuel—is found only in the blood rains that fall from the sky. While a six-month drought has brought Tejomaya to a desperate standstill, rumors of a secret stash of magic propel three unlikely treasure seekers to risk everything.
Tenacious and street-smart Zain Jatav has been forced to steal calor for her slumlord bosses for years. Finding the magic reserve might be her only key to freedom. But she’ll have to contend with Iravan Khotar, a slumlord himself and an ambitious revolutionary hoping to use the same magic to save his people from the mysterious illness devastating the slums—and to bolster a fight against their oppressors. Meanwhile, heiress Anastasia Drakos leads the ruling council of Tejomaya from the safety of a nearby island. With the hidden magic, she could finally take full control of the city and crush the slums beneath her unyielding fist.
As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia draw closer to finding the treasure, their paths tangle, and not for the first time—they met before, a decade ago, in a fire that destroyed each of their lives in different ways. Their reunion might bring the already-weakened city to its knees.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
And the Sky Bled is an expansive take on climate change fantasy. With multiple perspectives, and motivations, it’s a twisty debut which demands care. Seemingly all of our main characters are working for themselves, at odds with each other. However, And the Sky Bled ties their fates together in a journey that began a decade ago. What I enjoyed the most about And the Sky Bled is that no character is singularly one thing. Each has these decisions which honestly feel very questionable and are motivated by their own choices and quests. No one is cut and dry. Everyone has these shades and layers not allowing them to be put on one side.
How will we justify what we want with the pursuit of power and resources? How can we maintain what grasp we have on what is ‘right’ when we are so far from our plans? There’s a ruthlessness, but also a care, a mission. And the Sky Bled went places I never expected it to based on the synopsis, but it makes the world feel more expansive more nuanced than a straightforward quest. Find And the Sky Bled on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.
Tour Schedule
| Tour Date | Tour Hosts | Type of Post |
| September 19th | @tahaslibrary | Bookstagram feed post + Reel |
| @monikasbookblog | Instagram + Tiktok | |
| September 20th | Thereadingowl_ | Bookstagram feed post + Reel |
| September 21st | Thesempiternalreader | Bookstagram only |
| Bookishcornerr | Bookstagram only | |
| September 22nd | Jlreadstoperpetuity | Instagram + Tiktok |
| September 23rd | Utopia State of Mind | Blog + Instagram |
| September 24th | @pluvioreads | Instagram + Tiktok |
| thisreadergirl | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| September 25th | Grimreaderx | Instagram + Tiktok |
| @book_rambler | Bookstagram reel | |
| bookarlo | Bookstagram feed post + Reel |