Mirrored Heavens

• Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: June 4, 2024
• Publisher: Saga Press
• Series: Between Earth and Sky #3

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: suicide, murder, blood, gore, mention of massacre of children, self-harm (to access sorcery), blood, hallucinations, grief, violence, prejudice, gore

The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.

Even the sea cannot stay calm before the storm. —Teek saying

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.

I remember when I picked up the first book in this series, and how it blew my mind. This is the long-anticipated finale to the series, and it didn’t disappoint at all. In fact, I found myself deliberately slowing down my reading pace because of how much I was enjoying the story, and also because I didn’t want to let go of the world and the characters too quickly. 

This fantasy series is set in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and the way that Roanhorse incorporates the mythology, history, and lifestyle of the times really pushes this series from great to outstanding. The author has clearly done plenty of research on the world she bases her story in, lending it a realistic feeling, while still giving readers a unique perspective that is rarely, if ever, presented in fantasy novels.

“‘But it is earth that mirrors the heavens, not the inverse. What are humans in the face of a god reborn?’”

Since each of our characters is in a different location and working towards a different aim, we get POV chapters from the MCs—Naranpa, Xiala, Iktan, Serapio, Okoa, and Balam. Obviously, some are characters that I liked more than others, but each of them is so beautifully rendered that they felt like people I could run into at any moment. Each of them are morally gray in their own way, and at varying levels along a spectrum, with some only mildly morally gray, and some have gone a little farther down the line so that they’re closer to the villain side. 

There is so much action in this story. It’s a long book, but the pacing was perfect. The story never drags, and kept a steady pace. I think this was because there was always something going on—a plot, a scheme, unexpected alliances, backstabbing, and getting to the bottom of a mystery. I loved how the different plot threads were all working towards a meeting point, yet the author left enough time at the end to wrap things up without rushing the story. Overall, this was a perfect ending to the trilogy. I loved the story, and how everything played out. As I mentioned earlier, I couldn’t push myself to read this one quickly like I usually read, because my favorite characters had started to feel like friends and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. But now that I am finished with the series, I’ll definitely be checking out Roanhorse’s other books.

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