The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco Review

Title: The Never Tilting World

Author: Rin Chupeco

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Never Tilting World, book one

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

                I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

                Rin Chupeco is one of my favorite authors, so when I found out she had a new book coming out in October, I put it on hold immediately. Ever since, it’s been sitting at the top of my library stack, begging to be read. I couldn’t renew it anymore, so as soon as I was finished with Good Omens, I dove in. In this rich, fully realized fantasy world, two goddesses are at war. After a catastrophic event called The Breaking, the planet has stopped turning, literally. Resulting in one side of the planet stuck in endless night, and the other in constantly scorching sunlight, four young people are forced to try and fix their world, even if it means unearthing secrets that could change everything. Full of monsters, magic, deadly secrets and political intrigue, I loved this series opener and can’t wait for the next book in this duo!

                Lady Tianlan is a Catseye, a bodyguard for the goddess she serves. Still reeling from being the only survivor of a deadly mission in the Abyss, she is drawn to her goddess’s sickly daughter, Odessa. When she ordered to go back to search for answers, she wonders if her demons and ghosts will conquer her. Odessa, for her part, knows that she can do more than what her mother allows. Frustrated from being stifled and looked after all the time, she steals away on the ship Lan is commanding. On the other side of the world, the other goddess’s daughter, Haidee, comes across a fire worker, and together they leave The Golden City. Forced to work with her people’s worst enemy, she discovers that her mysterious companion has secrets of his own. Two sister goddesses broke the world, and now two sisters must save it. But it turns out there are forces bigger even than the goddesses, and they are working to bring about a darkness more dangerous than anyone could ever know…

                I adored this book! It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn near close. With this series opener, she has penned a fantastic debut with multiple voices. The worldbuilding was fantastic, and the pacing was breakneck. As soon as I was done with Good Omens, I started this book and devoured it in less than three days. I loved the magic system, as well as the broken world that the characters lived in. This book had everything I love: war, magic, romance, monsters, political intrigue and secrets. There were times when the narration was a bit stilted, and at times it was difficult to keep track of who was speaking. Nonetheless, this series debut was absolutely wonderful; it might be one of my favorite books of 2019, and I can’t wait for the next one! The bottom line: Richly detailed, romantic, dark and mesmerizing, I loved The Never Tilting World!