And the Sky Bled

DEBUT Hati perfectly balances plot and character elements in her cli-fi fantasy, exploring the potential for rage and trauma to break the world. The three POV characters are connected by a past traumatic event, a current slumlord, and the need for a hidden reservoir of fuel in the city of Tejomaya. This fuel, called calor, powers everything and is also a deadly, yet exhilarating, drug. It used to be naturally occurring, but now only rains from a wounded sky above Tejomaya—which the most powerful nations of the world use as an excuse to occupy the city and keep its rightful inhabitants subjugated. While each of the protagonists could save the city with the reserve, their hurts skew their motivations. Anastasia desires revenge, Zain seeks freedom any way she can obtain it, and Iravan wants to aid his people but is too withdrawn to free himself from a toxic friendship that could doom them all. As they draw nearer to the secret, a mysterious illness plagues the city, tensions rise between nations, and the earth and sky vent their fury on Tejomaya.