The Stone Knife (The Songs of the Drowned #1), by Anna Stephens

The Stone Knife was a book that I totally picked during my "visit to the backlist" project mostly for the setting, as the Mesoamerican inspiration was totally calling me; but I found not only a book with an excellent work on the worldbuilding terrain, but an impressive balance on the character development while still being a dark and grim story that manages to keep a glimpse of hope among all the despair. I'm not sure I will be able to write a coherent review, but here we go.

A story set in the forests of Ixachapan, told from multiple POV, where the Empire of Songs is trying to bring the last remaining civilizations under its control. The Drowned live in all bodies of water, attacking the villagers in certain areas, while they are revered as gods in the Empire. In those conditions, we will see how the last two free tribes, the Tokoban and Yalotlan, are trying to resist the advance of the Empire; a bleak story that will also reveal much about human nature.

And it's that aspect that is the major strength of this book, as Stephen delights us with a vast cast of characters, all of them feeling really human. There are no perfect heroes either simple villains, but people; they fight for what they aim to protect, for what they believe. Even when we are following the Pechaqueh characters, the people of the Song, you can't avoid empathizing with them. Even in terms of antagonists, there's so much nuance behind their actions, and sometimes they make mistakes, as you cannot control everything.
It's complicated to choose a favourite character, and while I think your heart will melt with how the Tokoban are trying to resist, how they are protecting their loved ones (and thank god, loved how there're all kinds of relationships), but I was super invested on the Empire storyline, especially as we learn more about the nature of the Drowned and how the Song shapes many things.

It's time to talk a bit about that Mesoamerican-inspired setting: everything is richly imagined and layered, from social structures, religion, and even fighting tactics, while it also shows Stephens' research on those cultures that inspired the novel. The world feels alive, and we are just experiencing a slice of the big cake that is the history of Ixachapan. The own conflict goes far from the classical good vs bad archetype, and while you can feel more sympathetic to one side, there's still space to understand the motivation behind the other. The prose is precise, raw and brutal when it needs to lean into the grimmer side of the story (the depiction of fighting is simply amazing), but it manages to shift the registry when needed, striking a difficult balance.

The Stone Knife is an excellent novel, a perfect choice if you are looking for a Mesoamerican-inspired story with a vast cast of really human characters that keeps you invested until the end. What a way to start a trilogy!