The Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky trilogy, Book 1)

"Yes, and both the first two were Locus finalists. There’s gorgeous writing here, and some real originality woven in with the classic feel of an epic fantasy. We are in a world inspired by pre-Columbian Americas – an expansive world with convincing variety, and fractious inter-group relations. The worship of old gods has been banned, and the resulting godless culture is overseen by the Watchers, with the Sun Priest at their helm. There is a deep grievance held by worshippers of the Crow god, who suffered a massacre at the hands of the Watchers. That sums up the sides in the key conflict – although the world around these two camps is satisfyingly messy, with the marginalised semi-magical Teek people, other god-clans and magic users, and a criminal underworld all complicating the picture."