And the Sky Bled By S. Hati

In *And the Sky Bled*, a gripping cli-fi fantasy, the dying city of Tejomaya becomes the backdrop for a high-stakes race among three rivals: a determined thief, a ruthless slumlord, and a powerful heiress. In this occupied metropolis, calor—a magical fossil fuel—only emerges from the ominous blood rains, and after a six-month drought, desperation grips the city. Rumors of a hidden cache of this coveted magic ignite a fierce competition, as each character has their own motivations for seizing it.

Zain Jatav, a resourceful street thief, has spent years stealing calor for her slumlord bosses. The promise of the hidden magic offers her a chance at freedom from her oppressive life. On the other hand, Iravan Khotar, a cunning slumlord and revolutionary, aims to harness the magic to save his people from a mysterious illness ravaging the slums and to fortify their resistance against colonial oppression. Meanwhile, Anastasia Drakos, the ambitious heiress leading the ruling council, sees the treasure as her opportunity to tighten her grip on the city and crush the slums beneath her heel.

As Zain, Iravan, and Anastasia's paths converge, their complicated history—marked by a devastating fire a decade earlier—resurfaces, threatening to unravel their fragile alliances and plunge Tejomaya into chaos. With themes of power, trauma, and the consequences of ambition, *And the Sky Bled* offers a searing exploration of a world on the brink of destruction, inviting readers to consider the lengths one might go to reclaim agency and fight for survival.