Sun of Blood and Ruin

Sun of Blood and Ruin #1

by Mariely Lares

Mexican history and Mesoamerican mythology meet in this thrilling historical fantasy with magic, intrigue, treachery, romance, and adventure.

The empire of Montezuma II has long fallen, a city raised on the bones of Tenochtitlan. None dare whisper the names of their gods- or speak of the magic that once graced the land, of the witches who hunted as jaguars, the warriors who soared as eagles.

Until a new name emerges- a curse on the lips of the Spanish, a hero in the hearts of the people. A masked vigilante, a sorceress with a blade.

Pantera

But that is not her only name. To all who know her, Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin is a glittering jewel of court, promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. The respectable Lady Leonora faints at the sight of blood and would sooner be caught dead than wield a sword…even against a dauntless thief with a cutting smile.

No one suspects that Leonora and Pantera are one and the same. Leonora has fooled them all, and, with magic of her ancestors running through her veins, she is nearly invincible- until an ancient prophecy of destruction threatens, and she is forced to decide: surrender the mask or her life. But the legendary Pantera is destined for more than an early grave, and once she discovers the truth of her origins, not even death will stop her.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, Fiction, Historical, Retellings, Adult

Kindle Edition

First published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that Sun of Blood and Ruin, whose story takes place in sixteenth-century Mexico during Spain's colonization, has a fantastic premise : it's a reimagining of Zorro with a fantasy twist, starring Leonora, a noble 18 year-old woman who can turn into a panther and who uses her powers to fight against the injustices faced by indigenous people in this colonial hell.

As made clear by my three-star rating, my reading experience sadly didn't go as well as I hoped it would, but this debut still has great things to offer in my opinion and I'm interested in seeing where Mariely Lares will take her series in the sequels.

✨writing✨
The beginning was rough, especially because the narrative kept switching between past and present with a distinct lack of transitions that prevented the writing to flow smoothly. I wouldn't say the writing was bad (in my opinion it's better written than Fourth Wing to be honest) but it's a debut and it very much shows. It does flow better in the second half once the story finds its pace.

✨characters✨
I didn't feel any type of way about Leonora, the main character : she was impulsive at times, and her inner thoughts got a bit repetitive, but if I didn't love her, I didn't hate her either. The thing is, she's 18, and beyond the central anticolonial theme (which I loved), Sun of Blood and Ruin is very much a coming-of-age, "finding who you are" type of story. There's nothing inherently bad about this story type, but they're not my personal favorites sadly.

I wasn't a fan of the way some of the women characters were portrayed in the first half, but a particular plot point I *hated* did get resolved in a somewhat satisfying way in the end.

In general though I found the secondary characters quite lacking in terms of depth and as a result I had a hard time caring for them. Nothing I haven't read before, and the main character did get development, but it always ruins my enjoyment a little.

✨romance✨
Sadly the romance didn't work for me at all : at first I felt nothing, then I started actively disliking it.
▪ first of all: when exactly did that happen? because I for sure didn't see it;
▪ secondly: I can't say I liked the pairing, they lacked chemistry and it felt forced as a result.

✨settings/world-building✨
The intricate world-building is by far the strongest facet of the book, and I was delighted by the care with which Mariely Lares detailed both the indigenous myths and the every day life (there's food!!!!! can we get a hoora?). It made for a really interesting and quite unique read in the European obsessed Fantasy genre. As far as I'm concerned everything was explained enough, but the explanations themselves weren't always presented in a smooth way (see my complaints about the lack of transitions). I really liked the inclusion of Spanish, too, and that the author didn't feel the need to automatically translate everything.

All in all, a decent novel I'd recommend to readers who are tired of European inspired Fantasy, with the caveat that this is a debut and that it's not devoid of flaws that are somewhat typical for debuts.

[Sara Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that fantasy is starting to incorporate non western cultures and mythology, and this is what attracted me the most on Sun of Blood and Ruin

This book takes us to 16th century Mexico during the Spanish colonization, and tells us the story of Leonora, both vigilante and promised to the heir of the Spanish throne.

Though I loved the premise of the book and found the writing beautiful, I didn’t connect to the story the way I was hoping and expecting. I found the pace inconsistent, the romance a bit bland and I felt the characters lacked depth.

Overall, it was an entertaining fantasy read, that got better towards the end.

I would like to thanks HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager
and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[phoebe♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

”I knew, when I decided to don the mask of Pantera, that this wasn’t going to be easy. To pretend to have an interest in this life, in these Christians and their god, in the dull chat of courtiers who don’t know the world outside their walls. The games they play. For position. For power. For influence.”

Honestly, I’m really disappointed with this book. I had decently high expectations after reading the synopsis and seeing the gorgeous cover (I know, don’t judge a book by its cover…) but they were crushed almost immediately. Right off the bat, I had multiple issues with the book and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy to finish. It took me over a week to read this and honestly, put me into a bit of a reading slump. I had devoured so many books before this one and then this ruined the streak I had going—and that’s not what I like to get out of reading a book.

I have a lot to say, but I’ll start off by saying that the second half of the book was a million times better than the first half. Though most of the issues I had with this book were consistent throughout the entire story, the overall flow and storytelling was much improved and easier to digest in the second half. Honestly, I was quite lost until the second half, and that was when I was able to start distinguishing characters and plot pieces. Before that, I could hardly pick out specific chronological events. I even tried going back after initially finishing the book to see if the first half was better with my new knowledge, but to my disappointment it stayed the same flat story that I could hardly follow.

The biggest issue with the first half of the book was how we just dove in with no explanation. Now, I’m not knowledgeable at all on indigenous Mexican cultures and religion; I only recognized two of the many well-known names from folklore and mythology. However, I think that for a book that is marketed to a wider audience, it should be explained. Not everyone has the knowledge going into a book, and it’s kind of inconvenient to read a book where it just never explains things well. The explanations themselves I had an issue with too; they always began out of nowhere, almost switching writing styles. It sounded like it was copied and pasted out of a textbook and into this book, before it went back to the actual story. It was these massive paragraphs of over-explaining sprinkled throughout the book, which made the writing as a whole seem really choppy and hard to follow.

There is a glossary included at the end of the book, but I didn’t find it all that helpful. While it did its job and provided definitions for words the audience might not know, that wasn’t enough. I needed more than a glossary with a few words and badly placed chunks of explanations. It was there, I just wish it was done better. It felt like a very sloppy, lazy job at trying to explain to the audience what the writer already knew.

However, something that I was really feeling conflicted about, was the dialogue.

On its own, I don’t like the dialogue in this book at all. It feels unnatural, like the characters are all reading from a script. But for some reason, paired with the story, it works, and I find it a lot more readable. I only realized how weird the dialogue was on its own when there were parts of only back-and-forth talking between characters.

I felt even more conflicted when I realized that there was a bad imbalance between dialogue and description, and for some reason we could not have both at the same time. It was either ten pages of in-depth description, explanation and history, or ten pages of back and forth rapid dialogue. This also contributed to the choppy feeling of the writing as a whole.

My last criticism has to be the characters themselves. I could not differentiate between 99% of them until the latter half of the book, and even then I didn’t really understand anyone’s importance. They all seemed so two-dimensional and unmemorable, even the main characters. Like I said, it got better towards the end, but it was a massive struggle to even remember who was who for a majority of the book.

On the brighter side, there were a few parts that I thoroughly enjoyed. The mythology was super cool, and I really liked all the mythological creatures that made appearances. Here, the descriptions and imagery was phenomenal, and I felt like I could really picture them in my mind as I was reading. I also liked the idea of the book; the retelling of a female Zorro. I think that retellings can either be really good or really bad, and unfortunately even though I liked the idea, the execution came short. But I still really liked the idea and the premise.

There was also a good amount of world building in this book, which was helpful in the second half when most of this took place. The descriptions of the physical setting were the most helpful here. The world building was not perfect, but it was enough. My issue with it has to do with a lot of the overarching problems I had with this story; it was just way too choppy and unnatural. It was the same random chunks of description, but this time instead of some historical explanation from a textbook it’s just made-up fantasy explanations. So, not that great. But I really appreciated the efforts, and it was partially successful.

Lastly, my favorite part of this book was the action writing. The final battle at the end of the book was so well written and I was just wondering where this was for the first three quarters of the book! The battle came to life before my eyes and I could picture everything that was happening. It was beautifully done and it makes me a little sad to know that the entire book could have been written like this!

Overall, this book was not my favorite. I have to be completely honest and just say that. However, I was pleasantly surprised by certain aspects of the book, and I am sure that there is a big audience for this story. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper, and Mariely Lares for the ARC!

[Krystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started as a 4 star but had plummeted to a 1 star by the end.

A 'Zorro retelling' but also a confusion of names and people and ideas with no coherent storyline.

The whole thing frustrated more than entertained.

The story is loosely about Leonora masquerading as Pantera, who fights for justice.

I say loosely, because Pantera actually does very little. Instead we get a lot of info about the war between the Spanish and the Mexican (I think?!) and a bunch of other minorities (or just subsets of Mexicans maybe?) that are being oppressed. Honestly, I had no clue who was fighting who and why other than that people were being oppressed. The whole thing was very, very confusing.

Now there's also talk of Pantera's magical powers because of course she's a sorcerer so she shoves people with gusts of air and turns into a Panther. That seemed to be the extent of it.

She's also a pro with a sword but how would we really know when her symbolic sword is constantly going missing and she doesn't actually fight all that much?

The plot instead meanders around from here to there and one plot idea to another, randomly choosing characters to star in a particular idea until they essentially vanish in favour of another character. There are exciting things happening, sure, but the why is a mystery and how it adds to the story is anyone's guess.

WHAT. A. MESS.

Add to that the predictable romance elements, the lack of characterisation, uncreative twists, and the over-abundance of Spanish/Mexican and this was more chore than fun to read. PSA: There's a glossary at the back. I wish I'd known that BEFORE reading, to be honest.

Really not for me, fam. Too much chaos and not enough coherency, with characters I hated more than loved.

With thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC

[dani ༊ · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for the arc !

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 2.5/5 stars *ੈ✩‧₊˚

read if you like:
♡ gender-bent zorro retelling
♡ badass vigilante sorceress
♡ backdrop of 1550’s mexico
♡ shape-shifting
♡ mesoamerican mythology

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ sun of blood and ruin is a sumptuous feast of mesoamercian mythology, set against a backdrop of mexico two decades post-spanish conquest and shot through with sorcery, political intrigue and romance. a debut ambitious in its compass, mariely lares is indubitably working within her wheelhouse with this historical fiction fantasy novel.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ tyranny rules with an iron fist in sixteenth-century new spain as indigenous religion is brutally overturned, a rich mythology dwindles into obscurity, and the people are accused of witchcraft without due process - a condemnation of death in all but name. into the fray enter masked vigilante sorceress pantera, who wields the outlawed sorcery tonalli and her sword in an act of defiance and to protect the innocents persecuted indomitably by the spanish powers that be. as for who is behind that mask? it is none other than the lady leonora de las casas tlazohtzin, the most unlikely suspect in the eyes of the world - a lady who can hardly countenance merely leaving the palace and who has only just entered into an engagement with the recently widowed heir to the spanish throne prince felipe. with a prophecy foretelling boundless destruction and a cruel curse of her own - pronounced during her baptism - to die young in a battle all cresting overhead, leonora will be swept away in the undertow no matter what. to her, this matters not. she will fight to the bitter end, even if that spells an untimely grave for herself.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ for all my commendations on the beauty of this book, wherein we traverse this tapestry of rich mesoamerican culture, history and myth, the likes of which fantasy has rarely, if ever, had within its purview - this failed to measure up to my expectations. the suspense, the characters, the pacing even, were all very tepid once you look past the brilliance of the aforementioned. in vain i struggled to connect to leonora who whilst being interesting in that she’s a gender-bent zorro, failed to appeal to me and her character, though a tried and true archetype of fantasy heroine - is just that. her thorny, lip-curl comments and badass sorcery/weapon toting are all deployed in the service of dissembling the fact that there’s nothing much to her. it’s a process not unlike covering a gushing mortal wound with a tiny hello kitty plaster. incidentally, inés bore more intrigue about her and left me with a deep appreciation for her character.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ conclusion:
on a more positive note, lares’s admirably lush writing still succeeds in breathing life into such a gorgeous mythology and sun of blood and ruin absolutely does it justice. it’s only when you attempt to peel back this surface beauty that you recognize there is a hollowness in its construction, in a manner of speaking. nonetheless, i think it’s so vital and historic that writers such as lares are expanding the range of cultural influences within the realm of fantasy.

[Sarah (berriesandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary of review: The strongest aspect of this book is the mythology and fantastic culture. Outside of that, it falls prey to being generic.

I'm a simple creature. Market something as having anything to do with Zorro and I will buy it immediately. While this book has its merit, I couldn't get past the flaws that made my reading experience rough.

I want to start this off with the positives: I adored having a fantasy book set in a time period that is not seen in the fantasy genre. Indigenous mythology is incredibly complex and beautiful, so it was wonderful to see a book give it the proper respect it deserves. The conquest of Mexico and how the native people were treated is horrific, and not talked about enough. Sun of Blood and Ruin did a great job of showing how Spain not only oppressed the people but also their religions. Our main character, Leonora, is half-Spanish. She is still treated poorly by her stepmother and forced into conversion, but she takes her birthright from her mother's side and does everything in her power to help her people.

From the beginning, I had a hard time immersing myself in this book. The first chapter starts off fantastically with lots of action, but after that, nothing is properly paced. It was either a lot of information in textbook form, or dialogue, and neither read well. The history and culture of Mexico in the 1550s is incredibly rich, but it wasn't being evenly distributed throughout the plot. As someone who is incredibly familiar with this era of history and Indigenous culture/mythology, I was able to skim these sections and pick up only what I needed. For those who have no clue about the Spanish conquest of Mexico, I fear the plot and political intrigue the author tried to build is going to get lost in the detached way the backstory is explained. We also have a large cast of characters introduced very early on, but none of the characters are really fleshed out. The secondary characters kept getting mixed up in my head and got in the way of a more streamlined and engaging story.

Leonora reads too much like a stereotypical heroine for me to feel any real connection to her. She is fierce, sarcastic, and a girl boss. This is all well and good, but that is all to her character. Her depth is never really explored. If we had explored past her anger and feminist icon traits, I would have been more engaged with the overall plot. After all, if you aren't able to either hate or love a character, you don't have much interest in what will happen to them.

Sadly, Leonora was as fleshed out as the characters got. Everyone else reads like a mouthpiece, there to deliver their line then fall into the background. The dialogue wasn't bad, but it was missing something. I found myself skimming the conversations, which is never a good sign because dialogue is my favorite part of the story. There was nothing engaging when she spoke to the other characters. The closest we got to a natural relationship was between Leonora and her lady maid Ines.

Sun of Blood and Ruin has woven a beautiful background based on history and mythology that has been forgotten by many. It does a great job of bringing these important pieces of culture back to the forefront of literature. As long as you are okay with subpar characters, I do think this book would be something worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

I was very wary coming into this because of the low rating, but it wasn't really that bad at all. Trust me, I've read much worse lol

The first half read like a typical Chosen One YA with a cardboard Strong Female Protagonist, and I was about to dismiss the entire thing, but the second half redeemed the book for me. It finally read like an adult book because Leonora stopped acting like a princess, there were actual life and death situations, and Leonora experienced character growth by the end.

Honestly, I'm probably a bit biased here because I like any fantasy novel that explores colonialism. With Leonora's character being mestiza, we get to see her navigate both worlds, and we see the best and worst of both sides.

Reading through the reviews, I feel like you might have to be somewhat familiar with the basics of colonialism in Latin America, especially with topics like social stratification and New Spain's style of government. I think if I didn't have some of this knowledge beforehand, I probably wouldn't have liked this book at all.

I did love how the author wove Nahua mythology into this alternate historical fantasy story. I loved the inclusion of Nahuatl and Spanish. The author didn't do any handholding when it came to this, which was my favorite part of it.

If the first half wasn't so YA, this could easily be a 4 star read for me.

I might be interested in picking up the sequel when it comes out. We'll see.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this arc.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

“I have a perfect view of Tonatiuh dipping behind the ocean. Gliding from east to west, he brings life and light, to this our sun. Unlike the gods before him, he isn't the first, nor the second or third. He is the fifth, and one day, the old people say, he too will meet his death.”

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares is a historical fantasy debut that captures you with its authenticity and its heart. This is a tale of a young woman who is caught between two lives, the one she wants to live and the one she’s forced to live.

Set during the sixteenth century when Spain invaded Mexico, this was a time of much political unrest. Worshipping the old gods was outlawed, the Indigenous temples were all but destroyed and magic was seen as witchcraft and so its open practice punishable by death. Though the people are oppressed there is one who will not allow the tyranny of the Spanish army to go uncontested. Our main character, Pantera, is a secret vigilante dealing justice for those helpless under the laws of New Spain—Pantera roams the streets using her magic and her sword skills to save those hunted by Spanish soldiers. Yet who is she behind that mask? Gentle Lady Leonora’s life is planned out before her, she is set to be Queen of Spain when she marries the King’s son. Our Leonora may be outspoken but she faints at the sight of blood, she is careful to guard her true opinions in the presence of men and to be subservient to those of higher social status. No one would suspect that Leonora and Pantera are one in the same—yet they are. Both Leonora and Pantera face an uncertain future as at birth a seer predicted she would die young in battle but this will not stop her mission. When an ancient Nahua prophecy of the world’s destruction shows signs of coming to pass both Pantera and Leonora must fight to save it.

Immediately Lares uses her character’s double lives to create a rather fun opening few chapters as we see Pantera on a daring escapade to save a man and his young son’s life which then leads to a chase across barren land where Pantera becomes injured. There’s magic, swordplay, some banter too but also a rather somber moment. Then later as Lady Leonora, she must hide her injury and make herself presentable to her potential Prince suitor, which proves somewhat difficult. There is all that you would expect from a character who is written to be a female reimagining of Zorro, and I found this quite entertaining. Yet at times I did feel Leonora/Pantera needed more depth to their character, a little more showing of her personality rather than telling.

Hiding one’s identity is a significant theme throughout and Lares explores this in great depth. In fact, there are a cast of side characters who I cannot discuss because their identities are so obscure and it’s better to discover this for yourself. I thoroughly appreciated how Leonora’s thoughts portrayed the restrictions placed on women during the sixteenth century. Women were not to be involved in politics, have opinions, or show emotion and the disdain felt at this permeates. Yet Leonora not only faces these restrictions because of her gender but also because of her mixed heritage, with her father being Spanish and her mother Nahuan, which the Spanish deemed as uncivilised. In accordance with living with her stepmother, Leonora is forced to adopt Christianity, to forget the gods of Nahua, to live as a Spanish noblewoman and reject and hide her indigenous identity—at least in plain sight. Throughout she faces injustice after injustice, she sees her fellow Nahua people imprisoned, executed, and abused, which Lares shows us in stark reality. Though this may be a historical fantasy, the historical aspects were no less true and horrifying.

“In the middle of the night, when the air cools and the crickets sing I'm just a girl afraid of death, wanting to grow up and see more of the world, taste more of life. But I am a child of the Nemontemi; my death has been foretold, and I'm not long for this world.”

This is a book which includes a lot of authenticity to a fantastical mythological world. Lares presents her readers with an alternative Mexico, one that holds much accuracy with the inclusion of various Spanish dialects and Nahuatl languages being spoken. (There is a glossary for anyone who needs it) I loved this inclusion and learning what certain words meant However, this world is also filled with magical abilities. There are certain characters who can use their tonalli, their life force, for powers such as extended speed, agility or blasting your opponent ten feet away from you! Our main character, Leonora, can not only wield tonalli but she is also a nagual, a shapeshifter. Throughout we are given glimpses into Leonora’s training with Master Toto, which was full of riddles and philosophy, showing how spiritual and deep-seated in Nahua mythology this was. I loved learning of this mythology and of the old gods. At times I found the pacing to be somewhat uneven, with chapters where the plot takes its time to move forward and other times where events move too quickly. Mostly I felt Leonora’s scenes where she transforms into her nagual ended rather quickly each time and I would have loved to see this explored more.

Sun of Blood and Ruin is lavishly rich in mythology and magic, it is an exploration of the damage of colonialism, of oppression and war. Yet it is also fun and will definitely appeal to Zorro fans.

“The strange thing about leading a double life is that you may suddenly find the double life leading you. One side is always hidden from the other, and often contradicts the other.
Lady. Warrior.
Human. Nagual.
Spanish. Mexica.
Who?”

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an AD PR copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Insta Book Tours.

Sun of Blood and Ruin is a vigilante novel rich in Mexican mythology and folklore and has set the scene for an amazing series to flow from.
We follow Leonora, who's been promised to the Prince of Spain as a wife by her stepmother, who despises her. But Leonora has a double identity as she is also the masked vigilante Pantera who fights for the rights of the people and supports the overthrowing of the Spanish ruling. This book had lots of little twists and turns as well as some I guessed at but was pleasantly surprised by the ones I didn't see coming. I loved the scene setting and hope there will be a prequel as to how Leonora became Pantera and her life when she went missing from the woods as a child. I really couldn't put this book down and flew through the pages. This book gave me Zorro vibes along with Avatar at times. If you love books rich in folklore and are interested in Mexican history, you must give this a read.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (rounded up)

Pitched as a gender-bent Zorro reimagining set in an alternative historical Mexico, Sun of Blood and Ruin is a rich, exciting, and lavish story that feels like a true breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre.

What initially drew me to this book was its unique world building, as this is inspired by a historical time period and culture/mythology that I am personally quite unfamiliar with. And I have to say, Lares absolutely delivered! This rich and sumptuous world just came to life before my eyes, and it is filled to the brim with lore, culture, myths, legends, and just so much heart. And then add to that Leonora's magical shapeshifting abilities, which really shot my sense of wonder and excitement straight through the roof.

I also have to say I deeply respect the author for not holding back on the authentic Mexican influences to make this story more palatable for a western audience. Yes, it was sometimes quite overwhelming to stumble upon all the unfamiliar terms, and there were definitely some clunky infodumps, but I can’t say I was very bothered by it. In fact, I was so entranced by this world that I was gobbling up all the pieces of history, lore, magic, religion, and political scheming, which created a very captivating and immersive experience for me.

And while this is a very enjoyable, fun, and exciting story on the surface, it also tackles heavy topics that added deepers layers which I really appreciated. As this is set a generation after Cortes’ invasion in Mexico, the themes of colonisation, genocide, cultural displacement, mixed race experience, sexism, and female oppression are very prominent in the narrative and handled with a lot of care.

Lares just does a really good job of balancing the dark with the light, and I personally loved seeing so many fierce women fighting the patriarchy every chance they got. This story contains some really powerful female friendships and some surprisingly heartwarming unlikely alliances, which just gave this story so much heart. I am not going to sit here and pretend that this story features the most three-dimensional and emotionally complex characters I have ever read about, but I think they served their purpose in the story and I enjoyed following them on their tumultuous journeys.

Now, I do have to say that this book almost feels like two stories in one, with a big shift in the narrative occurring around the halfway mark. I personally enjoyed the more slow-burn and intimate first half of this book more, as it focused more on the court intrigue, interpersonal drama, and fun vigilante aspects of the story that I was promised. Later on, the scope of the world and story expands rapidly, and it becomes a bit of an odd mix of mythological and military fantasy, with a sudden unexpected dash of romance thrown in.

Still, I was quite engaged the entire way through, and I am positively intrigued by all the revelations that were presented at the end of this whirlwind of a story. To me, this story feels like it perfectly straddled the line between YA and Adult, being equally engaging and complex.

If you are in the mood for a fast-paced fantasy that is filled to the brim with intriguing Mexican history, rich Mesoamerican mythology, fierce women, dangerous prophecies, shapeshifters, enigmatic meddling gods, and a whole lot of magical mayhem, then you have to check out Sun of Blood and Ruin!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Andi]

I'd like to thank the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for allowing me to read this book.

I had this book on my list of books to read for the year, excited for its release. A female Zorro-type character? Hidden identity? Gimme. I quickly dove into it.

After reading just one chapter, I knew this book and I were going to have issues. I'm one of those readers that can picture a book in their head - like a film. So, if the movie is interesting, flows well, has a good focus (or main character) I'll keep with it until the end. In this? Well, none of that was really happening. The main character was just really boring. Even with the added magic aspect / changing into a panther, that should have gotten me hooked even more?

No. The author kind of sprinkles throughout the book the character thinking about her training with her previous mentor, who is MIA / dead / etc. I honestly didn't care. We're being told / shown glimpses of conversations they had about her powers, who she is ... and all I kept thinking of is, why should I care? There is little to no magic lore / build up besides the fact that the girl apparently gets these powers from her gods. Great. Tell me more about that? Make me understand / accept the world we live in. There is none of that. It's like the author wanted to write a story about a female Zorro character that can shape shift into a panther and not really give good world building to go along with it. Make me understand the depth of what she is in by giving me a world that needs her. Because frankly, I don't understand exactly WHY they need her.

I made it 50% through this book before closing it. The male love interest I felt was bland, and he appeared to have a hidden agenda. He was working for the enemy (the Captain that her secret identity runs into a lot) and he has magical powers which he apparently doesn't know why he has them. ... Again, I don't quite understand why they have these powers either. This is apparently an AU Spain? This isn't like we're in the world of now and it's the Avengers and mutants are real and we just 'accept it'. Explain to me, please, why we have these powers in the world and why no one knows of them but yet they exist. Show me there are other people with these powers. Show me a threat that should make me care.

I believe there could have been a really good book in here, but maybe it would require a more balanced blend of historical and fantasy. I don't know what this is, and it's a shame.

I'm refraining from giving a rating due to not finishing it.

[Maddie Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, adventurous, and steeped in folklore, I fell in love with Leonora and her adventure through court intrigue, vigilantism, and myth! A beautiful book inside and out!

[Ash S. H. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a mess.

Sun of Blood and Ruin was pitched as Zorro meets Mesoamerican historical fantasy, and I couldn’t have been more excited to pick this up. Enter: the utter failure that was the writing in this novel. The Zorro premise was quickly revealed to be nothing more than flimsy set dressing for a directionless novel with no cohesive plot.

Lares suffers from a myriad of issues with her writing in this book. Chief among them are her issues with pacing and plotting, character development, tension, telling instead of showing, and excessive plot conveniences. I could go on, but I won’t.


PACING AND PLOTTING

Let’s discuss examples, shall we? Beware: spoilers abound beyond this point.

Leonora and “Prince Filipe” (who is actually revealed to be an imposter, Martín) are engaged and much of the first half of the novel is seemingly building toward their wedding. However, after an earthquake kills off Leonora’s best friend, Inés, and leaves much of their home in destruction, we are abruptly thrust en media res—we land in the midst of the wedding. Then, just as quickly, we are yanked out of that scene. Leonora tells Martín that there will be an attack on his home, Snake Mountain, so he turns to the crowd before they can be officially wed and confesses he is an imposter. This immediately then cuts to Leonora walking through the dungeons to find and free Martín so they can warn the people of Snake Mountain.

I have issues with the way Martín goes about this, but I’ll put a pin in that for now. I just have to reiterate that the pacing in this section was head-scratchingly bizarre. We spent the whole first half of the novel building up to this moment, just for it to end in the span of a single page?

This indicates to me that Lares needs to learn about proper plotting, because this was messy and the plot in hindsight felt entirely bereft of direction the whole way through. This leads me to my next issue…


CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Want to know precisely how messy this book is? Let’s take a look at the main character’s motivations. Typically, protagonists have a driving force throughout the novel—a goal to be accomplished—and flaws to overcome.

Over the course of this ONE novel, Leonora’s goals make this journey:

Act as the Zorro figure, the Pantera
⬇️
Get out of this prospective marriage with the prince
⬇️
Become her little brother’s acting regent
⬇️
Step down as the Pantera because she’s afraid of dying in battle, as was foretold in a prophecy at her birth
⬇️
Become the Pantera again because she’s suddenly fine dying in battle
⬇️
After finding out the prince is an imposter, marry him so she can remain in Mesoamerica instead of being shipped across the ocean to Spain via her stepmother’s social machinations
⬇️
Take the first chance she gets to end the marriage before it starts (what happened to needing the marriage to thwart her stepmother’s social machinations?)
⬇️
Join forces with the clans of Snake Mountain to fight the Spaniards
⬇️
Seek vengeance against Captain Nabarres (Inés died a while before this…it truly came out of nowhere)
⬇️
Get her tonalli back (this also came out of nowhere and the MC treated it so nonchalantly even while the text told us repeatedly that the loss of her tonalli would eventually kill her)
⬇️
Discover who she really is

ELEVEN motivations. ELEVEN. This is completely unnecessary and tells me that Lares didn’t have a coherent direction when she set out to write this. Which, you know, would be fine in a first draft. But this is a published book.

What Lares needed to do was simplify this down to what seemed to be the core theme of this book: discover who she is and make peace with the hands dealt her way (the prophecy and the deaths of her loved ones). The regent plot line needed to go. The marriage plot line needed to go.

Even the Pantera plot line, that gives her credibility with the clans of Snake Mountain and was a huge hook in the synopsis of this novel, needs to be reworked completely. Leonora being wishy-washy about her own alter-ego came out of nowhere. Suddenly, after a long while of being the Pantera, she’s terrified of dying in battle and is going to put down the mantle. But this occurs so early on in the novel that it has no weight to it. We’re not attached to the Pantera yet. But honestly, that doesn’t matter anyway, because in the immediate next chapter, she’s suddenly okay with dying in battle and she mentions this in conversation so flippantly that I felt completely disoriented.

Lares does this again later. Leonora seeks vengeance against Captain Nabarres and makes a big show of walking out of Snake Mountain in front of Tezca, who tries to warn her that revenge is not the morally right path. She forges on ahead anyway. Literally cut immediately to her lying in wait in Nabarres’s room in the palace and she’s decided in that time skip Lares added that she will let him live, but set him up for a lifetime of suffering. This change in her is so abrupt, it rings false. We never got to see what prompted that change within her because Lares skipped right over the character development. We see she’s changed and grown, but we didn’t get to see it happen.


WRITING QUALITY: LACK OF TENSION AND TELLING VERSUS SHOWING

When Leonora goes to Nabarres’s room to threaten him, she is utterly calm. After getting out of there unscathed, she makes a pitstop by her brother’s room (note: he is the viceroy, the future ruler of New Spain, as appointed by the Spanish king). His page brandishes a sword in her direction and calls out for the guards, who surround her. Again, she is utterly calm.

Why???? This was an excellent scene that had so much potential for tension and raised stakes (Will she be arrested? Will she be killed?). However, us being told over and over again how calm Leonora is completely eliminates these questions. She wouldn’t be calm if something bad could happen, so naturally she’s going to be totally fine. And sure enough, she was.

Why is this bad? Lares sabotaged her own scene by popping the potential for tension before it could even form. She tells us instead of showing us that Leonora is calm, and being beaten over the head with this fact as if we are not intelligent adult readers who can pick up on tone in written word undermines all of the tension this scene would have had, and also all of its stakes. This does not make for very riveting reading material. To put it bluntly, this is an extremely boring way to write.

Another issue with the telling versus showing happened early on in the book. Because Leonora’s reputation as the Pantera precedes her, we are given a lot of “told” information about how skilled of a swordswoman she is, and how legendary she is in battle against the Spaniards.

Immediatley cut to the love interest being introduced and, in the first two interactions with him, Leonora is bested immediately. In the first interaction, he steals a medallion right off the chain around her neck and she fails to get it back from him. In the second, she sword fights him and he defeats her, retreating again with another possession of hers. She only gets this possession (the Sword of Integrity) back after he finally chooses to give it back.

This is embarassing. The text tells us one thing, and then shows us something that completely undermines that. This man beats her twice in a face-to-face confrontation and she not once manages to get a leg up over this guy. At the beginning of the novel, all we know about him is that he’s new to town (presumably since Leonora hasn’t felt his exceptionally strong tonalli before). Yet this random man keeps defeating the legendary swordswoman each time they meet? This doesn’t make for very inspiring writing.


PLOT CONVENIENCES

Lastly, I wanted to mention the plot conveniences. When Leonora goes to her brother’s room after threatening Nabarres and is surrounded by guards, there is a convenient scream in the distance that somehow distracts every single person in the room for long enough that she just slips out undetected. How did no one notice that? Further, how did she even enter her little brother’s room if it was guarded by multiple soldiers? And where did the page come from? Was he just standing in the room and he didn’t notice her until she started running her fingers through Jerónimo’s hair? None of this makes sense.

Let’s get back to the infamous one-page wedding. I said we’d put a pin in it. Here we are. Martín asks Leonora how to leave the ceremony so they can warn his people on Snake Mountain about the impending attack. She tells him to…confess to being an imposter in front of the whole court??? One, how are they sure he won’t be beheaded immediately, considering that was highlighted as a common means of punishment for treasonous indigenous people, of which Martín has just revealed himself to be one. Two, how exactly is that supposed to get them out of the ceremony faster? The next scene literally cuts to later that night. Wouldn’t it just have been faster to go through with the ceremony, and then make up a diversion afterward?

Let’s also go back to Nabarres, who has a boner for arresting the Pantera. Leonora confronts him in his room and presents him with a letter that will ruin his life. Yet he doesn’t kill her? He claims that he can’t because she is the viceroy’s sister, but that literally didn’t stop him from accusing her of being the Pantera when she wasn’t even dressed in the mask. This time, she is, and he could just as easily kill her, call in an audience, and then unmask her and claim innocence when it’s revealed she’s the Pantera (e.g. “I had no way of knowing the Pantera was Leonora!”).


FINAL THOUGHTS

While this was messy, I will say there were a couple things I enjoyed. The Mesoamerican mythology was woven into the story almost seamlessly, and I enjoyed learning more about it. I also think the romance, while bland, could be really interesting in future books, now that we know some things about Tezca that he himself doesn’t yet know. Unfortunately, I will not be continuing on with the series to find out.

OVERALL RATING: 1 star.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperVoyager, for providing me with an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

[Nochu_Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first read the book blurb of Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares I was extremely excited. My knowledge of Mesoamerican mythology and the historical events surrounding the Spanish colonization in South America is rather limited, thus making this novel a promising avenue for discovery. Additionally, I had yet to encounter a reimagining of the legendary character Zorro in my reading endeavors. However, as I delved into the pages of Blood and Ruin, I gradually realized that the book failed to meet my expectations. I do understand Mariely Lares is a debut author, and my intention is not to dissuade her from writing but to provide constructive criticism. I really tried my best to keep on reading but at around 30% into the book I lost all interest and decided to put it down for good. Therefore my review is based on what I encountered in that portion of the book.

Foremost, I must acknowledge and appreciate Lares’ endeavor to illuminate the realm of Mesoamerican mythology and to initiate discussions regarding the profound impact of colonization on a nation. I found great pleasure in immersing myself in the portrayal of diverse deities and the exploration of various customs indigenous to South America.

However, I found the world building to be severely lacking. The quality of the writing did not align with my anticipated standards. The dialogue felt disjointed and lacked conviction. The chemistry between the romantic leads was tepid at best. Moreover, the narrative progression felt peculiar, and up to the point where I stopped reading, I struggled to discern a coherent plot. Magic system wasn’t cohesive either.

Additionally, I was unable to find substantial evidence to support the notion that Pantera, as portrayed by the author, was a formidable and awe-inspiring vigilante who selflessly aided those in distress. Despite the author’s claims of her extensive ten-year training in the jungle, Pantera’s actions seemed rather inept, inexperienced, and lacking in knowledge. This portrayal left me with the impression that she was somewhat clumsy, naive, and ignorant, failing to fulfill the expectations set by her character’s background and purported abilities.

These were among the significant flaws I encountered, along with various other minor issues, during reading the book. Based on these observations, I have decided to give a two-star rating. It is worth noting that I appreciate Mariely Lares’ efforts as a debut author to bring attention to Mesoamerican culture and mythology within the realm of literature. I extend my sincere gratitude to NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager, and Mariely Lares for providing me with an advance copy of Sun of Blood and Ruin.

[Evita · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We owe it to them to see the day when we can say three things: we did not consent, we did not give up, we did not surrender.”

I had an absolute blast reading this book! It is full of familiar tropes in a very exciting setting, an imagined post-colonial Mexico.

The story itself was fast paced and full of magic and adventure. The plot jumped quickly between different events and I was captivated throughout. I loved how language was included in the story to show the different characters’ origins. The mix of English, Spanish and Nahuatl may be a bit confusing at times but fear not, a glossary is included! Language wise, I also really enjoyed the way the book was written. I wrote down so many great quotes that resonated with me.

The themes of colonialism, identity, and belonging were explored in such good ways. Many of the characters had complicated relationships with their identity and this came across well.

Overall a brilliant read! It ended in a good way and wrapped up well enough to be a standalone, but I’m still very excited to see what happens next!

I highly recommend the audiobook for this one to get a grasp on all the Nahuatl pronunciations and names.

A great quote:

“I’m too Spanish for the natives and too native for the Spaniards. Don’t you see? I don’t belong anywhere. I have no place So where do I go?” This has always been my struggle. Neither side accepts me fully. I’m tired of the separation between my two halves, the border that divides both worlds, assimilating one side while going back to the other, speaking the language of the invader and the language of the invaded, back and forth until I become lost somewhere in between.”

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5, rounded up because there were parts of it that held my interest Nope, editing because it feels disingenuous to give this anything but a 1 due to just general book coherency issues. But dear god I do not think this is a good book or that people should read it. So so sorry to the author and publisher.

Had this been marketed as a middle-grade book I would be more generous. But because it's marketed as Adult it's an absolute failure, in my opinion. The writing is incredibly simple and often pauses to make sure concepts are repeated as simply as possible in dialogue; scenes don't have enough time or weight (emotions, reactions, descriptions, etc) so they're over really quickly and then we just bounce to another disconnected scene/concept.

This feels like the author really loved their culture and its mythologies and wanted to bring that to a wider audience (which I love! you can really feel how important it is to them) but couldn't think of a story to connect everything together. Because those elements are handled so much more caringly and deftly than anything else in the book.

Idk. This was just... bad bad. Concept was a banger, but the execution was really letdown and needed way better editors.

[Annalise · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE:

Yeah, no I still love this book so much😭🫶 Getting reacquainted with this world in prep for book 2 was well worth the time bc I forgot just how lush this work really was🙂‍↕️👏 Now to clutch my pearls as I go into the next book bc I just know all hell is gonna break loose again🥲
———————-

I want to CRY because this book was so good!! The blend of Mesoamerican mythology, Mexican history, and fantasy blended so beautifully in this story, which created such detailed world building. Every time I thought I knew where the plot was headed, I was quickly shown otherwise, but in such a way that I was thoroughly surprised and delighted rather than disappointed. I loved the characters and the tumultuous relationships they all have with one another (and small romance subplot between Leonora and Andrés was tastefully interwoven in the plot and I think I might have some theories about them going into the next book). At times, the book did seem a bit chaotic and took me out a little bit, but that’s going to happen when there’s an 18 year old protagonist who’s going through the wringer. Now, I usually avoid incomplete series, HOWEVER, I am absolutely dialed in to this series regardless of how many books are going to be in it because I loved it so much. A fantastic debut!

[sakurablossom95 · Rating 1 out of 5]

In sixteenth-century New Spain, amidst an epidemic and cultural clashes, Leonora, inspired by Zorro, becomes a masked defender against societal turmoil. Her impending arranged marriage and mestizo identity add personal struggles to her heroic pursuits. As conflict looms between Spanish overlords and a mountain rebellion, Mesoamerican mythology weaves a unique backdrop.

Though captivating, the story's delivery lacks cohesion, leading to overwhelming conflicts and adversaries that hinder emotional impact. Still, the imaginative world-building and the fusion of history, mythology, and personal struggles are commendable.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as Netgalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Ingerlisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think my issue with this book was that it tried to do too much, it made it very difficult to connect with the characters, they story, the world. There were so many characters and so many creatures and so much history and magical elements that it was really difficult to digest in only 360 pages.

Some debut books you read and you can’t believe they are a debut and other debut’s you read and you’re like ok yeah that makes sense. The story just felt very clunky and there was so much action all the time I don’t think it allowed the reader to get to the know the characters and I’m typically a very character driven reader.

[Alice Herley · Rating 2 out of 5]

FINALLY finished.
This book put me into the biggest reading slump of my life. I am stubborn and didn’t dnf it so took me three months. Thank god it’s over. Was okay, but characters were underdeveloped and the plot was confusing and lame at times.
Can’t wait to read something that isn’t this!

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Mary Sue the cat girl takes on the Spanish in a historical retelling of the 16th century.

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
No part of me wants to read this. I think it’s going to be bad. I think I’m going to hate it. It was a Fairyloot pick so I asked for it like a dumbass. It’s been sitting on my TBR for almost a year. The cover is ugly. I don’t know anything about Zorro, except it was vaguely in a Eureka episode.

Thick of it:
Hegemony

Girlypop, I appreciate how much research you clearly did for this book, but making me read variant spellings throughout a book to mean the same thing is abusive. I am so dumb.

Cabildo

Encomenderos

Chinampas

Viceroy

Rebozo

Tianguis

Curanderos

Nagual

barrios

vicereine

This book has terrible Goodreads reviews, but it’s like aggressively fine right now.

pueblos

cornices

fecundity

I know this book is a YA and I’m a pervert, but highly recommend auto-correcting Tonalli to dick every time it’s in the story.

Pescadores

peccaries

Some of this is bordering on religious kink, and I’m annoyed that it can’t lean into it.

Ugh, not the I hate other girls shit.

Wow, green sickness. I should call him.

You know, I went into this book with a bad mood, but I’m having a decent time.

The curative powers of intercourse is not a phrase I had on my bingo board.

I mean you don’t have to mount on the left but-
Also, girlypop is allowed to ride astride? That feels incorrect.

Sallet

Lmao how much you wanna bet Ollin is Andres? (Ha, Samantha. you were wrong, you dumb bitch.)

cuartel

They remind me of Ladybug and Cat Noir. (The book should’ve kept this vibe.)

Lmao he did sprout an extra head.

Y’all I’m so easy. I’m having a good time.

It reads a bit like fanfiction where it’s like scene snippets and no real logical resolution or conclusion to the action, but it’s also like I don’t care?

The Kindle Unlimited girlies are like we’re listening

Also, I’m 30% in and I’m still live, laugh, loving. I think it’s garbage, but I think it’s fine garbage, so I don’t know what everyone’s complaining about. Like I can’t believe I’m being the positive one here. How bad does this book get that like the masses hate it?

Well, thank god Mary Sue is here to tell a literal prince to stop being such a slut. I’m sure that would go over great.

Did she just ask this man not to use soap with her whole chest?

Mestiza

Why are we villainizing girlypop for making the most of her situation? Let’s not do this. I’m not happy with this.

That was kind of a metal line. Like Wattpad metal, but still metal.

Well, I like her. (Amalia.)

Every time I translate the chapter titles correctly, I give myself a cookie. Take that Duolingo.

Farthingale

That was another kind of metal line.

Tell me this writing isn’t on par with Scarred though. (They had us in the first half.)

I know the Habsburg line is real people because Keith Habersberger, but is she saying that she’s a hamburger or that he’s a hamburger because I don’t know who has burger, and does it matter? Not even a little bit.

Oh, they’re literally trying to explain it to me right now. I’m just too stupid and impatient.

Peninsulares

This is just throwing names at me, and it’s rude.

Everyone having multiple names and then the same names is abusive to me honestly. My brain is so full of books. Stop doing this.

I’m stupid. Does that mean the deal’s on? Why are we grabbing elbows? What’s going on?

Everyone in this book is a better ruler than this bitch.

Hacienda

Fuck, I want a churro. (This is the insightful commentary people follow me for.)

Can we pick a lane of we’re stone-cold killers or like omg we can’t kill ppl, we’re the good guys

Call your boyfriend and tell him to fix your girlfriend’s face.

She wants your DICK. sorry I’ll go

Very Princess Bride lol

I don’t know why people are so upset about this book. It’s so fine. I’m digging the romance. (I feel like this is the perfect review for people who are like Samantha, you’re always a hater. And I’m like no, I was live, laugh, loving and then this book ruined itself, and you can watch it happen in real time.)

encomienda

Some of this book’s Christian lines make me gasp, and I don’t know if it’s just because I’m a horny little pervert or what, but-(that. It’s that.)
Telling me my tongue is an unruly demon? Sinful. More please.

This writing is on par with What the River Knows.

What do you mean the horse just ripped a tree out of the ground?

Someone wanna explain to me why he keeps his clothes when he shifts but she doesn’t? (Like the book attempts to explain this, but it’s also stupid. Just be nakey.)

I’m gettin' whiplash from whose side everyone is on.

I’m getting bored.

Your stomach growling is not unladylike. Fuck off.

Remember how I was like the romance is paced well? Throw all of that out lol.

And add this book to does the dog die.

I don’t understand this book’s pacing.

The back half of this book has really fallen off.

I am no longer live, laugh, loving.

And title drop.

This book has really lost the plot and can’t decide which storyline it wants to follow.

Oh wow, so that was rape. That’s like very not cool. And this book is very much handling it like that wasn’t rape, you can’t rape dudes.

This book has an awful lot of I’m not sure lines. Maybe you should’ve figured it out before you published, Girlypop.

I’m not following any of this.

Remember how I was like it’s not that bad. IDK what people are talking about? This is unreadably bad.

I’m at 94%, and I’m still tempted to DNF it.

Oh, ending your book by freeing the native peoples when that’s not what happens in real-life history is a baddddd look.

Is this meant to be a series? What the fuck ending was that? (Yes. Yes it is.)

Honey, Henry Cavill isn’t Spanish or Mexican. What do you mean? What did you want him for?

Post-reading:
You know they had me in the first half.

For the first half of this book, I was like why is everyone hating this book? It’s so perfectly fine. Then the second half hit, and it wasn’t a book anymore. It devolves to the point of being indecipherable. It’s going on my do-not-read list.

The writing is beyond choppy. Clearly, a lot of research went into writing this book but that just translated into a lot of out of place info dumping. The action feels repetitive. The writing feels like a lot of snippets were just smushed together. It feels like the author had come up with scenes, but hadn’t finished coming up with a book but published anyway.

The characters are dime-a-dozen archetypes and lack any depth. There’s a good whiff of internalized misogyny here, and it feels like the author tried to counter that by making enemies become besties and or hint that they’re lesbians. And that is lazy and will never work for me.

The romance’s initial banter was solid, but then their relationship goes 0 to 60 and they lose all their chemistry.

It really felt like two different stories. The first half was a political historical romance and it was mediocre at best, but readable. Then it became some fantasy trying to dabble with the gods and magic and destiny and demons and shit and we were retconning things every other chapter. If you read any of my other reviews, you know a surefire way to make me hate something is to start retconning. Just don’t lie to me. It feels like you’re lying to me. Tell me the rules of the world and stick to them.

The main character’s motivations are so wishy-washy. She became insufferable to read.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an ignorant slut. I don’t know anything about the actual history of this time period. Everything I know, I learned from a Nancy Drew game. (This is even not funnier when you realize that the Nancy Drew game is about the Mayans and not the Aztecs, but somehow I knew about the Quetzalcoatl guy and Cortez so-(And by know about, I mean it wasn’t a brand new word to me)) I will not be critiquing the historical accuracy at all. You could not pay me to touch that. However, I will say that having your Mary Sue main character convince everybody to just work together maybe doesn’t erase years of trauma, but it certainly glosses over it and that feels really icky to me.

This is a mess. I don’t think there’s anything redeemable about it. Don’t read it. I blame the editor, not the author because this should’ve stayed the rough draft. I don’t think the idea is horrible, but the execution is shit, and this wasn’t ready to be published.

Who should read this:
No one?
Mesoamerican historical fans

Do I want to reread this:
Fuck no

Similar books:
* What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez-YA historical fantasy romance, Mummy retelling
* A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft-historicalish fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, more vibes than plot
* Scarred by Emily McIntire-historicalish romance, enemies to lovers, more vibes than plot, Lion King/Hamlet retelling

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5 Stars (DNF @ 44%)

TL;DR - A lukewarm book with big ambitions it did not live up to. Interesting enough fantasy elements where present, but little else going for it. Yawn/cringe.

Big thanks to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger Warnings for: violence, decapitation, racism, Catholicism, religious persecution, and colonialism.***

‘Sun of Blood and Ruin’ by Mariely Lares is a fantasy novel set in an alternate Mexico circa the 16th century. It follows an eighteen year-old named Leonora, the daughter of the late viceroy of New Spain, or as she’s known to the common folk, Pantera, the masked vigilante who…runs across a lot of rooftops or something. Decades of unrest between the Spanish colonizers and the indigenous populace comes to a head, and Leonora must reckon with her past and her own self to find a path forward.

Hoo boy, where to even begin.

First, this is NOT a gender-bent Zorro retelling. Full stop. As someone who grew up obsessed with the movie (and whose brain chemistry was forever altered by Antonio Banderas in the titular role), I’m honestly kind of angry this book tried to pass itself off as such. The only similarity is that it takes place in Mexico and the main character sometimes wears a mask. At 44% in, there was one sword fight that lasted all of like, three sentences. No, ma’am.

(Okay, I’ll concede that there is some cringe, 90s action dialog and supposed-to-be-comical dispatching of adversaries, which tracks with the movie, but those moments were few and far between, and thrust haphazardly in the middle of otherwise serious stuff tonally. Yikes.)

Prose-wise, it’s fine. Nothing special, but not as bad as some things I’ve read lately. At the beginning, it jumps back and forth between past and present with no warning, which is jarring and annoying, but it does get better as it goes on. It’s also really on-the-nose in places, not a lot of tact, but at least passable from a craft standpoint in general.

(That said, I was fully convinced this was YA until I double-checked what it was shelved as on NetGalley. It doesn’t read like adult at all, it reads a lot younger, both in terms of prose depth and in the maturity of Leonora and her narration.)

In that vein, Leonora was…there. She sure was. For someone billed as literally Zorro, she was surprisingly inept. All while thinking to herself (read: the author telling us) she’s badass and “such a good actor” and patting herself on the back for doing almost nothing. At best, she’s a 2D cutout who does nothing but reminisce about her old teacher who, in ten years, didn’t seem to teach her much, and at worst, she’s annoying and wildly inconsistent in her characterization. All this while we’re being repeatedly told she’s amazing and cool and super duper good at swords and never actually shown it. She also gives heavy “not like other girls” vibes, and she engages in girlhate and slut-shaming, and she’s just SO SPECIAL YOU GUYS.

(Oh, and by the way, she has two different colored eyes. So, sit with that.)

(Also, I called her “Lorena” multiple times in the first draft of this review because she was so completely unmemorable.)

The love interest (who is VERY clear from the moment we meet him, even to my dumb ace ass who doesn’t read romance) is similarly boring. The faux love interest is also flat (with the addition of being, at the point I DNF’d, a stereotypical “promiscuous, romantically amoral bisexual” - neat!).

44% in and nothing of note has really happened, and it just drags. Combine that with copious info-dumping (often apropos of nothing), non sequiturs, and chapters that ended really suddenly with the feeling that the author just ran out of steam and tacked on a few shallow, trite lines to close them out, I just could not keep going because I didn't believe it would get any better.

And then my final issue, which was really the deciding factor in me calling it quits, was the way this book handles the very serious subject of colonialism. Which is to say, it poked it once with a 39.5 foot pole, walked away, and posted a selfie wearing a “Land Back” shirt. Leonora is a mestiza, half-Spanish and half-indigenous, whose father is literally the crown-appointed viceroy of New Spain and participated in its colonization alongside motherfucking CORTÉS. She was raised until the age of 8 in the palace as basically a princess, then went off to train with Mister Miyagi for 10 years and then came back to live in and enjoy the luxuries of the palace once more. She actively still enjoys the benefits of her father colonizing this place (and thinks all the time what a swell dude he was), but we’re supposed to believe that she cares about the natives? She “fights for the people” but still agrees to marry the Prince of Spain “for the good of the colony”? Excuse me??

(Nuanced characters with conflicting morals and actions can and do exist, but this girl ain’t it.)

The narrative does nothing to denounce colonialism except mention it in passing, in a very on-the-nose, almost fourth wall breaking way that feels like the author talking directly to the reader and not the character exploring it organically. Leonora is all “colonialism is bad” in her thoughts, but all “my dad was a really good guy and I’m going to go along with the colonizers’ plan anyway” in action. The math ain’t mathing.

Listen, maybe the book pulls a 180 and goes on to have a really good, heartfelt, and accurate conversation about the evils of Spanish colonialism that are still affecting the Americas to this day, the inner conflict of indigenous folks with any settler heritage they might have, etc, etc, but if you can’t have even a glimmer of an intelligent conversation about it by 44% in, you’ve lost me. Maybe (and that’s a generous maybe, please seek other sources in addition) this will be a good intro for someone brand spanking new to the decolonization conversation, but that’s not me, so this was a huge miss.

Final Thoughts:

Yeah, no. I was so excited for this book, and not only did it fall leagues flat of my expectations, it was also a lot worse for the puzzling and lackluster “conversations” about colonialism. It was ambitious, but ultimately failed to live up to anything to tried to be. Generously shelving under “thanks, I hate it”.

[Esther]

Yesterday I received the fairyloot edition and it’s GORGEOUS. Sounds amazing the book too. I might read it this week or the next one

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters were okay but nothing special. I liked the atmosphere but the plot was a mess. The story jumps from one scene to the next but the scenes are a bit shallow. The beginning of the book was better, but it felt like there would be too much in the same book.

[Hillary (abookishmarriage) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. This fantasy debut is one to look out for! I really enjoyed it, although, as with I think most fantasy debuts that I've read this year, I do have some drawbacks as well.

What I enjoyed: the world here is super complex, and I'm not even sure that this book explores the full scope of that, but the magic and worldbuilding have so many potential places to go, and you can absolutely see the amount of work that Lares put into developing these ideas and layering her world so that it feels real and lived in, and not like just a barebones fantasy world.

I also really loved the characters here: they are all flawed but have such fascinating motivations, some of which aren't revealed fully until the book is almost over. They never feel like caricatures, and as with the worldbuilding and magic, it feels like sequels will have so many interesting places to go with what Lares has set up here.

What I didn't love: This book had soooo much going on. In some ways, it was almost too much, and yet I don't think it was the length of the book that was a problem. I just really had a hard time following some of the various reveals, the speed with which characters traveled between (seemingly?) distant places, and the changing character dynamics.

My biggest wish for a sequel would be to decrease the amount that Lares feels she needs in the book and to allow for more quiet character building moments in the narrative, to balance the pacing and character development just a bit.

I still think this is a super promising debut, and I'm excited to see what comes next!

[Liz Fully Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sun of Blood and Ruin is a historical fantasy that is steeped in Mexican culture and folklore. This story, about a female vigilante in sixteenth century Mexico fighting the oppression of her people by the Spanish, was a great entertaining read.

I loved reading about the different gods in the native Mexicali culture. Plus reading about the Spanish colonization of Mexico was eye opening and informative. The treatment of the natives by the Spanish was upsetting to read about and gave me some not so wholesome feelings about the Spanish.

I found the world building very well done. Some of the characters were two dimensional, and the love interest for the FMC just didn’t click for me, but over all, I really enjoyed all of the book. The fantasy elements were nicely done, and there were even some war scenes that were very exciting and nicely written.

If you are a fan of historical fantasy, and want to read about Mexican folklore and culture, this is a great book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Haylee (haylee.reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I wanted to love Sun of Blood and Ruin, but it ultimately fell incredibly flat. The Mesoamerican mythology and folklore was by far the best part of this book. I loved how the folklore was weaved within the story, it made a boring plot interesting. I also loved the use of Spanish throughout this book. This was not the gender-bent tale of Zoro I thought it was going to be. There was hardly any sword fighting and Leonora was a very one-dimensional character. The plot was all over the place and I had a difficult time keeping track of what was going on and who was involved in what. I also think the dialogue felt incredibly forced and choppy. I would have loved for the theme of colonialism to be expanded upon but all we really got was: Cortés is bad and brought over smallpox. I ended up skimming through the last 40% because I just didn’t care anymore. I don’t know….I had high expectations for this but it was just not what I thought it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا]

The first time I read the synopsis I remembered Queen of Swords starring Tessie Santiago as Maria Teresa Alvarado

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars // 67%
This is one of the most obvious debut novels I have ever read. Set in an alternative post-colonial Latin America in the 16th century, Sun of Blood and Bone features an original and highly captivating setting, with the main character, Leonora, leading a double life as both an obedient Spanish noblewoman and a fierce, fearsome shapeshifter and resistance fighter: La Pantera. The dichotomy between her claustrophobic, yet comfortable life in the palace and her freedom in the jungles of Mexico was interesting, as was the inclusion of aspects of Aztec/Mexican culture. The battles, especially the final one, were also thrilling and cinematic. However, that is about where the positive features of the book end.

The main aspect that detracted from my enjoyment was the oversimplistic, on-the-nail writing. Characters would go on paragraph-long monologues about their backstory and motivations in the middle of what is meant to be an important conflict. At the same time, the most basic themes of the novel are spoon-fed to the reader. Sun of Blood and Ruin is marketed as adult fiction, yet it gives the impression that the author does not trust her audience to piece together what she is trying to convey.

Another problem was that Lares was trying to execute too many plot points with too little page count. The most significant consequence of this was, of course, the character development. While many side characters, such as Jerónimo, Lady Amalia, Martín, etc. had the potential for development, most of it happens off-page and, as a result, feels rushed. Lares also attempts to mix genres by incorporating both a historically inspired anti-colonialist rebellion and paying tribute to indigenous mythology with a rather generic prophecy/Doomsday storyline. Needless to say, neither plot receives the attention necessary for the reader to care about how it is resolved. This book satisfies neither historical fiction fans (such as myself) nor fantasy buffs (which I once was).

Finally: The elephant in the room, Deus ex machina. The problem with making characters too overpowered is that you reach a certain point when nothing can stop them, and Lares toed the line here a bit too much. Oh, and that romance was quite literally one of the most uninteresting and unseasoned subplots ever published (see my previous paragraph re: Character development).

Regardless, I don't think Sun of Blood and Ruin was without merit; it just necessitated better editors and a more experienced author. I am rating it three stars because I genuinely believe the series has a lot of room for growth. In terms of quality, though, it is more of a two-star read.

[Alex Clapper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at Chapter 19, about 40% of the way through.

This is the first book in a long time that I did not finish. Usually no matter my feelings on a book (and this goes doubly for review titles) I try to force my way through to the end, just to make sure I have a review that is as comprehensive as possible. With this book, I just couldn’t do it.

The characters weren’t interesting, the writing wasn’t good, and 99% of the time I had no idea *where* we were and what was supposed to be going on. The setting just wasn’t clear, and because of that it was easy to become untethered from the story entirely.

If I knew more about the culture the book referenced perhaps I would have been more interested— and maybe this book just isn’t for me, for that reason— but without any prior knowledge of the culture we were be introduced to, I felt so incredibly lost. And that feeling as pervasive the entire time I was reading.