I have such mixed opinions about this book because I think there are some things that it does excellently and there are some that are quite disappointing. 

The world-building ended up being my favorite aspect even though it started off pretty rough since the book throws you into the action on page 1. There’s a lot for the reader to get caught up on and the author does exposition slowly throughout the whole book. I would recommend that readers unfamiliar with Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history read the chapter at the end of the book about history and terminology before starting the book. I didn’t realize that this chapter existed until halfway through reading the book so I think some of my early confusion with the world could have been avoided. 

I did not realize that this was the first book in a series instead of a stand-alone until I had finished the book. I thought way more plot threads were going to be tied up but instead, almost everything was left very open-ended, presumably to be addressed in the sequels. While series often leave room for continuation, each installment should ideally provide a satisfying conclusion on its own. Regrettably, this book fell short of achieving that sense of closure.

The main reason for my disappointment with the ending had to do with the plot and pacing. The narrative felt meandering and disjointed, with the protagonist Leonora's actions sometimes lacking impact. The pacing felt uneven, with significant events receiving only brief attention while mundane actions were drawn out. Initially a reimagining of Zorro, the story veers off into a new direction, focusing on the prophecy and the Fifth Sun toward the latter portion.

The main antagonist for most of the book is Captain Nabarres, who is essentially a figurehead for Spanish colonization/occupation. So many pages are dedicated to Leonora talking to, fighting against, and escaping from Captain Nabarres. However, most of the interaction between Nabarres and Leonora feels perplexing and devoid of purpose. There’s this extremely confusing scene where Leonora “outsmarts” Nabarres with a political maneuver but it ends up not having any effect so I’m still not sure what the point of that scene was. The book spends so much time developing the antagonistic relationship between Leonora and Nabarres but then introduces a completely new villain in the last part of the book. This new villain lacks the build-up and emotional investment required for their ultimate defeat, especially because Leonora is almost immediately told exactly how to defeat them. 

I didn’t feel like the characters were particularly compelling including the main protagonist, Leonora. Leonora’s thoughts are pretty repetitive throughout the book in order to really make sure that readers can’t possibly miss the main themes of this book. We’re also introduced to a pretty big cast of secondary characters early on and it’s difficult to distinguish between everyone. This becomes even worse when they get to Snake Mountain and are introduced to all the leaders of La Justicia.

Leonora’s secret identity, Pantera, is underdeveloped because we’re never told what she did as Pantera, before the start of the book, to become so beloved by the people. Conveniently in the first chapter, she gets shot in the leg (while failing to save someone) so she can’t do her normal Pantera activities for the first part of the book. Even so, there’s never any mention of what she previously did as Pantera and the only times she ever dons the Pantera disguise in the whole book is to taunt Captain Nabarres and try to steal back her sword. Even in the Batman movies, they show him stopping some random petty crimes apart from the whole supervillain plot. 

Leonora’s motives for being the vigilante Pantera are also underdeveloped because she states that she wants Pantera to give people hope but this is never actually displayed through her actions. She spends most of the time arguing for diplomacy between La Justicia and the viceroy, her brother, which honestly makes her seem more naive than anything else. I always feel like it’s kinda weird when a fantasy book involves a fight against injustice and tyranny but does not ever question the concept of an absolute hereditary monarchy. 

In essence, this book possesses commendable strengths in its world-building and initial premise, yet it falls short in weaving a compelling plot with well-developed characters and motives. While the foundation for an engaging series is present, more effort could be invested in pacing, character depth, and plot structure to create a more cohesive and fulfilling narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.