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tashasbooks 's review for:
Sun of Blood and Ruin
by Mariely Lares
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sun of Blood and Ruin is an intriguing Mesoamerican inspired historical fantasy that explores the themes of belonging, freedom, and oppression. It's set in sixteenth century New Spain (colonized Mexico)and pitched as a gender-swapped retelling of Zorro.
Leonora de las Casas Tlazohtzin is the viceroy's sister of nobility in New Spain, but she carries a secret identity. She is a Nagual, a sorceress that uses magic to shift into her other form and wield superior strength, speed, and senses. As her hidden identity, Pantera, she fights against Spaniards and their injustices against the indigenous. However, Leonara is engaged to marry the Crown Prince of Spain and has to decide between fighting as the Pantera, or choosing her noble life.
The world building is immersive and I found the setting very rich. It is very inspired by actual historical events, mythology, and indigenous culture. I personally do have knowledge of this time period, with the colonization of South and Central America and the mythology, which I think helped me with picking up the world-building. It does feel a bit info-dumping at times, with Leonara switching between the present and the past as she was training. Overall, I felt that the ongoing explanations and just the extensiveness of the world-building was something I really enjoyed.
The characters themselves were complex, their motivations made sense, and they were flawed. Leonara struggles with her identify and knowing where she belongs. Her brother that she loves dearly is the Viceroy of New Spain, which is the helm of the colonizers that are subjugating the indigenous. But she also shares a connection with the indigenous on her mother's side and spends ten years living with them and learning their culture. As a mestizo, she has a foot in both worlds and trying to consolidate that is one of her biggest struggles throughout the book.
The main drawback and thing I didn't like was the pacing. The plot also felt very full to me. The first 50% of the book I really enjoyed and there was a central idea and plot that was moving forwards. It builds up into a climax of a big battle, but then there's another 50% to go. In that time, there was so much going on it was hard to pick up on the reveals and the book felt very full. I do wish this was split up into the sequel or more books.
The highlights of this book were the characters and the overall world and history weaved into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite those flaws, and I will pick up the next!
Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Leonora de las Casas Tlazohtzin is the viceroy's sister of nobility in New Spain, but she carries a secret identity. She is a Nagual, a sorceress that uses magic to shift into her other form and wield superior strength, speed, and senses. As her hidden identity, Pantera, she fights against Spaniards and their injustices against the indigenous. However, Leonara is engaged to marry the Crown Prince of Spain and has to decide between fighting as the Pantera, or choosing her noble life.
The world building is immersive and I found the setting very rich. It is very inspired by actual historical events, mythology, and indigenous culture. I personally do have knowledge of this time period, with the colonization of South and Central America and the mythology, which I think helped me with picking up the world-building. It does feel a bit info-dumping at times, with Leonara switching between the present and the past as she was training. Overall, I felt that the ongoing explanations and just the extensiveness of the world-building was something I really enjoyed.
The characters themselves were complex, their motivations made sense, and they were flawed. Leonara struggles with her identify and knowing where she belongs. Her brother that she loves dearly is the Viceroy of New Spain, which is the helm of the colonizers that are subjugating the indigenous. But she also shares a connection with the indigenous on her mother's side and spends ten years living with them and learning their culture. As a mestizo, she has a foot in both worlds and trying to consolidate that is one of her biggest struggles throughout the book.
The main drawback and thing I didn't like was the pacing. The plot also felt very full to me. The first 50% of the book I really enjoyed and there was a central idea and plot that was moving forwards. It builds up into a climax of a big battle, but then there's another 50% to go. In that time, there was so much going on it was hard to pick up on the reveals and the book felt very full. I do wish this was split up into the sequel or more books.
The highlights of this book were the characters and the overall world and history weaved into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it despite those flaws, and I will pick up the next!
Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!