Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of Sun of Blood and Ruin in exchange for an honest review.
In 16th-century New Spain, magic is punishable by death. But the masked figure known as Pantera uses magic and swordplay to fight Spanish rule, rebelling against the destruction of indigenous temples and culture. No one knows, however, that Pantera is really Lady Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin. Her role as a respectable woman betrothed to the Spanish heir is the perfect disguise. Her magic makes her nearly invincible, but a prophecy destines her to an early grave. When omens point to the end of the world, Leonora must decide whether to give up her mask or fight until the very end.
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Sun of Blood and Ruin is an ambitious debut that packs a lot into a small package. Mariely Lares skillfully weaves Mesoamerican mythology and folklore into the story. I love it when an author adds a well-developed magic system into an otherwise realistic setting. Lares adds fantastical reasons and responses to historical events to uniquely round out a period I knew little about.
Unfortunately, however, the strength of the setting and magic system doesn’t carry over to the rest of the book. As the story progresses, things fall apart. The plot gets chaotic, bouncing between major events without giving them the weight they deserve.
I had a hard time following what was going on, often flipping between pages to see if I’d missed something. There was even a time when a character mentioned their journey to Snake Mountain — the place they had just left — as though they were yet to arrive for the first time. Sun of Blood and Ruin could benefit from a great deal more editing before release.
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I was really looking forward to following Leonora’s story and growth. Described as a gender-bent Zorro with magic, she should have been everything I love in a protagonist. But I never really understood who she was. Balancing her role as an outlaw with being an elevated member of the court, she’s supposed to be a master of deception, intelligent and desirable enough to be betrothed to a prince.
Instead, it seems like Leonora is barely getting by. She goes from snarking at a priest to a crying mess, depending on what the situation calls for. However, she’s never a fully realized character when she isn’t acting as Pantera. For a Zorro retelling, there wasn’t much sword fighting either. Leonora spent a lot of the story losing her legendary sword rather than using it to slay villains. She just never got to come into her own as a protagonist.
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Sun of Blood and Ruin has an enticing premise, a unique setting and fascinating mythological influences. However, it just doesn’t come together as a finished book. I found myself wanting so much more throughout. This is a novel that tries to accomplish a lot in a small space but doesn’t quite fit together as a whole. That said, the book is getting some good press from other reviewers, so you’ll have to read it yourself and decide what you think.
Sun of Blood and Ruin comes out on February 20 and is available for preorder from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: animal death, blood, body horror, classism, colonization, death, gore, injury/injury detail, misogyny, murder, pandemic/epidemic, pregnancy, racism, religious bigotry, violence, war, xenophobia
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