I was excited for this novel after reading his retelling of the Queen of Sheba. However, this was a struggle to get through. There were many scenes that made me uncomfortable. I do recommend this for those that like reading historical fiction.

I had a hard time finishing this book the subject was interesting but the author writing style was not for me

The Son of the Sea, Daughter of the Sun I initially became interested in because of the title and the historical background I thought surrounded the events. The introduction provided a good description of the upcoming contents but I struggled a bit to familiarise myself with the different events.

I think one needs a bit of time to figure out the book genre, the different personalities and occurrences the author interestingly describes in the book. The author attempts to embed the storyline within what I assume a typical pirate and historical ship scenario presents. To enjoy the book one needs to present an open approach to accepting a "hard" description of events that not all readers like.

Readers who appreciate pirate stories with all the activities that surround these storylines I am certain will enjoy the book.

Apparently I haven't yet learned to be fooled by the cover. But you understand me, it presented itself in all its splendor among the proposals of Netgalley and I couldn't resist. I definitely deluded myself too much and hoped for something more "soft" when instead we find a historical novel rich in drama and violence with a hint of magic. Is there also love? Of course but it isn't the most important factor as we presume when reading the plot.

Iudila is just a kid when kidnapped by pirates and forced to become a servant. From heir to the throne, he becomes a fearsome pirate destined for great things. A prophecy will lead him to meet his partner for life and he will find her in the remote kingdom of the Maya. Princess Chakin is of marriageable age and many aspire to her hand both for the power and for her beauty but a charming stranger will come to steal her heart. The two come from different cultures, worship different divinities but nevertheless find a meeting point, starting a future full of glory and happiness. But a shadow will fall on their existence that could put an end to everything.

In general I can say that I found the historical context very fascinating and realistic but what I did not like was the inconsistency of some attitudes. In this novel we are dealing with child abuse. Iudila is little more than a child when he is used as a sex toy by the pirate captain and when he finally manages to get rid of him, the boy, instead of experiencing immediate relief, feels regret and nostalgia. I understand the awakening of hormones and sexual appetites for a young man but this is a real Stockholm syndrome. Not to mention others who suffered the same fate as they see their tormentor as a father figure. This made me really turn my nose away from disgust and found it really incomprehensible. Then another point against this story is that I find there is too much meat on the fire. The author has greatly exaggerated with both religious and magical elements, creating a mixture too heavy to bear.

Graham's style is not bad but I found it too excessive at various points. On the other hand, as I said above, I appreciated the historical setting, an era that is shown in all its brutality and majestic beauty without filters. In conclusion, I wanted to enjoy more of this book but unfortunately it was a very bitter morsel.

Thank you Netgalley and Blank Slate Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I enjoy historical fiction, this one just didn't fit well with me and my reading tastes. Perhaps at a later time I can reread this and fall in love with the story as much as others have. There seemed to be many plot twists, directional changes, and just a ton of side stories tossed in at random that just left me confused. It took ages for the main couple to meet each other and then it felt way too rushed together afterwards to keep me interested. I just wasn't able to connect with the characters this time. Usually mythology, history, and a little romance is right up my alley in what catches my attention in novels but something in Son of the Sea, Daughter of the Sun just fell flat for me this time around.

(Warning, spoilers ahead)

Son of the Sea and Daughter of the Sun by Marc Graham is a fantastic novel that keeps you immersed in the world of the Mayans and Visigoths. First, of all, I appreciate the hard work and effort that Marc embarked on studying Mayan Customs and language. Second, it is very rare we get books on Meso-America that are this well written. Tok-Ekh reminded me of Scar. The skillful prose, the elegant way in which Marc enhances his writing, by showing Tok-Ekh is a wonderful villain. However, there were some weaknesses that can be ironed out.

I felt that Iudila’s character development grew fine, but the chemistry between him and Uti-Chan’s daughter, Chakin, needed to be a bit more developed. To that end, I also loved the language concepts, an astral plane in which these guardians, seem to ‘protect humanity’ by separating and as a reader, I’ve always wanted someone to take the stuff from Ancient Aliens, and show that the Ancient World was as globalized. Imagine if the Ancient Egyptians traveled to South-America? Awesome stuff. Marc did certainly well in this department, but Tok-Ekh’s role in this brotherhood was not clear enough, and I would have wanted more specific’s colors. I also want to know why humanity is kept separate. Many times this led me to question what was behind this reason? I loved the concept of Hebrew and Mayan being similar. Though I did feel that not enough of Iudila’s crew was used enough. I did feel that was a natural development since when you're writing a novel about the New World, its hard to keep track of every character. I would have wanted to seen more scenes of Iudila's crew and how they grow accustomed to this new world. I would have wanted to see more descriptions of the Mayan cities, as they had a lot of color.

That being said, I worked on the concept of the tribes of Israel and emigrating to the New World. Great, fantastic stuff. Something straight out of a Sci-fi show like Star-Trek. They forget their Gods and worship new ones. But I really wanted to know about what caused and it how? There were many unanswered questions and the religious theme was great! The way these people lived in those times, religion was central. Props to the author for encouraging historical religion, and showing that it is real, especially the blending of the Mayan Religion. Though I was not under the impression that Iudila was always invoking Christ or Yahshua. I also got the feeling that since he was part of his own royal family, I did at times wish to see him mourning and wanting to go back, because if he did and went with Chakin, this would be a new discovery.

That I think needed some further development. That said I did like Chakin. She was a strong woman, a very pretty lady. I think Iudila and Chakin’s chemistry certainly did work in this area. The attraction between them would have been certain sense they’re royalty. Uti-Chan was one of the best characters in the novel. Much like the King of Rohan in any sense. Uti-Chan invoked a sense of aura, you know this man was a badass. I would have wanted to seen some more scenes from him. His explanation of the world made me feel that sometimes we see rulers that truely care about their people. Though Tok-Ekh is not. He is the worst man in the city.

The majority of this novel focuses on the New World, so I would have suggested an alternative cover and a more Mayan sounding name. I would envision a dark marble background etched when in the middle you would have a Mayan dagger, something similar to Bernard’s Cornwell covers. That said, this works fine, but this is my personal opinion.

If there is a sequel, I’d like to see how after Iudila, no one else came to the new world? There could have been others. Imagine if we had an alternate history where humanity met much earlier. Something mainstream historians don’t like ha. But I loved this novel. I loved the vivid and lush descriptions, and I wanted to see more. The dialogue was great, and if I could compare this, I would compare this to the Silk Road by Julian Stockwin. It has Byzantines traveling to China. That’s a novel you can compare it too. I would also have wanted to seen more interaction with the Mayan Gods. Perhaps if this brotherhood is preventing humanity from meeting each other, surely the Gods could have a better explanation? That said sometimes I didn't understand the brotherhood's role and purpose, which I think will be better explained. I did like the foreshadowing that Marc used. It hints a lot at something we may see in the future.

I want to see a sequel because it's very rare you get a novel infused with magic, mythology, and crazy stuff from Ancient Aliens, and my rating is a solid 5/5. Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house, Blank State Press.

I was so delighted to get such an interesting book from NetGalley, the plot, the cover all seemed great.
But then I read at 5 % of the book sentences that I cannot tolerate about child abuse. The hero is a victim, then twins and another character Eneko said "until he tired of me and decided I was a better lookout than a plaything".
I will highly contest :
"despite himself, he still sometimes longed for the moments of affection that punctuated the vile acts, " "The captain's new toys had hair as yellow as his own and might have passed for his children. Milham doted over them like an indulgent father. " The comparison is an insult to fathers in general.
I spoke and worked with victims of abuse, and they never told me they had such feelings, on the contrary.
I have no understanding for such violence, physical and moral manipulation. To show characters who are accepting their torture, they are not upset, what does that mean ?
If the author and editors did not see it like that, I ask for re consideration from another point of view and all the passages to be edited. One publishes to be read by anyone, including potentially, victims, every sentence counts.

I didn't really like this book. It was a very interesting idea, but for me this wasn't my cup of tea. I had to put it down half way through unfortunately.

Iudila, heir to a throne in Spania, is captured by pirates when he was a young boy. Years go by and he becomes a pirate himself. While on shore, Iudila encounters a strange "monk" who tells him that he is a descendant of Jesus and Mary and that he is destined to meet a woman in a land beyond the known world.

On the other side of the world, Chakin, a Mayan princess, is approaching marriageable age and her father searches for a suitable husband for her. Eventually, the two story lines merge and Iudila and Chakin meet. As fate would have it, they share a common language so they are able to communicate with each other. Chakin is obviously the destined woman the "monk" spoke about.

This book is divided into three parts and the last part is by far the best, though filled with violence and is not for the squeamish. I really had to struggle through the first part of the book but I am glad I did because it did get better and I did end up enjoying the book somewhat. I was turned off by the whole "Jesus-and-Mary-were- actually-married-and-had-children" story line because, in my opinion, it has been way overdone (though I admit I've never seen it in such a creative manner as in this book). I think I would have liked this book more if it was shorter. Some parts were just too long and I found myself mindlessly skimming pages. Overall, this book was a creative and somewhat interesting read, but I had a difficult time losing myself in it. Perhaps it just wasn't the book for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not sure what to say... I don't think that I can say anymore then what has been said. This book needed some more work. Or it just wasn't for me. I thought it was going to be more a mythical romance and it really wasn't. I just couldn't with this book.

This was a really interesting idea, but I felt as though it was a little too dense and there wasn't enough depth to the characters. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. But the story was interesting and very different.

I probably should have given this book more of a chance, but I cannot find a reason to continue on.

We have at the beginning a very fast transition of things in Iudila's life, how he's captured, his life on the ship as the captain's plaything, how his life got better... and then all of a sudden years passed, and he's all grown up. That's all sweet and good if it wasn't written in such a manner that left me confused. But it's all right; now that Iudila's all grown up, things will begin to roll, right? Wrong.

At 23%, eleven chapters in, all I've read about were basically in this series:
1. the ship lands at shore.
2. Iudila meets a person who tells him of his destiny.
3. the ship goes back out to sea.
4. the ship finds land.
5. something happens.
6. the ship goes back out to sea.
7. the ship finds land.
8. Iudila meets a person who tells him of his destiny (and spends a mighty lot of time about religion).

Why couldn't the author make good use of the pages to get the story going instead of wasting time on something that doesn't matter? Why not go straight to the point? The words the monk uses also seems pretty demeaning, even though he's a person of religion. Iudila has to plant his seed into a woman? This is like The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon all over again. The writing style is pretty similar, too. I don't want to have to read a book that leaves this impression that it's written to insult women. Whether or not the story is taking place long, long ago, it's not something I can tolerate.

This story could potentially move you as could as well sway you off reading it. This is what I felt while reading it. The story has certain points, where with varying paces you can grasp where the story is leading and then you lose it somehow halfway across the book.
I do wish I'd spend more time reading this or look at it again to have a better understanding of it.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

Considering the two completely different continents and the completely two cultures it was flitting among I've got to admit I was more partial towards the girl's story than the boy's. Being a somewhat a history buff the story itself managed to catch my attention by its unique setting. I've got admit it's the first time I've read a book set in such a culture. Not a bad book as it managed to hold my attention after 20% or so had passed and I read it basically in one sitting but considering by the end I was skimming more than reading I am not sure if I can say it was one of those amongst my favorites.