Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the E-Arc.

The premise was so appealing to me. I want more fantasy stories that feature under represented cultures and mythology.

The positive was the world building for sure. I was engaged with the setting and the magic system right away.

However. The yo-yo pacing of this book made it really challenging to read. It was overall very confusing and didn’t feel like a polished story.

Unfortunately, I found myself putting it down and not as invested in the characters/plot as I wanted to be and I am late to reviewing this because I struggled with picking it back up.

Loved all I learned about Mexican mythology vs the traditional European view… I do think I may have enjoyed more if I had more knowledge going in but still enjoyed! .

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.

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.

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.

The pacing of this was truly disconnected throughout the grand majority of this book. I was very hopeful - it had amazing Mexican and LatinX cultural vibes which are always amazing. While it was written in first person, I truly struggled to root for the characters. How can I root for them if the plot continues to shift rapidly around? The premise of a rooftop vigilante is nothing new - see "Mistborn", and "V for Vendetta." However, while it was done well at some points, I truly struggled to enjoy our main character Leonora. Don't get me started on the other characters either - they're essentially one dimensional support characters. That's it!

Lastly, while I enjoyed the cultural aspects at times it felt like there was too much put into the historical aspect, and with the already muddled pacing, the story lost a lot of it's luster. The cover truly drew me to this but I just couldn't get into it.

Overall, an okay read, but not something I will be actively be seeking out the second novel.

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

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and loved how Leonora was a masked crusader for the people of Mexico. I loved Leonora as a character and could not wait to learn more about her shifting abilities. The second half of the book did confuse me at times but over all I really enjoyed the story and all of the magic within this book.

First person books are not my preference. But with the world of Spanish and Mexican vibes just set the tone. I really enjoyed the fast paced nature of this book. No romance with Leonora, but hopefully we can get another book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Advanced Readers Copy of Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares!

I am going to be honest with you. I do have mixed feelings regarding Sun of Blood and Ruin. Did I love it like I thought I would? No, I didn't. Did I hate it? No, I enjoyed reading it. What I felt confused about is the main plot regarding Sun of Blood and Ruin. I found myself not connecting with or rooting for the main character. There was something lacking. I don't know what. Hopefully in the next book, there is more depth with the main character.

I loved the premise of this one but the plot felt disconnected and the pacing was off the entire way through. The characters were well done but I wasn't able to enjoy them because of the pacing.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book was good but it was also a lot. The plot didn't feel super connected sometimes, and there were some things that didn't seem to add up. That being said, the characters were strong and I really liked the setting. I like reading books based on the history and myths of indigenous South America, so this was a great addition to that reading area for me. I will definitely pick up more by this author!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I found it difficult to get into the flow of the story which caused a pause in reading. Though I tried to go back to it several times and even bought the audiobook, I was not able to finish this one.

I was rather predisposed to liking this book because I use to watch old episodes of Zorro growing up so a female Zorro-like character? Of course I HAD to read it. I enjoyed this book I love a fantasy rich in culture. It wasn’t perfect but I did like the mythological aspects of it. It was a good story.

I do reader's advisor for fantasy and "new adult" titles and I think this is a good bridge for YA readers who are wanting to read adult fantasy/romance titles.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the E-Arc.

A wonderfully built fantasy that gives light to truths of history and the erasure of cultures in the real world. Reading this was exciting fun and wonderful. I can't wait to read more from this author!

I was very excited about this book as I have a degree in Anthropology and I absolutely love the time frame of this book. However, it was difficult for me to gauge the fantasy/ magic portion of the story. I felt a little bit lost at times and it made it difficult for me to understand how the world in this story worked. The character development was on pointe and I absolutely loved the interactions between characters.

Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares introduces Lady Leonora, a prominent figure at the Spanish court in the New World, who secretly fights Spanish oppression as the vigilante Pantera. The story, set against a backdrop of political intrigue and looming apocalypse, starts strong with rooftop chases and romantic tension but struggles to maintain focus. Rapid shifts between events leave key plot points underdeveloped, preventing emotional resonance.

Leonora’s character lacks clear personal stakes, and the supporting cast feels one-dimensional. The story attempts to cover too much ground, from Spanish-indigenous politics to the agendas of ancient gods, resulting in a muddled and chaotic narrative. Splitting the book into two parts would have allowed for better character development and plot depth.

Despite its flaws, Lares vividly portrays the sixteenth-century Spanish invasion of Mexico, highlighting oppression and resistance. Leonora’s mixed heritage and societal constraints add depth, and the use of Spanish and Nahuatl languages enriches the cultural setting, though pacing issues undermine these details.

Sun of Blood and Ruin combines historical fantasy with a gender-bent Zorro retelling, exploring colonialism, oppression, and personal identity. While it doesn’t fully deliver on its ambitious premise, fans of historical fantasy and Zorro-inspired tales may enjoy its adventurous spirit and cultural depth.

Sun of Blood and Ruin was an excellent read! I loved the sense of setting in historical Spain. It was exciting and rich.

I enjoyed learning about the different gods and mythology but the pacing and characterization needed some work.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The book started off okay. I was intrigued by Pantera and how her body and power work, and also by her "day job" as Lady Leonora. I was interested to see how Leonora was able to operate as Pantera and Lady Leonora without getting caught.

The book took a bit of a turn when a certain character became pregnant. Then it just felt like it was a scandal for the sake of being a scandal instead of for the sake of furthering the story.

There were parts where the book went into a scene with a lot of descriptions, and others where the book just throws actions at us in quick succession without much detail. On the flip side, moments that seemed like they would be very contentious were over quickly and we never got to experience the tension that seemed to be coming. The relationship between Pantera and Andrés felt a little all over the place. One moment they hate each other, then suddenly they're helping each other.

Towards the middle, the book felt a little like it was dragging on. Not much going on. I guess I was expecting more action considering the opening scene of the book. Things didn't improve from there. A lot of the time, it felt like the book was stumbling through the story, with some scenes feeling forced and others overly dramatic. There were too many revelations and conflicts that they became meaningless.

I did enjoy reading the different mythological stories, and about the different gods, though I'm not sure how much of it is accurate as I've never studied it.

Overall the book felt like a slow read, it was a bit over the place, and some things didn't feel fully developed, but I think it had a lot of potential.