I absolutely adore retellings of myths and legends. This was a thrilling and highly entertaining read for me. I highly recommend this book.

I was really excited for this one, it look like it was right at my alley. Sadly though it was so hard to read. The pacing was weird, I could not get into the story, and the characters just kind of fell flat. Maybe someone with more focus would enjoy it, but I love to forget I'm reading when I'm reading, if that makes sense.

I was really excited by the premise of this one, and there are some things I really loved about it--the indigenous cultures, the tension between Spain and the colonies, the rich and complex world. The descriptions and writing are also quite beautiful at times.

But the pacing of this book is really odd. We jump from action scene to dinner party to political council without any logical transition or internal processing, and I had trouble tracking the throughline of the plot. Without a sense of tension and continuity, I struggled to keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Unfortunately I agree with a lot of reviews when I say this concept and world had a lot of promise, but the execution was lacking. I found the writing oddly detached and I could not get into the story or the characters,

The premise of Sun of Blood and Ruin hooked me. A vigilante with rebellion, magic, and double identities. From the very beginning, Sun of Blood and Ruin delivered action and I was struck by how wry Leonora is. How she's asked how one can fight for justice for those on the ground, the ones without options or recourse. A theme which is explore with depth is identity. We, as well as Leonora, are asked who she is really - Leonora or Pantera? Whether she will let people she love suffer for one or the other.

This was a unique story full of history and folklore with a dash of magic. The core of the story was so authentic and I greatly enjoyed the worldbuilding that combined real life and history with the more fantastical elements. It made for a rich tapestry upon which the story is told.

While I found the setting to be really interesting, the pacing and the characters were a bit trickier for me. This was a very fast-paced book, but in a way that felt rushed and underdeveloped. It felt like we were constantly jumping from point to point, without a lot of depth. Along with that, the characters never really seemed to advance. I feel like it was mostly clear what Leonora’s motivations were, but we didn’t see a ton of growth with her character. We learned a lot more about her, but her choices and behaviors felt a bit one note.

I am hoping that since this is a book one of more to come, there will be growth and depth to come. I am definitely eager to see where some of the big reveals in this book lead us in the future. Overall, this one is a 3.5⭐️ for me.

I’m a sucker for mythology retellings, or in this case gender swapped reimagining, so I might be a bit biased but I loved it. I loved the world that was built, yes it was based on 16th century colonized Mexico and the story of Zoro, but the magic and mythology created here was stellar. I know next to nothing about mesoamerican history which is a shame as my husband is descended from the very people this book is based on. Luckily this book left me wanting to learn everything I can.
The romance was a bit strange, like I am not sure why our MMC went from disinterested to suddenly making a move, and nothing was really explained on that front. I will definitely be reading book 2!

I've been on a kick of reading books dealing with myth and legend lately it seems. I really enjoyed this novel, and let me tell you, there were a few late nights of "one more chapter, I swear, one more chapter."

Set in the sixteenth century, the story takes place in "New Spain," during a time in which Christianity and the settlers are battling and attempting to stamp out all indigenous practices. Pantera/Leonora early on is our protagonist who, living a dual life, lives by the new rules while fighting against the colonial Spanish. She uses magic and the belief in her gods to continue the fight. The reader follows Pantera/Leonora as she struggles to keep her two lives separate and her alter-ego hidden from the Spanish world, as she attempts to navigate her magic, all while believing she is doomed to live a short life based on a prophecy and the religious beliefs of her culture due to her birth date. I particularly enjoyed learning about the Nahuatl language throughout the novel, the beliefs and gods that existed prior to the Spanish coming to New Spain, and the different way of thinking and looking at the world. The author also includes a great note at the end to help understand some of her writing and the historical context. I really enjoyed the book, and I'll say there were actually a few times I was surprised by the plot twists. I've read enough books and know enough patterns that it's very rare for me to have surprises in the plot and this had a few for me. Overall, I really recommend the novel and look forward to it being published so that others have the opportunity to experience the world the author has built. I think it's so important to see other voices in published works, and this book provided a whole world that I have limited knowledge on. I hope to see more books published that allow readers to explore whole new (to them) worlds.

Please be advised I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for giving me an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at Chapter 19, about 40% of the way through.

This is the first book in a long time that I did not finish. Usually no matter my feelings on a book (and this goes doubly for review titles) I try to force my way through to the end, just to make sure I have a review that is as comprehensive as possible. With this book, I just couldn’t do it.

The characters weren’t interesting, the writing wasn’t good, and 99% of the time I had no idea *where* we were and what was supposed to be going on. The setting just wasn’t clear, and because of that it was easy to become untethered from the story entirely.

If I knew more about the culture the book referenced perhaps I would have been more interested— and maybe this book just isn’t for me, for that reason— but without any prior knowledge of the culture we were be introduced to, I felt so incredibly lost. And that feeling as pervasive the entire time I was reading.

"Sun of Blood and Ruin" by Mariely Lares is a good fantasy novel with an interesting world and interesting characters. For me The story definitely had its moments, but at times it felt predictable. I thought that it sometimes it lacked the depth to make it truly stand out for me. While the writing is good, and I liked the plot , the pacing was a little strange for me and I felt like I couldn’t quite get into it, Overall, it's a good read for those who enjoy standard fantasy books but it doesn't quite do it for me.

The overall concept and fantastical elements blended with reality in this book we’re really wonderful. I loved the culture connections and elements as well because that’s so unique for fantasy. however, I simply didn’t connect with the story or characters as much as I would’ve liked. The amount of history in the book and the world building felt slow to me and bogged down that fantastical elements that I wanted to immerse myself into. I think this book would be perfect for someone who loves history and retellings, but I just wasn’t quite for me.

3.25 stars***

In a lot of ways, fun. Zorro was my absolute favorite character as a child, so seeing him (her) as an indigenous woman in a story about colonization and imperialism was really interesting. It's a strong concept led by a melancholy protagonist who feels the weight of the mask on her shoulders. The book slogs at times, but I'm also not particularly a fan of YA writing styles, so go figure. Overall a nice read.

This book takes us to 16th century Mexico during the Spanish colonization, and tells us the story of Leonora, both vigilante and promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. Though I loved the premise of the book and found the writing beautiful, I didn’t connect to the story the way I was hoping and expecting. I found the pace inconsistent, the romance a bit bland and I felt the characters lacked depth. Overall, it was an entertaining fantasy read, that got better towards the end. Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this one early.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It does so much for me that I didn't know I was looking for. Recognition of Nahuatl as a language, Aztec gods and beliefs, multiple depictions of the complexities of being mixed race within the context of Mexico during Spanish rule. The Zorro aspects and the Voice only further elevate it.

This is quite possibly my favorite fantasy of the year, it is absolutory my favorite historical fantasy of the year. I'm recommending it to all my friends. I'm just absolutely enthralled by the story Lares wove and the obvious care they show on every page while refusing to ignore issues or historical contexts that are more gray.

I look forward to more from this author and will try anything they write because this was just stunning.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Sun of Blood and Ruin is a gender-bent Zorro retelling, featuring an eighteen-year-old noble Leonora as our main character. I loved the beginning of this book and the concept as a whole, but by the end, I was so extremely disappointed.

After reading a few reviews, it seems that I am in the minority where I preferred the first half of this book to the second. The two halves are drastically different, and in my opinion, the second half could have done with significant content editing. The first half definitely felt a bit more YA, but it felt smoother and easier to understand. The second half of the book was an absolute whirlwind, with important things happening every few pages. It seemed like no scene was important enough to last more than a few pages, but the content itself was significant to the plot, leading to a lot of confusion on behalf of the reader.

Many of the Indigenous characters have two names, one they are referred to around Spaniards, and one they are referred to around Indigenous peoples. While I understand the author's choice in doing this, I think it could have been handled in a way that would have made these Indigenous names (which were introduced to the reader much later than the Spanish names) more memorable to the reader.

The romance was so bad it wasn't even cringe-worthy. When we were introduced to the male character, it was pretty obvious to a well-versed fantasy romance reader that he would become the love interest. There was absolutely nothing to indicate why Leonora would develop feelings for him, however. It just was not believable and I could not stand it.

Finally, the lack of Zorro-ness was extremely frustrating. Leonora apparently disappeared for ten years where she received her training, all of which occurred off page. She was known by all to be a hero who fought for the average person, yet we never saw her do anything for the common man. Since I began noticing Pantera's lack of presence, I counted three separate times when Leonora was knocked out during a fight scene. This makes no sense if she's supposed to be a hero with all of this training!

This book was not that highly anticipated for me, but I was really excited in the first third or so of it for surpassing expectations. Once I passed the halfway point, however, it was all downhill from there, frustratingly enough.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyage and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

This book was super fun to read and im very eager for more. I wasnt sure what to expect when i picked it up, but I really had a blast while reading it. Sadly its been a while since i read it, so i dont remember much, nut i do remeber that I'm very excited to see more of these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which will be available February 20,2024!

A feminine retelling if Zorro? Yes please! There is an honest rep of the MesoAmerican Indigenous, indigenous magic, Spaniard colonization and at the heart of it a woman wanting to right the wrongs her people are doing to the magic users and indigenous.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will be buying it. It was thrilling and adventurous.

The premise of the story and the mention of Zorro had me intrigued. I dove in not really knowing what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital ARC.

A historical fantasy debut with folklore, myth and magic.
The story was engaging but the pacing was not my favorite. The world building...such detail and history woven within I loved it.
So much to look forward to from this author.