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onthesamepage's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-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
3.0
This was a mixed bag. I really loved the world and the way the author described it—it felt lush, beautiful, and so vivid. The focus on Mexican history and Mesoamerican mythology was fascinating to me, and I'm genuinely happy we're getting more and more books like this.
Unfortunately, the characters and the plot are a let down.
Once again, this falls into the pitfall of being labeled an adult book, but reading like a YA book, with a heroine whose entire character development is about her finding her place in the world. I wanted Leonora to be more confident. If this is a reimagining of Zorro, then I want to see someone who is fearless, and who understands that the price of resistance is bloody sometimes. Instead, she got wobbly in her convictions more than once, and it made parts of this really drag.
The other issue is that there were way too many different plotlines. It starts with Leonora opposing the Spanish, and dealing with an arranged marriage with the prince of Spain. She doesn't care about him, by the way, but when he sleeps with someone else and she finds out, she barges into his room all huffy with a speech about how he can't hurt her pride like this. Then she meets Andres, who she thinks is a pirate and who stole something from her, and they develop a "will they won't they" romantic vibe. Also, there's a prophecy about her death, and another one about the end of the world, and actually the end of the world is closer than we think, and also there are all these gods walking among people, and who is Leonora, really?
It's not even a very long book, but this could've been 200 pages shorter, focused on 1-2 plot lines, and then used the rest to build up a series. I honestly just wanted a bit of a fun romp with a female Zorro, but that's not really what this is.
Unfortunately, the characters and the plot are a let down.
Once again, this falls into the pitfall of being labeled an adult book, but reading like a YA book, with a heroine whose entire character development is about her finding her place in the world. I wanted Leonora to be more confident. If this is a reimagining of Zorro, then I want to see someone who is fearless, and who understands that the price of resistance is bloody sometimes. Instead, she got wobbly in her convictions more than once, and it made parts of this really drag.
The other issue is that there were way too many different plotlines. It starts with Leonora opposing the Spanish, and dealing with an arranged marriage with the prince of Spain. She doesn't care about him, by the way, but when he sleeps with someone else and she finds out, she barges into his room all huffy with a speech about how he can't hurt her pride like this. Then she meets Andres, who she thinks is a pirate and who stole something from her, and they develop a "will they won't they" romantic vibe. Also, there's a prophecy about her death, and another one about the end of the world, and actually the end of the world is closer than we think, and also there are all these gods walking among people, and who is Leonora, really?
It's not even a very long book, but this could've been 200 pages shorter, focused on 1-2 plot lines, and then used the rest to build up a series. I honestly just wanted a bit of a fun romp with a female Zorro, but that's not really what this is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
jvbook_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
bessadams's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
starrysteph's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
A Zorro-inspired vigilante who can shapeshift into a panther, torn between her role as the Spanish heir to the throne and her half-Indigenous identity? What a delicious concept.
The ideas in Sun of Blood and Ruin were phenomenal, but the execution unfortunately made it a very challenging story to read & enjoy.
Pantera is a warrior sorceress, but underneath that bold identity is Leonora, a charming young lady who is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. While Pantera fights to protect the Indigenous people from Spanish tyranny on the streets, Leonora wages a war of politics inside the palace.
But Leonora knows she’s been prophesied to have a short life, and to die in battle. And when the earthquakes begin - signaling the changing of a Sun and tons of destruction - she is ready to fight until the bitter end.
There is so much happening here, from palace politics to fights in the street to ancient gods to promises of paradise to anti-colonialism escapades to a budding romance … and truly so much more. There are so many intriguing elements, especially when you bring in real (slightly and fantastically altered) history and folklore. But it turned into total chaos.
I love a large cast of characters, and mythology, and lots of different threads. Here it felt like the writing was bubbling with excitement and attempting to weave in every single brilliant idea. I just think it needed a lot more structure, more information around the main elements (most readers won’t know the intricacies of this mythology), and someone to cut some of the excess elements.
I was not in flow with the writing and not totally aligned with Leonora as a main character. She’s very immature and adolescent, and while she definitely has a bit of a coming-of-age journey, it just felt like she was too young & too flat to shoulder all the story elements. Her realization towards the end was just so simplistic, and much of the dialogue is cheesy.
I think I was far more into the first half, which had a lot less action, but more of a clear plot. When we get into the action scenes, people are just popping around and it felt impossible to envision what was actually going on half of the time. And then nonsensical plot twist after nonsensical plot twist after revelation after revelation after character death (!) where we’re just moving on. And the stuff between was all so murky. I wasn’t sure why this story was written and who the author’s intended audience was.
I am so bummed. I saw the vision!!
CW: death (parent), murder, religious bigotry, colonization, racism, genocide, xenophonia, grief, war, animal death, classism, guns
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(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookish_hollyx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War
seubecca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Colonisation, War, and Classism
vexatiousbird's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was exactly what I wanted it to be. Vivid and heartfelt. A protagonist who struggles and doubts but perseveres for a higher cause. A little twist of romance that doesn’t get in the way of the plot. A more hopeful reimagining of a terrible time in history. Well written and hard to put down. I loved how the mythology was brought to life and explored in a new way.
My only complaint is Leonora’s brother- his character is a little too flat to have as big an impact on the resolution as he does in the end, and his part of the plot wrapped up too neatly and suddenly. I think there could have been another chapter or two to get there more realistically.
My only complaint is Leonora’s brother- his character is a little too flat to have as big an impact on the resolution as he does in the end, and his part of the plot wrapped up too neatly and suddenly. I think there could have been another chapter or two to get there more realistically.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death
rowanhill's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Features:
- Gender bent retelling
- Indigenous mythology and folklore
- Realistic historical setting with a magical twist
The promise of a gender bent retelling of Zorro with a Mesoamerican twist drew me immediately to this book. Taking place around 20 years after the Conquest of Tenochtitlan, this book not only managed to immerse me in the culture and mythology of the region, but also provided an honest snapshot of a very dark and complicated period in Mexican history. The magic system introduced into this otherwise realistic historical setting was intriguing and really felt like it belonged. Unfortunately, the strength of the setting did not carry over to the characters of the book. I was looking forward to a more modern and complex exploration of a ‘Zorro’ character, but was left a little disappointed. I had a good time reading the book, but a mix of relatively flat characters and pacing issues makes it far from the perfect read for me.
Summary
Ever since the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Indigenous people of Mexico have suffered under the tyranny of Spanish rule. Things are only getting worse as the Spanish continue to tighten grip on the once powerful empire. Standing between her people and the brutality of the Spanish is the mysterious masked vigilante Pantera. A skilled warrior wielding ancient magic, Pantera represents everything the Spanish are trying to wipe out for good. Little does anyone know that behind the mask is Leonora de Las Casas Tlazohtzin, a noblewoman who might soon become the future queen of Spain. Balancing a double life only becomes more complicated as prophecies of the end of the world as they know it and her own early demise seem to be coming true. The powers of Leonora and Pantera alone might not be enough this time.
An Immersive Setting and Magic System
I have always been a sucker for a good historical setting and this book definitely delivers. Despite having some magical aspects, this feels like an accurate representation of 16th century Mexico and manages to be both sensitive to native cultures and unforgiving in its depiction of Spanish colonization. The cherry on top is definitely the magic system. Where not overly complicated, it melds so well into the mythos of the region and enhances the culture aspects being explored. My one complaint is that there are multiple times where Leonora ‘sets the stage’ through exhibition rather than allowing us to immerse in the setting more naturally. However, as someone previously unfamiliar with this slice of history, I found most of the information interesting and helpful rather than distracting.
Lackluster Characters and Uneven Pacing
In addition to being Pantera, Leonora is an individual of influence trapped between two worlds. She is mestizo (a person of mixed Spanish and indigenous descent), and though she is more connected to her indigenous culture, her life outside of being Pantera takes place amongst the Spanish elite. These aspects of her identity along with the time period opened the door for a really intriguing and complicated character. Unfortunately, I feel like almost none of these opportunities are taken. Though Leonora contemplates the various masks she must wear, it never seemed like there was an authentic and deep struggle to reconcile the various pieces of herself. I definitely think there were attempts to do so, but it just doesn’t come through for me. Unfortunately, there is even less development of the side characters and the somewhat stilted dialogue fails to create any sort of chemistry (positive or negative) amongst them.
This book is a debut novel and like many, it struggles with some pacing issues. There is fast paced action and high stakes as we enter the story, but then the story seems to come to an abrupt halt for the better part of the first half. I don’t mind a shift from high adrenaline action to the slow burn of political intrigue, but without proper development, it just falls flat. However, more than that I think it was the sense that Leonora/Pantera is just kind of floundering for quite awhile. Pantera comes across as somewhat clumsy in a way that goes beyond just compensating for an injury sustained at the beginning. Likewise, Leonora fails to come off as clever or savvy in the political world and I have a hard time believing that others would fall for her charade. Their respective failures make it difficult for either to find direction in this story and this, along with a little too much exposition, makes for odd pacing.
Overall
Overall, I had a good time reading this book and would recommend it to people I know would appreciate the vibes and overarching themes. However, it definitely has some flaws that could make or break the reading experience for some readers, so I would carefully consider these before investing in this read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Religious bigotry, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lisashelves's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
madscientistcat's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The tempo and plot feel very young adult, though the violence is certainly not. The familiar plot with a beautiful overlay of indigenous Mexican religion and magic will be appealing to romantasy fans who are interested in a different perspective than the well-tread Eurocentric-style worlds. I appreciated Lares’s introduction and explanation and loved that she used Spanish and Nahuatl unabashedly and with no in-text clarifications.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail