Sun of Blood and Ruin

A Novel

By: Mariely Lares

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Rumor has it on the streets of sixteenth-century New Spain, there’s a new vigilante in town serving justice. This reimagining of Zorro—featuring a heroic warrior sorceress—weaves Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history two decades after the Spanish conquest into a swashbuckling, historical debut fantasy with magic, intrigue, treachery, and romance.

A new legend begins…

In sixteenth-century New Spain, witchcraft is punishable by death, indigenous temples have been destroyed, and tales of mythical creatures that once roamed the land have become whispers in the night. Hidden behind a mask, Pantera uses her magic and legendary swordplay skills to fight the tyranny of Spanish rule.

To all who know her, Leonora de las Casas Tlazohtzin never leaves the palace and is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. The respectable, law-abiding Lady Leonora faints at the sight of blood and would rather be caught dead than meddle in court affairs.

No one suspects that Leonora and Pantera are the same person. Leonora’s charade is tragically good, and with magic running through her veins, she is nearly invincible. Nearly. Despite her mastery, she is destined to die young in battle, as predicted by a seer.

When an ancient prophecy of destruction threatens to come true, Leonora—and therefore Pantera—is forced to decide: surrender the mask or fight to the end. Knowing she is doomed to a short life, she is tempted to take the former option. But the legendary Pantera is destined for more than an early grave, and once she discovers the truth of her origins, not even death will stop her.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Mariely Lares (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

2-d story that leans too heavily on religion bashing

I had high hopes for this story. I love stories set in this time period, and across the globe, and from all religions. The description sounded amazing too… but I did not finish this book. I made it about 3/4 of the way through and had to bail.

The main character spends the vast majority of her time feeling sorry for herself, demonizing Christianity, and feeling bad for being half white. I understand the depiction of Christianity as something foreign in this novel. However, the sheer amount of Christian bashing in this book felt excessive. To the point where the main character makes fun of religion so much that it destroys any productive conversation.

Striving to see the perspective of the characters was made difficult because of the way they were written. Christianity was horribly misrepresented to the people of South America by the Spanish, but there was a better way to depict this. Resorting to mockery and insults is the shallowest form of criticism. I would have appreciated a bit deeper look, if this was meant to be a main theme.

I understand this book was meant to be a progressive work, but the main characters fell flat, and the story fell flatter. The author’s depiction of colonialism was confusing. This book does not stand on its own, which is unfortunate. It relies on an interesting premise to keep the reader from dropping the book immediately. However, it does not deliver this.

If you are looking to read a good book that displays the pain and suffering of colonialism, in a moving and engaging manner, with a good story I would recommend Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran.

Conclusively, this book was written poorly with unlikable characters. The concept of Christianity was poorly portrayed and the author hid her lack of skill by being, rightfully but inarticulately, upset with colonial rule. I wish this book had spent two more years in development and editing.