Sun of Blood and Ruin: A Novel

My honest review is that I was disappointed. The premise is great - a Zorro retelling set in Mesoamerica during the time of the interloping Spanish colonialists, a heroine (the Zorro-figure) who is part of both worlds yet even more than that, magic and culture and spiritualty-- all things that sounded so good!Let's start with what was cool! There is a vast love for the indigenous peoples that lived in Tenochtitlan and the surrounding areas because as we know American schools teach us basically zip about Central/South America except "and then the Spanish came and colonized--" so I appreciated both the afterward basic explanations, the big glossary, and the throwing us right into the culture and language. Although there is a lot of Spanish and Nahuatl words and phrases, they were pretty much immediately translated either with direct English or obvious enough in context to get the vibe without having to do a search all the time.Now, for the less positive:I don't know if it just wasn't for me but I didn't much enjoy the ride. There were a LOT of contradictions:"I don't kill." two pages later (not literally) kills a bunch of dudes"I haven't shifted since I lived in the jungle, I'm not supposed to without a master, I won't do it" two pages later shifts and does the aforementioned killing of a bunch of dudesThere's more examples but I don't want to just make a laundry list of immediate contradictions and things that don't really make sense.We know Leonora is the legendary Pantera, a masked witch/heroine to right the wrongs of the Spanish subjugators but also we never once see her do that nor get any backstory as to how she's so righteously regarded or even why people know to blow the horns three times for her (?).Another thing that is maybe a 'me' thing is that I don't really jive with writing that has lots of short sentences for effect(?). Leonora... doesn't quite have a defined personality and that may be a first-person-narrative flaw here since it's her POV only, how she is seeing the world and coming to terms with all this wild stuff that is happening around/to her but it's also hard to get a sense OF her at any point in this book. Likewise with Tezca -- we know from his intro that he's going to be a love interest but there's also not much to it. They're attracted to each other (partially because of their spiritual energy) but once they start working together there's like no chemistry and they spend almost no time together.I'm glad this being the first book in the series doesn't leave everything extremely undone like a lot of first book in a series have issues with recently and that there was a clear and definitive end even if we the readers are reminded there's still a crummy dude out there and also an epilogue that's really just a very unclear (to me!) setup for future story, but I think I'll stop my reading journey here on this one.Also: the cover is SO BEAUTIFUL! Loved that, it's what drew me to read the premise which led me to reading the book.Rounding up to 3 stars because even if there was a lot I don't like I think there's enough here that others may, and the historical fiction cultural education is pretty neat and is an important edition to historical fiction shelves.

Narrated by Victoria VillarealGenre: YA historical fantasyNew Spain (Mexico), 16th centuryThe old gods of the Mexican people are starting to lose footing as the Spaniards force Catholic conversion on the indigenous population. A young woman named Leonora, sister of the Viceroy of New Spain, is also Pantera, the Panther, a masked fighter who protects the indigenous peoples. As Leonora, she's been baptized twice and attends mass. As Pantera, she respects the old gods and listens to the prophecies... she is, after all, an actual panther shifter. This is the start of her tale as a fighter to maintain the balance, to fight against the injustice of the Spanish colonists, and stave off the destruction of the universe that comes with the Fifth Sun.When reading this with my eyes, I DNFed on page 5. First person present tense is very difficult for me to read that way, and I found the writing inaccessible. So I waited patiently for the audiobook from the library, and was very invested. The narration helped me connect with Lares's writing. Honestly, I also just love listening to Spanish in my ears these days (especially as I start to understand more of it).Sun of Blood and Ruin struggles a bit with pacing, but the audiobook really helped me get past that. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of, some of whom have multiple names and identities, but again, once you settle into the narrative, that makes sense. The romance is very slow burn, but satisfying for a YA book. There’s some interesting play with concepts of dualism, especially related to the magic system, deeply rooted in the indigenous religion.I’m really glad I gave this book a second chance. It’s pitched as a spin on Zorro - a masked vigilante from the upper class defending Mexico against Spain - and it does that well. It’s not packed with adventure, but there is still plenty of action.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager. I'm voluntarily leaving a review with my personal thoughts.Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Mythology, Mexican MythologySpice Level: Medium (Not a play by play description of spicy scenes but on the page)Language: A few well-timed swear wordsGore Factor: There are deaths in battle, but it's not egregiousRepresentation: The novel is filled with indigenous people and Spaniards, gay side charactersMy one word review: Fascinating.The setting is one generation post-Cortez, and Spain is at war with the indigenous people of what is now Mexico.That's important to understand when starting this novel because of the themes of colonization and autonomy.Some of my favorite things:Female Zorro archetypeIndigenous godsMagical realismComplex charactersFriendship between womenMonstersThe gods' politicsConnivingPosturingI didn't know a lot about the original inhabitants of Central America, so I had a learning curve. But it's worth it to read the story.Who will enjoy this book:Fans of Daughter of the Moon Goddess & Heart of the Sun Warrior.Epic fantasy readersHistorical fantasy readersMythology readersI think all fantasy readers will enjoy this book, and I recommend it.Happy reading!PS: I'm giving a shout out to the illustrator for the cover art—it's gorgeous!