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Combining historical fiction with fantasy, based on Mexican mythology and a gender-swapped retelling of Zorro, Sun of Blood and Ruin is an epic debut novel from Mariely Lares that had me hooked from page one until the very end.
Book: Sun of Blood and Ruin
Author: Mariely Lares
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy
Rating: 4 Stars
Release date: 28th September – OUT TODAY!
(Disclaimer – although I was kindly sent a free copy of this book to read and review from Insta Books Tours, I am not being paid to review it and this review is not influenced by that at all and is entirely my own thoughts & opinions).
Summary taken from Goodreads:
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.
Before I even opened this book, I was intrigued. This book had been on my radar a while before I was even offered the chance to read it early; a story that blends Mexican history and mythology with a retelling of Zorro? How fun does that sound? And then I saw the gorgeous eye-catching cover (I know we aren’t supposed to judge books on their covers, but let’s be honest – we all do it!)…and I was really excited to see what the story had in store! And what a story – a fast-paced, adventurous, emotional and clever novel from start to finish. What a book to be your debut!
From the first page of the book, you can tell Lares is passionate about not only the story they’re telling, but the authenticity and accuracy of the story and the historical element; there’s a map (instant win), in colour no less! (double win), but also a couple of pages explaining the historical context and the terminology that will be used throughout the novel. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that in a book before so it was really interesting and refreshing to see!
The book wastes no time, throwing you straight into the heart of the story and world, intriguing you with Pantera’s character instantly. The world-building in the book is stunning; full of richly beautiful descriptions, the devil is in the detail and the detail in Sun of Blood and Ruin is what really brings the world and culture to life, immersing readers completely. From the settings to the food to the clothes – it all aids in transporting readers, and it works! You can have a fantastic story, but without a world you can imagine yourself in and see, it falls flat; this is not an obstacle for this book. I could see myself stood alongside the characters, watching everything happen around me; Sun of Blood and Ruin wholeheartedly fed my imagination and made me love a place I’ve only seen through words.
A tense, adventurous plot, Sun of Blood and Ruin is fast-paced, filled with twists and turns that kept me guessing. An addictive story, and at times I found myself flying through the pages, so eager to find out what happened next and how everything would be resolved! This is a book you do need to concentrate on whilst reading, as every detail and character make the story so clever and you cannot miss a trick; nothing is there to fill words, and everything has a crucial part to play into the plot. Having said this, yes you need to concentrate, but it is an easy read in terms of the writing style. There’s a natural flow and I found I’d have read a great portion of the book in a short time without even realising; an entrancing tale that captivated my attention with ease. Furthermore, the story and characters make the focus required all worth it; a large and diverse range of characters, who are neither good nor bad, but very normal and with a lot of depth to them.
Something of note, is how I think this is a really clever way to educate readers in a way that’s fun and doesn’t feel like you’re just reading a textbook; the combination of the history and the fantasy element provides a way for people to learn about Mexican history, culture and the mythology in a way that’s natural with a cleverly crafted story. It’s all been woven together seamlessly, so not only are readers getting this epic adventure they get to go on, but they get to experience another culture at the same time. That’s what reading is about after all, is it not? Reading about different experiences and cultures to our own? And what a fantastic book to be able to do that with!
I also found the magic system in this book really creative and unique. I can’t say much more to keep the review spoiler free, but it’s the first time I’d read of a system quite like this. Furthermore, I enjoyed how identity was presented as a secondary theme in the book; if there are two versions of yourself, or if you’re always hiding behind a mask or another version of yourself – how do you know who the real you is? I found this whole undertone running alongside the main plot of the book a really interesting concept to read about and that was delivered in a really thought provoking manner.
The magic, fantasy elements of this book would have made up an original and interesting story individually, but paired with the historical elements provided a really good backdrop and context for the whole story to take place within.
The uniqueness of the magic combined with the history and mythology that is not as seen on bookshelves as, say, Greek mythology, makes this book stand out, and not only did it stand out for me, but it delivered. Sun of Blood and Ruin is a real journey of a book, not only for the characters, but for readers too. After spending so much time in this world and in the presence of the characters, going on this epic journey, you really get to experience and feel everything along with them; hope, love, heartbreak, adventure. Throughout the course of the book, I was able to see these characters learn, grow and develop right before my eyes. This is something I found commendable as whilst it is easy to carry this out in theory, it is so much harder to actually carry it out in writing, let alone carried out well; I can safely say, however, this is an example of it done well indeed, both emotively and effectively.
For a debut novel, I think Mariely Lares has a lot of potential for future works. An adult historical fantasy fiction that is full of epic highs and emotional lows and a unique book full of heart, magic and adventure; it provided me the escapism that is what the magic of reading is all about. Is this book perfect? No. But did I enjoy it? Absolutely! I look forward to seeing other peoples reactions to this book and I look even more forward to reading future writings from Lares.
Sun of Blood and Ruin comes out on the 28th September (out today!).
You can find out more about the author via her website here: https://www.marielylares.com/
Thank you to Insta Book Tours for giving me a spot on this book tour and for sending me a copy of the book to read and share my thoughts on.
You can find out more about Insta Book Tours here: https://www.instabooktours.com/
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