Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares

Summary:

Pantera is a local legendary figure using magic and swordsmanship to fight for the people suffering under Spanish rule. Leonara is a daughter of the palace and a proper lady. Two sides of the same coin, Pantera/Leonara must face the fruition of an ancient prophecy and the possibility of an early death. However, facing her true nature may be the greater challenge and ultimately her salvation.

My Thoughts:

The positive things to say about this book start before you even get to the story. In the opening of the book, you get a note on history, terminology and pronunciation along with the legend central to the story in English and Spanish.

The story starts out with action from the start! The deeper you go, the more that is revealed and there is so much to uncover! There is politics, culture, war, religion, and higher powers at play.

This book was the definition of fantasy with Pantera (the panther) and the world that exists outside of the cities/towns. The culture and mythology woven in throughout the story only add to the magic of this book. It’s not often I read fantasy books that center so much around Mexican mythology and history and I loved every minute of it.

Unfortunately, this book did not come without some drawbacks. Don’t worry though because I only have two to speak of.

The first is the romance. While the romantic tension and storyline was there, I feel like it fell flat by the end. I think it’s important to note that focusing more on the romance could have potentially taken away from the storyline and the nature of the characters. 

Second was the pacing towards the end of the story. As things began to reach a pinnacle, it felt like there were a lot of sequences thrown in rather hurriedly. I think the book could have been a tad longer to relieve this issue. 

Because of this the ending felt rushed to me. But, looking back on the story, it kind of read more like a myth or a snapshot of a moment in history. Maybe that was the intention but I would have loved more in the end.

I don’t think book is perfect but it is one that I think people should definitely check out!