Review by Booklist Review
Set in the 1550s and inspired by the history and mythology of Mexico, Sun of Blood and Ruin focuses on a young woman of many identities. As Tecuani, she spent 10 years of her childhood in the secret city of Tamoanchan, studying how to harness her tonalli, or vital force, before returning to the capital. As Lady Leonora, the daughter of the former viceroy of New Spain, she navigates the treacherous court ruled by her brother and stepmother. She also prowls the streets by night as Pantera, a masked vigilante with the ability to turn into a panther. With magical creatures, gods, and their children moving in the world and Spanish colonizers attempting to strengthen their control, terrible things can happen. This ambitious debut plunges the reader into a terrifically detailed setting, following Leonora/Pantera/Tecuani as she tries to navigate life as the daughter of an indigenous woman and a powerful Spanish lord, caught in the space between worlds. Ideal for speculative-fiction readers longing for a fresh setting, Zorro fans, and those looking for a nuanced historical-fantasy treatment reminiscent of Rebecca Roanhorse and R. F. Kuang.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lares makes a triumphant debut with a vivid epic set in an alternate 16th-century colonial Mexico. It stars a mestiza woman known variously by her Spanish name, Leonora; her Nahua name, Tecuani; and her alter ego, Pantera, a defender of Indigenous people who is magically able to transform into a panther and draw superhuman strength from the sun. As she joins forces with an alliance of Indigenous groups calling themselves La Justicia and aiming to fight back against Spanish control, the kinetic fight scenes and deep, complex interpersonal relationships will swiftly draw readers into her world. With the Spaniards persecuting magic and dismissing "the old ways," it's up to Pantera to fulfill an ancient prophecy and thereby protect her people. Lares has a talent for historic detail and though there are dozens of Spanish and Nahuatl words that will likely be unfamiliar to many readers, she excels at weaving in enough context to make comprehension easy, including a helpful note on language at the beginning and a glossary at the end. The vast supporting cast is equally well integrated and easy to keep track of despite its size. Interweaving history, mythology, romance, and swashbuckling action, this is a surefire hit. Agent: Heather Cashman, Storm Literary. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT For the people whose land is now called New Spain, their only hero against the new government that outlaws their beliefs and magic is Pantera. She fights in the streets against the oppressive soldiers who drag citizens to the gallows in the town square. Yet few would guess that this masked, sword- and magic-wielding heroine is in fact Lady Leonora, the daughter of the Viceroy of New Spain and soon-to-be bride of the heir to the Spanish throne. Leonora intends to fight the Spanish rule of her homeland in any way that she can, including using the traditional magic of her ancestors, even as she plays the political game forced upon her. After she has a run-in with the rebels, her life takes a direction that she can only believe will be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. When she learns the truth of her origins, she may have no choice but to embrace her power to protect her homeland and its people. VERDICT Lares's debut is an action-filled historical fantasy set in an alternate 16th-century Mexico, featuring Mesoamerican mythology and a unique blend of magic and adventure.--Morgan Lockard
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gender-flipped Zorro figure with magical powers struggles to find her path in an alternate Mexico a few decades after Cortés' conquest. Lady Leonora is the illegitimate daughter of the late viceroy of New Spain and a Nahua woman of the Mexica people. As a child, she stumbled into the realm of the gods known as Tamoanchan, where she was known by the Nahua name Tecuani and trained in martial arts and sorcery, including the ability to shapeshift into a panther. Evicted from paradise after 10 years, she dons a black mask, calls herself Pantera, and uses her powers to help the Nahua fight Spanish rule. Now, Lady Leonora is betrothed to Prince Felipe of Spain, unexpectedly shipwrecked on their shores, and trading barbs with the annoyingly attractive Andrés de Ayeta, a Nahua man attached to the Spanish military. Like Leonora/Tecuani/Pantera, neither Felipe nor Andrés is entirely whom he appears to be, and a variety of dark secrets will be revealed once the loose confederation of Nahua rebels known as La Justicia move toward open warfare with the Spanish. In these challenging times, Leonora needs to figure out who she is and what she owes to herself and to others on various sides of the conflict. The book soon darts away from merely being a reimagining of the Zorro story, which is both a strength (because it allows the plot to travel into much more original territory) and a weakness (in that we never actually learn about the feats that gained Pantera her reputation). Pantera is mostly there as an established part of Leonora's identity crisis and a source of conflict; she mainly has the best of intentions, but her need to keep secrets and defend herself in a hostile world, as well as some entirely understandable mistakes she makes, have devastating consequences that she's forced to reckon with. Despite her fantastical circumstances, the resulting character is not a stereotypical high fantasy hero but a real person whom readers can believe in. A bloody, intriguing bildungsroman with a fascinating plunge into the mythology of Mexico's original inhabitants. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
