First off, I want to thank NetGalley and Samantha Larrabee from HarperCollins for sending me a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I actually hadn’t read the first book, Sun of Blood and Ruin, so I decided to do that before reading the ARC.

I’m so sorry, but—and here’s my honest review—I disliked the first book so much that I cannot bring myself to read the ARC of the sequel. I just did not like it. To prove that I did read Sun of Blood and Ruin, at least, I have pasted my review of that book down below.

***

I really liked the idea of this book but it’s just not written well at all. Honestly, I almost DNFed it; the only thing keeping me from doing so was that I was sent a free eARC of the sequel and I wanted (needed) to read this first before reviewing that book. However, I’m going to have to decline reading and reviewing the sequel as I just can’t subject myself to more bad writing.

Like I said, the idea for this book is a good one, and I was interested in reading it because of the premise and because of the mythology woven into the story. It’s just a shame the author couldn’t quite pull it all off that well.

The summary states:
“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.”

First of all, we barely see Leonora use her legendary sword skills and most of the time her magic is used to just…blow people away from her with big gusts of wind? We are told so many times that she went to this mythical place to study the sword and magic, and we don’t get a whole lot of explanation as to what specifically she learned.

I also don’t remember Leonora ever fainting at the sight of blood and “would rather be caught dead than meddle in court affairs” is actually laughable as that’s all she does in the palace! She wants to hide who her alter ego is but spends most of her time arguing and antagonizing one of the bad guys! Which is even funnier because he eventually accuses her of being Pantera when he literally has no evidence proving it. The text requires a reason for her to flee the palace so so General Nabarres accuses her of being Pantera when his SOLE reason for doing so is because she and Pantera have never been seen together.

Seriously? Pantera is in another city at the beginning of the book, and even visits the barracks of the general’s troops in the middle of the night. But because Leonora specifically isn’t there, she MUST be Pantera??

This book is just so badly written, and there’s so much telling and hardly any showing. What even was the point of Leonora’s maid Ines if she was just going to die in an earthquake? Supposedly, it’s to make Leonora angry at Nabarres and swear revenge (Nabarres killed Ines’ mother), except she was already against him from the start for killing another friend of hers! And then we don’t even get the satisfaction of her killing Nabarres at the end. She cuts off his arm and then a demon spirit flies off with him. So why did Ines have to suffer through an attack at the palace and get a horrible facial scar only to die later? Why are we still fridging female characters just to make the main character more angsty?

**Directly before she fights with Nabarres, she wakes up from being knocked unconscious and notes that one of her arms is broken. This is never mentioned again throughout the rest of the fight, and in fact, is stated at one point that she uses both her arms to hug someone.

The author likes to mentions things like that and then just drops them completely. I know I said I’m not reading the sequel but I can only hope that Martin being Cortes’ son actually plays a part in the sequel plot this time, because other than allowing Leonora to pursue Tezca (him not being the real Spanish prince = no marriage), his parentage did nothing for this book’s plot. And the whole scene at the wedding where he announces he’s not the real prince from Spain was laughable. He could’ve just run away beforehand! Instead, Leonora’s grand plan is to get him locked up so she can help him escape. 🤨 Nevermind that they were within their rights to execute him immediately for what he did. Leonora is supposed to be this great Zorro-like hero, and she’s really not smart at all.

I don’t know. My thoughts are all over the place, so I won’t continue (though I could lol). Suffice it to say, this book was a slog to get through.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I was enamored of the first book in this duplogy and this sequel is ok. But doesn’t live up to the original

What a thrilling ending to this series! I love a duology, and Sun of Blood and Ruin is a perfect one! This duology is entrenched in Mexican mythology, and gender reversed Zorro that is trying to bring peace to her people. This conclusion kept me glued to the page, reading well into the night to find out what happens.

It's always refreshing to read a book that takes inspiration from sources that aren't commonly used. Mesoamerican mythology is an area I know little about, but it made this duology absolutely fascinating, haunting, and gripping.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is the sequel to Sun of Blood and Ruin, which I had read about a year ago. I appreciated having the summary and dramatis personae at the beginning to catch me back up, though I would recommend reading the two closer together.

I enjoyed the melding of history and mythology in this alternate Mexico, where the main character is torn between her dual heritages and her role in the ongoing clashes between colonizer and resistance, with the additional fuel of god-magic. The pacing threw me off a little until I realized that it is somewhat episodic (fitting for a longish book).

Conflict finds Leonora, despite her triumph over the Obsidian Butterfly, as she faces enemies from
Spain and Snake Mountain alike. Now she must outwit the real Prince Felipe, save her allies and get revenge for Neza’a death at the hands of his treacherous brother, and defeat Tezca’s father before he can destroy the world—but in doing so she finds she faces a greater cost than ever before.

The mood in this sequel is somber, to be sure. It is full of loss and doubt and anger and betrayal. In fact, the cycle of emotions Leonora faces (and the cycle of the historical events) are so repetitive as to make the plot lull and drag on. I understand that this duology was based on actual historical events, but I was hoping for a little bit more fantasy. The constant conflict and loss outweighed the little bit of romance and friendship that kept me going (I considered DNF-ing halfway through but stuck it out). I did want to see if she would be able to save Tezca or not.

Overall I think this duology would be better suited for someone who enjoys the more historical fiction over fantasy.

I went into Dawn of Fate and Fire cautiously optimistic after feeling a bit let down by the first book, which had a great concept but didn’t quite land for me due to pacing and some editorial hiccups. This time around, though, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing feels more confident, the world more immersive, and the storytelling tighter overall. It’s clear that Mariely Lares is growing as an author, and that growth really shows in this installment. While not perfect, this sequel delivered on the promise I saw in book one and now I’m genuinely excited to see where she goes next.

Similar to the first book in the series, this story contains rich mythology and historical elements as well as themes of anti-colonialism, identity, and faith.

In Dawn of Fate and Fire, despite the peace won as a result of the war in Snake Mountain, the Spaniards continue their schemes for power while a rebellion brews against them. Leonora is asked to take up her mask again as Pantera to soothe the growing tensions between the Spaniards and the Chichimeca. However, with each reveal, the stakes expand and Leonora must face a battle within herself in addition to the battles against the Spaniards and the god of night.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this story! There are several reveals as the story progresses and there is a romantic subplot which I couldn't help but root for. I wasn't as invested in the political scheming that occurs in the first half of the story, but I did enjoy the overall plot, Leonora's journey, and the mythology embedded within the story. The last ~25% of the book is what solidified my sentiments for Dawn of Fate and Fire as it genuinely invoked strong emotions within me. At this point, the pacing really picks up, the stakes intensify, and we get to see Leonora really come into her power.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.