NetGalley Review: The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz

Hey all, Sam here.

All right, well today has been an interesting day. Shortly after waking up, I was checking my e-mails, and had one from the Gen Con Writer’s Symposium. Unfortunately it held not happy news; it seems that the panel I was most looking forward to has been cancelled. I understand why, because the author had to cancel due to familial health issues, and obviously she should be with her family. But it doesn’t negate my sadness about it.

Anyway, I’m still working my way through my July TBR and get my book reviews prepped and scheduled. I think I’m doing pretty decently with keeping up with everything, which is pretty awesome. And there’s even more to come. I’m going to try to casually participate in Dewey’s 24 Hour Reverse Summer Readathon, which is Friday, July 21 at 8pm (Eastern) to Saturday, July 22nd at 8pm (Eastern). I obviously work both of those days, but I think I should still be able to squeeze some decent reading in.

Okay, now onto today’s blog post, another NetGalley book review, and one that I was very excited to read because the cover is beautiful and the premise sounded very cool. This book will be released in the US on July 25. And…let’s just dive right in.

In a lush world inspired by the history and folklore of South America, a sweeping epic fantasy of colonialism, ancient magic, and two young women’s quest for belonging unfolds.

Reina is desperate.

Stuck living on the edges of society, her only salvation lies in an invitation from a grandmother she’s never known. But the journey is dangerous, and prayer can’t always avert disaster.

Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn—and keep—her favor. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.

Eva Kesare is unwanted.

Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries her best to be perfect and to hide her oddities. But Eva is hiding a secret: magic calls to her.

Eva knows she should fight the temptation. Magic is the sign of the dark god, and using it is punishable by death. Yet, it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you. Eva is walking a dangerous path, one that gets stranger every day. And, in the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.

My Thoughts

Rating: 3.5 stars

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did.

First off, the cover is lovely, and that is true whether it is the US or UK cover. Secondly, the premise sounded rather interesting, and of course I was intrigued by this being a South American inspired fantasy tale.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite work overall. When it came to the descriptions, there were some that were repeated quite frequently, such as the sun being spicy, and there’s other ways to describe sights or sounds.

I think the biggest issue for me was in terms of plot and characterization pacing. The first 35% was basically set-up and then a few things would happen and then it felt like another 15% of slow set-up and then a few things would happen. It felt very uneven. Also feeling very uneven was the time spent with our two main characters. From the book summary it is clear that Reina and Eva are supposed to be our two main characters but we would get four or five chapters with Reina and then maybe one or two with Eva, so it felt very unbalanced.

The slow moments really did feel like a slog, and I was pushing myself to keep going. And the reason why I kept going was because in those times when things were happening, they were really interesting and I wanted to know more.

I also wished that both Reina and Eva would have been more proactive and more active in general when it comes to their lives. They were just continuously controlled and manipulated and betrayed by those around them and it they felt more like side characters who have to deal with whatever ramifications come from the decisions and actions of the main characters. I like main characters who have agency and actually make choices and follow thru on actions to change the course of their lives.

I still did like this book, overall. I thought the connections between Reina and Celeste, and I did want to know more about the world and the gods and the magic. I think there’s a lot of potential here…and so I’m most likely going to pick up the next book, just to see what happens.

3.5 stars is still a good rating. It doesn’t mean the book is bad. All it means is that I felt there was something lacking, but that there was enough potential and enough to like to keep me reading and wanting more.

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Well, that’s all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.