The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Rating: 
Nothing is perfect, and as such, the reviews in this blog are chaotic. My main aim is to share my thoughts, joy and opinions on a book, not make a publication perfect review. This blog endorses authenticity, showing up and joy over perfection.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
Disclaimer: Receiving a review copy from the publisher does not affect my opinion of the book. If you think I review it highly it is due to me knowing my taste well and therefore not requesting books I won’t enjoy. And I am not obligated to review the book if I do not like it, so you may not see bad reviews due to me preferring not to hype down a particular book. I only do reviews of books I disagreed with if I think it is worth bringing a topic or warning to light.
I will review this the same way I sold it to a friend recently. As a Mexican Latina, I tend to be cautious about Latinx books because I have been disappointed by a few. But this one feels right there with the experience. I know the world is fantasy, but the undercurrents of history are there, and the ways of life. Plus it has a glossary, it has pages presenting you the characters and what they do and mean, and the names are explained as to how it works in most of Latin America. So in that respect, it is already high on my list.
The second thing is that it has a wonderfully grey palette of characters. No one is perfect, there is no hero and no villain, everyone is doing a little bit of everything and depending on the lens, it is how they are perceived. They do say that history is written by the winning side or by specific points of view and so this shows true here.
The story focuses mostly on two main characters Reina and Eva, who both have been mistreated and have a deep longing for belonging. So we get the story from both sides, one a nozariel and one valco, which are the two subspecies that were native to the country before being conquered, with valcos being seen as better and nozariels as scum. However, neither of them s being treated particularly well and they are both trying to change their destiny. And well, destiny has plans for them involving the gods, some interesting schemes and a lot of twists and turns which I don’t really want to spoil.
I do take points because this story is so long and there were parts that tried to describe the world in far too much detail, alongside having a cast that was vast and sometimes in some ways not necessary. Too many names, too many characters, and the setup to the main story took about a third of the book, which I think could have been done a little bit better. And we get a lot of exposition of scenery and similar but little in ways of understanding some other workings of magic better, it becomes a mix of giving too much information on some things and then backtracking and giving too little. So a better balance could have been achieved.
Still, Reina and Eva move through the world trying their best to live a life that is worth living, and they do make mistakes, big and small ones, and they get swayed, used and try to set up who they are all along, which was very interesting to see, and their growth as characters. Particularly for me, it was Reina who shone in her growth, as it is a bit more of a chaotic one, whereas Eva keeps going in a much more steady line.
Overall, I do recommend reading it, it has some good representation woven through the fantasy world and the magic that exists in it. Geomancia was fascinating as a concept and in how it was deployed in the world and story. And you get some brilliantly grey characters, a lot of female ones for the lot and some other interesting bits. Give it a try!