The Sun and The Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz

Book Blurb
Reina is desperate.

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

Attacked by creatures that stalk the mountains, 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 Kesaré is unwanted.

Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. She tries to be the perfect daughter, 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 ignore power when it has always been denied 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 Review

I am still a fairly new reader to fantasy fiction, and what I love about this genre is the books that are inspired by the mythology and folklore of different countries. In her debut adult fantasy book, The Sun and The Void, Gabriela Romero Lacruz has taken inspiration from the folklore of South America in this story of two young women looking for acceptance from their families, and from society; their only crime is being of mixed race. As the title The Sun and The Void infers this is a book of good and evil, the light and the dark and the gods of this magic.

The two main characters of Reina and Eva are of different mixed heritage, come from very different backgrounds but also both are punished by their families for their parents actions in falling in love with a ‘creature’. Reina’s father was human and her mother was a Nazariel, a race that was used as slaves, seen as inferior and actually banished in most areas. A letter from the grandmother she has never met sees her travel to the seat of the wealthy Aguila Family where her grandmother is a powerful sorceress. Reina is desperate for love, family and acceptance which leaves her vunerable to the machinations of her grandmother and the Aguila family, who all see her as inferior. Eva, born an half Valco, which gives her antlers and a feel for magic, is in a very similar situation to Reina. Eva’s grandmother and family see her as a monster, someone who brings shame on her wealthy family, and has to learn more about her ancestery and magic without her families knowledge. She is aware of the Agulia family whose wealth and prominence is based on their Valco ancestry and magic, people who could teach her about who she is. However, like Reina this also leaves her vunerable in her desire to be free of her family and be free to be who she really is.

I loved Gabriela Romero Lacruz’s world building, the fresh new characters and the landscapes they habited. She has created some pretty frightening creatures including monsters that you can’t see but will kill you and remove your heart, and ‘Whisperers’ who shred you with their fierce claws. Through Eva and Reina Gabriela Romero Lacruz looks at the problems of colonialism; the hierarchy and how those of mixed race can be seen as inferior, the aim to supplicant the local religions with many gods to the colonist’s religion of one true god and the superiority of the colonists. This is a big read at over five hundred pages and the only negative I have with this book is that it did drag a bit, especially at the beginning and could have been about a hundred pages shorter. However this didn’t effect my enjoyment of the book, with it’s darkness and magic and I loved being immersed in this fantasy world, it was pure escapism and I got lost in the lives if Reina and Eva and the other fascinating characters.

The Sun and The Void is an impressive debut from Gabriela Romero Lacruz. I loved the setting against South American Folklore, learning about their myths and legends of this continent. The characters of Eva and Reina were beautifully imagined, with a depth that brought them to life and I found myself invested in their hopes and dreams and the fight for good and evil. I found this to be a fascinating and addictive read that was easy to become immersed in, and if you like adult fantasy books then I highly recommend this book. Dark, exciting and enchanting, I can’t wait to see what Gabriela Romero Lacruz writes next.

I’d like to thank Daphne Press for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.