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A review by pangnaolin
Solimar : the Sword of the Monarchs by Pam Muñoz Ryan
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was a pretty cute book! It’s a young adult/maybe just young reader’s fantasy surrounding the story of Solimar, the to-be-princess in a kingdom in México.
I enjoyed it because of its vibe, and it was just nice to read something fantastical and not super white, but I also have to be honest and say it wasn’t amazing. The main fantastical element of her rebozo and the monarchs felt oddly irrelevant and easily resolved, and otherwise, the story was fairly stereotypical, but I don’t really blame it, since it’s clearly for young readers!
The only thing that actually threw me off was the fact that the author decided to emphasize Solimar’s *Spanish* ancestors and refer to her as a descendent of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand… especially since they described characters as dark skinned (though I honestly would’ve felt this even if they were described as light skinned), I was a bit disappointed by the weird, colonialist nature of that sentiment, since I was looking forward to a more Indigenous book. That said, it was only a few comments, so whatever.
It was a cute short book and I think it’s great for what it is— a fantasy for young readers that adds some diversity to the scene! And I enjoyed it for that. But it’s obviously not groundbreakingly amazing or anything.
I enjoyed it because of its vibe, and it was just nice to read something fantastical and not super white, but I also have to be honest and say it wasn’t amazing. The main fantastical element of her rebozo and the monarchs felt oddly irrelevant and easily resolved, and otherwise, the story was fairly stereotypical, but I don’t really blame it, since it’s clearly for young readers!
The only thing that actually threw me off was the fact that the author decided to emphasize Solimar’s *Spanish* ancestors and refer to her as a descendent of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand… especially since they described characters as dark skinned (though I honestly would’ve felt this even if they were described as light skinned), I was a bit disappointed by the weird, colonialist nature of that sentiment, since I was looking forward to a more Indigenous book. That said, it was only a few comments, so whatever.
It was a cute short book and I think it’s great for what it is— a fantasy for young readers that adds some diversity to the scene! And I enjoyed it for that. But it’s obviously not groundbreakingly amazing or anything.