Gods of Jade and Shadow

It's a solid 3.5 but I didn't love it enough to garner a 4.

This book was not at all on my radar until I read some lovely reviews recently. And then the gorgeous cover enticed me with its beautiful shades of purple and turquoise, and I couldn't resist purchasing it. I was also fascinated to get to know a bit about Mayan mythology because it's always such fun discovering new myths and legends.

This book is written in a style that I didn't completely get - some sort of an omnipresent or omniscient way of writing which made it feel like the story was happening at a distance and I couldn't get emotionally connected to it. But it is also very beautiful and poetic and has a very mythical, fairytale feel to it, which can make it a wonderful reading experience for someone who can appreciate it better than me. The author does a great job of describing the setting of 1920s Jazz Age Mexico with its new trends in fashion, fast paced automobiles and fancy rail transportation, the clash between modernity and religion. The author manages to excellently combine the mythological elements of the Gods and the underworld and various creatures with a journey through Mexico and I enjoyed it all a lot. However, it's a bit slow paced and despite dealing with the God of Death, I never particularly understood the high stakes, so the journey didn't feel very urgent or impending. But it all came together very well towards the end and I thought the climax was just perfect.

Casiopea is an endearing protagonist. She has suffered a lot at the hands of her family and longs for freedom and adventure, but none of her hardships have been able to harden her or lessen her kindness and compassion. She is also proud and defiant and clever and I thoroughly enjoyed following her journey, watching her discover herself and what she wants and desires most in life. Hun-Kamé is a God of Death who starts off as someone sure of his powers and destiny, but due to his association with a mortal, he starts to see her and the world and humanity through new eyes, feeling things like emotion and love, and wanting to be something more than just the ruler of Xibalba. I enjoyed seeing this change in his character even though I couldn't always relate to him. I thought their relationship was written very beautifully, but I'm not sure I was completely convinced with the romance. I guess it just needed a bit more page time to feel realistic. The ending made me pretty emotional though, because I didn't expect it go that direction, but it was definitely completely in character for the protagonists.

If you love reading fantasies inspired by different cultures and mythologies, you should definitely check this one out. This is a fascinating tale of adventure and self discovery set in the beautiful landscapes of Mexico, and if you particularly like poetic writing style, this might just be the perfect read for you.

Gods of Jade and Shadow, a standalone historical fantasy novel inspired by the Popul Vuh and set during the 1920s, tells the story of a quest to restore a Mayan god of death to 100% pure god. The journey begins when eighteen-year-old Casiopea inadvertently frees him from a mysterious chest in her grandfather's bedroom, binding her life to his in the process. If she remains bound to him, she'll eventually die, but in order to free her, the Mayan god has to retrieve the index finger, eye, ear, and jade necklace that his brother took from him when he stole his throne and imprisoned him.

It's a delightful tale in which a courageous young woman discovers Mayan myths in the real world, and I enjoyed Casiopea's character, her dynamic with the Mayan god, and any part set in Xibalba. As a fast-paced adventure, it doesn't have much of the in-depth character development that I live for, but it's still an enjoyable novel and was a 2019 highlight for me.

Full Review on My Website

This one took me a while, eh? Gods of Jade & Shadow was a heavily anticipated book for me. But I'm bad at reading books with my hands and eyes these days (even though its my preferred method), my attention span is low and I'm perpetually restless. But there is also the fact that this book is not exactly a page turner.

Gods of Jade and Shadow follows Casiopeia Tun, a “lesser cousin” of a wealthy family who works on her grandfather's estate along with her mother, waiting on her grandfather hand and foot and constantly taking jabs and abuse from her spoiled, entitled cousin, Martin. One day, left alone on the estate, she finds herself with the key to a chest her grandfather keeps locked and secret, and decides to open it. She finds that bones of the god Hun-Kame, and is thrust onto a quest to restore Hun-Kame's rule over Xibalba and unseat his treacherous brother. Much of said quest though involves small adventures (before the big one, of course), allowing Casiopeia's small world to grow gradually, along with a love between her and he ancient god.

This is a hard one to rate because it is not for everyone. It wasn't even always for me. It moves slowly in a way that some may find tedious or without direction. I wasn't necessarily looking for a more action-packed story, but perhaps something that felt a little...fuller? The prose styling was inspired by old folk tales, so its more about telling than showing. And sometimes that's fine, more than fine, other times I found myself a little disappointed. The most lush and atmospheric part of the book was the final few chapters, which were my favorite and the most enjoyable and easiest to read, in my opinion. The rest felt like wandering around between brief quests.

There is also the matter of the romance. I am going through...some stuff right now and as such this might be fed considerably by my personal experience. But I just really was not in the mood for the “spunky girl and the stoic, mysterious man” trope. Their love story is a love story because they say it is. I...throws up hands and mumbles about something not understanding heterosexuality

I liked the concept here a lot. I liked the characters, mostly. Moreno-Garcia was handling some of her favorite character tropes - the angry rich boy is a much loved one of hers. I loved the ending, and overall I thought this was....nice.

A journey through Mexico in the 1920's in the company of an ancient Mesoamerican god of death. This is American Gods in the swinging 20s - similar vibes and as Neil Gaiman's master work. Silvia Moreno-Garcia conjures up the rapid change of the era in Mexico, and the dichotomy between the countryside and the city. She has a wonderful cast of godly and mythical entities that are met along the way, and the decidedly Mesoamerican twist to everything adds an intriguing difference from the usual gods in the real world type story.

There are some interesting theological questions asked around humanity versus gods and their relationships. Can gods become human, and what is the power of belief. How do gods die? Moreno-Garcia provides compelling characters and their relationships are intriguing.

This was such a great book -insert crying emoji- i don't know how to properly express my love for this story but it was sooo gooood. Our heroine Cassiopeia accidentally releases a Mayan god of death named Hun-Kame from a prison and embarks on a quest with him across Mexico and California so he can win back his throne and its set in the 1920s! She's stubborn and craving adventure and escape from her boring life where she cleans and and does her mean grandfather's and male cousins bidding, he's a newly awaken angry immortal engaging with the human world more than he has ever done before and is on a quest with a young woman who isn't afraid to give him attitude. There is adventure, humor, Mayan mythology, Mexican history, magic and a slow burn romance.

Gods of Jade and Shadow reminded me very much of American Gods, only with a gentler touch and more romantic overtones.

It's not classified as a YA book but I think that audience would enjoy it. It's about a young woman who has been dealt a bad hand but is suddenly touched by fate. She has to leave the home she knows, explore a new world, learn the rules, make choices and learn consequences, etc.

I knew very little about Mayan mythology so this was a nice little mini-exposure to it. The Mayan Gods provided the supernatural elements and gave the story a fairy-tale-like feel.

I am giving this the benefit of the doubt and marking it as 4 stars. The story has all the ingredients of a good story but the narration of the audiobook is soporific, which drains the life out of story. I spent half the book snapping out of a daydream, realising that either the character or scene had changed but the intonation hadn't. I strongly recommend this one be read.

I was really into the concept of this book. Mayan-inspired mythology set in jazz age Mexico? Sign me up! Reading it though, the execution just didn't grip me. I couldn't really get invested in the characters and the writing was a little too YA for me to really get into it. Look, I don't hate all YA, but many books intended for that audience are just... really intended for that audience and not for me. It reminded me a lot of Katherine Arden's “The Bear and the Nightingale,” another book using underutilized mythology in a cool way, but just not in a style I found engaging.

This is my favorite Silvia Moreno Garcia book! I love the characters and the slight bit of distance she creates between the audience and the characters. Then as we spend more time with them we grow closer with them. It is a great journey across Mexico as we journey closer to the characters. The setting of Xibalba is awesome and the ending is just so perfect. So amazing!

Wow, what a great tale of growing up set in a time and place that is very fascinating, if you find the Jazz Age an interesting time. Mexico is such a massive and diverse country that the possibilities are truly endless and the author does a great job zeroing in on what is needed to set scene. There is some debate apparently whether this is a YA or an Adult novel and yes to both. Wonderful stuff.

In this book about the Mayan gods, we follow a young woman who wants out of the life she's living. When she accidentally releases a god who has been asleep for 50 years, she is swept away on a life-threatening adventure with this mysterious, handsome god. But until they can defeat the god's brother, her life is slowly being drained away.

I think this book was fun. It was a little slower paced, and I found myself zoning out a few times. I loved the setting. Set in 1920's Mexico, there is a rich backdrop. Everything feels even further back in time when dealing with these ancient beings. I ultimately think it was a fun book, but the pacing could have been a little better. I didn't feel much attachment to the characters, so it ended up being hard for me to follow along.

TW: abusive grandparent (mentioned, past), alcohol, animal death, colorism, death (parental, past), domestic abuse, human sacrifice (mentioned), misogyny, physical violence, ritualistic self-harm

I feel like I knew early on that it would not be a happy ending so I kept putting off reading. Historical fantasy is my favorite genre, but I typically prefer it to be written in first person. I'm more endeared to the characters, whereas third person can be, well, impersonal. I don't tend to get sucked in to the story, even if it is amazing and makes me want to find more books on Mayan mythology. The descriptions of the otherworldly aspects were my favorite part, the creatures and foliage of Xibalba, specifically. The transition into humanity that Hun-Kamé experiences is also incredibly lovely. I probably will reread this book at some point, now that I won't be deterred by the ending. I'm looking forward to reading Mexican Gothic by this author in the near future. (When my copy I preordered a month ago decides to show up.

The Mayan God of Death and a young woman are bound together and must travel around Mexico of the 1920s to help the god restore his kingdom.

Here are some of the things I liked about this book: Casiopea's ability to defy those in her life who had power over her, including her grandfather and cousin. The interconnectedness of Casiopea and Hun-Kame as they traveled, and how that changed both of them in ways that were both good and bad. The character of the Mayan God of Death and the other figures from Mayan mythology including his twin brother, the magician Uay Chivo, Loray, the Mamlab weather gods. The places the two visited including Mexico City and Baja California and Uukumil and even Xibalba. The resolution of the story was also very satisfying.

this was a sweet love story, and i really enjoyed watching hun-kamé change, however i have a hard time with moreno-garcia's writing. it feels too simple, in a way which makes me feel detached from the characters and their dialogue, and not as absorbed in the world. i had this issue with mexican gothic as well - it may just be that her writing does not agree with me.