Thursday 18 July 2019

Book Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Fantasy/Mythology/Historical)

Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Publisher:
Jo Fletcher Books/Quercus

Publication Date: 23 July 2019
Pages:
352
Format:
eBook - PDF
Genre:
Fantasy/Mythology/Historical
Source:
ARC via NetGalley

 


The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.


Gods of Jade and Shadow was an entertaining read. I loved all the Mexican/Mayan mythology (a few snippets of which were familiar from the From Dusk Till Dawn TV series) blended into the 1920s-era tale, and I enjoyed the interactions and developing relationship between Casiopea and Hun-Kamé. The book moved at a good pace throughout, keeping me turning the pages, and I appreciated the ending which was satisfying while avoiding cliché. This is my second Moreno-Garcia read and I like her simple storytelling style, which works particularly well for a tale such as this involving a fairytale/mythological aspect. I would definitely read more by this author, and I recommend Gods of Jade and Shadow to fantasy/mythology fans looking for something a little different.


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