Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Pages: 352
Release Date: July 23, 2019
Genre: Fiction, Mythical
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand alone
Stars: 4 of 5
People of Color?: Yes!
LGBTQ?: No
Pass the Bechdel Test? (Strong Women): Definitely
Trigger Warning: Some violence but nothing excessive. Some gender violence (Martin threatens to hit Casiopea at several different points for not following his demands)
I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the premise of this story. Casiopea is a poor teenager who lives as a servant but dreams of the stars, adventure, and freedom. The jazz age has reached even the Yucatan, but Casiopea must watch from the sidelines. Though she lives with family, she and her mother are treated as servants because of her deceased father. Her grandfather and her cousin Martin treat her terribly and she is often slapped or punished for disobeying their demands. Her spirit refuses to bend.
One day, she opens a trunk and finds the bones of the god of death. Everything changes for her. She and the Mayan god of death start off on a series of quests to retrieve missing body parts that his traitorous twin brother has spread across Mexico. As the two travel together, Casiopea becomes more god-like and the god becomes more human. The author weaves Mexican and Mayan myths together than make a fantastic adventure. I learned so much about the Yucatan and Mexico City in the 1920s. I had to keep looking up facts because it was so fun to piece together a gap in my knowledge.
Likes: I had a hard time guessing how the book would end and the folklore made every character interesting and unique. I also liked Casiopea and the desire for Life that was very relatable.
Recommendations: Little cursing/violence/sex, so suitable for teens and up. I would recommend it for those who like folklore inspired stories (The Bear and the Nightingale, for instance) as well as fiction in general.
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