Gods of Jade and Shadow
a perfect blend of fantasy, mythology and historical fiction set in Jazz Age Mexico
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4.2 • 15 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'This is historical fantasy at its best' S.A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass
Casiopea Tun is too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own.
Until one day, when Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather's room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death. He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires.
In the company of the alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
A magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker.
Readers adore Gods of Jade and Shadow
'Delicious novel with Maya mythology seamlessly interwoven into a Jazz Age love story adventure' - Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This Mayan death god myth-making tale was perfect' - Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book is highly addictive' - Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Moreno-Garcia (The Beautiful Ones) crafts a magical novel of duality, tradition, and change, set in the late 1920s as Mexico transitions from its post-Revolution period to the Jazz Age. Casiopea Tun leads a constrained life in her grandfather's household in a small town, barely daring to dream of more. Such dreams are quickly snuffed by both her grandfather and her spoiled, narcissistic yet self-deprecating cousin, Mart n Levya. A minor act of rebellion, opening her grandfather's secret chest, releases the injured and imprisoned Mayan death god, Hun-Kam , Supreme Lord of Xibalba, and inexorably binds her to his quest to regain his underworld throne. Hun-Kam 's bond to Casiopea infects him in return with vestiges of mortality a circumstance his ambitious twin, Vucub-Kam , plots to use to his advantage, assisted by a somewhat reluctant Mart n. Moreno-Garcia's seamless blend of mythology and history provides a ripe setting for Casiopea's stellar journey of self-discovery, which culminates in a dramatic denouement. Readers will gladly immerse themselves in Moreno-Garcia's rich and complex tale of desperate hopes and complicated relationships. Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the character Vucub-Kam 's name.
