I almost gave this up after the first few chapters but I’m glad I didn’t. Where I don’t think the characters and the history/mythology was fleshed out as much as it could have been, it was still an interesting story. I would have liked a little bit more.. development, I guess, though.

The ancient god of death has been imprisoned by his brother so when a young Mexican girl releases his spirit from a hidden box, she is bound to him and must help him find his missing body parts as well as take on his brother in the underworld. A clever mix of Alladin and Cinderella with wonderful Mayan myths this book is the Mayan mythology/fantasy we have been missing. This fairy tale is set in 1920s Mexico and is richly depicted with all the sights, jazz sounds and lush scenery from rural villages to dense jungle to the mecca of Mexico City.
Casiopea is a heroine like no other. She is basically an indentured servant who has the fortune or misfortune of discovering her families dealings with the underworld gods. Innocent but not without dreams and a need for adventure, Casiopea is in awe of, irritated, and a little in love with Hun-Kame to whom her destiny is tied to. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has brought to us a rich fantasy underworld mythical proportions and paired it seamlessly to jazz age Mexico. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book had everything that would make me pick it up. The first thing being a death deity, the second a girl having some sort of relationship with said death deity. But don't think this story is like that of Hades and Persephone cause it's not; it's a bittersweet story where the journey of the book was my absolute favorite. And seeing their relationship blossom was the best part.

Gods of Jade and Shadow is set during 1920's Mexico. The Jazz Age as it is known and Casiopea is one of our main protagonists. Along with the Mayan god of death Hun-Kamé who tasks Casiopea on an adventure to get back his throne and kingdom from his brother who stole it from him. Told in third person, we get to see just how things flow from the protagonists to the antagonists.

Casiopea is strong willed and so stubborn that I immediately fell in love with her. She would often get in trouble for talking back, squaring her shoulder's and sass talking back to her cousin Martín. Their relationship is so complex that you see just how similar it mirrors the relationship Hun-Kamé has with his brother Vucub-Kamé.

What I loved most about this book other than Casiopea and Hun-Kamé was the backdrop of the places they adventured to. Each description of the towns they visited made me feel as if I were actually there experiencing with them. It was so magnificent and so utterly beautiful that I read this book in less than 24 hours. There is magic from the very first page and I knew right then that this book was going to be unforgettable.

Gods of Jade and Shadow is the story of a young woman, a poor relation to a well-to-do family, and her journey across both Jazz Age Mexico and the Mayan underworld with the handsome and fearsome God of Death.

Casiopea has long yearned for an escape from her life of drudgery in her grandfather’s home, where she is not much more than an unpaid servant. One day, after being denied a chance to take part in a family outing, she opens a mysterious box and accidentally releases the Mayan God of Death from captivity. He convinces her to assist him in his quest to regain his throne from his duplicitous brother before time runs out.

This is a fairy tale/historical/fantasy/adventure novel of the highest order. Moreno-Garcia has a deft touch with description – frenetic, overwhelming !920s Mexico City comes alive as does mysterious, darkly beautiful and horrible Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. Her characters are finely drawn, as well, with understandable motivations, even when they’re in the wrong.

It’s a beautiful story and I am so delighted to have had the chance to read and learn about a time and culture I know so little about.

This review will be posted on my blog/Instagram/Goodreads which can all be found under the name TheGeekishBrunette. Links to each review will be provided when it is published on July 15th. Thank you!



Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction/Sci-fi/Fantasy
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2019

eARC provided by publisher (Random House Publishing Group) through NetGalley. All Opinions are my own.

I was really excited to dive into this book because of its take on Mexican folklore. It is an uncommon one to be written about. It also being in the Jazz Age was another plus for me! If those two things haven't convinced you then look at that gorgeous cover! The colors are everything.

The plot, of course, is full of Mexican folklore that weaves itself into a unique and attention grabbing fantasy. The main character, Casiopea, is on a quest to help the god of death take back his throne from his brother.

Casiopea is far from being a pushover and even when certain circumstances arise with Hun-Kamé (god of death), she still holds her ground and does it the way she wants to. I loved her character and the attitude she brought along with teaching him a thing or two about human emotions. As for Hun-Kamé, he is stubborn, hard-headed, and sometimes just doesn't get it. I mean, he is a a god after all. He grows on you throughout the course of the book and I loved his character development.

The romance in this book was one that I found myself enjoying because it didn't just occur out of the blue. There was build-up and that is something I tend to need to make it more believable.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and hope others will enjoy it as much as I have! If you are a fan of folklore, definitely check this one out!

5 out of 5 stars

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of the most talented writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Her insight into the human psyche is unparalleled and her characters and settings feel beyond real. I adored her last novel, The Beautiful Ones, but Gods of Jade and Shadow completely blew me away.

Set in the magical world of Yucatán in the 1920s, Gods of Jade and Shadow tells a story of a poor young woman who becomes an unlikely ally to a dethroned God of Death who wants to take his throne back and punish his twin brother. It is a story of growing up, of finding your own path, learning to forgive and understand and of acceptance. While the book does have adventures and there are some very exciting action scenes, this book is mainly about a journey, a physical and an emotional one. Moreno-Garcia does this so well, that I could honestly feel and touch these characters while reading. And the world she created! Ah it is beyond beautiful and magical and magnificent. It pays homage to the Mayan culture with incredible creatures, dark magic, crystal pyramids and palaces set in the land of death - just BEYOND.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys strong female characters, incredible character development, magic and who loved The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

To start, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this novel in exchange for my personal thoughts and opinions.

I greatly enjoyed this book for the most part. I found it to be unique and original in its choice of mythology despite not being completely unique in its premise and plot. The plot has a fairly standard mortal helps god out by completing a series of quest that for some reason the god cannot do themselves. Throughout the different quests they meet interesting and unique side characters and have smaller challenges that they must overcome before the larger one. It's a fairly standard formula for a novel and there isn't anything wrong with that. The thing that makes this novel unique is the mythology that it has chosen to weave around itself and set it apart.

The novel is loosely based off of the Mayan epic Popol Vuh, which tells of the Mayan creation myth and the Hero twins of their culture. I haven't read very many, if any, novels that are based in Mayan mythology. I found learning about the culture interesting, even if it is in a fictitious narrative. It has inspired me to look and see if I can pick up some more books with Mayan culture first and foremost. I knew a little solely because of my archaeology degree and interest in most things history, but this novel reminded me of an interest in Mayan culture that I had forgotten. Moreno-Garcia did some research before the novel in terms of the Mayan culture, but also for what Mexico was like back in the 1920s and the combination of the two gave this novel a really interesting atmosphere and vibrant visuals.

However, despite these two things, I found the pacing and the character development to be a bit lacking for me. Like I said this is a fairly standard formula for a god and mortal friend story. However, I found that the pacing with small tasks building up to the larger one to be a bit slow. This could be because it included a few different POVs that were unnecessary and actually didn't help build the tension. It could also just be because I felt that there was one side task too many. Things are better in groups of three and this one had four.

Also, I don't actually feel like any of the characters really developed in this novel, except for maybe one side character and it wasn't even written throughout the novel. It just mostly happens at the end. I acknowledge that this is a standalone so there isn't going to be more time for lengthy character development, however, I still want my characters to go through some. Casiopea, the main character was perfectly adequate. She's likeable, "feisty", and smarter than she realizes. However, other than maybe growing in confidence a bit, she didn't really change too much as a character. She basically sprung from the first page as someone who was made for the journey at hand. And the gods are well... gods. They only find bits of their missing humanity.

Another side note that I want to mention is that this is supposed to be an adult novel. However, I can see why some places want to characterize this as YA. The main character is a little young for your average adult novel and the author never takes the novel to the fully dark place that it could go, since it is dealing with Mayan death gods. It does have some dark imagery involved, but it still takes on a light enough tone and there isn't anything super explicit to make it an adult novel in my eyes. The romance is barely there and certainly nothing explicit happens, there is minor language used sparingly, it has some grim and vivid descriptions of the underworld, but that is about it. There is one scene, which I cannot mention without giving too much away, that is perhaps why it is categorized as an adult novel, but I think that older teens would be okay reading it as well.

Overall, I would recommend this for anyone looking for a quick fantasy read. Especially if they want a standalone.

A similar, but perhaps expanded upon review will go up on my blog on the 20th of July.

Reading Gods of Jade and Shadow at first was a bit like reading Homer or more currently, Tolkien as it seemed it would be very difficult going. Different languages, hard to pronounce names, countries and times I knew little about. Yet as it went along it became more of a fairy tale, very similar to Cinderella. But darker, full of gods of the underworld and death.

This story is very deep, very intense and very beautiful. I loved the world creation, the characters, not to mention the depth of description and language.

Casiopea made a wonderful Cinderella. But a Cinderella for today. A Cinderella we could all aspire to. Hun-Kame was an unusual hero, being a god of death, twin to a more usual villain,Vucub-Kame, and a king without his crown. The evil "stepson" cousin Martin, played his role well, being petulant and selfish and greedy as only an evil cousin can be. And the even more evil master of the house, the grandfather, Cirilo Leyva, was a nasty, bitter old man, as fits the traditional "stepmother".

Put this cast of characters together, weave a tale of a misused girl, an evil grandfather, a vicious cousin, a cruel, greedy usurper and a god who needs to win back his crown, and you have the makings of a fairytale for the ages. This was so well written, so fully fleshed out, so vivid in its detail and so engaging in its dialog that I'd be hard-pressed not to recommend it to all.

Excellent job, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. You have placed yourself firmly in the company of the Brothers Grimm. So very well done indeed!

I totally enjoyed reading Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia #GodsOfJadeAndShadow #NetGalley . Looking forward to reading more by this author. As historical fiction, I feel like I learned a lot about the Mexican folklore and culture of Casiopea Tun who is somewhat of a Cinderella. character. She lives with her rich relatives and is treated as a common house slave.. But she yearns for more. By happenstance, she frees and reanimates the Mayan god of Death who has been held captive in a trunk for 200 years. And so the adventure begins. She agrees to help the god return to his home in the underworld to defeat his twin brother who has taken his throne as king of the underworld. His brother is intent on returning the world to honor him as in the old days, when tribute was in the form of human sacrifice.

The journey with the fallen king of the Underworld is adventurous and frightening, but Casiopea has made a solemn promise to help and support .him. It may cost her her own life, but at least she is able to live a life of freedom and adventure.. And, she finds that all she wants now is to be with him forever..

I was given a copy of this book through NetGallery, but am voluntarily posting an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

This book was exhilarating. Our scene is set almost as a Cinderella story, but it goes so much further than that very quickly. Soon our heroine is on an adventure with a deposed Mayan god, and her pace almost feels breathless. I was sucked in quickly and inhaled the book over about a day and a half.

(SN: Anyone else have The Road to El Dorado stuck in their head the whole time? Every time I saw the word Xibalba I was tossed back into the movie and I'm sure that's terrible but eh that's life :P)

Anyway, Hun-Kame was not exactly likable as a god, but as he grew more and more human I sort of started falling for him too. Casiopea's longing for adventure finally caught up to her, and she got what she wanted, but not exactly as planned. Martin - I just wanted to slap him silly. And pretty much the entire rest of her family.

The reason I gave this 4.5 stars is because we don't get to see what happened to Casiopea's family after the final "game." I wanted to know what was going to happen to her grandfather, how her mother was affected, and all that. I wanted to know what kind of person Martin would become. And admittedly, even though the way it ended was actually kind of perfect, I was a little disappointed that it didn't end the way I half expected it to. I think it could have worked out either way, and I do like that the author was bold enough to end it with the outcome she chose.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this wonderful book.

4/5 stars

Ok so, I just love this cover? It's what got me to look into this book in the first place. I was actually shocked, but not surprised, that this was by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I read and loved Certain Dark Things, a Mexican/Aztec vampire novel, and I was really interested to read this Mexican/Mayan Death God story. I love seeing novels that have some sort of background in my roots, and I honestly don't see it enough. I'm shocked I didn't hear about this earlier before I received an ARC for it!

So the actual book! For the most part, I enjoyed Silvia's storytelling and writing. Like Certain Dark Things, this one has it's own tone while still having her lush descriptions that I enjoy. Our MC Casiopea (Casi for short) is brought into the world of the Gods by pure mistake. She accidentally unleashes the God of Death and must accompany him to retake his throne from his brother.

We really get to see major world-building, which is what I was actually missing from Certain Dark Things taking place only in one location. In Gods of Jade and Shadow, we travel across the country and even explore the Underworld. Silvia's writing really shines because she's a master at just describing everything without it being too in-your-face. I can't really describe it right, but I'd go as far as to say that it was magical. Characters are strong as well for this very reason, too.

Only reason I knocked down a star is that it dragged quite a bit in the middle. I also had a hard time getting into the story for about the first 75 pages or so. Even though things get started quickly, much like in Certain Dark Things, I didn't feel invested until we were a ways in. This may be an issue for some. I just wanted to point that out because I was actually getting worried I wasn't interested.

Overall, I still recommend this! It was a really great mythology fantasy book! This is an Adult novel though, so if that turns you off I'd suggest borrowing from a library. I think many people will enjoy this though! It's a bit different than the average novel releasing, so I think it's worth a shot!

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gods of Jade and Shadow absolutely stole my heart; it is a beautiful story about making your own destiny. It tackles complex, interesting issues like what makes us human and what makes our life worth living. This isn't an action-packed fantasy read, and I appreciated that. There are moments of action and tension, but it's mostly an exploration for what it means to make your own choices and actively pursue your dreams.  It is thought-provoking while also keeping entertaining, adventure elements.

Casiopea is such a great main character. She is willful and yet so unsure of herself because she grew up in such unfortunate circumstances. But, she tries to not let her situation get in the way of dreaming her own dreams and striving to live a life she thinks would be worthwhile. Her character is a great foil for Hun-Kame, the god of death, because they are so different and challenge each other in beautiful ways. My favorite part of this book was reading the way they interacted and their funny conversations with each other.

I really appreciated becoming immersed in a mythology that I feel like doesn't get enough attention in fiction. Moreno-Garcia breathes life into Mayan mythology and makes it feel so real and present. Reading about the magic of the underworld and the gods interacting in their realm was an absolute treat, and Moreno-Garcia's skill with writing is incredible. I feel like I was effortlessly taken on a journey, which meant she had to work really hard to create this world and embed the fantasy elements to make them seem natural. I am going to actively seek out more books centering on Mayan Mythology, and I will for sure be looking out for Moreno-Garcia's other books as well!

“Fate is a force more powerful than gods.”

4.5 Stars

I’m having such an amazing reading month! I feel like it’s just a matter of time until I strike out, but for now the streak continues.

This book has my favorite qualities in it, including but not limited to: Death and the maiden, light and dark motifs, lord of death finds an equal in a simple maiden and they actively break each others’ cycles, compassion triumphs over hate, and redemption. Basically, it’s mythology at it’s finest.

Honestly, this is such a terribly special book. It’s so timeless and smart. I knew with every page I turned, that I would never have this exact experience again. Everything that happens is both surprising and something that I’ve always known. This book is such an absolute dream.

There are, as with most things, some room for critique... I wasn’t a huge fan of the changing perspectives in the book, but I can understand that it opens up the story and reveals things in a much bigger way than just one perspective would have. It’s just that I mostly just wanted to be in Casiopea’s storyline. The other thing is that the ending wasn’t fully satisfying for me. It completely was up until a certain point. I’m sure for some readers it’ll be just fine, but I like to have my cake and eat it too!

I enjoyed this book so, so much and would recommend it not just because it was an enjoyable read, but also because I think that the story told is ageless in it’s relevance. This would be great for anyone who enjoyed Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, The Star-Touched Queen Series by Roshani Chokshi, and honestly for any lover of myths, folktales, and legends.

“Destruction brings renewal.”

My review is also posted Magic and Mysteries, my blog, which you can find here: https://farawaygalaxy.home.blog/2019/05/14/book-review-gods-of-jade-and-shadow-by-silvia-moreno-garcia-🔲/

Gods of Jade and Shadow is a sweet dive into the world of Mayan mythology. The 1920s setting is beautifully rendered, and I enjoyed the novel as an historical travelogue. The scenes in which Casiopea is traveling by train and experiencing being in cities for the first time are transporting in the best way.

My only qualms are that Casiopea comes off as a bit of a Mary Sue at times, and the descriptions and plot were somewhat simplistic. However, on the whole the hero's journey was well done and worthwhile.

Many thanks to Net Galley & Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Thos book had good plot. Writing was ok. I wished there was more Mayan history in it. Author tried to captivate a reader with paranormal theme bit for me it fell a little short. Almost like my cake flavor was not sweet enough. Regardless, the book was a good read.

A young woman accidentally gets a shard of bone in her hand, bringing back to quasi-life one of the gods of the underworld. Bound to each other until he can remove the shard, the pair goes off to find three of his missing body parts--his ear, his eye, and a finger bone. Along the way the god becomes more human and the woman more entranced with his physical beauty. There's some beautiful descriptive writing, but overall the story reifies the power of men--living and dead and otherwise--over women in Latin American cultures. The formulaic horse-trading of the adventure was predicable.

Another amazing story by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The writing took a little to get used to, but it turned into a page turner quickly. Highly recommend, especially for those interested in Mayan culture.

Imaginative and exciting both. Highly readable! I will surely recommend. Good for many audiences. Love the Mayan aspect.

Unfortunately, this book really didn't work for me. I'm not sure why- I think the story could have been super interesting, and I was very intrigued by the premise, but the book was kind of a slog for me. I think it may have been the writing. Something about the writing just didn't work for me, and I think that compromised my experience with the book. Though I can see how some might enjoy it, this one didn't work for me.

I LOVE Silvia Moreno-Garcia, so I was pretty pumped when I was approved for an eARC of her latest novel on Netgalley. SMG has a way of writing books in different genres, but also blending genres, and that's what she accomplishes with her latest. Gods of Jade and Shadow blends a period piece with a mythological quest narrative that made my heart ache for our protagonist Casiopea.

I'll admit, it felt like it did take a minute to get into the crux of the story and into the fantasy elements. I think maybe the pacing in the beginning could have been tightened up. It felt like it took a bit establishing just how droll and terrible Casiopea's life is. I think Casiopea is a little bit different than the other characters SMG has written. She still has fire and a rebellious spirit, but she feels a little bit more timid and reserved than the protagonists in her other books. I didn't think it was an issue, I think it actually makes a lot of sense for the time period. Especially when she gets into all the things that are drilled into her head by the priests in her small town. So once she sees the world of the city and is experiencing different things, it's really hard for her to know how to feel about it.

I know next to nothing about Mayan mythology, but the struggle between Hun-Kamé and Vucub-Kamé was a lot of fun to read about. Especially since I love a good quest story, and the book is basically that with Hun-Kamé and Casiopea traveling around to collect all the pieces of his body that were taken from him. It's sounds gross, but it's really not.

There's a little bit of a romance element in this book, which I wasn't really expecting in this book, but it was a nice surprise. The romance is written in this very subtle quiet way, that it kind of broke my heart in the end. Like be still my beating heart, the emotions that SMG writes into these small quiet moments in this book are amazing. It's very mild heat, and more focuses on the emotions of the characters, if you are wondering how much it gets into.

I think if you love a good book based on mythology, or if you are fan of this author's work already, you would really enjoy this book!