Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is the story of Casiopea, a young girl who lives a Cinderella-like life. One day, upon opening a wooden box, Casiopea’s life takes a very sharp turn. Casiopea finds herself traveling across Mexico and the United States in the company of (most of) a God, Hun-Kamé, as he searches for his missing pieces, with the ultimate goal of regaining his throne in Xibalba. As the two face many obstacles together, they find strength in each other, as well as within themselves, eventually forming what could be deemed a friendship.

While I enjoyed the basic story, there were times when the story seemed to move so slowly. I absolutely loved the characters of Casiopea and Hun-Kamé, along with Loray. I really enjoyed being witness to Casiopea’s and Hun-Kamé’s internal growth throughout the novel; their individual changes were just astonishing, and Casiopea’s inner strength blossomed as she faced each challenge and obstacle.

It was really easy to sell me on Gods of Jade and Shadow—all I had to hear were the words “dark fantasy,” “Jazz Age Mexico,” and “Mayan retelling of Hades & Persephone” and I was ALL OVER this one. Fortunately for my heart, Gods of Jade and Shadow lived up to the hype and more.

This book is like a dark daydream on a hot summer’s day. If you boil the story down to its bare bones, it’s all about a young woman caught up in the eternal struggles of the Mayan gods of the dead. But that fails to capture the brooding atmosphere, the heartache you feel when you’re afraid that this story isn’t going to end well for anyone.

As a broad fantasy reader, it can sometimes be difficult to find something altogether fresh and original. But Gods of Jade and Shadow stands out from the crowd in the best way. Best enjoyed while sipping a strong cocktail on the beach at sunset.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

gods of jade and shadow (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Title: gods of jade and shadow

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Ray

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0525620754

Source: NetGalley

I fell in love with Moreno-Garcia's work because of her stellar vampire novel, certain dark things.  So I was very much looking forward to this Mayan fairy-tale set during the Jazz age in Mexico.  And this book was absolutely wonderful.

I have to admit that I have very little knowledge of Mayan history and culture outside of the bare basics from me trip to Mexico when I was in me early teens.  That was a long time ago and facts fall out of me noggin.  So this book was a delightful foray into Mayan folklore.  I was often looking up places, names, and words while reading to enrich me understanding of what I was reading about.  These diversions did not cause me to lose the grip or flow of the storytelling.  Rather it intensified the enjoyment.

Part of this was the languorous journey of the plot.  The story had the feeling of reading an older historical saga in terms of style.  The plot was not full of heady action or serious psychological studies.  Instead it was very much showing the individual journey of Casiopea Tun and how she handles the quest she finds herself on.

Casiopea has always longed to get away from the house of her tyrannical, rich grandfather and have a life of her own somewhere else.  She has secret dreams of riding in an automobile, dancing the night away, and swimming in the sea.  These wishes are held close-to-heart and never spoken aloud.  But Casiopea's upbringing is at odds with her rebellious, curious nature.  That curious nature is what leads her to inadvertently release a captive Mayan Death God and change the trajectory of her life.

I absolutely loved Casiopea and the Death God, Hun-Kamé.  There was no predictability in terms of their journey or relationship.  Casiopea truly felt like a real girl thrown into an extraordinary situation.  She has no real magic but that of her inner strength as a person and her moral compass.  The change in the relationship between Casiopea and Hun-Kamé was subtle and yet absolutely compelling.  I loved how the magic worked between them.

The writing style was once again lyrical and beautiful and unique.  It is a story that feels a bit unreal and as a reader I was both engaged and somewhat unattached like I was floating over the story watching from afar.  And yet I was also very much concerned with Casiopea's circumstances and how the story would pan out.

This weird dichotomy only served to intensify the feelings that I was experiencing a fairy tale in a world way outside of me own.  I very much enjoyed reading another fairy tale based on a culture that is completely unfamiliar and yet absolutely human in its experiences and feelings that arise from following Casiopea's story.

This is also a book that for me had the perfect ending.  Hopeful and tragic and magical and yet somehow completely realistic.  Seriously I need to pick up all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work.  She floats me boat.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

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.

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certain dark things (Captain's Log - Sci-Fi)

What an awesome read! The whole book in one sitting, it was impossible to put down.

Will be leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

Hun-Kame, the Mexican God of Death, seeks vengeance on his brother, Vucub-Kame, for forcibly taking his throne and leaving him to languish in a nowhere point as bones in a chest for decades. Taking along a young woman named Casiopeia Tun, whose grandfather was Vucub-Kame's human accessory, the two journey across Mexico and the Southern United States in Jazz Era America to take back Hun-Kame's throne.

I LOVED this book. Seamlessly blending Mexican mythology and history - the story takes place during the transition from post-revolutionary Mexico to the Jazz Age, with American influences - Silvia Moreno-Garcia has incredible world-building, fully realized characters, and strong subplots about family and being a young woman in the 1920s, struggling for respect and freedom. The worlds of Xibalba (the Mexican underworld) and the "real" world come magically to life, drawing us readers in and encouraging to stay a while. There's a spark of romance that tugs at the heart, and Casiopeia's growth from a strong-willed young woman in awful circumstances to an independent woman in charge of her own destiny is a joy to read.

“Some people are born under a lucky star, while others have their misfortune telegraphed by the position of the planets.”

Fortune and family, and myth and magic are the themes and vehicles that drive Gods of Jade and Shadow.

“Like many young people, ultimately she saw herself as a completely new creature, a creation that had sprung from no ancient soils.”

The writing is lovely, but the story dragged for me a bit in the middle. Still satisfying and worthwhile.

“Men ceased to worship Xibalba a long time ago, but Xibalba remains because the well of power from which we were born is deep.”

Gods of Jade and Shadow is a beautiful novel and excellent take on the fairy-tale tropes. Casiopea is much like Cinderella, a servant to her family who does not think much of her. However, she is no Cinderella, not really. Casiopea is a compelling character, a character who dreams and obeys but offers silent ways of disobeying those who vilify her. Following her journey, Casiopea opens up, and there is vulnerability to her as the story develops, making her a well-rounded and relatable character. She is a balanced character, feisty and outspoken yet poised as well. Casiopea has a formidable voice, but internally and externally as she drives the story forward, she grows as a character and discovers truths about herself and the world around her.


Other than Casiopea, the story offers a complex narrative regarding Martin. Martin is at first, wholly unlikable, portrayed as the villain, but he is more complicated than that, and as a character, he grows through his trials. He is a perfect foil for Casiopea, and the dichotomy between the characters gives the novel a rich representation to it.


The story itself is also as engaging as the characterization. Set during the Jazz Age, the language and color of the time trickle in through the story, growing the more Casiopea travels. This evolution of music and time goes hand in hand with her self-discovery and works to track the voyage of the characters. It has vivid color to it, both to the language used and the description of the scenes. The reader can imagine the world effortlessly as Garcia captures this historical piece of Mexico with beauty. However, the added effect of the Mayan history, the mythology to it, gives the story a fresh feel to it. It makes the novel unique as it spins this story to life, following the characters along their respective journeys.


Culturally appropriate, this novel captures the heart of Mexico and its history.

After accidentally freeing a god of the dead from the prison his brother trapped him in, Casiopea must join him on a journey to reclaim his throne.

Sounds incredible, right? Unfortunately, this book left me feeling a little disappointed. I loved the story, and the vibrancy of Mexico in the 1920s was a wonderfully painted picture, but I felt disconnected from the characters the entire story. It felt like the writing, while poetic and beautiful, was keeping me at arm's length from the characters, which prevented me from getting invested.

I can definitely see what the author was trying to do. Telling a (somewhat) modern fairy tale while also bringing up issues of morality and class struggles was fascinating. The writing style just wasn't for me and kept me from enjoying this story fully. I do think that if you're interested, you should pick this one up when it comes out, because liking a writing style is totally subjective and changes between people and from book to book.

What an absolutely weird and charming book. Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, is equal parts Mayan epic fantasy, Mexican historical fiction, jazz love letter, quest fantasy, and Cinderella fairy tale. I am not sure who the target audience is, but it is such a unique and interesting book that it is sure to find at least a small niche following. The book is another of our dark horse candidates for 2019, so if you are looking for a new debut this might fit the bill. Or, if you ever thought about which Mayan gods would be best dressed as a flapper, then this book might be right up your alley.

Gods of Jade and Shadow tells the story of Caseopia, a classic Cinderella figure that is being abused by her extended family. One day while cleaning, Caseopia opens a strange chest her grandfather has lying around and discovers a god of death (Hun-Kamé) that her grandfather, and the god’s twin brother (Vucub-Kamé), had imprisoned. Hun-Kamé attaches himself to Caseopia and charges her with recovering a few missing pieces of his person so that he may retake the underworld, called Xibalba. If Caseopia does not recover them quickly, the god will drain her life force and she will die, providing ample motivation. Thus, Caseopia and Hun-Kamé set out on a quest to visit a number of colorful characters and locations across Central America, which culminates in a final showdown in Xibalba between the twins.

I have strong complicated feelings about this book. On the one hand, it felt like what people in the video game industry call “a walking simulator.” Caseopia and Hun-Kamé, or even the antagonist Vucub-Kamé, don’t really do anything until the last 30 pages of the book. The rest of the story is just them showing up at locations and things magically going their way. However, there is a large romance plotline between Caseopia and Hun-Kamé, which is well done despite neither character being individually interesting. In addition, while the book could be described as “characters go to places,” the places they go are incredible. Moreno-Garcia has a real talent for imaginative settings and interesting locations, so it is a shame that I didn’t like the way she described them.

The biggest problem I had with Gods of Jade and Shadow is I really didn’t like the style of the prose. It is told as if you are sitting around a campfire, hearing a story passed down from a beloved older family member who doesn’t really remember all the details but knows the general gist. Given the emphasis on oral history in this part of the world, I highly suspect that this prose style is thematically on point and well executed – I just personally really didn’t like it. It isn’t poorly done, it just really isn’t for me.

Despite this, I did still enjoy the book. The themes are well layered and well executed. The book heavily revolves around complicated relationships, and feelings, with family and redemption. It explores the idea of “can people really change” and I thought Morena-Garcia did a very good job demonstrating her view on these subjects through her characters. In the end, the book is very sweet and heartwarming, and it made for a pretty great beach read despite my issues with the stylistic choices.

Gods of Jade and Shadow is pretty different from a lot of its competitors in the fantasy genre, for better and worse. With wonderful themes and a fantastic setting, the book will pull you in and take you on a journey. However, readers will likely have strong feelings about the distinctive prose. I personally did not enjoy it, but have no trouble imagining that there will be many who find it enchanting. Gods of Jade and Shadow is an interesting experience and if you find yourself even a little bit curious I recommend you check it out.

Rating: Gods of Jade and Shadow – 7.0/10

This is a story about a lost god of Mexico. He was trapped and "protected" for many years by a man and then accidentally released by the man's granddaughter. The granddaughter is sort of a Cinderella figure in the household, so when she releases the god, with nothing to lose, she is easily convinced to runaway with him in order for him to complete his quest and wreck vengeance on his brother who imprisoned him in the first place.

In general, I liked this book. It was a unique premise and that is what originally caught my eye. Unfortunately, it breaks down a little in the telling. Gets bogged down, you want the main character shot a couple of times, etc. Mostly it's a good book and someone who isn't as persnickety as me will probably love it.

Reading this I wished that mythologies other than Greek, Roman and Viking were covered in school - I knew a little but not nearly enough about Mayan gods and mythologies. There's a good glossary at the end (moving it to the front might have been helpful, or at least moving some of the mythological descriptions there would have been) to help readers. Cassopeia's life is Cinderella-esque until one day when she accidentally helps the Lord of Xibalba escape from his younger twin brother's confinement and then helps him reclaim his throne. It's clearly hinted that there's something about Cassopeia's father that gives her an edge, but what that is is only hinted at; her mother's family is the family she references most often and the one from which she escapes.

Apparently this book is based on the Popul Vuh, and as with <i>A Spark of White Fire</i> (based on the Mahabharata) having more books based on other, lesser known to most US readers stories is a welcome trend.

eARC provided by publisher.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. I enjoyed this book more for the Mayan mythology than for the plot itself. At times I found myself slightly bored. This books feel very stilted. I was very interested in the descriptions of Mexico in the 1920's. I'm not sure what I exactly wanted more of with this book, just that it felt like something was missing. It was very tell not show. If you have any interest in the time period, Mayan gods or Mexico I would recommend that you read this. There is nothing "wrong" with Gods of Jade and Shadow, I just don't think we were the right fit. (less)

Inspired by Mayan mythology unlike anything I’ve ever read before, this was a book with a solid heroine, an interesting villain, maybe not quite enough world building, and an ending that left me dissatisfied.

The writing was beautiful but at times I felt it slipped into colloquial and at times was too formal for the setting. The pacing was a little slow at times and the last few chapters, which I found most interesting, seemed to rush by too quickly.

I really enjoyed the story and characters but ultimately felt like something was missing.

eARC provided by Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Oh, to be disappointed by an anticipated book is a special kind of hurt.

I was so excited to have the chance to read Gods of Jade and Shadow early - really, Mayan mythology?? Death gods???? Oh lord sign me up. I was ready. But this fell flat for me and I struggled to get through it. Don't get me wrong - I was so intrigued by the plot, and figuring out what happened to our characters at the end was the only thing keeping me going. But it was a struggle, and I often had to force myself to pick it up. I think it was something about the writing. Writing style is something that does not typically bother me, but something about the writing style here did not vibe well with me. Because of my disconnect because of the writing style, I had a hard time attaching myself to the story and just wanted to know what happened a move on. Though I think this is just a personal thing, and have no doubt that so, so many people will enjoy this! It just wasn't for me.

Casiopea Tun wants nothing more than to escape her wealthy, irascible grandfather's house in the small town of Uukumil, where she and her widowed mother are treated as servants because her mother embarrassed the family by marrying a man with indigenous ancestry. Her mother's family constantly reminds Casiopea and her mother of their second-class status in the household, considering them a charity case and punishing Casiopea for not expressing enough gratitude and humility. One day, while cleaning her grandfather's room, Casiopea decides to open the mysterious chest he keeps locked in his room, only to discover that it is full of bones and that she has accidentally awakened a Mayan death god, Hun-Kamé, the (overthrown) Supreme Lord of Xibalba. Furthermore, their fates are now bound together because a shard of his bone is stuck like a splinter in her hand and is draining her life until Hun-Kamé can reclaim his missing body parts and he can regain his full power. She must join him and help him on his quest if she wants to survive.

I loved this book so much. Moreno-Garcia paints a vivid picture of 1920s Mexico and the Mayan underworld. The characters are complex and human, even Martín, who could easily have been a one-note character. The romance develops naturally and quietly, in a way that adds depth to the story without overshadowing it. It's a deeply introspective novel that kept me guessing until the end.

When Casiopea Tun defies her wealthy grandfather and opens the secret chest in his bedroom, she accidentally awakens Hun-Kamé, god of death and the Supreme Lord of Xibalba. But Hun-Kamé was locked in the chest after being betrayed by his twin, and now he needs Casiopea's help to recover his stolen body parts and regain his throne. Longing for a life of adventure and a way out of her tiny Yucatan home, Casiopea agrees—and sets on off an adventure she never imagined.

Casiopea and Hun-Kamé travel the length and breadth of Mexico to recover his stolen eye, ear, finger and jade necklace and restore him to power—all while walking straight into the dangerous traps placed by Vucub-Kamé to delay their victory and weaken the former supreme lord of death.

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't enjoy the narrative style.

Let's see if I can make this make sense.

I adored the way Mayan and Mexican mythology was weaved into the narrative and the essence of the book, and how dichotomy was a main theme. The gods were reflected in ten pairs, the Hero Twins, Casiopea and her cousin Martín. The juxtaposition of wealth and poverty, myth and history, tradition and change, past and present, fast and slow, life and death, hate and love, big and small, the individual and the worlds—all layered and stacked and interwoven to create Mexico in the tumult of the Jazz Age.

Stepping into this book knowing absolutely nothing of Mexican (or Mesoamerican) history was liked being slammed into an entirely new world—and the nonstop race from jungle to desert to slow, provincial towns to madcap, glittering cities only further served to fascinate. It is a world that is beautiful and scary and real, filled with wealthy European influence and the death of a culture and of their gods, and of how myth and gods must change to be relevant/continue to live.

I liked Casiopea a lot. She's a normal person, but still special. She's not a warrior, she's just a girl with the stars in her eyes and a heart for adventure, who wants more than a life of drudgery and pain and torment, who knows that she is more but just isn't sure what that more will look like. And she falls in love with Hun-Kamé, the god who is human and not human because of the bond between them—even as he slowly kills her by draining her life force.

But. Despite my love of literally everything in this book, there was something that kept me from wanting to fall head over heels into it. It took me a week to read it, because I just didn't want to make time to finish it. I wasn't sucked in or pulled into the story until probably the 80% mark.

Despite my intrigue and love of the world-building and detail, at times the descriptions waxed a bit too poetic for my taste. It felt like everything was described two or three times in the same paragraph, each time getting just a touch more lyrically abstract as the omnipresent narrator belabored over the details of Xibalba and the blood and sacrifices and jade palace and courtiers, the glittering hotels and whirling streets of Mexico City and the dust and grime of El Paso, the different historical aspects of each thing. While I liked learning more about the history and the intersection of the indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica with the various European colonizers who swept through the region, at times I felt like I was being bonked over the head with didactic lecturing.

This narrative voice kept pulling me out of the story and making me disinterested in this absolutely fascinating hero's journey. It felt like traditional fairy tale narration, but overdone? It was too much telling how Martín and Casiopea and Vucub-Kamé felt and thought and not enough showing how they felt. I wanted to get into the story, not drift over it.

Anywho. So much for me trying to wrap my head around my thoughts on this one.

To sum up: it's a great story with a fabulous recreation of Mayan mythology, Mexican history, and so many paired themes that I could probably spend hours dissecting and thinking about, but I was not a fan of the narrative style.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was the first time that I read something featuring an indigenous Mexican protagonist. While I am not familiar with Mayan folklore, I still enjoyed it. I found the plot somewhat difficult to follow and the characters a bit indistinguishable. Still, this was a fun and colorful read.

With Gods of Jade and Shadow Silvia Morena-Garcia proves once again that she is a master at storytelling with this Mayan-inspired fantasy. In the dreary town of Uukumil in southern Mexico, Casiopea Tun toils away her youth, treated more as a servant than family to her affluent but ailing grandfather. The other members of her family look down upon her for her Indigenous heritage and those like her cousin Martín do not even consider her to be a real member of the Leyva family. Though she dreams of leaving and experiencing all the revels to be had during the 1920s, she has all but accepted this as her lot in life. Until one day when she opens a mysterious box, unleashing an imprisoned God and accidentally binding herself to him. Casiopea has no choice but to follow Hun-Kamé as he recovers missing pieces of himself hidden by his brother in a quest to regain the throne of Xibalba.

Moreno-Garcia draws from Mayan folklore to build the bones of Gods of Jade and Shadow. Hun-Kamé and his twin brother Vucub-Kamé have been locked in a battle of wills for centuries. The former was content to accept the Gods’ diminished role and growing indifference from mortals while Vucub-Kamé wishes to usher in a new era of adulation and sacrifice. The Gods’ power is irrevocably tied to the worship of mortals. Though they yield a great deal of influence, I found it really interesting that in this world mortals were given more freedom. Though a God cannot change fate, mortals have the autonomy to change their fate, making them unpredictable pieces in a game of chess.

Moreno-Garcia pays equal attention to both the mortal and immortal worlds. Readers are taken on a journey across Mexico and into the very heart of the Underworld known as Xibalba. Mexico City is both dazzling and overwhelming, having profited off the U.S.’s prohibition era. Here there is music and dancing and a celebration of life. Xibalba, though the land belongs to the dead, is subtle in its allure. Dangerous and misleading, but dark and mysterious. Through Hun-Kamé’s eyes, Casiopea begins to see that Xibalba is a place of beauty, despite its nefarious creatures, and a home to those who were born there.

Casiopea is a protagonist I grew fond of rather quickly. Though she longs for another life she isn’t consumed by her fantastical daydreams. She is too practical to drown in the sorrow of her insipid life. Though she has been treated as a servant and expects to give deference to the more prominent members of her family, Casiopea is stubborn and willful, defiant in the face of those with more power than her. This makes for an interesting dynamic with the haughty God Hun-Kamé, who expects obedience. Their bond chips away at Casiopea’s strength, but also makes Hun-Kamé more human with each passing day. Their relationship is slow to develop, subtle yet beautiful.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow is a quiet, yet intoxicating fantasy with delicate prose and a satisfyingly, yet bittersweet romance.

I loved, loved, LOVED this book.

I didn't know what to expect going in, but I didn't expect to love the main character Casiopea so much, nor did I realize how much I wanted to learn about Maya legends.

The adventures the characters faced were real and some quite scary. I loved it and hoped there is more to come from this author!

This is probably my favorite read of the year so far. It had everything: family drama, mythology, and romance. The prose was gorgeous, the setting was vivid, and the characters felt alive. I am recommending this to all my friends who love fantasy.