This is a historical fantasy novel set in Mexico in the late 1920s, where a young woman inadvertently sets the Mayan death god Hun-Kamé free and therefore finds herself on a mission to help him regain his throne in Xibalba, the Mayan underworld. I really liked the writing and the Mayan folklore, but sadly the plot didn’t hook me—as I’ve mentioned in other reviews, stories focused on quests tend to bore me. Added to that, I wasn’t invested in the romance either.

I enjoyed the mythological aspects of the story, as well as the atmospheric writing style. The story itself was only okay for me, I’d expected somewhat more from it.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and to Netgalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review.
I have been trying to get through my rather long TBR shelf and was surprised when I redownloaded this that I had already got through 30% of the novel.

I love historical fiction, and the Mayan mythology is not something that I was familiar with so was looking forward to this tale. Mayan mythology set against the glitzy jazz age of Mexico in the 1920s.

For me this novel didn’t really work though. Casiopeia is a one dimensional and predictable. I almost felt like she was more than a bit based upon Dorothy Gale realising that she is not in Kansas anymore. The love interest (or the not love-interest as it goes nowhere) is the Mayan god of Death Hun-Kame trying to reclaim his missing body parts from his evil brother.

The novel was nice but for me it just didn’t go anywhere and although there are hints from the ending that there might be a follow up, for me I won’t be reading it.

This book combines very many things I adore in books: whimsical writing in fantasy books for adults, a female main character I could not help but adore, ruminations on godhood and what makes humans human, as well as a mythology that I am not familiar with. I already knew that I would like Moreno-Garcia's writing, as her short stories are consistently amongst my favourites in anthologies. I did ultimately enjoy this but did not love it. The aloof tone was something I appreciated but which kept me from adoring this. I am still excited about quite a few of Moreno-Garcia's books though.

Gods of Jade and Shadow was a fascinating historical fantasy focusing on a mythology that has received very little attention previously. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and good fantasy standalones are difficult to come by.

Mayan mythology, the roaring 20's, and a plucky sassy heroine - it doesn't get much better than that.

A fantastic mix of world building and historical fiction and some very memorable characters. It is well written and truly deserving of all it's accolades. The atmosphere oozes from these pages and you feel like this is a book you should be dressed up to read. Never before have I wanted to curl up in my book nook in a glittery flapper dress, small feathered hat, long cigarette holder and a glass of bubbly and call everyone "Dhhaaaarling".

Recommended for fans of A Darker Shade of Magic, Naomi Novik and Maggie Stiefvater

Thank you to Netgalley and Jo Fletcher Books for the reading copy.

Unfortunately I found this didn't really work for me.

The plot itself was so intriguing. A Mayan God of death and a young women caught up in a quest to regain a throne in 1920s Mexico had all the promise of a story filled with myth, legend and mystery but instead it ended up feeling very generic and flat with a pacing that feels painfully slow.

Casiopeia as a main character is OK, and her overall development is well done. However I found her highly unlikeable at times, extremely naive and dull. I couldn't connect with her at all. I also found her growing relationship with Hun-Kame felt forced (especially the romantic elements) and superficial. The secondary characters of her grandfather and cousin Martin also feel very one dimensional and flat. There's no depth to their character beyond being 'bad'. The same applies to Hun-Kame's brother, who often just feels like a characature villain.

The plot itself is predictable and the writing style felt very overly simplistic to me, meaning I really didn't get much enjoyment out of reading this. It was a real struggle to get through at times, and although there are a fair few action scenes scattered throughout I found by the time they cropped up I was already too bored and disconnected from the story to really care. I found the world building also left a lot to be desired, although I did enjoy the descriptions of the jazz world in the cities that the two visit. I wish that had been expanded on as it was far more atmospheric than the main plot.

So much promise but this just didn't deliver in characters or plot.

Gods of Jade and Shadow had stunning potential, but failed to keep me engaged long enough to witness its fulfillment. I'm giving it 3 stars because while this book was not suited for me, it might appeal to other readers! Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!

This was a really fantastic debut novel. A girl in 1920s Mexico accidentally wakes the Lord of the Dead and has to go on a quest with him to recover his missing body parts for him to reclaim his throne from his brother.

I absolutely loved the main character, Casiopea. She's angry about a lot and I think it's really refreshing to have a heroine who is allowed to be angry. I also really liked the villain, who is quite lonely and whose evilness is more about his being selfish than just bad for bad's sake.

A big part of this book is about a journey: Casiopea and Hun-Kame travel around Mexico and meet other paranormal creatures, which made the plot very interesting and fun. I also really loved their romance!

All in all, I really liked this book and will definitely be picking up another book from this author.

I picked this book to complement my trip to Mexico earlier this year, I'm gutted that it's actually taken me so long to get around to reading it! The cover is amazing and the story itself straddles genres between fantasy, mythology and historical fiction.

The story captures two worlds completely, early twentieth century Mexico and an earlier time of Mayan mythology where gods rule the world. I loved the vivid atmosphere the author creates and sustains throughout the entire story.
The folklore was glorious, I love the idea of storytelling and words having power over the gods and how the proper use of symmetry in creating these stories can make them more powerful.

I did find it a little tougher to keep my attention fixed near the middle of the book, preferring fast paced action over a slow burn. I feel like things could have progressed a bit more rapidly, there was a lot of dialogue and pondering by the main characters rather than striding into action.

Casiopea was a tough main character, a young woman who's had a rather disappointing life up to this point but tries to be good despite this. It's this characteristic that makes her so strong in a story where everyone seems keen to be dismembering each other (or at least talking about it a lot). She has flaws and doubts about the quest she's been dragged into, which makes her incredibly relatable though I feel that the romance element of this book needed to either go big or go home to be worth the inclusion. The battle of personalities between the main protagonists is really satisfying as they all change throughout the story, leaving the ending a mystery.

This one just wasn't for me. The premise seemed interesting but I struggled to connect with any of the characters leaving me uncaring about their progress through the book. It is however beautifully written with lush details of settings and characters, both human and non-human.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for review.

This is my second book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and while I think I found Prime Meridian more viscerally poignant - I simply connected with it more - Gods of Jade and Shadow combines Mayan mythology and Mexican history and culture into a fascinating, beautifully-written novel with a complex protagonist. Its plot is simple but effective - a young woman Casiopea with large ambitions and dreams but living in poverty at her family's sufferance releases the god of death from his imprisonment and the two go on a quest to restore him. But while the story didn't grip me that much for most of the novel, the imagery of the land of the dead and the way it reflected the protagonist's journey - and her growth. The romantic elements of the story are interesting, but this is primary a coming-of-age story, in which the heroin discovers her own value and her values, and emerges from the ordeal stronger and more independent.

There are some aspects I didn't particularly like. But I am sure not everyone will mind them and overall, they didn't subtract much from my overall enjoyment.

I am not sure Silvia Moreno-Garcia is quite to my taste, but I love how varied her books are and how original. (less)

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was so beautiful, It had the feel of a fairytale, the atmosphere of a dream, the prose of a poem. I loved learning more about the Mayan myths through this book and I loved the plot. It was a slow-moving story but it was elegantly written and the characters were so real. Cassiopea was a fantastic protagonist; she was fierce and strong but she was not perfect and I loved that. She felt so real and well-rounded and she was beautifully written. The god who accompanies her on her journey felt like a god, and his character arc was so well done, so believable. I loved the plot - the adventure had the feel of a fairytale and there were no filler scenes at all. The prose was beautiful and I hated putting the book down. I didn't want it to end.

I will read anything Silvia writes in the future.

THIS is why my blog was started. To review diverse fantasy. And I got this book based on Mayan mythology. There is very little work based on Mesoamerica, and so I thank Silvia for creating a wonderful book.

First off, this is a book that I would reccomand for you to pick up. You like Mayan Gods? Check. You like elaborate description’s of the palaces of the underworld? Check. You like a female heroine that has a strong sense of mind and logic? Check.

I did feel that Caspoiea needed more scenes of her emotional development personally. I also think we needed to see more of her fun side a lot more often. The question that struck me about this novel is, do the Mayan Gods know of the Aztec Gods? Heck, do the Gods of Old Religions know each other in this world?

For me once it got going, it was like being on a long train journey. Everything about the worldbuilding makes you definitely feel the impact that Spanish Rule essentially did to Ancient Meso-America. And what the current descendents of those Spanish Colonalists now living bascially on the land where jaguars roamed and jungles were abundant. I would have liked to seen how the Old Gods saw Christanity and what they did to combat it. Because I am sure that the Mayan Religion is alive, but in very small pockets as compared to its historical past.

I also felt the novel was too short, and too long at the same time. Too short because I am sure Silvia wanted to show more of the Mayan Afterlife, and too long because the climax did drag a little to the end, but that is a minor nit-pick. Hun-Kame has become my favorite God. Very similar to Hades.

But I also appericate how difficult it is to research on Meso-America when the Spanish Conquistadores bascially removed the history of the Inca’s, the Aztec’s, etc. There are not many suriving sources and this is a shame. So kudos to Silvia on doing the best she could do with Mayan Languages. She’s done more research and it takes a lot of hard work to research on Mayan Mythology or even Meso-American Mythology as well. But I want to see more writers tackling this subject. If the Spanish Conquistadores had removed the history of these civilizations, then who is to say we cannot recreate them? There is still dispute even today about the Roman Legions wearing red for their uniforms in battle. Except the Romans had a lot of writing to bascially have as source materials. If we can spend time in destroying a culture, as human history as shown, then we can spend time in recreating it to the best of our ability. That is a opinion of mine and nothing more.

I throughly enjoyed the perspective of the Mayan Gods, and their unique look. They were not kind Gods, but you could also say the same about the Greek Gods. But we must also look at the fact that most of the harsh thing we hear about the Greek/Roman Gods came from a monotheistic perspective. Therefore when trying to understand these cultures, it is best to remove that perspective and understand for what it is. There must have been a reason as to why so many Ancients were worshipping the Gods as they did.

The prose of this book is excellent, the characters are excellent, and my rating is a solid 4.5/5. I really enjoyed this book, and you will not regret buying this at all

To other writers, I do want to read more books about Mayan Mythology, and I generally of the modern day mixing with Ancient. I’d rather be happy with a book that has Ancient stuff in it only because you get to see the glory of the Meso-American World. Heck, you get books based on the glory of Ancient Rome, so why not on the Toltecs, Olmecs, Zapotecs etc?

Historical fantasy but this time set in Mexico in the late 1920s. For some this is the jazz age but not for Casiopea Tun: she and her widowed mother live with her maternal grandfather who rules over the whole extended family. Although nothing is more important than family to him it is only his grandson who shares any of his power: the women (and all the rest of his blood relatives are women) are, well, just women and Casiopea is also the daughter of a native Mexican man rather than being of 'pure' Hispanic origin. So far, so 'Jazz Age, Mexican Cinderella', but then the mythological elements of the plot burst out when - through a complicated set of circumstances - Casiopea releases one of the twin Mayan gods of death. Like you do...She and Hun-Kame, the god, are tied together by blood and bone and will both perish if they are unable to overthrow Hun-Kame's twin who has usurped his role as god of the underworld.

This is a great big sweeping book which covers Mayan myth and folklore (or which, it turns out, I knew very little), the place of women in early twentieth century Mexican society and so much more. There is adventure, danger, romance and betrayal and some excellent characters. Casiopea is no shrinking violet - even when she is treated as a drudge she refuses to feel as if she deserves less of a future than her cousin - and although she physically weakens through the book she is a wonderfully strong and determined young woman. Hun-Kame begins as a totally god-like being with no concept of what life is like for humans but, as he spends longer with Casiopea and their shared blood and bone, he begins to develop a much more human side. But, when the end approaches, he has to choose between the two worlds.

I was interested at first in reading this as I have not read any books (that I can remember) that are based in Mayan myth! The world was really rich and I think the blending of the myths with the reality of the story was really well done. However, I didn't really like this as much as I thought I would..

I really didn't get the romance between the two main characters. The entire time I was reading their relationship as more like two friends or even like a brother and sister, and not like two people falling in love. I feel that if you removed the romance it would still work, even with the conflict at the final battle. I DID like that Casiopea was given what she wanted her whole life, more than romance - her agency and freedom.

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This was really atmospheric and the Mayan mythology was fascinating. It tells the story of Casiopea Tun, born under an unlucky star and forced to live with her Grandfather as a servant while she waits for her promised inheritance to escape. When she unlocks a chest in her Grandfather's room, she releases Hun-Kame, the once imprisoned god of the underworld. What follows is a quest to retrieve the missing pieces of his body so that he can overthrow his brother and reclaim his throne. Firstly, Moreno-Garcia throws us straight into the story with very little preamble. This means that you are given very little time to get to grips with the characters before they begin their quest and the prose style distances you from the characters too somehow. With that all being said, I just ate this book up! The quest narrative had a real fairy tale/video game quality to it that I really enjoyed, with a series of challenges and 'big bosses' to defeat at each location. I also really enjoyed the interaction between the gods who were petty and capricious, which was fabulous. On a deeper level, there was a very thoughtful exploration of family dynamics and what it means to be family, which I felt was really well done. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good quest.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When a novel is blurbed by S.A. Chakraborty as 'historical fantasy at its best', it's an easy sell to me, but the synopsis was what really sold it - I don't think I had previously came across a book set during the Jazz Age, let alone in Mexico, and certainly not one which had magical and mythical elements to it. Perhaps that says more about my own blinkered reading lists. But the promise of this being inspired by Mexican folklore is what made me keen to pick it up and I was delighted when I was granted an eARC of this from the publisher. I'm very happy to say that this book delivered everything it promised and did one thing I also didn't expect - not only was it inspired by Mexican folklore, I felt like it read like one too, its tone and narrative structure seemed to mirror the sort of Latin American magical realism seen in the 20th century in the works of Isabel Allende and Gabriel García Márquez. This felt like it belonged alongside such tales.

"Unnaturally beautiful the stranger was - this was beauty sketched from smoke and dreams, translated into fallible flesh- but his dark gaze was made of flint."

The principal players in this tale are Casiopea Tun, treated as more of a servant than a granddaughter, though unafraid to stand up to her horrible cousin, even when she knows she should hold her tongue. From the start of the tale, Casiopea has little rebellions against the tyrannical rule of her grandfather and her cousin Martín and tries her best to not be put down by her family even though she is placed in such a subservient position in her day to day life. Into this situation storms a dangerous and handsome Mayan death god... obviously. Casiopea finds herself entangled in Lord of Xibalba, Hun-Kamé, and his mission of revenge on his brother, Vucub-Kamé, who imprisoned him until Casiopea inadvertently set him free by opening a mysterious chest of her grandfather's - doing so means that she is bound to him and has to help him complete his mission to get his left eye, ear, index finger, and jade necklace back from his treacherous brother. The catch is that for every minute he spends in human form and relying on Casiopea's help, the more human he will become, and the more life he will drain from her. The two of them find themselves in an impossible position but, for Casiopea, it means a strange sort of freedom as this oddly respectful but stern god whisks her away from her rural family home in a small and conservative village and into the bright lights of the exciting world beyond .

"A god of death in the room. Impossible and yet, undeniably, true. She did not pause to question her sanity, to think she might be hallucinating. She accepted him as real and solid. She could see him, and she knew she was not mad or prone to flights of fancy, so she trusted her eyes."

Unfortunately, I need to address the huge elephant in the room - this book took me so long to read, especially considering its relatively short length. Not to put too finer point on it but this book is very slow-paced, I found it engaging enough when I was reading it, but I never felt immediately compelled to pick it back up once I had set it aside for a break. I think a lot of that has to do with the narrative voice being quite simple and didactic; to me, because it reads extremely like a translated retelling of a Latin American folktale, but that means there isn't that same sense of pace or urgency that you might otherwise find in a fantastical novel otherwise. It is certainly beautifully told and plotted, but it's also slowly drawn out and explored; it's not rushed through or action-packed necessarily, and that makes for a slower read, in my experience at least.

"Hadn't the Lords of Xibalba delighted in tricking and disposing of mortals? But there was the question of the bone shard and the nagging voice in the back of her head that whispered 'adventure'. "

In conclusion, without wishing to conflate the two, Gods of Jade and Shadow reminded me a lot of Neil Gaiman's American Gods in tone as well as in narrative structure, as we followed the pattern of a protagonist being lead into a fantastical, mythological world by a god, meeting various other deific beings in the pantheon, and completing fantastical journeys and tasks in order to help the god. However, in Gods of Jade and Shadow's case, Casiopea is a wonderfully strong heroine who isn't afraid to question the god's orders, his motivations, and his judgement, making her certainly a match for the Mayan god of death. With this dramatic journey to recover what the god lost also comes a chance for Casiopea to escape from her previous life and taste the freedom that comes with adventure, even if that comes at a cost. With mythology and folklore easily woven into this didactic tale, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novel is one that is sure to compel any fans of books relating to mythology, especially those away from the typical Greek, Roman, or Norse pantheons.

"She did not believe in fairy tales, but she had convinced herself she'd have a happy ending."

Inspired by Mayan folklore and set in 1920s Yucatán, this book reminded me of Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy. As one of my favourite series, this is a huge compliment. The worldbuilding was richly detailed and evocative, staying with the reader long after they turn the last page.

Casiopea is a no-nonsense main character chafing at the restrictions imposed upon her as a lower-class woman. The book is as much about her emotional journey as the physical one she undertakes. When interacting with Hun-Kame, the Mayan god of Death, who is initially very distant from humanity, the reader witnesses something truly special. I adored their slow-paced and subtle romance, and the ending was perfect.

This is one of those books for readers who enjoy well-written stories that focus on character rather than plot. I'd highly recommend it.

First, thank you so much for sharing this review copy with me!
I truly enjoyed it!
Love the mythological aspect of it.
Since I was little I've been fascinated with old civilizations, to tge point where I've been able to visit different ruins mostly Mayan.
This book got all that magic, all those symbols and traditions so spot on.

Loved the tragic aspect of it! And of course the strong female character of Casiopea!