Gods of Jade and Shadow

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow starts as a Mexican Cinderella story, except that the fairy godmother is a Mayan god of death.

Not sold yet? What if I told you the god of death is also Prince Charming?

Moreno-Garcia makes the connection explicit in the first few pages, when we’re introduced to our heroine, Casiopea Tun, a girl who’s lost her father and must sustain herself by serving her richer relations. Her tasks include scrubbing the family estate’s floors, fetching her grandfather’s newspapers, and shining her cousin Martín’s shoes. But she’s not headed for a life-changing ball. Opening her grandfather’s secret box—decorated with “an image of a decapitated man in the traditional Mayan style, his show more hands holding a double-headed serpent that signaled royalty”—frees Hun-Kamé, Lord of Shadows and the rightful ruler of Xibalba, the ancient underworld. He was imprisoned by his twin brother and needs Casiopea’s help regaining his throne.

This quest involves regaining lost items (à la Cinderella’s glass slipper): “My left eye, ear, and index finger, and the jade necklace,” Hun-Kamé informs Casiopea. “These I must have in order to be myself again.” His brother entrusted these relics to various demons, ghosts, and sorcerers, all of whom must be confronted and overcome.

There’s also a ticking clock. Except the consequences of it striking (metaphorical) midnight are far worse than a mere return to shabby clothes. To reconstitute himself, Hun-Kamé embedded a shard of his bone in Casiopea’s hand. The shard funnels vitality from her to him, slowly draining her essence. If she helps Hun-Kamé achieve his goal in time, he’ll pull out the shard. If she doesn’t, she dies.

It’s an awesome premise.

I also enjoyed the setting. The story takes place in Jazz Age Mexico, shortly after the Mexican Revolution and at a time when pop culture was “all about the United States” and “reproducing its women, its dances, its fast pace. Charleston! The bob cut! Ford cars!” Yet there’s far more old than new here. Mayan mythology threads through the Gods of Jade and Shadow. And when Casiopea reaches a city she hasn’t been to before—such as Mérida or Veracruz—Moreno-Garcia gives us a primer about the area, tutorials that situate the region in a historical context while rarely feeling unnecessary or overlong.

I didn’t always love the pace, though. This was a slow-and-steady read for me. The “travel to a fresh place, beat the bad guys, get the thing” format in the early going became a little repetitive. I also wondered if the eventual contest between Hun-Kamé and his brother was too arbitrary, even allowing for the vagaries of gods. The rules seemed stretched to require Casiopea’s participation, without providing a substantive reason why the twins couldn’t settle their own dispute.

But the book has an irresistible style, and Moreno-Garcia pulls off a romance between Casiopea and Hun-Kamé that’s somehow sweet despite their frequent encounters with (and command of) absolute darkness. If you like fresh takes on classic fairy tales, Gods of Jade and Shadow is definitely worth a look.

(For more reviews like this one, see www.nickwisseman.com) show less

Magic realism meets Mexican history meets Mayan mythology meets Cinderella during the Roaring 20s in an epic quest in which the hero, Casiopea Tun, is a half-indigenous, poor relation pressed into service in the larger, wealthy Levya family. One day, she is left behind while the rest of the family, including her mean cousin (the heir-apparent) and her cantankerous grandfather, go on an annual outing, and she finds keys to a mysterious wooden box in her grandfather’s room, which she opens. In so doing, she frees the Mayan god of death, Hun-Kamé, who has been beheaded and trapped there by his twin brother, Vucub-Kamé, and because a shard of his bone lodges in her hand, she becomes bound to him in his quest to seek revenge and reclaim show more his throne as the ruler of Xilbaba, an underworld filled with hungry ghosts, blood sacrifice, and despair. I found the story dragged in places, but the last third was riveting. Beautiful writing. show less

This is my first exposure to Moreno-Garcia's writing and my only regret is that my TBR pile is going to be getting taller in the future. I like how the author does a good job of subverting conventional expectations but does so with a dry sense of humor. I like how her Jazz Age Mexico is as much a character as our heroine Casiopea Tun, or her scum-bag cousin and foil Martin Leyva. Of the last point I like a story where the antagonists also get a vote, and are just not straw men for the supposed rooting interest to knock down. Finally, I like the complexity of this novel in that you can read it as historical fiction, as a fairy tale for adults, as an epic quest, or, from the perspective of those who oppose Casiopea and the usurped Lord of show more Death, as a caper novel. show less

I had been meaning to read Silvia Moreno-Garcia for ages -- having looked for her name on the library shelves many times before giving in and trying to inter-library loan request a copy of Prime Meridian (and failing). So I was delighted that this book was easier to get ahold of.

I ended up picking this up during a readathon, which was probably a good thing. I had a bit of a rocky start reading this, mostly because I had built up some erroneous expectations about what this book was (I think mostly I expected it to be more "adult?"), so I almost abandoned it. But the readathon creates some extra pressure to stick with a book, so I persevered and ended up really enjoying it. The big cross-country quest, the complicated motivations that show more resists labeling characters simply "good" or "bad" (though there will be some you'll love to hate anyway), and Jazz Age Mexico as a fantastic setting with rich details.

I will definitely be reading more Moreno-Garcia! show less

In 1920s Yucatán, Casiopea Tun wants more in life than to be the poor-relation drudge for her ailing grandfather and awful cousin. Then one day she accidentally frees the god Hun-Kamé from his years of imprisonment, and they set out on a quest to restore Hun-Kamé to his full powers.

This was a fun, vibrant read: a coming-of-age story with some fantastical adventure, written with a clear affection for myth and history and a savvy use of tropes. I appreciated that Silvia Moreno-Garcia didn’t defang her gods, but instead underlined their innate non-humanness. I did feel that Gods of Jade and Shadow could have used one more editing pass on a prose level, because there are points where the descriptive passages were a little bit stilted show more and tell-not-show. Still, an ideal summer read with a cold drink. show less

A story that starts as a Mexican Cinderella retelling, promptly evolves into a mystical adventure of a mortal young woman and immortal ancient pre-Columbian god. Though the story that takes place in the 1920s is full of convenient and well-known tropes of happy ending romantic story, it is so much deeper and interesting than your average fairytale retelling.
At the end Casiopeia Tun saves the god, saves the world and saves herself. And she does that by departing from the trope of the saint, suffering woman that makes her sacrifices quietly and without complaints. She chooses to be bold, brave and nonapologetic for her frustrations, fears and desires.
The writing style is not that of a fairytale, but more of a whirlwind romantic show more adventure, full of colourful details and characters. It meshes well with the jumble of the Jazz era, remembrance of the Mexican revolution and the cruelty of humans and gods. Sometimes the narration stumbles and the tropes become too overused, but the authoress picks the pace quickly enough. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a very distinct narrative voice and I'll be glad to read more of her books. show less

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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 show more 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!

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less