Gods of Jade and Shadow
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, 2019
Random House
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780525620761
Summary
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 Yucatan to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Signal to Noise (2015), named one of the best books of the year by BookRiot, Tordotcom, BuzzFeed, io9, and other publications; Certain Dark Things (2016), one of NPR’s best books of the year, a Publishers Weekly top ten, and a VOYA "Perfect Ten"; the fantasy of manners The Beautiful Ones (2017); and the science fiction novella "Prime Meridian" (2018).
She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award winning She Walks in Shadows (aka Cthulhu’s Daughters). She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
A dark, dazzling fairy tale… [and] a whirlwind tour of a 1920s Mexico vivid with jazz, the memories of revolution, and gods, demons, and magic.
NPR
(Starred review) A magical novel…. [Its] seamless blend of mythology and history provides a ripe setting for Casiopea’s stellar journey of self-discovery…. Readers will gladly immerse themselves in [this] rich, complex tale of desperate hopes and complicated relationships.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review) [A] stirring historical fantasy set in the Roaring Twenties and steeped in Mayan mythology…. Snappy dialog, stellar worldbuilding, lyrical prose, and a slow-burn romance make this a standout
Library Journal
Moreno-Garcia has a talent for taking Mexican folklore, customs, and mythology, twisting them around, and turning out fascinating stories immersed in different genre tropes…. Fans of lush, evocative language will be thoroughly delighted.
Booklist
A multi-layered book… about the power of stories and narratives and how they feed into myth-making.… There are parts of this novel that made me literally hug my e-reader. They were sigh-worthy.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. What were your first impressions of Casiopea? Hun-Kame? Martin? How did you feel about them by the end of the book?
2. How did you feel about the relationship between Casiopea and Hun-Kame?
3. What did you think about the historical period and setting of the book? Could you see this as a modern-day adventure?
4. What did you think about the ending? Do you wish anything had been different? Would you read a sequel to this story? If so, would you prefer it feature Casiopea and Hun Kame, or would you prefer a story in the same world with new characters?
5. Discuss Martin’s perception of the world versus Casiopea’s. Why do you think, raised under the same roof, they see things so differently?
(Questions from author's website; don't miss the gorgeous book club kit.)