Gods of Jade and Shadow

In 1920s Mexico, eighteen-year-old Casiopea Tun works as a servant in her wealthy grandfather's household, enduring the scorn of her relatives. Her life changes when she discovers a locked chest containing the bones of Hun-Kamé, the deposed Mayan god of death. The unlikely pair embark on a quest across Mexico to recover Hun-Kamé's missing body parts, which were scattered by his treacherous brother Vucub-Kamé. Their journey takes them from the Yucatán through vibrant cities and stark deserts, encountering supernatural beings and dark magic along the way. Drawing from Mayan mythology and Mexican history, this novel blends fantasy with the jazz-age atmosphere of post-revolutionary Mexico. The story explores themes of power, mortality, and the price of transformation through the lens of both ancient mythology and modern change.

Readers describe the book as a slow-burn historical fantasy that blends Mexican mythology with 1920s culture. The writing style receives frequent comparisons to fairy tales, with many noting its lyrical but straightforward prose. Readers appreciated: - The unique integration of Mayan mythology - The detailed 1920s Mexico setting - Character development, particularly Casiopea's growth - Clean, accessible writing style Common criticisms: - Pacing feels too slow in the middle - Romance elements underwhelm some readers - Some found the ending unsatisfying - Characters can feel distant or hard to connect with Average Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (45,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (2,000+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.0/5 (800+ ratings) One reader noted: "It reads like a folk tale your grandmother would tell you." Another commented: "The mythology was fascinating but the story dragged in parts." Several reviews mentioned wanting more emotional depth between characters despite enjoying the overall concept.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia A young woman confronts supernatural horror and colonial legacy in 1950s Mexico while investigating her cousin's claims about her new husband's haunted mansion.

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden A young woman in medieval Russia protects her village from dark forces by embracing ancient magic that conflicts with the new Christian church.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Three teenagers in 1980s Mexico City discover they can cast spells through vinyl records, leading to consequences that echo into their adult lives.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo A Malaysian Chinese woman navigates the spirit world after agreeing to become a ghost bride to a wealthy family's deceased son in 1890s Malacca.

🔸 The book draws heavily from the Popol Vuh, an ancient Mayan text detailing creation myths and the hero twins' journey to Xibalba - making it one of few modern fantasy novels to explore pre-Columbian mythology. 🔸 During the 1920s Jazz Age period when the novel is set, Mexico was experiencing significant social and cultural changes following its revolution, including the rise of "flappers" known locally as "pelonas." 🔸 Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia grew up in Mexico City surrounded by the stories of her grandmother, who practiced traditional Mexican folk magic and significantly influenced her storytelling. 🔸 Xibalba, the Mayan underworld featured in the novel, was believed to be accessed through caves and cenotes (natural sinkholes) that are abundant throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. 🔸 The novel won the 2020 American Library Association Reading List Award for Fantasy and was named one of the best books of 2019 by NPR, BuzzFeed, and Publishers Weekly.