Gods of Jade and Shadow

La historia me encanto y lo volvería a leer, lo único malo fue que el libro me llegó maltratado.

Casiopea yearns to be learning jazz dances and wearing the latest flapper styles but finds herself instead cleaning her wealthy grandfather’s house and being abused by her older cousin Martín. But one day, she opens a locked box in her grandfather’s room and awakens a Mayan deity, one who has been imprisoned for decades. To stay alive, Casiopea must aid him in punishing those who imprisoned him and reclaiming his throne, even if it requires multiple sacrifices from her and leads her into the arms of death itself.What a fantastic read! The author did an amazing job with this work. I loved having so much South American folklore incorporated into a work set in the 1920s – it made for a unique and fascinating read. The characters were perfect. Casiopea was what I want out of my female protagonists, and I enjoyed how the author portrayed the god and the changes that he underwent during the story. The ending of this work couldn’t have been written any better, and made this whole read quite satisfying.Part of what really elevated this book was how immersive a world the author created. There were so many details included, ranging from folklore to geography, that brought this book to life. I especially enjoyed the historical details concerning the Yucatan during this time, and how it became a melting pot of many different ethnicities after the Spanish first began to take over.Overall, I can’t recommend this work enough. I had a bit of a difficult time with the author’s writing style at first (so many unnecessary commas, as well as some awkward wording), but I soon became so immersed in the characters and story that I stopped noticing. If you haven’t read this yet, check it out!

I have read all of the books this author has written, and this one is my favorite. The various characters, the writing - perfection. There is so much richness and depth to the story - just even how the author almost mirrors the characters of the two gods/brothers with the main character and her brother. It's also a romance, but not the stereotypical happily ever after stuff (although, no fear, the ending is perfection - hopefully that is not a spoiler). Also, by the same author, I highly recommend Signal to Noise.

Casiopea dreams of leaving her town, the opportunity presented when she opens an old trunk, inside are the bones of the god Hun-Kamé. He is free but he is not complete, to get back his powers, he must find his missing pieces.⠀Together they will travel through different cities in Mexico, (including my city 😊). ⠀It's a dangerous trip, they have a time limit, they will meet other deities and creatures of Mexican folklore, some will want to help them and others stop them. Cassiopeia will have a difficult task to overcome. It's a whole adventure. ⠀

This was a clever well written novel. I know a bit about Mayan cosmology and the author made excellent use of the characters One and seven Death. The young woman character has bravado. We cheer her on, even in her ultimate sacrifice. Beautiful archetypal themes throughout. Loved it. I don't write many reviews but had to for this novel.