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Reading age
13+
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Del Rey
Publication date
February 18, 2020
A girl unwittingly releases an ancient Mayan god who offers her an irresistible proposition.
Casiopea Tun, a young lady, wishes she could be anywhere but home. Her grandfather and her cousin, Martín, treat her like a servant. One day, when they were off on a trip and left Casiopea alone in the house, Casiopea found a mysterious box. When she opens it, Casiopea releases an ancient Mayan underworld god called Hun-Kamé. In exchange for her help to regain his place as the supreme lord of the Mayan underworld, Casiopea can have anything she desires. Here begins a life-changing adventure.
What a unique read; The author intertwined Mesoamerican folklore in the 1920s and a love story. My favorite part was all the historical details concerning the Yucatan. I have learned so many exciting things historically and geographically.
The bond between Hun-Kamé and Casiopea is strong. I rooted for their relationship throughout the whole story.
Casiopea was clever and sometimes sharp-tongued. I enjoyed her witty comebacks. Hun-Kamé has a complicated but boyish personality. He sounded good-looking and deep.
The theme of Gods of Jade and Shadow is always to make sacrifices for good causes. I recommend this book to history buffs (Mayan Mythology enthusiasts) who love an empowering romantic story and a great fantasy with good character development.
My rating
About the author
“Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and many other books. She has won the Locus and British Fantasy awards for her work as a novelist, and the World Fantasy Award as an editor.” – Amazon.
