Gods of Jade and Shadow

This is a fantastic fantasy/mythology novel that deals with themes of belonging, family, aspiration, and mythmaking. I was dazzled by Moreno-Garcia’s descriptions of Jazz Age Mexico, a setting I am woefully ignorant of. I picked up this book because it concerned Maya mythology, and I’m a sucker for indigenous Mesoamerican myths and cultures—especially the Aztec, but the Maya as well. Moreno-Garcia brings the Popol Vuh alive in this text; regrettably, I have not read the original text, but I can imagine that the author is faithful to it. There are a lot of references to Maya culture and mythology to enliven the plot and characters.

The writing style felt juvenile at times; there was more ‘telling’ than ‘showing’. At several points of the story, Moreno-Garcia recounts the themes of the book and even highlights specific motifs, as if the reader were not careful enough to find those on their own. Still, it was delightful to read and the plot moved at a fair pace. The ending was not overly surprising, and I did not find myself confounded by the ‘twists’. The plot was compelling; I found the characters less so, and certain developments seemed haphazard or sudden. There were complex characters to be sure, but they did not always feel dynamic. Yet, the novel still manages to come alive and pull the reader along for Casiopea Tun’s adventure.

On another note, the romance elements in the novel were annoying to me. There was hardly any build-up, and the characters did not that they underwent a serious or monumental change. A lot of the novel involves Casiopea following around Hun-Kamé, which is sensible, since he is a god. But the author described this novel as a bildungsroman, and aside from Casiopea traveling to a lot of places and being enamored with a god, not much happens. What she does accomplish, aside from stubbornness, is power derived from the god. Also, I could not stand Casiopea describing Hun-Kamé—it felt like she used to word ‘handsome’ nearly every time. After the fourth or fifth time, I imagine the reader has an idea of what he looks like and what Casiopea thinks of that, thanks very much. The romance was not for me, but I suspect a lot of readers would enjoy that element more.

Despite these nitpicks, the novel is an enjoyable one and Moreno-Garcia’s writing has its impressive moments. I enjoyed seeing a novel that celebrates Maya and Mexican culture and puts it at the forefront. (There was a moment where Casiopea mocks how disgusting American food is—I’m sure Moreno-Garcia anticipated a reaction there, at least from American readers.) I would recommend this novel to anyone curious about indigenous mythology and the themes I mentioned above, particularly mythmaking (AKA mythopoesis).

I can't remember who recommended this but it sounded interesting so I got it from the library and gave it a try. It's set in 1920s Mexico and woven around Mayan mythology; young Cinderella-type Casiopea Tun lives a life of servitude to her grandfather, but while everyone is out and she has been left behind as a punishment, she opens the secret locked chest in his room and discovers the bones of the Mayan death god Hun-Kame. A sliver of bone pierces her hand and her blood revives the god, and from that point forward they're both tied together.

Hun-Kame must restore his power and confront his twin brother to reclaim the throne of the Mayan underworld before Casiopea's human blood and influence weaken him so far be forgets his godhood and becomes fully human. Casiopea is slowly dying from the god's bone shard in her hand and unless Hun-Kame succeeds, she won't live out the year. With no choice but to work together, the two of them proceed on a quest across Mexico to retrieve Hun-Kame's stolen power and eventually to confront his twin in the underworld.

It's a little reminiscent of Gaiman's "American Gods" in the idea of the very human seeming gods and demons walking among us unnoticed. It's also a little reminiscent of Naomi Novik's fairy tale retellings where a more modern heroine has to deal with the supernatural to save herself/her family/humanity. I liked it a lot but didn't completely love it and I'm not totally sure why; I think perhaps I found the pacing a little slow, and many of the characters not entirely likeable. Still, a very enjoyable book and particularly interesting look at Mayan myth which doesn't often appear in fiction.