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).