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Sometimes you’re mentally in vacation mode and need the experience of vacation while you’re sitting in your house with people and animals running amok. (amok. amok. amok) Find yourself a big comfy chair, a soft sofa, or a luxurious bed, turn on the ocean via a white noise app, shut off the rest of your house, and settle in to read Emily Henry’s Beach Read. Then join us on June 18th at 7:30pm Central Time to discuss your mental vacation! SIGN UP HERE to join us for a relaxing book discussion, delicious beverages with tiny umbrellas encouraged but not required.
I need to begin this book review blog post with some confessions: I knew nothing of Mayan mythology before I read Gods of Jade and Shadow (the Kindle book is, as of this post, $4.99!). This is what happens when you don’t study Spanish in high school, but French and Latin. So, I started the book with no preconceived notions about what the members of this mythological tradition were, are, looked like, or could do magically. Moreno-Garcia admits that the book is, first and foremost, a fantasy story based on the Popol Vuh which, according to the glossary at the back of the book, is a narrative of creation myths from the K’iche’ people and were originally passed down through oral storytelling.
Additionally, I probably should have done more research on the mythology of the Mayans before I went on our 2016 cruise where I required Adam to accompany me to the site of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula. We took the day trip excursion from the ship to the historic site with lunch and swimming in a cenote. This stop was certainly the highlight of the cruise stops for me because collecting the world’s pyramids is a travel goal of mine. Gods of Jade and Shadow has brought to life a facet of my travels I had never considered before – like the cenote is an entrance to the underworld as well as a place of healing. Cenotes are protected now – no sunscreens or other products are allowed in the waters to keep a film from forming and the ecosystem being destroyed. It is a magical experience and I would love to go back and recommend everyone go to such cultural sites over more beach time when enjoying a cruise!
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, just like in Mexican Gothic (you can read our review post here) brings us into the world of a fully-relatable female protagonist who makes decisions based on what she wants for her life, not necessarily what her family would approve of in 1927 Mexico. Yes, she releases the cursed god Hun-Kamé from the chest at the foot of her hateful grandfather’s bed and in so doing unintentionally binds her life with that of the Lord of Xibalba. Casiopea, named after the constellation, is forced to accompany Hun-Kamé on a quest through Mexico to find his missing body parts – his left eye, ear, and index finger – and powerful jade necklace, or die because she did not remain in his presence. Not much of a choice, to be sure, but Casiopea Tun is up for the adventure and shows her resilience and power of character throughout the journey.
This novel is brilliantly written, progressing from stop to stop on the journey unerringly, like a river in the underworld, in a measured pace with no unnecessary fluff or plot holes wanting to be filled. The entire time I was reading the dead tree library book I could picture the movie in my mind and very seriously it would make a perfect film – it is a “visual” masterpiece. I give Gods of Jade and Shadow five stars. Moreno-Garcia is now officially a season-pass favorite author, a powerhouse wordsmith, whose works top my best of year lists!
~Ashley
Oh readers, while I love the Greco-Roman mythology I grew up learning (which is a whole other situation), learning about other pantheons and oral histories is one of my favorite things as an adult! It also brings me joy that one of my littles just finished the Percy Jackson series and dove straight into The Kane Chronicles. The story of Popol Vuh was brand new to me and I loved every second of this hero’s journey based on it, with a female lead! I want to say all the things about it, but Ashley said them so well, I’m going to go a different direction today.
The most shocking thing to me about Gods of Jade and Shadow was at the end, the preview of Mexican Gothic, because after this amazing adventure, I completely forgot that this title is actually a year older! After reading and loving, two of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s titles, I have already recommended (and here zero readers are surprised) Certain Dark Things, which is being rereleased this fall (original publication date of 2016). Let’s be real, the author had me already, she also gets a pass from me, but the first line of the marketing copy was speaking to me, “Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires.” Yes please! This is the fall book I didn’t know I desperately wanted. I’m also really interested in her debut collection of short stories too- This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire & the Fantastic, and her expected 2022 title The Daughter of Dr. Moreau. I also want to point out one more thing dear readers, Moreno-Garcia’s first novel, Signal to Noise came out in 2015, so in six short years, she’s written seven novels, plus I assume she’s wrapping up her anticipated 2022 release as the publication process usually takes a year or so!
So yes, in summary, I have officially added Silvia Moreno-Garcia to the list of authors whose work gets an automatic add to my TBR, and Gods of Jade and Shadow is officially on my list of potential 2021 favorite reads. If you remember, our list has zero things to do with publication date, and is just the books we read in a given year.
Who’s on your list of authors whose work you are automatically interested in because their writing has impressed you so thoroughly?
~Nikki
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