Gods of Jade and Shadow

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

'This is historical fantasy at its best' S.A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass

Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do more than dream of a life far from her small town in southern Mexico.

Until the day she accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death, who offers her a deal: in return for Casiopea's help in recovering his throne, he will grant her whatever she desires.

From the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld, Casiopea's adventure will take her on a perilous cross-country odyssey beyond anything she's ever known.

Success will make her every dream come true, but failure will see her lost, for ever . . .

'Wondrous and magical' Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

'Evocative and moving' Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trial of Lightning

'An adventure for the mind and the heart' Christina Henry, author of Alice

'A joy to read' Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library series

A BEST BOOKS OF SUMMER 2019 PICK BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
ONE OF THE HOTTEST BOOKS OF SUMMER BY GOODREADS
A SUMMER 2019 B&N DISCOVER GREAT NEW WRITERS SELECTION

• ISBN10: 1529402638
• ISBN13: 9781529402636
• Publish Date: 23 July 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 27 January 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Quercus Publishing
• Imprint: Jo Fletcher Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[writehollydavis]

3.5/5 Culturally rich, this story was very intriguing with the dynamics of a god part-mortal and a human girl working together both on Earth and in the Land of the Dead. I enjoyed the slow burn romance which made it very believable and not forced! There was something missing for me in the story but I couldn't put my finger on it.

[mrs_mander_reads]

This was great! I learned a lot about Mayan mythology and that culture. Recommend for folx who enjoy mythology retellings. This was an interesting intersection of Cindrella and Pandora's box.

[kaliwinn]

4.5/5 

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What you need to know:

#multipleperspectives #historicalfiction #quest #slowburn

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This is my second Moreno-Garcia book and I loved her writing even more this time around! GJS was definitely a slow burn, but I loved the details that helped me imagine the worlds of the main characters. 

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Gods of Jade and Shadow follows the story of a common girl (Casiopea) and a Mayan god (Hun-Kame) on a quest to restore the god's rightful power which was stolen by his twin brother. The story moves easily from the perspective of Casiopea and Hun-Kame to the perspective of Vucub-Kame (the twin) and Martin (Casiopea's cousin). I rated this book at 4.5 stars only because I was sad at how it ended! 

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[bumblingbookworm]

DNFed at 46 pages. The writing isn’t doing anything for me, and I’m just not in the mood for this right now, which is a shame because the premise sounds amazing. Stunning cover though.

[layawaydragon]

>Youngish feeling MC, with eyes wide open
>Atmospheric
>Full of history & context
>Great quotables. 
>Abusive family
>Love Casiopea the whole way through. She won me over quick & then she rejected Cinderella 3
>Love the included versions of myths and myth making
>More of hidden hope & muffled dreams, then action showdowns & romantic declarations. 
>Which I LOVE & think all the introverts/bookworms/quiet nerds will appreciate
>That did not go as I expected.
>That did not end as I expected either.
>Brillant. 
>I won’t forget this any time soon. 
>Highly recommended for YA fans that enjoy history & myths, anyone tired of the normal romances and hero journeys