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Gods of Jade and Shadow

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Gods of Jade and Shadow

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Yetta Gottesman
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About this listen

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

Casiopea Tun is too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own.

Until one day, when Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather's room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death. He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires.

In the company of the alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.

A magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker.

©2019 Silvia Moreno-Garcia (P)2019 Random House Audio Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Magical Realism Latin America Mexico Maya Civilisation Dream Ancient History

Critic Reviews

"Wondrous and magical." (Kevin Hearne, author of the Iron Druid Chronicles)

"Evocative and moving." (Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Trial of Lightning)
All stars
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YA immortals meet mortals period travelogue, drawing on American Gods but without the narrative punch to elevate the story above mediocrity. The Mayan mythology and 1920's Mexico setting are wonderful, and the narrator does an excellent job with the pronunciations. However these good points aren't enough to push this one from an average to a great read, for me.

Setting elevates this novel

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I loved this book. Sent me down a mythology rabbit hole. 10/10 for plot/characters. Cassiopeia is believable and there are some truly beautiful moments scattered throughout the story. It's not over-the-top sweetness and the characters who need redemption don't find it immediately but they do start their journey towards it. The ending made me incredibly happy.

Not your usual fairytale

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I really enjoy the world's Silvia manages to spin in her books. I could imagine exactly where it was taking me. The narration style was one of my favourites.

Loved the narration!

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I really enjoyed the adventure in this book & it’s basis in Mexican mythology. The journey was enthralling & the ending satisfying. Thought the performance did the writing justice too!

Wonderful, imaginative adventure!

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Entirely evocative and charming. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Wonderful hearing a story from a different cultural perspective.

Beautiful story, highly recommended

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great story and beautiful descriptions. the narration felt off sometimes, the voice was beautiful but parts were read eith the wrong feeling attached to the words. that pulls you out of the fantasy when that happens. no reason not to hear this gorgeous story though!

great story and beautiful descriptions

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This story felt very poetic in it's telling and refreshingly original. I loved the emersion in culture.
The ending was somehow perfect and bittersweet at the same time.
This was my first book by this author and I'm very interested to read more!

Beautifully told!!

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This is a beautiful modern fairytale that calls on the traditions of myths and folklore.

The power of words

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