Gods of Jade and Shadow

Product Information

He looked disappointed. He’d wanted a scuffle. She smiled when he handed her the money she needed to run the errands. He looked so put off by that smile, she thought for a moment he was going to slap her for no reason. Casiopea left the house in her dirty skirt, without even bothering to wrap a shawl around her head. In the meantime, Casiopea lived in Cirilo’s house. She rose early and committed to her chores, tight-­lipped, like a soldier on a campaign. The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather's house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-mending, Gods of Jade and Shadowis a wondrous and magical tale about choosing our own path. I felt weepy and happy and hopeful when I finished—everything you want to feel at the end of a great story.” —Kevin Hearne, New York Timesbestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles and A Plague of Giants Do as they ask; we wouldn’t want them to say we are spongers,” Casiopea’s mother told her. Casiopea swallowed her angry reply because it made no sense to discuss her mistreatment with Mother, whose solution to every problem was to pray to God. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Canadian author, who was born and raised in Mexico. Her debut novel, Signal to Noise, won the 2016 Copper Cylinder Award, which recognizes works of speculative fiction.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. A magical novel of duality, tradition, and change . . . Moreno-Garcia's seamless blend of mythology and history provides a ripe setting for Casiopea's stellar journey of self-discovery, which culminates in a dramatic denouement. Readers will gladly immerse themselves in Moreno-Garcia's rich and complex tale of desperate hopes and complicated relationships." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Avibrant story of grit, giddiness, and glory with a protagonist whose personality burns bright as a star. Casiopea Tun will capture your heart and draw you into a jewel-toned world of mythmaking and jazz music.” —Lara Elena Donnelly, author of the Amberlough Dossier trilogy A spellbinding fairy tale rooted in Mexican mythology . . . Gods of Jade and Shadowis a magical fairy tale about identity, freedom, and love, and it's like nothing you've read before.”— Bustle

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes.Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather's room. She opens it--and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea's demise, but success could make her dreams come true. Amidst all this mystical mayhem, there is a very human story grounding Gods of Jade and Shadow; one of first love, fraternal discord, and a young woman’s desire to escape the confines of home. Moreno-Garcia does well to always keep the realistic side of her novel as – or more – interesting than the otherworldly. The evolving relationship between Casiopea and Martín is well-drawn and believable, mirrored to great effect in the relationship between Hun-Kamé and Vacub-Kamé. It is to the author’s credit that she refuses to villainise the ostensible villains, focusing instead on the emotional reasons why they have ended up in their malevolent state.