Gods of Jade and Shadow- A book review

 

Once upon a time (4 months ago) I was a jaded girl, I believed neither in magic nor the beauty of the world. For you see when I was a wee little girl of 13, I started reading books and by the time I reached 19 I had already exhausted the young adult fantasy genre. Every book I read after that felt like a parody of the series that I had loved like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Mercy Thompson, Percy Jackson and many more. I started feeling empty. I looked at romance for a while, but quickly realized that romances have the same stories told differently. I liked the genre, but I was someone who had once explored deepest creeks and the tallest mountains, survived Tartarus and held power in my hands, oh! such power; so, even though I liked romance I missed all the crazies.

I rediscovered the fantasy genre when I finnally read the Hobbit. And so, I think I have started to find my way into fantasy again. This review is about the second book in the journey of myths and magic that I am slowly but surely embarking again. This review is about the book Gods of Jade and Shadows by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. And what a book it is. Ahh. The sigh of satisfaction. In this review I will tell you all the reasons why you should definitely read this book, if like me, you too are a wondering soul who has lost their way to magic and are desperately trying find that sanctuary again.

I went in this book knowing exactly nothing. The only reason I even picked this book up is because of the hype surrounding it. To see what all the noise was about. Apprehensive. Probably expecting to be disappointed again. But I am very very happy to declare that I was wrong. Here are the following reasons why-

The Fresh Take

This is mostly in terms of the myths of the place the story is based on. We have seen way too many stories based in either modern America or Old Europe (read Britain). This story is based in Mexico and that brings into the story its rich history and mythology. Stories woven within stories; imagery so vivid it reminds you of all the very best books you have read. It was like a whole new world, a dazzling place you never knew, a hundred thousand things to see…. (sorry I couldn’t help my Disney brain). So anyway, the reason why I like this so much is because every story I have ever imagined has had its base in a Eurocentric setting. For the longest time I have tried to make them more not white, but I never managed to. I never had any reference on how to successfully add color to the world. I might never actually end up writing anything, but one thing is for sure that after this my world won’t be as Eurocentric as before.

The Characters

Casiopea as a character is realistic. She doesn’t suddenly gain powers nor does she suddenly start solving problems previously unknown to her. She is strong, rebellious and has the courage to act upon her dreams. It is mentioned multiple times in the book that this is not a fairy tale, and at some point, it made me laugh. Way to break the fourth wall. She is kind, and that is perhaps one of her most enduring traits. One of her lines is “Just because life is not fair, why shouldn’t I be.” I think this is going to stay with me for a long time.

This book also depicts what social conditioning can do to a person. Casiopea is someone who has been told repeatedly that she is worth nothing, that she is not beautiful, that she should always listen to the male members of the household since she is female and that her natural place in the world is beneath a man’s. It takes time for her to let go of this belief, and even then we catch her slipping to her previous line of thinking. She is strong, but even the strongest have their limits.

This story also has one of the most beautiful character development arcs I have seen, executed in such flawless manner that you almost don’t realize it while its happening. In the starting of the book, when her cousin is mentioned all she has for him is venom, by the end of the book she forgives him. This is the story of the reluctant hero, one who is dragged into a journey at first but actively takes the decision to do the quest whole-heartedly when she sheds her conditioning. And when the story ends, its not a sad ending, its not happy either. After all this was never a fairy tale.

The other main character is our God of Death, and here I agree that the character build up was a little cliched. But even then, what will probably keep him apart for others of his tribe is his politeness. He is the God of Death; he doesn’t need to be polite and call Casiopea a Lady, but he does. We don’t see the usual stereotypical man who is super powerful and rude to everyone, and only polite to the female main lead after he starts to have feelings for her, or maybe not even then.  It was such a relief to see a man who treated women with respect not because he was bound to her or he loved her, but because according to him it was the most natural thing to do.

The Plot-line

The pace of this book was perfect. Never in the course of this book did I feel that the author was pacing through the events, neither did any point feel stagnant or unnecessary. One point for excellent editing.

The goals set in this book were quite tangible and achievable. Even if it was to topple an empire, we had a God by our side to help us with this. Overall, I really liked this book, with its plotline and pace and goals. I would have gone on that quest if given a chance.

I absolutely loved the ending. Maybe it is not for everyone. Maybe some people would want a clear cut happily ever after. Me- I want a second book which is never going to come. The author managed to hook me so deeply to the characters, the plotline and the mythologies that I am hungry for more.

The Writing Style

I absolutely adore her writing style. The way she describes places and things makes it effortless to imagine what is going on. It is so flawless that the book is one long movie in your head.  The worldbuilding done her is beautiful, it explains things which needs explanation without being too fact heavy. Flawless.

This ends my fangirl screaming about The Gods of Jade and Shadows. Let me go and jump some more times in excitement that I read such a good book. This book has the quality of giving you new things to think about every time you return to it. See you next time.

P.S. Did I mention how beautiful the cover was. No? Well it is very beautiful.

P.P.S. Did I mention how Casiopea struggles with her skin tone because everyone is obsessed with white skin. Me too girl, me too. Did I mention that she does overcome that struggle by the end of the book. But not really, because society still heralds white skin as supreme. Me too girl me too.

I am leaving. This time actually. Really.

Happy reading.

Toodles.

- by @madambluemojito 

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