Reviews

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

waterbrender's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

mobooks_mojoy's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

5.0

dianapiskor's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I went into this book expecting it to be like other YA books, and I finished pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. While not perfect, it was an interesting read and blended historical ideas, a female hero’s journey and Bildungsroman, and magical realism in a way that made it a good read.

To be honest here, I really just enjoyed the story on this one. I liked that we got a female perspective in 1920s Mexico about a girl who is unapologetically herself. I also really loved the Mayan and Mexican backdrop of the story and how it was interwoven into the plot itself. And the ending might have actually wrecked me. It was a bit devastating, but made sense with the overall ideas of the book. 

Now was this story perfect? No. The writing was a bit too efficient and the plot did feel a bit repetitive. At 334 pages, this isn’t a long book, and I could see why some didn’t love the pacing or the story itself. But overall, it took me on a cool ride and I liked that. 

Overall, if you like mythology, history, feminist main characters, some light romance, good storytelling, and a good plot, I think this one is for you. 

matalak's review

adventurous

3.75

frozenheartv's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 4.25 stars 

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 

🧠 My thoughts 

Reading this book made me feel like reading a fairytale. It had it all: adventure, mystery, fantasy, mythology, a hint of contemporary and romance. The prose was flowery and it added very much to the mythological atmosphere. This book could easily become a Disney movie. 

On the other hand, I wished that the story came out a bit more powerful than this. I liked the strong female protagonist like Casiopeia but it felt like it lacked something still. Hun-Kamè character felt a bit unrealistic. The ending might be unrealistic and too easy too. 

👍 What I like 

• Mayan mythology is a big plus because not so many books focus on this
• The book has everything in it
• Atmospheric and the storyline is beautiful

👎 What I don't like

• The ending feels too easy and rushy
• Although it has almost everything, it still lacks something that I can’t pinpoint
• Hun-Kamè character felt a bit unrealistic

malialialia's review against another edition

5.0

It’s like Mexican Cinderella, except instead of a fairy godmother who gives you a makeover, you get an Aztec death god who threatens to murder you if you don’t help him.

pinchokbo's review

adventurous slow-paced

3.0

joannabren's review against another edition

4.25

Started off slow but beautifully written and picks up after awhile. I loved that the main character didn’t fall into specific tropes— she wasn’t a damsel in distress but she also wasn’t emotionless or fearless. She’s brave in the purest way: she’s faced with fear and she does the right thing anyway.

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

3.0

I feel like the story was hampered by not making anyone too bad a character, which not only made the conflict not threatening but the resolution of the book too easy. Lack of real conflict watered down the strength of the young female main character. The love was told not shown and I did not connect with the characters enough to worry about them when the story was supposed to become tense.

cfk95's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0