March 2022 Selection: ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Maude’s March selection heads to rural Mexico with the fantasy novel by Canadian Mexican novelist Silvia Moreno-Garcias. This month we are reading Gods of Jade and Shadow, for a bit of history! Every month Maude chooses a new Fantasy or Sci-Fi novel with our book club. She uses Good Reads to keep everything in one space.
Synopsis:
“The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on harrowing, life-changing jourey in this one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. 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 fromher dustry small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.”
Goodreads
About The Author
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is Mexican by birthday and Candian by inclination. She is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including Gods of Jade and Shadow, Mexican Gothic, and Velvet Was the Night. She has edited several anthologies and is the publisher of Innsmouth Free Press.
Her fiction has appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies. She also has an MA in Science and Technology Studies from the University of British Columbia.
Maude’s Book Chat ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ Part 1
Talking Points
(20:52) Maude had a hard time getting through the book because of the audible narrator, who wasn’t as enthusiastic while reading. It’s not just reading the words, it’s about selling the story. Even the distinction between characters is something actors can do and understand. It’s the dialogue that Maude is struggling with, but she feels terrible saying it.
(58:30) MiniWhiteRabbit says that Moreno’s books always have extremely contrasting men and women, very strong character personalities to contrast the protagonist. Maude loves that observation.
(1:44:55) Kristen said that twins were often used in Mayan mythology, Maude asked where she learned about it and she responded with a deep rabbit hole in Wikipedia. She first read it last year and doesn’t want to spoil it. She goes on to say that there is an importance of the duality of individuals to present a whole. She did research because she wanted to know if these characters genuinely existed.
Maude’s Book Chat ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ Part 2
Talking Points
(15:50) Maude didn’t feel the connection, it had surface-level storytelling. She likes that it read like a D&D campaign and it was a very linear story. She did enjoy the change in perspectives, but the ending was anti-climactic for her.
(54:16) FatalFlower made an observation and said the storytelling was really swift and it shifted from one location to another. You very quickly got introduced to characters and they would be there for a short amount of time and were never really reintroduced in the story. It was moving so quickly so it came across as a bit more shallow.
(1:52:47) Members of the community bring up Bella and Edward in Twilight and how Bella had to choose Edward over everyone. But the romance in this book is more on the sideline and Casiopea’s journey is at the forefront.
Have you read Gods of Jade & Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia?
Maude gave it three out of five stars on GoodReads, what would you give it out of five? If you want to join our Book Chat community, head on over to our Patreon and join us today!
