Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Gods of Jade and Shadow

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

49 reviews

lisvaldez19's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Unfortunately I didn't super enjoy my time with this one. This is a quest narrative but it didn't do the job as one for me. I think the beauty of a quest narrative is that you don't really know where it's going - as a reader you have knowledge of an end point and an initial plan, but something will throw the hero off course to keep you on your toes. However, the narrative followed the initial plan in a really linear and repetitive way, with only minor obstacles for Casiopea and Hun-Kamé (until the end).

I did like the narrative voice as I found it unique and it had a fairytale-like quality to it. However, it came at the cost of feeling distanced from Casiopea and her inner-world. A final thing I didn't like about the book was how quickly Casiopea and Hun-Kamé fell in love. Even though we are told this happened slowly, they had only known each other for a few weeks so I just didn't find this believable.

So I was especially frustrated that they were both so close to throwing in the towel because of this love.

Also, I really don't like the immortal/mortal trope especially as Casiopea is only 18.

Despite these negatives, there were a lot of positives too! I really enjoyed the opposing development of Casiopea and Hun Kamé, how they were switching from mortal to immortal or vice versa, and how they learned more about their initial state through the other's journey. I really liked where Casiopea ended up overall, too. Speaking of the ending, the last 50 pages were really fantastic - gripping and satisfying. And I really loved reading and learning about Mayan mythology too, like the duality of Xibalba that was cleverly reflected in so many other parts of the narrative.

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daniellekat's review

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

I’m a big fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and this book did not disappoint. The writing was beautiful and I loved the traditional “two people on a quest” storytelling. The narrative wasn’t particularly surprising or novel but I really enjoyed the Mexican mythology throughout. I have been in a bit of a reading slump and this was exactly what I needed.

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lauramparis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

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bluejayreads's review against another edition

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I was originally going to do a Review Short for this one, but it turns out I have a whole review’s worth of thoughts after all. Mainly because I am just so disappointed in this book.

The concept is fantastic. I love stories of old gods who aren’t worshiped or believed in anymore who have to get help from mortals to stop the evil machinations of other old gods, and that’s essentially what this is. It’s also featuring Mayan gods and set in 1920s Mexico – a mythology and setting that I haven’t read much about (I don’t think I’ve ever read something set in 1920s Mexico, actually). The concepts are great and the plot is solid. It’s everything else that left much to be desired.

Mainly because there isn’t anything else. The people are cardboard cutouts bouncing along as the plot demands. The plot itself plods along, not exactly slow but never changing pace. There are no twists and no obstacles to give it texture, it never speeds up to drive tension, and it never slows down to leave room for character and setting. I spent over six hours with these characters, and the only things I know about them are things that were told to me by other characters or the narrator. (The narrator also looks down on Casiopea because she’s young, which was very irritating.) I spent six hours in 1920s Mexico, but all I know about it is “flappers, but it’s hot outside.” The plot seemed determined to force its way forward at the same pace regardless of anything else.

I loved the gods and how much the story shows of them, but they were still cardboard puppets forced along to the constant plodding of the plot. There were demons and ghosts and spirits and the Mayan underworld and fascinating ideas about the spacial limitations of deities, but I had to grasp for those interesting bits as the plot pushed me past. It glossed over all of the interesting parts that might have given it flavor – Mexican, Mayan, 1920s, mythological, or anything else – in favor of a relentlessly monotonous pace. Even with the threat of death for the protagonist and bad things for humanity if the antagonist won, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

I so wanted more from this. I wanted it to bring together 1920s Mexico and Mayan myth into something rich and magical and bursting with mood and atmosphere. I wanted a world I could sink my teeth into – and I think if I’d gotten that, I could have forgiven flat characters. I might have even been able to forgive a lackluster world if the characters were compelling and had personality and chemistry, even though the world was what I really wanted out of this story. But this book has neither, and the plot is far too straightforward to be interesting. As great as the ideas are and as much as I wanted to like this book, I just couldn’t find a reason to care.

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jaedia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Gods of Jade and Shadow is a very sleepy fantasy. I expected a little more action from a story about a god of death on a quest to reclaim his throne after brotherly betrayal, and there was a little, but mostly the story meanders through moments, quietly weaving its myth. I found it a very calm read. I had no anticipated that but it was really nice and while I felt some of its events could have had a little more 'oomph', maybe drawn out just a little bit longer, perhaps packed a little more emotion, by the end I was still in tears and kinda wanting to hear more from these characters.

This book is a slow burn for sure. And it is lovely.

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beebeewin's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? No

3.75

I liked this book but for some reason I can't name it just didn't move me or grip me enough for it to be a book I love. It felt like the plot moved quickly at the end and the resolution felt kind of hollow, but most of the book before that felt paced well. I liked all the character was definitely drawn in by the deep Mayan lore woven in to the story. Maybe for me I would have just like the ending to have felt more climactic, but regardless of the build up the end just felt kind of like a deus machina. I would recommend this as a fun read with a wonderful little romance and a deep dive into Mayan folklore.

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martamae77's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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boba_n_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

Moreno-Garcia sure is the master of slow burn stories! Though I am not well-versed in Mayan mythology, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit about Mayan mythology along the way. The concept and imagery of Xibalba was probably my favorite part. Moreno-Garcia is so good at crafting an atmosphere and pulling her readers in and not letting them go until the last page. I enjoyed this book a lot - the relationship between Casiopeia and Hun-Kamé and the dynamic between Casiopeia and her terrible cousin, Martín, were some other notable parts of the reading experience.

I recommend this book if you enjoy any type of mythology and adventure as well as fully immersive and atmospheric writing.

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imaginingly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective 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? No

4.5

it’s very much -a god takes mortal from her abusive household and takes her on adventure to win his throne back- vibes
i loved this, honestly. a lot of new terms i have never heard of and it was out of my comfort zone but i’m so glad i read it

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