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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Paused ⏸️ @37%
Не съм правилната аудитория за тази книга явно. Или просто не ѝ е момента. 70% от нея до тук са история на Мексико, архитектурен, културен и моден репортаж и информационна брошура за методите за транспортиране в региона. Тук-там цялото нещо е поръсено с някакво минимално придвижване на сюжета от персонажи, с които така и не успях да се свържа. Може би ако авторката не беше толкова заета с това да ни описва в детайли какво се е случило с град Х от момента на създаването му до текущия в историята и наблегнеше малко повече на вътрешния монолог на героите си, за да ни покаже какво наистина ги вълнува, какво ги мотивира, какви дилеми имат, това нямаше да е така. Но само спекулирам. Диалозите са утилитарни, не усетих живец в тях. Второстепенните герои са безлични. Злодеят е може би единствения, който предизвика някаква емоция.
Исках повече действие, повече магия, повече приключение, напрежение, замах и къвожадност. А получих нещо, което вървеше като задавен двигател - на пресекулки с големи застопорявания на едно място, докато дишаш душлив дим. Идеята е страхотна! За това няма да я оставя DNF. Но в момента определено нямам нерви за още една лекция по Мексиканска история.
Не съм правилната аудитория за тази книга явно. Или просто не ѝ е момента. 70% от нея до тук са история на Мексико, архитектурен, културен и моден репортаж и информационна брошура за методите за транспортиране в региона. Тук-там цялото нещо е поръсено с някакво минимално придвижване на сюжета от персонажи, с които така и не успях да се свържа. Може би ако авторката не беше толкова заета с това да ни описва в детайли какво се е случило с град Х от момента на създаването му до текущия в историята и наблегнеше малко повече на вътрешния монолог на героите си, за да ни покаже какво наистина ги вълнува, какво ги мотивира, какви дилеми имат, това нямаше да е така. Но само спекулирам. Диалозите са утилитарни, не усетих живец в тях. Второстепенните герои са безлични. Злодеят е може би единствения, който предизвика някаква емоция.
Исках повече действие, повече магия, повече приключение, напрежение, замах и къвожадност. А получих нещо, което вървеше като задавен двигател - на пресекулки с големи застопорявания на едно място, докато дишаш душлив дим. Идеята е страхотна! За това няма да я оставя DNF. Но в момента определено нямам нерви за още една лекция по Мексиканска история.
My favourite Silvia work. The writing is stunning and the plot is enchanting.
3.5 stars.
I liked the way this story progressed like Casiopea’s journey from lowly relation to helper of a god. What a wonderful character! Her development was excellent. The novel tells the story of the mythical god of death who is trying to get back to his kingdom in the Underworld and he needs Casiopea’s help. They encounter all sorts of mythical creatures along the way. Engaging and well-told.
I liked the way this story progressed like Casiopea’s journey from lowly relation to helper of a god. What a wonderful character! Her development was excellent. The novel tells the story of the mythical god of death who is trying to get back to his kingdom in the Underworld and he needs Casiopea’s help. They encounter all sorts of mythical creatures along the way. Engaging and well-told.
A reminder that words and names have power, and that the stories we tell, to others and ourselves, can shape our reality. Really enjoyed the 20s setting and the primer on Mayan mythology. Thought it was about to go into a really interesting rumination on the nature and power of belief/the things we believe in, but that plot point wasn’t expanded on in the way I thought it would be. Overall, super engaged in the plot progression and character development, but unsatisfied with the ending (the ending is the biggest reason I didn’t give it 5 stars). There is an argument to be made that it could only have ended the way that it did, however it felt like a lot of anticipation without the payoff. But as multiple characters are frequently reminding us, “who ever told you life was fair?”
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
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
The setting and the mythological source material got me excited for this book and I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately it ended up feeling (to quote another person's eloquent review) extremely juvenile, and I was a bit bored throughout. The heroine felt bland and indistinct, her characteristics described through narration rather than demonstrated in her thoughts and actions. I also hated the completely unnecessary and romance aspect that seemed to materialize from nowhere in the later part of the book, the lack of buildup making it feel forced and leaving me completely uninvested and disinterested. Altogether it was a "meh" for me.
The pace of this book was too slow given what was at stake for our main characters Casiopea and Hun-Kame.
Casiopea Tun is giving us Cinderella vibes when we meet her. She does all the family chores and is not respected by her extended family, especially her mean-spirited and selfish cousin Martin. One day she opens a mysterious box and releases the god Hun-Kame. He was trapped in the box by his disgruntled younger twin Vucub-Kame who wished to be seated at the throne of their realm. Hun-Kame is not at his full godly strength because his brother buried parts of his body separate from this box. He must find these missing parts in order to regain the throne. Casiopea discovers that she is magically tethered to the god and must help him solve this magical scavenger hunt, or die. Martin gets recruited by Vucub-Kame to help thwart the cousin's and the brother's efforts.
The slow pacing doesn't take away from the vibrant setting and characters. Casiopea and Hun-Kame travel through several Mexican cities (and a little bit into the US) in the 1920's Jazz age. We see carnival and casinos and markets. They meet sorcerers, witches and demons and other colorful characters who help, sometimes willingly, with their quest. Along the way Casiopea and Hun-Kame develop a strong bond. Casiopea gets to explore what freedom means to her. I was unexpectedly teary eyed at the end.
Casiopea Tun is giving us Cinderella vibes when we meet her. She does all the family chores and is not respected by her extended family, especially her mean-spirited and selfish cousin Martin. One day she opens a mysterious box and releases the god Hun-Kame. He was trapped in the box by his disgruntled younger twin Vucub-Kame who wished to be seated at the throne of their realm. Hun-Kame is not at his full godly strength because his brother buried parts of his body separate from this box. He must find these missing parts in order to regain the throne. Casiopea discovers that she is magically tethered to the god and must help him solve this magical scavenger hunt, or die. Martin gets recruited by Vucub-Kame to help thwart the cousin's and the brother's efforts.
The slow pacing doesn't take away from the vibrant setting and characters. Casiopea and Hun-Kame travel through several Mexican cities (and a little bit into the US) in the 1920's Jazz age. We see carnival and casinos and markets. They meet sorcerers, witches and demons and other colorful characters who help, sometimes willingly, with their quest. Along the way Casiopea and Hun-Kame develop a strong bond. Casiopea gets to explore what freedom means to her. I was unexpectedly teary eyed at the end.