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A review by goblinhearted
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Did not finish book. Stopped at 58%.
I really liked the inclusion of Mayan mythology, but I had a hard time with the execution of the story. I think maybe the plot in general leaned too much toward romance/YA which are not typically my cup of tea. I also felt the writing style could be a little dry sometimes.
I understand the emphasis on telling over showing is to make it seem more like a myth, but I've struggled with similar books which took this tact (Earthsea). I think this type of style works well for short stories but for longer pieces of work, it makes the narration seem dry. I also felt like there was a lot of repetition - like the omniscient narrator would tell us something (like the background between the twin gods of death) and then the protagonist would ask about it and it would be repeated through conversation.
In the end I decided to stop, even though I was just over halfway because I felt like finishing it would be too tiresome.
I understand the emphasis on telling over showing is to make it seem more like a myth, but I've struggled with similar books which took this tact (Earthsea). I think this type of style works well for short stories but for longer pieces of work, it makes the narration seem dry. I also felt like there was a lot of repetition - like the omniscient narrator would tell us something (like the background between the twin gods of death) and then the protagonist would ask about it and it would be repeated through conversation.
In the end I decided to stop, even though I was just over halfway because I felt like finishing it would be too tiresome.