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tinnreads 's review for:
Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
How I wish that more of the book would have been like the contest between the two cousins at the end.
The book does some things really well - I appreciated this idea that gods are only powerful around their birthplaces for example, and distance matter to them. The way the cousins navigated Xibalba differently and tackled challenges was also very interesting.
What I didn't like was the romance between the two main characters - it didn't feel obvious to me that they /need/ to fall in love, and if it was the plan from the start, then Hun-Kamé could have been something other than mysteriously silent yet disappointingly human. I didn't feel like I saw enough interactions to root for them as a couple, though with an interesting setting like this, there could have been more opportunities.
A warning for those who like books written in separate POVs - this one isn't. It comes down to personal preference but it felt like head hopping to me sometimes.
All things considered I'm glad I picked this up, but it hasn't quite blown me away.
The book does some things really well - I appreciated this idea that gods are only powerful around their birthplaces for example, and distance matter to them. The way the cousins navigated Xibalba differently and tackled challenges was also very interesting.
What I didn't like was the romance between the two main characters - it didn't feel obvious to me that they /need/ to fall in love, and if it was the plan from the start, then Hun-Kamé could have been something other than mysteriously silent yet disappointingly human. I didn't feel like I saw enough interactions to root for them as a couple, though with an interesting setting like this, there could have been more opportunities.
A warning for those who like books written in separate POVs - this one isn't. It comes down to personal preference but it felt like head hopping to me sometimes.
All things considered I'm glad I picked this up, but it hasn't quite blown me away.