HC, 334 pages
Release Date: July 23, 2019Published by: Del Rey
Read from: August 25-31, 2019Stand-aloneSource: LibraryTW: Family abuse, animal death (non gory)For fans of: Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Adult
The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, 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 from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.
Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.
In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Another time that I’ve been made to want to read something because of the beautiful cover. And this time the inside was almost just as good. Not something I’m used to reading, but that’s what made it all the more better in my eyes.
“She did not believe in fancy tales, but she had convinced herself she’d have a happy ending.“pg. 17
Casiopea has been treated badly by so many people in her life that the only thing she can think about now is getting away. But one night she finds a box with a mysterious set of bones in it and she accidentally frees they Mayan god of death.
“Neither locks, nor wards, can keep a Lord of Xibalba out. Death enters all dwellings.” “Death has no manners.“pg. 36
In the beginning this story was super strong. But as it got to the middle it started moving SO. SLOW. It started out so promising, but then it just seemed like it was being filled with fluff so it could take the attention away from the plot not moving. I realized that was why it took me so long to read this. I got bored a couple times and wanted to skim but I wouldn’t let myself do it
“Fate is a force more powerful than gods, a fact they don’t resent, since mortals are often given more leeway and may be able to navigate it’s current.”pg. 52
But the writing style in this was amazing. I wrote down SO MANY chunks of text while reading. I can honestly say I almost took down the entire book. It was filled with beautiful prose and lush world-building, and yet it was still easy to read.
“Mortals like to speak their stories and do not always tell the true tale.“pg. 98
I really liked the characters though. Casiopea and the god of Death, I shipped them from their first scene together. I remember asking if it was too soon for me to ship them early on in the book. And I really liked the way she portrayed the god of Death. He was terrible, but not so much. He seemed to be the right amount of bad? I don’t know how to explain it. He just worked. Is it weird to say I thought of him as a book boyfriend? lol
“The nature of hate is mysterious. It can gnaw at the heart for an eon, then depart when one expected it, to remain as immobile as a mountain. But mountains erode.“pg. 322
This book wasn’t my normal read, but definitely worth it in the end. I really enjoyed this and though it got slow in the middle, I liked the way she ended it by leaving room for something else to happen like a spin-off or something. Definitely an author I will watch for in the future.
Overall, I give this
Shes also written an adult vampire book that is super fast paced. I preferred Gods, but the vampire story was imaginative.