Reviews with content warning for Blood - Bohové jadeitu a stínu

Like others have said, I found this book slow in the beginning, which was fine with me because I was listening to it to fall asleep at night. But somewhere around halfway, it suddenly picked up and I became very invested. The world building in particular was captivating. The ending didn't work for me, but not because it was bad - it was just a personal preference thing. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'm glad I gave it a chance. I would gladly read this author again (although I might try to vet the story's ending first).

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

“In the world of the living, one must live.”

Premise:
We follow the hero's journey of Casiopea Tun (third person limited POV), a girl from a small town Uukumil in southern Mexico who lives at the beck and call of her begrudging grandfather Carilio and her envious cousin, Martín. While perusing her grandfather's things, accidentally releases the god of death Hun-Kamé from his imprisonment, becomes bound to him, and must travel with him to find the rest of his body parts so he can reclaim his throne in Xibalba. He will also have to confront his twin, Vucub-Kamé.

On this journey across 1920's Mexico, Casiopea meets many Mayan gods and tricksters, and all of this is inspired by mythology of the Mayan cosmos! There is a bit of a deadline with this quest though, as the reason Casiopea needs to go with Hun-Kamé is because he is feeding off of her lifeforce (there's an implanted bone shard in her hand), so they must complete this quest before he fully drains all of her life force! Sheesh!

Thoughts:
SMG is hit-or-miss for me usually, but this one has landed moreso in the middle for me! There is so much that I loved! I had so much fun with the general premise of the hero's journey and this quest-based adventure with unlikely travel partners. It was so goofy, the banter was delectable, and I really enjoyed the characterization of both Casiopea and Hun-Kamé! They challenged each other, and Casiopea especially embarked not only on this physical journey, but an internal coming-of-age. She has been mistreated and is exhausted of it, only to recognize that even the villains in her story are figuring their shit out too.

Look, I'm not out here batting for and defending her dusty crusty cousin lol. Martín is ultimately just some guy, but I appreciated Casiopea's dynamic with him, and how that evolved so much by the end. It felt authentic and relatable - don't we all struggle with family dynamics and feeling ostracized or like the outcast at different eras in our lives? I *know* everyone's biological and chosen families are different, but I do think universally, people can relate on how complex family can be.

The setting of the cities across Mexico (Veracruz, Mexico City, El Paso, Baja, etc), as well as the underworld, were immersive and littered with gorgeous prose. I don't think anyone can say SMG is a lazy or vague writer; I could totally imagine the places she was describing, and I think this would be such a good book to adapt for tv as a limited series or a film!

Quotations that stood out to me:

“She longed. Not for one specific thing but for everything; she had longed for a long time. He’d made this longing worse: it followed her quietly, this awkward feeling under her skin.”

“Young, as you are young. Look at you, like the dawn,” he said. “You can’t understand, of course, but one day you’ll want to be new again,” he continued. “You’ll wish to return to this moment of perfection when you were the embodiment of all promises.”

“Words are seeds, Casiopea. With words you embroider narratives, and the narratives breed myths, and there’s power in the myth. Yes, the things you name have power,” he said.

“He’d fallen in love slowly and quietly, and it was a quiet sort of love, full of phrases left unsaid, laced with dreams. He had imagined himself a man for her, and he allowed her to see the extent of this man, and he gave her this speck of heart, which was a man, to hold for a moment before taking it back the second before it faded.”

“Life had taught her to be untrusting. Dreamers and romantics like her father did not fare well, and though she had dreamed in Uukumil, she’d done so quietly, in secret.”

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liesthemoontells's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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

4.25

Thoughtful, lyrical, and charming. A beautiful fantasy infused with a cultural background and mythology that many western readers may not be aware of, but written in a way that was engaging and accessible to newcomers, and with a gorgeous ending. A very welcome entry into the "reimagined Death God" subgenre.

Good for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, or Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

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md3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0

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exlibris42's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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becann's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark fast-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

4.75

Engaging and intriguing story. Characters growing with and in spite of their flaws.

This book is a beautiful look into this culture with many relatable moments.

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rafacolog's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

This was a great read, inspired by Mayan mythology which I got to learn more about as I parsed my way through this. I love the themes of narrative and myths and accepting and/or changing destiny. I love the slow burn. I love the bittersweet ending. I love the descriptions of everywhere in 1920s Mexico contrasted with Xibalba. I love the healing journey the characters go through to end the cycle of trauma. There’s just so much here to love. It took me a while to get into it but that was just a me thing because I was so busy. Once I forced myself to be still, I really loved this book.

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