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wooblatoober's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
so glad i read this. i enjoyed it so much & it had an ending that i had wanted to see in a novel for quite some time, which makes it very special. i wasn’t sure about, then eventually loved, the semi-omniscient narration. i thought it was interesting and different, yet wasn’t distracting, & helped to make certain moments more impactful. i felt like something was missing in regards to the romance as i read, but that’s likely purely personal since i couldn’t tell you what it was that i felt was missing. i definitely loved the climax of the story.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
the race through the black road & what happens on it kept me on the edge of my seat. moreno-garcia did an amazing job of writing cassiopea’s descent into irrationality on the black road, & her descent into thinking she’s old, when she “strays” from the path. VERY well-written, as its seamlessness reminded me of my own descents into psychosis that i’ve had. i REALLY appreciated that she chose not only to do the right thing (go to the black road), but ALSO to live her life after. after an entire romantic buildup, an ending where it just simply doesn’t happen, and where the life she’s about to live independently is more romantic than the relationship she would have had, is very special to me. i also like that the reader is unsure whether she’ll be able to be with him after her death, or, better put, after her life. i almost like to think it won’t happen, & that that’ll be okay. but i also like the idea of him watching her fall deeper in love with life, while falling deeper in love with her. but i think i like the first one more. it’s melancholy & beautiful.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
rosie_robot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, and Suicide
ferlefur's review against another edition
Interesting premise, but accompained by poor writing, and boring characters. I might puck this one up again someday, but right now I can't keep going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual harassment
tamara_joy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation and Classism
dreadspawn's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
rockysoap's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
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).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Classism
itshrewsbury's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
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:
“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.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
liesthemoontells's review against another edition
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
Good for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, or Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
exlibris42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Sexism