LRRC Week 3
Week three, here we go! I may have strategically made some book choices for this week to make up for the fact that I was out of town for three days, and for the fact that I'm tackling a monster next week.
#5: GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Holy SHIT this is a good book
I'm an easy sell for mythology stuff, and for examinations of gods as people/how gods differ from humans, but even given that, I think this book really has something special. Moreno-Garcia manages to weave mythology and epic adventure into a story about heroism that feels very down to earth and lovely.
This is done mostly through the protagonist, Casiopea, who is an excellent character. She's down to earth, yet full of dreams, and she manages to walk this really fine line between being a well-developed character and yet still having her growth throughout the novel feel legitimate. She feels real but also embodies and embraces heroism in a way that's truly inspiring.
There's also themes I enjoyed around immortality and humanity, and around family. One of the most interesting parts of the novel to me was Casiopea's relationship with her cousin, Martín, who has been abusive to her throughout her life. Martín is humanized, but his actions are not excused, and there's weight given to the complexity of their interactions.
I don't know much about Mayan religion, and it's definitely outside of my lane, but I enjoyed what I learned about it through this book. I thought that there was also a really good line walked with the humanization of Hun-Kame; he starts out with godlike separation, leading him to act at times like an asshole, but he isn't let off the hook for this.
There's a timeless, folktale feeling to the book that really worked for me, and helps the story feel epic and vivid and mythologic. I also found the romance to be really compelling and some of the romantic scenes to be genuinely very beautiful.
Saying more seems like it would lead very easily to spoilers, so I will leave you with my recommendation: read it. Especially if you are a fan of fairy tales and mythology,
#6: THE STOWAWAY DEBUTANTE by Rebecca Diem
This is probably technically a novella (or even a novelette? I confess I do not know where the lines are), but hey! I never promised you novels, I promised you books, and this is one! Also, it was a con weekend last weekend, so gimme a break.
I digress. "The Stowaway Debutante" is a really fun steampunk adventure story! It's got Robin Hood-esque pirates, which I love, and their anti-capitalist romps are ones I would happily read more of. It also gave me major found family feels, especially with the development of the friendship between women and girls. It would've been easy to have them all be men, or for the other main woman to be a romantic rival, but instead they interact like people! Yay!
I also really appreciated the main character, Clara, and how she was able to be smart and tough without having an "I'm better than other girls" air. Also, she gets to have interests that are more """masculine""" but still use the assets that her upbringing as a debutante gave her.
Anyway, if you like steampunk pirates, check this out! I'm certainly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
NEXT WEEK'S AGENDA:
#7: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
#8: A Human Stain by Kelly Robson