Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is my fourth book by this Mexican-Canadian novelist and it never gets old. I first found her through the annual Obama reading list, which also never disappoints, and then I finish one and soon thereafter start another one. She is a gifted story teller, and often has a hint of the supernatural in the mix, and this one is no different. This is a historical fantasy of sorts– and it reads so much like a dark fairytale – Casiopea, a young girl who is living out the roaring 20's scrubbing the floors of her grandfather's house after her mother marries the wrong guy. She accidentally frees the spirit of a Mayan god of death one day and then the adventure begins. The god of death, Hun-Kamé, tells Casiopea this: help him recover his throne from his brother and he will give her whatever she desires. Fail, and it will mean her death. As the two embark on their adventure, unbeknownst to them is that the road before them will change them both forever. Casiopea’s journey depends entirely on Hun-Kamé’s success. Having been imprisoned for decades, Hun-Kamé draws life from the Casiopea’s blood and essence through the bone shard embedded in her thumb, thus binding the two in ways they will not anticipate. Their fates are entwined--one fails then so does the other, and so as strangers they need to utterly rely upon the other. It is a good story well told.