Mayan Deities Brought to Life in Silvia Moreno-Garcia's 'Gods of Jade and Shadow'

After reading Mexican Gothic on vacation last year, I was quite pleased to have the audiobook of Gods of Jade and Shadows, also by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, to listen to as I meandered up to the Shenandoah valley of Virginia from Savannah, GA for a vacation this year.  It did not disappoint. The genre is a bit different—instead of Gothic horror, it’s considered historical fantasy, mostly set in Mexico in the 1920s and dealing with ancient Mayan death-gods.  I would recommend the novel for teenagers and adults, especially women, who once enjoyed Rick Riordan’s stories about the gods of various world mythologies and for those who enjoyed the movie Labyrinth, as the antagonist Vucub-Kamé sometimes reminded me of Jareth the Goblin King.  Any lover-of-novels who is curious about Mexico should find it an absorbing story as well.  This is only my second novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but I’m already a big fan. She brings her main characters and Mexico to vivid, surreal life. Her strong, practical female protagonists are dreamers—they’re likeable, relatable. In Gods of Jade and Shadows, Casiopea worries about her reputation, about the teachings of her family and the church regarding how single young women should behave. The author draws a vivid portrait of her village life, of how her defiant spirit is recognized—and brings her trouble—even when she thinks she’s being servile.  The characters are mostly well-drawn, though some of the action-filled scenes have side characters that seem as though they could have been written by Riordan himself, they’re that cartoonish (I still very much enjoy Riordan’s writing, too, let me add!). Hun-Kamé, the god that she is trying to help, feels tangible, though—and his transition to being more human only makes his initial godly persona that much more authentic.  The betrayal by his brother, and the subsequent finding of body parts to restore himself reminds me so much of the Egyptian legend of Osiris and Seth that I find myself quite curious how much of this story is truly Mayan legend, and if it is, whether or not there is some ancient, shared connection with the Egyptian myths.

Kirkus Review of 'Silk: Caroline's Story'

"[Jessie's] passion is magnetic right to the end of the story. Alexander does a good job of fleshing out all of the other major characters, but the novel belongs to dangerous, deadly Jessie... A richly atmospheric tale about two very different women seeking their ideal loves."  -from the Kirkus Review of Silk: Caroline's Story.

Literary Titan Thrice Honors 'Tapestry: A Lowcountry Rapunzel'

• "This astonishing novel grabs readers in the first chapter and takes them on a journey that makes it impossible to put the book down. The characters are well developed. Even the minor characters stand out for their parts in this novel... Tapestry: A Lowcountry Rapunzel is a dramatic coming of age and family saga novel exploring the 1920's women rights movement through the eyes of two young women and the romance of unrequited love."-excerpt from Literary Titan review.

Tapestry: A Lowcountry Rapunzel was honored with this lovely 5-star review by Literary Titan, received their Gold Book Award, and was the subject of an interview with Yours Truly.  Those are three separate links, but to see them all together, visit: https://literarytitan.com/?s=Sophia+Alexander

'Silk' Recognized by the National Indie Excellence Awards for Regional Fiction

 

Do a little dance for me! Silk: Caroline's Story has been recognized once more with a finalist medallion, this time for the 16th annual National Indie Excellence Awards in the category of Regional Fiction: Southeast. I've been dreaming of a Southern Gothic award (not that I've yet seen one), but close enough... I'll take it!

Here's the link. Hint: Click on the 'R' (for Regional Fiction), scroll slightly, and it'll come right up!:  https://www.indieexcellence.com/16th-annual-finalists

'Silk' received a Book Excellence Award!

Silk: Caroline's Story has been recognized as a Book Excellence Award Finalist in the historical category.

"Out of thousands of books that were entered into the Book Excellence Awards competition, Silk was selected for its high-quality writing, design and overall market appeal." (<<<They told me to say that!)

To view this award listing, you can visit:  https://honorees.bookexcellenceawards.com/#!/Silk-Carolines-Story-Historical/p/448233102/category=129003501

Tapestry an Award-Winner, Too!

Tapestry: A Lowcountry Rapunzel is trying to catch up with big sis! Silk's sequel has received an award in its very first book contest! It was named a finalist in the category of general fiction for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Yay!

 

'Stealing Mr. Smith' Reveals the Darker Side of Tanya E Williams' Psyche

Tanya E Williams reveals a darker side of her psyche in her second novel, Stealing Mr. Smith--a sequel to Becoming Mrs. Smith (click for my blog post on that novel).  Tanya's main character, Bernice, reminds me somewhat of my antagonist Jessie Bell from The Silk Trilogy, only she's nowhere near so disturbed nor criminal. Bernice has a similarly difficult childhood, though—she cares for her dying mother, and then is abandoned by her father. She’s scrappy and calculating, but for all that she’s ‘bad’, others are much worse to her. Then she meets Mr. Smith, an actually decent sort (somewhat analogous to my series' Clayton Bell), and after all Bernice has been through, it’s hard to absolutely condemn her for doing whatever she can to obtain him. She does no worse than has been done to her by others, and her intent is arguably nobler, though Bernice wastes precious few thoughts on such concerns. Stealing Mr. Smith is an intriguing read. Who can help but sympathize with Bernice after having experienced the traumas of her childhood with her? In this poignant novel, Tanya steeps us in a historic setting around the time of World War II while sensitively unfolding how this sometimes-devious woman is in part a product of her circumstances.