Gods of Jade and Shadow
#6183.87 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2019 Reading commitment Low Silvia Moreno-Garcia Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
Gods of Jade and Shadow (2019) is a standalone historical fantasy novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, published by Del Rey. Set in Jazz-Age Mexico of the late 1920s, it follows Casiopea Tun, a put-upon young woman in her grandfather's household, who accidentally frees Hun-Kame, an imprisoned Mayan god of death, from a chest, and becomes bound to him as he sets off on a road trip across Mexico to reclaim his throne from his usurping twin brother, all while her own borrowed vitality runs out on a countdown she cannot escape. The novel blends Mayan mythology with the aesthetics and social upheaval of Jazz-Age Mexico, and critics praised its treatment of an indigenous mythological hero framed through a young woman's own coming-of-age. It won the 2020 Ignyte Award and Sunburst Award for Best Adult Novel, and was a finalist for the Nebula, Aurora, Dragon, and Locus awards.
Mythic fantasy, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Gods of Jade and Shadow (2019) core · 3.87 (80,622 ratings)
Quick answers
- How many books are in Gods of Jade and Shadow? Gods of Jade and Shadow's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Gods of Jade and Shadow finished? Complete (2019).
- How much reading does Gods of Jade and Shadow take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Gods of Jade and Shadow ranked? #618 in this site's official ranking, based on 80,622 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #618?
Ranked #618 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.87 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (80,622 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #617, The Well at the World's End (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 81k ratings · Ranks #618 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.87 across 80,622 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Gods of Jade and Shadow (Silvia Moreno-Garcia) accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- General encyclopedia entry Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon covers the single standalone novel, Gods of Jade and Shadow (2019).