The Beautiful Ones

Title:  The Beautiful Ones

Author:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication Information:  TOR Trade. 2021. 304 pages.

ISBN:  1250785561 / 978-1250785565

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Hector was like a castaway who had washed up on a room of velvet curtains and marble floors."

Favorite Quote:  "All we ultimately have to do is believe. We focus our mind on one single point, one single purpose, and we push. We grasp. We manipulate wood and glass and iron. However, the greatest trick is the belief. Belief is what makes it read."

Who are the beautiful ones of Loisail? They are the notable, wealthy elite. "Nothing matters more than money to us, the Beautiful Ones who walk down these city streets in pristine gloves and silk-lined garments. You can give yourself the luxury of love because you are not one of us. That is why you are my friend: because despite everything, at heart you remain an innocent."

Amongst the beautiful ones are two relative outsiders. Antonina "Nina" Beaulieu has been sent to her cousin's house for the Grand Season; she comes with her family's hopes that she will make good match. Hector Auvury is telekinetic who has traveled the world as a performer but who has returned to Loisail in the hopes of reconnecting with his former fiancé Valérie Beaulieu. Valérie Beaulieu, as the name might suggest, is married to Nina's cousin. As a way of approach, Hector decides to get to Valérie by courting Nina instead.

So begins this triangle. It weaves through the drawing rooms, walks, and balls that comprise the Grand Season. Hector and Nina find more in common than they might have imagined. Hector still has to reckon with Valérie's betrayal when they were both young. Nina knows nothing of this past. Valérie bears her own regrets about trading love for wealth and security. "We say a great many things when we are young. Eventually, we grow wiser." With those regrets come anger and grudges.

The telekinetic skills add a mystery and fantasy to the story. The triangle includes twists that surprise. The era of the Grand Season and the wealthy adds a Victorian touch with "proper" behavior, societal censure, and even duels. The story is slow to begin but builds to a dramatic, unexpected conclusion. 

Through the book, the sweet, somewhat innocent country-cousin-come-to-the-city Nina evolves and finds her own strength. I find myself rooting for her in life and in love. Hector is the hero from the wrong side of the tracks trying to make good. Although his actions are not all likable, overall, he too is a character to root for.

What I find most fascinating of all is the dramatic difference between this book and the first I read by the author. Gods of Jade and Shadow is based in mythology, with gods and goddesses and the characters traveling through time and space. This one has its magical element but is a story very much of this earth and the have and the have nots. The villain in this one is very much human. That being said, both books are about young, independent female protagonists - completely different from each other yet both on a journey of discovering and honoring their own strengths. For that, both stories work. I look forward to what Silvia Morena-Garcia writes next.

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Gods of Jade and Shadow

Title:  Gods of Jade and Shadow

Author:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication Information:  Del Ray. 2019. 352 pages.

ISBN:  0525620753 / 978-0525620754

Book Source:  I received this book through NetGalley free of cost in exchange for an honest review.

Opening Sentence:  "Some people are born under a lucky star, while others have their misfortune telegraphed by the position of the planets."

Favorite Quote:  "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."

Casiopea Tun is the poor relation. She is being raised by a single mother, whose family does not approve of the choices she has made. Circumstances and economics have forced Casiopea and her mother to live with the family. They are treated as the servants of the house somewhat like a Cinderella.

Casiopea dreams of more, and in this, she is very much unlike Cinderella. The dream is not of a prince charming, but of independence, escape, and a future that lies beyond the small town in the Yucatan in which they live. This is the very "real" story of a young woman finding courage and strength to live that dream.

She is, however, very much forced into this choice by a god. One day she opens a box in her grandfather's room and gives rise to Hun-Kamé, the "Lord of Shadows and rightful ruler of Xibalba." Xibalba is the Underworld, and Hun-Kamé is the god of death. A fued with his brother left him defeated and only a set of bones in a locked box. Casiopea's grandfather is the keeper of the box.

Now released, Hun-Kamé is out for revenge and out to regain his throne. In this quest, he requires Casiopea's help. Casiopea, despite her fears, has no choice but to help. So begins a grand adventure that traverses the Yucatan and eventually makes it way to California.

This story is based on the Popul Vuh, a text of Mayan mythology about brothers, twins, the underworld, and a fight filled with tricks and treachery. The text dates from the sixteenth century and is purported to be the story of Creation. The title translates literally to "the Book of the Mat" for the woven mats people sat on to hear the text recited. The text has been referred to as the Mayan bible, but its history is not that of scripture but as a documentation of the universe as the people understood it.

Gods of Jade and Shadow sets its story in the Jazz Age, which is an interesting, almost modern, touch to a story that is ancient ancient mythology.

The book is violent at times, but, at the same time, has a light-hearted and sweet note. The fight amongst gods is a the background. So is the undercurrent of a brewing love story. Ultimately, this is, however, Casiopea's story, and she is a strong, female hero. She is often the one doing the saving rather than waiting to be saved. The final test is also hers to endure and decide. The final decision is completely a deliberate and conscious choice.

The presence of a strong female protagonist makes this book. Caseiopea and Hun-Kamé proceed from location to location on their quest. This episodic structure makes the book a very quick read. Casiopea's age and the adventure based plot give the book a young adult vibe. The basis in Mayan mythology points me in a direction to read a little bit more about that mythology. All in all, a dose of fun and adventure that is much needed.

Please share your thoughts and leave a comment. I would love to "talk" to you.