Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this book because enthusiastic reviews described it as a combination of 1920s Jazz Age Mexico and Mayan myths, which would make for an interesting story about the clash of tradition and faith versus individual freedom in post-Revolution Mexico. Unfortunately, this is just a generic young adult romance, with the Mexican setting contributing only some exotic names to the cliched characters. The hero, Casiopeia, is a Cinderella figure stuck in a small rural town. She meets a Mayan deity who, of course, is tall, dark and handsome. After the obligatory "ugly duckling" makeover (haircut, fancy clothes and jewelry), they fall in love and then, after a couple of passionate kisses, he leaves her. The end. So where in this story is anything unique about Jazz Age Mexico or Mayan myths? Does Casiopeia take advantage of her freedom to become an artist like Frida Kahlo? Does she dream of advocating for women's rights like María del Refugio García? Does she want to contribute to the modernization of Mexico, like architect María Luisa Dehesa Gómez Farías? Nope. She wins the love of the guy from Central Casting and thus "wins" the story. Sad to see that this arc is still considered to be the best that a female character can hope for.