Gods of Jade and Shadow

Really enjoyed the novel's setting. A fun, detailed use of Mayan mythology brought into the modern era with lots of detail that gives the setting depth and richness. Unfortunately I didn't like the story nearly as much, something about it just felt claustrophobic. Oddly the book worked best for me in the couple of chapters sympathetic to Martín, one of the antagonists of the story. He's a bad guy but the bits from his point of view gave the story more layers and nuance, something that felt lacking in most of the narrative.

Also the primary story is a young-woman-falling-in-love story but the author didn't quite want to commit to a romantic story, I think because she feared it was tonally dissonant with the young-woman-having-adventures story. (That, and the object of her love is in some sense her kidnapper.) It all just didn't quite work out.

Would absolutely read more stories set in this world though.