Casiopea Tun has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her mother, daughter of the richest man in their town, had married for love. The family never accepted her husband, a poor Mexican, as they had pretensions of wealth and their standing in society. When he died, he left Casiopea and her mother penniless and they had to move back in with the family where they were treated as servants and looked down on by the rest of the family. The young scion of the family, Martin, was Casiopea's biggest burden. He spent his days thinking of chores for her and ways to make her feel less than.
Everything changed the day Casiopea opened a chest in her grandfather's room when he was away. It held the bones of the God of the Underworld, Hun-Kame. Hun's kingdom had been stolen from him by his twin brother, Vucub-Kame. Hun needs Casiopea's help to reclaim his kingdom. If she succeeds, her every wish will be granted. If they fail, she will die.
Casiopea and Hun start on their journey. Hun's brother had taken valuable items from him and he needed to track each one down and get it back. As they traveled, the relationship between the two, god and mortal, became blurred and evolved into friendship and maybe even love. Gods don't feel friendship and love but one of Hun's bones had splintered and a part went into Casiopea's hand. It made her essence slowly move from her to him, making him less godlike as the mortal spirit entered him. Will Casiopea and Hun manage to overcome all the obstacles and take back Hun's birthright?
This retelling of Mexican folklore is magical. Casiopea is a remarkable young woman. Although put down and degraded by those around her, she manages to retain her wonder at all the things in the world and to keep her dreams alive. She helps a god and dares to try to change his nature to make him more charitable and in the process, she finds a way to forgive her own family. This book is recommended for readers of fantasy and those interested in the Latin viewpoint.
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