Gods of Jade and Shadow

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In the Jazz Age, in a poor corner of Mexico, Casiopeia Tun is living as a poor relative -- or servant -- in the household of her grandfather, and the but of her cousin Martin's petty cruelties, but one day, she has a chance to open a mysterious chest in her grandfather's room.

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tidbits cross time

A Tokugawa Japanese advice writer cited a proverb that a family's status could be judged by the hour of their rising. (Late rising meant declining status.)

The use of a bass viol to set pitch in rehearsal did not keep Congregationalists from objecting when it was introduced into services, and when they accepted it, the organ took still longer.

In Tibet, a dead soul was accompanied by three animals: a sheep to guide the soul, a horse to ride, and a yak to fight the wrathful spirits along the way.
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