DON’T MISS OUT: Obsidian and Blood by Aliette de Bodard

TW: violence, gore, and death. I found this series on a whim. I had just finished reading Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (read my full review here) and I wanted to read something set in Mexico and its pre-Columbian history that I would enjoy more. And this series became an instant favorite. The protagonist is Acatl, the High Priest of Mictlantecuhtli, the God of Death, turned into a reluctant detective tasked with looking into the disappearance of a priestess (in the first book). This who-du-it storyline is solved by the end of the first installment but all three books are interconnected somehow and I really liked how the author makes the world of Tenochtitlan come alive in her writing. The Aztecs’ way of life was heavily influenced by religion and the author doesn’t let you forget that. She brings the gods’ grievances with one another to the forefront of the story, and it is up to Acatl to figure out what on earth is going on. I recommend this series to anyone interested in mysteries in unconventional settings, but I do warn them that it isn’t for the faint of heart. In Aztec culture, human sacrifices were the norm and the author doesn’t shy away from that here. And because the protagonist is the High Priest of the God of Death, death is prominent in this story as well.

The three books in this series are Servant of the Underworld, Harbinger of the Storm and The Master of the House of Darts.

I hope you enjoy this series as much as I did.