The Queen Jade

Red Lion #1

by Yxta Maya Murray

The secret history of an empire
The mythical power of a stone
The quest to solve the legend of ... The Queen Jade

For centuries, explorers and scholars of the New World have been captivated by a legend involving the tragic life of a King, a Witch, and a giant blue jade stone whose beauty is intoxicating -- a stone whose possessor is said to be granted a life filled with power -- that stone is called the Queen Jade.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch tears through Central and South America. A mine of blue jade the size of Rhode Island is uncovered in a Guatemalan mountain range known as Las Sierras de las Minas. For hundreds of years, blue jade relics have been found in the Americas, but the actual source of the precious stone has never been discovered -- until now. The revelation of the blue jade mine solves an archaeological mystery that has baffled scholars for centuries and gives hope to those who have staked their lives on finding the Queen Jade.

The novel unfolds on the eve of the hurricane and centers on Lola Sanchez and her archaeologist mother, Juana. Juana believes that she has discovered the key to unlocking the mystery of the Queen Jade and has gone into the jungle alone to find the stone -- the same week that Hurricane Mitch ravages the land. When her mother disappears in the storm, Lola sets out to find her and embarks on a course of action that will lead to the adventure of her life.

Genres: Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Adult, Archaeology, Mystery Thriller, Adult Fiction

334 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Yxta Maya Murray is a professor at Loyola Law School.

Reviews

[Mir]

I quit this book at page 60. I tried hanging in there to see if it improved once they actually get out into the jungle/archaeological site/whatever but gave up at "he chucked my chin." The heroine is such a feeb. I struggled get this far. The characters never made sense to me. That's not precisely to say that they're flat; there are real people who don't make sense to me, either. But there are authors who can write characters that don't make sense to me and are still interesting (Eg: Doris Lessing) or even make me more empathetic towards people I don't understand (Eg: Elizabeth Bowen), and this does neither. Maybe it's that Murray just isn't that skilled a writer. I kept hitting lines that made me stop and say "huh?" For instance, when Lola talks about her urge to tell Erik everything about what her mother's doing in Guatemala. Your mother told you to tell NO ONE and you can barely resist telling her rival colleague, who stole her other discovery, who you hardly know, and who is a revolting womanizer? Uh, sure, makes sense. And then when she DOES tell him (idiot) he offers to go with her to Guatemala and is all, "I don't make this offer to everyone" -- yeah, I would assume the opportunities to offer to help people look for missing mothers in Guatemala didn't come along so often. Why is Lola so overwhelmed by Guatemala, anyway? She's been there before, her dad lives there, her mother travels there... her reaction at the airport is akin to some small-town-middle-American who has never encountered anything "foreign" before.

Not buying the made-up historical background with the lady conquistador whose native lover tells her about the secret magic jade, either. Nor that a woman hypothetically in that position of power would write about her sex life in letters that could be potentially intercepted.

The whole thing seemed weirdly fetishizing and othering of the "exotic".

Maybe it gets better later and there are actual adventures or something.

[Chriss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this book. I got it as an advance reader when I worked at a University bookstore in San Francisco and have re-read it several times since. Queen Jade has it all; lost treasure, family secrets, archeology, secret codes, a massive storm, jaguars, jungle travel, an old vendetta, mystery and romance. This book is thrilling, fast paced and full of very human and interesting characters. The plot is also believable.

My blog has a full review.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the Guatemalan background for this story-- especially the Mayan legend (that she made up in the style of Mayan folklore) and the incorporation of Mayan hieroglyphs. Interesting puzzle to solve.

However: I was not all impressed with the actual story overall. Or the characters she created. I thought the writing style was too heavy handed and the plot rather obvious.

[El rincón de moob · Rating 2 out of 5]

La contraportada promete muchas aventuras que aún no he encontrado. Lo único que he leído ha sido detalles irrelevantes que llenan páginas y más páginas sin decir nada. Parecía que no acababan de llegar los acontecimientos 'importantes', sobre todo al final del libro. Además, los diálogos entre todos en general y entre Erik y Lola, en particular, me han parecido muy cutres y obvios. El tema del jade da mucho juego para construir una buena historia de aventuras en la selva.
En fin, una pérdida de tiempo.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful adventure with a touch of romance. Think of a modern Indiana Jones--but Indiana is a cranky older woman. She vanishes into the hurricane ravaged jungles of Guatemala and her bookstore-owner daughter and a young archeology professor head out to find her. Solving a cryptic Mayan carving is crucial to finding our missing woman.

[Traci · Rating 1 out of 5]

juvenile writing. couldn't get past page 5.

[Johan Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela que, aunque no sorprenda por su innovación, resulta ser una lectura encantadora y amena. La historia se nutre de elementos clásicos del género de aventuras y descubrimiento cultural, una fórmula acertada para una lectura ligera pero envolvente. Lo que hace destacable a esta obra no es solo la trama, sino el profundo —y muy palpable— respeto y amor de la autora por Guatemala, un país que se siente casi como otro personaje dentro de esta historia.

La novela gira en torno a las aventuras de una joven estadounidense que viaja a Guatemala en busca de respuestas sobre su madre desaparecida y sobre la legendaria Reina Jade, un objeto místico lleno de promesas de poder. A través de su travesía, la protagonista no solo se enfrenta a misterios y peligros, sino también a un viaje interior de autodescubrimiento.

Uno de los aspectos más apreciables de esta novela es cómo la autora, Yxta Maya Murray, pinta con cariño y detalle las calles de la ciudad de Guatemala. Es evidente su amor por la cultura guatemalteca. A lo largo de la obra, se siente la calidez de las descripciones, aunque es cierto que hay algunos errores geográficos menores que no logran empañar la atmósfera general. Los mercados, los templos, las montañas y la vida urbana guatemalteca están representados con una autenticidad que sobrepasa cualquier fallo de precisión. Es un homenaje a un país lleno de historia y misterios, con una cultura que Murray admira.

Sin embargo, al margen de la atmósfera, La Reina Jade se siente, en muchos momentos, como una novela sencilla y sin grandes pretensiones literarias. La historia es directa y, aunque divertida, no se aparta demasiado de los tropos clásicos del género. Esto no es un punto negativo, ya que la novela parece destinada a enganchar a nuevos lectores, a aquellos que comienzan a sumergirse en el mundo de las aventuras literarias. Como profesor, recomendaría esta lectura a mis alumnos precisamente por eso. La novela ofrece una entrada accesible a los géneros de aventura y cultura, ideal para aquellos que están dando sus primeros pasos en el mundo de la literatura.

En lo que respecta a mí, la autora logra capturar gran parte de la atmósfera y esencia de Guatemala, brindando una visión cariñosa y bienintencionada del país. Los momentos dramáticos, aunque previsibles, están bien ejecutados, y la novela tiene un corazón que late con fuerza por la aventura y el descubrimiento cultural. Es una obra que evoca las primeras novelas que leí con entusiasmo, esas que me hicieron amar la lectura y apreciar otras culturas a través de las páginas de un libro.

En fin, esta es una novela hecha con amor y dedicación, con un respeto palpable por la cultura guatemalteca. No es perfecta, pero lo que le falta en originalidad o precisión geográfica, lo compensa con su calidez y su capacidad para invitar al lector a seguir leyendo. Si buscas una lectura ligera, entretenida, y cargada de aventura, esta novela es una excelente opción.

[Elle Hartford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be 3.5 stars. I would recommend the book generally to folks who like history and adventure, but I had a few issues with it myself.

On one hand, I enjoyed the premise of this book very much! It's a fun archaeological adventure, although it is set against some devastating history, so maybe "fun" isn't entirely the right word. [slight spoiler] I wasn't wholly satisfied with the way the riddle resolved in the end: it was clever, but it didn't click perfectly into place with the way the story had been told.

My main issue, though, was with the dialogue. It's snappy in some places, but too often it rehashes information we already know, or reads as the characters telling each other lots of facts they both already know. While I appreciate that all the main characters are very knowledgeable, I think the dialogue editing could have been tighter. In fact maybe having a main character who wasn't so knowledgeable would have made this flow of information more natural.

Also -- and this is a small thing, but it alienated me personally as a reader -- as a historian myself, I was a little baffled by the historical texts in the book. They read in a very modern way. I wasn't sure if this was a conscious choice by the author, or if in the world of "The Queen Jade" history is different than in our world, or if this was accidental. Despite the characters bantering about details of the documents, the issue of these modern voices was never fully dealt with. And while I do love those historical characters' stories in the book, I just needed their eccentricities (relative to their respective time periods) to be addressed (or written slightly more subtly) in order to keep myself immersed in the story.

[Steve Cook Ferrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relato divertidisímo, como telón de fondo tenemos a una Guatemala recién recuperada de las guerras civiles que la azotaron por mas de tres décadas y el huracán Mitch que hizo estragos en Centro-america. El Autor hace uso de recursos muy apetecibles para mis gustos, diarios de antiguos Gobernantes y exploradores, simbología Maya y Criptología. El que este enmarcado en dos fatalidades la guerra y el huracán le da ese toque de suspense necesario para que el relato cobre una vida adicional al tema en cuestión, cuyo eje es la redención y el deseo de superar los temores que conlleva toda aventura en lo desconocido.

A hilarious tale, as a background we have a Guatemala recently recovered from the civil wars that plagued it for more than three decades and Hurricane Mitch that havoced Central America. The Author makes use of very appealing resources for my tastes, diaries of ancient Rulers and Explorers, Mayan symbology and Cryptology. The fact that the story is framed in two calamities : The civil war and the hurricane Mitch gives it that touch of suspense necessary to sustain the plot and theme, whose axis is redemption and the desire to overcome the fears that come with every adventure in the unknown.

[Ara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ahora mi amante está muerto. Pero hermana, os lo juro, creo que también yo me siento morir.
¿Cómo es esa canción que cantan por aquí los ancianos?

Te perdí te perdí mi amor...

Buen Dios, maté a Balaj K'waill, y ahora sé que fue como si me matara a mí misma."

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 odio a los europeos y la colonización y los españoles PERO ESE PÁRRAFO DIOS ROMANTICÉ TODA LA RELACIÓN Y LA HISTORIA DE AMÉRICA LATINA 💘💘💘

-------

me encantó el libro, casi 5 estrellas pero cada vez (2) que aparece un personaje en particular es muy 🤨 tipo está bien que aparezca en la historia pero está terrible como son esas escenas. CASUALMENTE siempre pasa algo y se salvan de él, y son cosas muy pero muy randoms.

tampoco me gustó que todo lo que venis esperando pasa en las últimas 10 páginas del libro, está cerrado rapidísimo pero toda la historia re vale la pena

[Celinda Fayad “la tía pollo” · Rating 3 out of 5]

LA REINA DE JADE - YXTA MAYA MURRAY

Novela de aventuras, leyendas y mitos. Lola sigue el rastro de su mamá que se perdió en la selva en busca de la piedra preciosa con poderes ocultos : la Reina de Jade. Todo apunta a que su madre encontró la piedra y por eso viajó a Guatemala en pleno huracán Match que dejó incomunicado gran parte del país.
Se oye más atractivo de lo que resulta leerlo. Me gusta la manera que te hace imaginar esos lugares tan maravillosos de la cultura maya. Puede caer en lo predecible y poco lenta la trama, pero ya saben que la mejor opinión es la suya después de leerlo.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buena historia y de sencilla lectura. Una historia de ficción con mucha investigación por detrás. A pesar de ello, faltó un poco más de trabajo en el desarrollo de los personajes, pero son carismáticos.

A veces los datos que se mostraban en el libro parecían irrelevantes y confusos, pero con el avance de la historia nos damos cuenta que son de suma importancia.

Lo recomiendo para aquellos que les guste investigar y conocer sobre hechos históricos o sobre la cultura maya.

[Tara Schuhmacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great

I appreciate this an adventure story with female protagonists who are written to seem like plausibly real people.

Beyond that, I thought this book was awful. The storyline was cliche, not exciting, and not very well written in the sense that it didn't draw me in or make me care about the characters or mystery.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF

Really interesting concept. But there were times I felt it was a chore to get through part of a chapter or a significant chunk. Great adventure, just wish I could have finished. When I'm less stressed or have a longer attention span, will revisit.

[Anne Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great story!

[lcmplce]

Quit it at around page 50. I was too irritated by the style of writing and the characters' decisions.

[Jacqueline Selecky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes you on a great adventure with likable characters it was just slow to start and get going but I’m excited for the second one.

[Melissa Dillenbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some bits were hard to follow, especially at the beginning, but it's a rollicking adventure tale of clues and ciphers and treasure.

[Ángela J. Pueyo · Rating 1 out of 5]

- Está plagado de clichés.
- Los personajes no están bien trabajados ni tampoco su evolución.
- El desarrollo de la historia es bastante previsible.
- Presencia de escenas absurdas.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was a mediocre adventure novel in the Indiana Jones vein. The protagonist of the story is Lola Sanchez, a Mexican-American who owns a bookstore called The Red Lion in Long Beach, California. The bookstore specializes in adventure yarns such as novels by Jules Verne, Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and others. Sanchez's mother Juana is an archaeologist who believes that she has discovered the key to unlocking the mystery of the Queen Jade, a long-lost Mayan relic made of blue jade. Juana heads out on her own to Guatemala to try to find the stone but she arrives in the midst of a devastating hurricane. Lola decides to follow her to Guatemala and enlists the help of another Mayan scholar as well as her father once she gets there to try to find her mother and the Queen Jade.



To me, the story seemed to move along at a snail 's pace with unending descriptions of the jungle including quick sand, puma attacks, snakes, insects, torrential rains, inconclusive interpretations of Mayan writings and codes, and a lot of misdirection. This seemed like a story that I would really like but overall, just a very mild recommendation for the background information on the Maya and Guatemala including the civil war that raged there from the 1960s to the 90s. It took me over a week and a half to read this...I kept putting it aside. The pace was just not fast enough for my taste.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good but very predictable. From the start when Lola meets Eric, I knew they were going to get together... and lo and behold, they did :) I was also a little bit disappointed in the end because it ended the same way the DaVinci Code did. The Queen Jade, thought to be a huge stone, was really a queen named Jade who had died... much like the Holy Grail turned out to be Mary.
However, the writing was pretty good and it was easy to get into and keep reading. Despite my criticism, I did enjoy this book and was glad that I had read it. I liked the relationships that were made not only between Lola and Eric, but also between Lola and her half-sister, Yolanda. Yolanda had gone through so much before the book took place that I am glad she discovered family in the end. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy-read, adventure novel with a side of romance. <3

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun in a "Romancing The Stone", over-the-top way. The main character runs an adventre & fantasy bookshop. She goes running off to Central Mother to look for her mother, an archeologist who has disappeared after Hurricane Mitch while hunting done an artifact that has obcessed her for years. She is accompanied by one of her mother's colleagues, also fascinated by the artifact and soon to be a love interest, and a childhood friend from whom she has been estranged, thanks to her mother. They thrash around in the rain forest trying to avoid a crazy military officer set on revenge, and find the artifact and her mother, using some coded old documents as a guide. Meanwhile, her mother's diary is providing some very interesting personal revelations.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the wake of the devastating 1998 hurricane, Lola must travel into the forests of Guatemala to solve an ancient riddle and find her missing mother.

An overall alright read. Once they actually get into Guatemala things move along quite a bit better. My biggest problem was that I figured out almost every riddle/mystery chapters ahead of the characters, and not because I was meant to. Instead I had to spend up to 100 pages watching them drop overly obvious clues and then spend two pages explaining the solution to me.

I did, however, find Lola quite lovable - though all the characters were often predictable at best.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read half of this book and decided that I was not enjoying it. The characters were not all that interesting to me. Not developed really well in my opinion. Tiresome journals and manuscripts that I wasn't keeping straight. It may that I kept putting it down but I had difficulty keeping the Latino names of all the players straight in my head.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were moments I enjoyed the "Romancing the Stone" elements of the story, then there were moments that the writing seemed juvenile and trite. The relationship between the lead woman and the "love interest" was really childish and hokey. I kept reading just for the search for the ruins and to find out how they found he "Jade".

[Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buen libro de aventuras y de una pequeña dosis de historia. Es ligero, fácil de seguir. La Historia de la Reina Jade es interesante. No esperen mucho rigor histórico, pero si los pondrá a buscar dichas referencias. Me faltó un poco más de aventura y un poco más de historia, pero eso significaría sacrificar fluidez. Para pasar un buen rato, y por qué no; superar algún bloqueo lector.

[Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

great story

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. She uses a lot of historical accurate stuff and writes some very intense scenes. The story line is really good too.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this. Kind of like a female Indiana Jones, only she's a bookstore owner.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adventure story!! With a female, brainy Indiana Jones!