Review of THE QUEEN JADE by Yxta Maya Murray

Rayo, February 2005

Review by Jennifer Vilches (see her blog)

Lola likes her quiet life as owner of a bookstore. But when her adventuresome archeologist mother disappears in the jungle during a hurricane, Lola is quick to pack up and fly to Guatemala. She enlists Erik, one of her mother's rival colleagues, to help track down clues to her mother's quarry, the Queen Jade. If they can find the mythical artifact, maybe they will find her mother.

Upon arrival, the group grows with the addition of a reluctant guide, Yolanda, who is bitterly resentful of her broken friendship with Lola. Lola's father, who has a dread phobia of the jungle since being trapped in quicksand, decides that love is stronger than fear and joins the search as well. To decode their path, they struggle with historical accounts of past searches and puzzling Mayan pictographs. Will they solve the mystery and avoid the dangers of the jungle?

Murray definitely makes the jungle feel real and immediate; you can almost feel the sweat dripping and see the vibrant colors. Her characters are sympathetic and complex, and she balances the plot between action, scholarship, and relationships. My only complaints are that the romance feels a bit unreal at first, and her complex web of inter-relations too closely resembles a soap opera at times. In spite of that, THE QUEEN JADE is compelling and I think Murray's pacing and plot twists were excellent.

Three Stars

Reviewed 5/12/05

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