K’inuuw Mat is the daughter of the ruler of the city of Uxte’kuh. It is expected she will follow her matrilineal line by being the daughter of her generation who will serve the goddess Ix Chel on Her island of Cuzamil. However, an oracular prophecy says she will serve the goddess in a different way. At first, K’inuuw Mat resists this and contemplates escaping back to the island. In the end, she accepts Ix Chel’s will for her. The prophecy comes to pass when she becomes bride to one of the sons of the ruling family in Lakam Ha. She does her own divination to see what her future husband looks like and is granted a vision of a man who turns out to be her husband’s brother. What does this vision actually mean, and how will it affect her people?

It’s clear Martin has put a great deal of research into this story. I’m somewhat familiar with Mayan history & archaeology, and it was enjoyable to find things I recognised. It was a just as enjoyable to learn new things. This was a complex, quite advanced culture. They managed to plot calendars far in advance. Indeed, the ‘infamous’ 2012 was the ending of an impossibly long cycle. And they did it all without computers or digital calculators. As a person notoriously poor in mathematics, this boggles my mind.

Martin mentions that the Mayan language was very flowery and formal (at least as we understand it), and I liked that not only was the dialogue written this way, but the entity of the story was. I would have liked a pronunciation guide at the beginning though. Most things I actually remembered, and part of that was the various pronunciations of ‘x’. What I didn’t fully recall was what sound is used when. Some words, like Ix Chel, I remembered. Words new to me were the problem. However, I imagine these words would confuse readers unfamiliar with this fact.

The First North Americans series by archaeologists W Michael & Kathleen O’Neal Gear is one of my all-time favourite series, and this book (and series) made me think of a South/Mesoamerican version. K’inuuw Mat was the first book of this series that I’ve read, but I went and purchased the previous ones. I’m looking forward to reading them. A highly recommended book for those interested in the ancient Maya, or archaeology in general!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the Seattle Book Review.