The Queen Jade by Yxta Maya Murray

by Chriss Cornish published: December 3, 2007 No Comments

This Book Is About

For centuries, the legend of the Queen Jade has captivated the minds of explorers and scholars of the New World. The legend recounts the tragic tale of a king, a witch, and a giant blue jade stone whose beauty is intoxicating and whose possessor is said to be granted a life filled with power. Lola Sanchez’s archaeologist mother Juana believes that she has discovered the key to unlocking the mystery and has gone into the jungles of Guatemala to find the stone-the same week that Hurricane Mitch tears through Central and South America, uncovering a Rhode Island-sized mine of blue jade and accelerating the centuries-long hunt for the Queen Jade.

As her mother disappears in the storm, Lola is desperate for information and embarks on the adventure of her life. As she treks through jungles, cloud-forests and dangerous mazes, she begins to uncover all the pieces necessary to help solve the mystery of the Queen Jade and to hopefully find her mother alive.

My Thoughts On This Book

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.

The main character is Lola Sanchez, an armchair adventurer who owns a bookstore with a special shelf on colonial era villains. One of her favorite books from this shelf is the Legende, which recounts the search for the Queen Jade by a governor of Guatemala and her Mayan lover. When Lola finds out a major hurricane has struck the area where her archaeologist mother has gone following new clues to the famous Queen Jade’s location, she’s forced into the arms of real adventure in order to find her mother and make sure she’s alright. Joining Lola in her search is her mother’s handsome academic rival at the university and the daughter of a family friend who was a subversive during the Guatemalan civil war.

What I particularly like about Queen Jade, besides Yxta Maya Murphy’s writing style, is the way the plot is advanced through the journal entries by Lola’s mother and those who came before in search of the legendary massive blue jade stone. This book is a real page turner, and I’ve re-read it many times.

Just writing this review made me want to pull out the book and re-read it.

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book
four Vikings out of five

Violence Level
three Burning Huts out of five

Romance Level
two Hearts out of five

# of actual vikings in book: 0

What do these levels mean? ”

Humor Level
one Smiles out of five

Lust Level
two Kisses out of five

Author and Publishing Information For This Book

Author & Book Details

Title: The Queen Jade
Author(s): Yxta Maya Murray
ISBN#: 0060582642
Genre(s): Treasure hunt adventure novel
Edition Reviewed: Advance reader (that’s the copy sent to stores & reviewers to assess a title before it’s officially released)
Illustrations: N/A
Page Count: 329
Part of a Series: Yes, book 1 of the Red Lion series