Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Ciudad de Jade by Fonda Lee

101 reviews

sadhbhprice's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Death of parent, and Classism

mycarefulcardinal's review against another edition

3.25

extremely slow and unengaging first half (the info dumping was a bit rough ...) and the ending felt a bit rushed and too .. easy? it took me a while to care about the characters or just anything that was happening really, i think the constant pov switching was the reason why. the end did make me emotional though and i am excited to continue

anden💔

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, and Drug use

Minor: Pedophilia

mandyjedi's review against another edition

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia and Classism

strawberrybooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I listened to the audiobook and was absolutely enraptured by this rich world. The author does an absolutely amazing job creating thrilling clan politics that have you considering the different perspectives of the characters and how their current circumstances have led them to making their choices. Each character is amazingly fleshed out. 
The only reason I’m knocking it down a star is sometimes felt like I was listening to a history textbook happening in real time, and just needed a liiiiitle more personalization. But I think that’s more personal taste. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol

iono's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, War, and Classism

Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

evaroy's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Very overhyped.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

persephonefoxx's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, and War

Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Colonisation

crybabybea's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have mixed feelings. I enjoyed reading this and found enough things I liked to keep going, but it didn't quite meet the hype for me.

The plot, inspired by old-school kung fu and Chinese gangster movies, was fresh and interesting, but it didn't push the envelope or add anything new. There are high-stakes politics, with a couple of good twists at the end. The plot is fairly generic, with real-world elements changed to imaginative fantasy ones.

The world-building was well-done. I appreciated the author's focus on small details. The world follows a stereotypical Confucian blueprint of patriarchal values, filial piety, and honor. Since it's urban fantasy, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of new information to process, making it easy to grasp the setting and its culture. The focus on Kekon made the setting feel intimate and immersive, and the capital Janloon felt bustling and full of life. Again, it's urban fantasy, so don't expect sprawling Fellowship of the Ring adventures.

I liked the characters but wanted to see a bit more from them. Anden had the coolest characterization, with an interesting backstory that made his motivations feel complex. I would have liked more from the villain, who has an intriguing story. There is a serious lack of complexity when it comes to the female main characters, so I hope they are explored more in the next installments. I see potential in the characters and their relationships despite not fully connecting with them here.

The choice to use jade as a magic amplifier is a unique idea that fits well with the old-school kung fu themes. I liked that the magic had drawbacks and didn't feel overwhelmingly powerful. The idea of the magic being akin to an addiction that harms the body over time, while not being the  adds depth to the story. The addition of

a street drug that counters the aftereffects of jade

is interesting and makes it feel like we are watching the world progress. The magic system was definitely the best part of this book. It was easy to understand, fit well with the setting and premise, and wasn't overpowered.

The writing itself was okay. I liked the author's tendency toward simplicity, but explaining actions and emotions overtly rather than letting them unfold naturally was distracting. There were some hard-hitting lines but nothing that wowed me. The POV switching was well done and added a cinematic quality to the book that made the experience satisfying. It never felt confusing or unnecessary and didn't take away from the pacing.

Overall, pretty solid as the first in a trilogy. I expect the first book in a fantasy series to be a bit slower and less in-depth than the following books, and Jade City does its job well: setting up the world and characters, introducing action, and leaving things up in the air to make you want to continue the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, and Mass/school shootings

The plot heavily revolves around a street drug that is similar to amphetamines. The drug and its usage are described in detail, including the use of needles and the characters' feelings after usage. The magic system itself behaves like an addiction, if characters use too much jade or use jade for too long it causes a mental sickness that drives them to things like dementia or suicide. A minor character is shown in a flashback committing self-harm and suicide. A minor character is revealed to be pedophilic with a past of abusing children and there are no repercussions. Heavy usage of violence and guns, with a scene involving a planned mass shooting.

minxtte's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I don't read a ton of adult fantasy; however, Jade City is such an interesting start to a fantasy series. It's not a favorite by any means, but I am very invested in what will happen next. Fonda Lee is phenomenal at world building. Every detail from the smallest to the biggest creates an atmosphere that is impossible not to be trapped in for a long time after putting the book down. 

I liked getting glimpses at all three of the siblings, because they're all so different but trapped in this mafia like environment. Each of their personalities were distinct. Even the lesser(?) members of the Kaul and Ayt families were intriguing. Lee really captured the mafia/mob at each turn from the violent attacks to the political upheaval. I'm excited to find out what happens next for both families. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Suicide