Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Ciudad de Jade by Fonda Lee

3 reviews

pri_lakshmi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, and War

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

theespressoedition's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

The most important thing that I need to convey in this review is that while this is a slow book, it is really incredible to read. Typically, I would quickly lose interest in a book that primarily focuses on political intrigue. Not the case with Jade City. Despite each chapter taking somewhere around 30 minutes to read, I was still so hooked by what was taking place that I didn’t want to put it down. I was constantly thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, wondering what would happen next. So, if the size of the book or the intense content is frightening to you, I say give it a try anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was!

There is a lot to follow in this book and I worried about losing track of the many characters or their importance to the story. Sometimes, there are full chapters that are told from the perspective of a side character. Initially, I was confused by this. Why would there be a heavy focus on such random, seemingly unimportant people? But I'm glad I didn't give up on trying to understand what was happening. Every single chapter makes a difference. Every single character furthers the story, no matter how small their role is.

I'm currently under the assumption that the only reason I don't fully understand the jade magic is because this was only the first book and it's meant to come into play later on. However, I would have liked just a little more explanation of that and even the way the shine drug affected those who used it. There were moments that helped me understand bits and pieces, but certain deaths left me reeling because I had no clue what the true cause was.

The political intrigue was what, shockingly, kept my attention the most. I was fascinated by the gang war and what was happening on either side to induce further violence and panic. The ranks of the Green Bones was also really interesting to me and the almost "heirarchy" within each group was equally intriguing. I even enjoyed the chapters with the lore behind the Green Bones and why certain people fell into certain roles - even down to how they approached death or destruction.

While I definitely believe this is the kind of book to read only when you're in the mood for a "thinker," I highly recommend it. I greatly look forward to seeing what comes next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

wrenxavier's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and War

Minor: Rape, Torture, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis