zaheerah's review
5.0
I’m more disappointed in the fact it took me this long to discover Jade City. This book has been in the world since 2017, and I’m only reading it now. Jade City is everything I’ve ever wanted in a book and more.
Set in the island of Kekon, a land stuck in a dangerous territory war between the No Peak Clan and The Mountain Clan, the Kauls of No Peak fight for control of their capital and the growing jade market. More than a green stone, Jade holds bioenergetic power that amplifies its users, and the two clans are fuelled by its power for control of Kekon.
Jade City is a masterpiece. Never have I found myself so captivated by a book that still lingered with me days after I had read it. The worldbuilding is on another level, and Fonda Lee has created such a vibrant and detailed world. I did find the beginning a little dense, but once you’ve settled into the world, you’re thrown straight into, and I loved it. The history of Kekon is vast and rich, you can see the level of detail that has gone into creating this world. The rank system based on Jade, the history of the world beyond Kekon and the inner workings of the diversity of lifestyle on the island. You can truly feel this world come to life as you read.
One of the book’s more stronger aspects is its characters. I truly loved how well thought out all their goals and struggles were. Even those you aren’t supposed to root for have a little piece of my respect. While the book follows multiple POVs, the main three were the Kaul siblings: Lau, Hilo and Shae. Lau, the new head of No Peak, struggles to garner the same respect his grandfather once had and living in the shadow of his late war father. Hilo is rash and impulsive and finds himself stepping into a role he was never meant to take. Shae returns to the island of Kekon and has no choice but to return to her old life as a Green Bone, after renouncing her role years before. Other characters I really enjoyed were Bero, a petty thief with a much more significant role, and the Kaul’s younger cousin, Anden, who was adopted into the family and struggles to come to term with his future as a fighter. There’s so much more I could talk about, but this book really balances the detailed world with complex characters quite perfectly.
Overall, Jade City will be one book I’ll recommend forever. The nature of the ending tells us the new clan war is far from being over. I’m so excited and interested to see what Lee will give us in its sequel. From the writing, execution, characters and sheer depth of the world inside, this series is on track to become one of my favourite series ever.
Set in the island of Kekon, a land stuck in a dangerous territory war between the No Peak Clan and The Mountain Clan, the Kauls of No Peak fight for control of their capital and the growing jade market. More than a green stone, Jade holds bioenergetic power that amplifies its users, and the two clans are fuelled by its power for control of Kekon.
Jade City is a masterpiece. Never have I found myself so captivated by a book that still lingered with me days after I had read it. The worldbuilding is on another level, and Fonda Lee has created such a vibrant and detailed world. I did find the beginning a little dense, but once you’ve settled into the world, you’re thrown straight into, and I loved it. The history of Kekon is vast and rich, you can see the level of detail that has gone into creating this world. The rank system based on Jade, the history of the world beyond Kekon and the inner workings of the diversity of lifestyle on the island. You can truly feel this world come to life as you read.
One of the book’s more stronger aspects is its characters. I truly loved how well thought out all their goals and struggles were. Even those you aren’t supposed to root for have a little piece of my respect. While the book follows multiple POVs, the main three were the Kaul siblings: Lau, Hilo and Shae. Lau, the new head of No Peak, struggles to garner the same respect his grandfather once had and living in the shadow of his late war father. Hilo is rash and impulsive and finds himself stepping into a role he was never meant to take. Shae returns to the island of Kekon and has no choice but to return to her old life as a Green Bone, after renouncing her role years before. Other characters I really enjoyed were Bero, a petty thief with a much more significant role, and the Kaul’s younger cousin, Anden, who was adopted into the family and struggles to come to term with his future as a fighter. There’s so much more I could talk about, but this book really balances the detailed world with complex characters quite perfectly.
Overall, Jade City will be one book I’ll recommend forever. The nature of the ending tells us the new clan war is far from being over. I’m so excited and interested to see what Lee will give us in its sequel. From the writing, execution, characters and sheer depth of the world inside, this series is on track to become one of my favourite series ever.
captainmarching's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kristinv20'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
4.5
catburps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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
sandy23's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sliversofsilver's review
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
4.0
Took awhile to warm up to the characters but once I did I was hooked. The relationships and struggles of the family were intrigueing and the drama was great. Some seeds for future conflict were planted and I look forward to seeing those bloom.
The magic system has also recieved a lot of praise and upon reading it I'll say that I like it but not as much as others seem to. Mostly because it's not as exciting or diverse as other systems. It's mostly just stat buffing. I'm hoping the future books find a way to make it more exciting.
The magic system has also recieved a lot of praise and upon reading it I'll say that I like it but not as much as others seem to. Mostly because it's not as exciting or diverse as other systems. It's mostly just stat buffing. I'm hoping the future books find a way to make it more exciting.
cloudwriter's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hunkydorky's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
ugh_i_guessss's review
4.0
I just finished this book. I've found in the past that it takes me a while to digest what I've read and I'lI feel like the book deserves a certain rating as soon as I finish it but then that feeling will change given a few days. I don't know which rating is more fair: the one I give while I'm still 'high' off the book or the one I give once I've come down from the high. In any case, here we go.
I picked this book up and immediately enjoyed it. I've heard great things about the whole trilogy so I was eager to read this. Plus, it's written by an AAPI author and I have a weakness for seeing people that aren't of European descent in the books I read. (I won't lie, I'd prefer my brown people as main characters but at this point beggars can't be choosers so I'll take what I can get. ¡Vamos!) Somewhere in the middle of reading the book, I joined a buddy read with a lovely group of bibliophiles who read like 10 books a week. Having the FOMO, I had to read and finish the buddy read alongside my book club friends. We'll that other book total screwed up my Jade City read because it was too violent and I couldn't stomach going back to Jade City. I felt like I needed a soul cleanse or a freaking exorcism. After reading two dozen "warm and fuzzy" books, I still had a hard time getting back into reading Jade City. It felt a little like it was dragging on. I can't say whether the dragging was due to taking a break from the book or because the book was actually dragging, but there was definitely some stagnation. At some point I even got annoyed with all the characters. Thankfully the Third Interlude picked up in action significantly. It finally felt like things were moving along instead of the stagnant feel from before.
I thought the characters were well-written and we got enough of their background to understand some of their actions. I'm definitely hoping for more background as the trilogy goes on. I did feel the characters were missing some depth, as though we were getting partially robotic characters. I would've liked to see more of how the actions affected them and those around them aside from "he/she pissed me off" or "I hated her/him." Give me some substance! Tell me why you don't trust X character, or tell me why you really, truly felt slighted by them when they did something. None of that "you bring shame to the family name." Is that what you really feel, or is that what you thunk you're supposed to feel?! A specific character at the end does this - well and truly speaks their mind and voices their concerns. And, of course, everyone is like "how could you?" 🙄 Anywho...
The ending definitely left me curious about how the characters are going to move forward based on all that has happened, so I will definitely be reading the next book.
Hasta la próxima.
I picked this book up and immediately enjoyed it. I've heard great things about the whole trilogy so I was eager to read this. Plus, it's written by an AAPI author and I have a weakness for seeing people that aren't of European descent in the books I read. (I won't lie, I'd prefer my brown people as main characters but at this point beggars can't be choosers so I'll take what I can get. ¡Vamos!) Somewhere in the middle of reading the book, I joined a buddy read with a lovely group of bibliophiles who read like 10 books a week. Having the FOMO, I had to read and finish the buddy read alongside my book club friends. We'll that other book total screwed up my Jade City read because it was too violent and I couldn't stomach going back to Jade City. I felt like I needed a soul cleanse or a freaking exorcism. After reading two dozen "warm and fuzzy" books, I still had a hard time getting back into reading Jade City. It felt a little like it was dragging on. I can't say whether the dragging was due to taking a break from the book or because the book was actually dragging, but there was definitely some stagnation. At some point I even got annoyed with all the characters. Thankfully the Third Interlude picked up in action significantly. It finally felt like things were moving along instead of the stagnant feel from before.
I thought the characters were well-written and we got enough of their background to understand some of their actions. I'm definitely hoping for more background as the trilogy goes on. I did feel the characters were missing some depth, as though we were getting partially robotic characters. I would've liked to see more of how the actions affected them and those around them aside from "he/she pissed me off" or "I hated her/him." Give me some substance! Tell me why you don't trust X character, or tell me why you really, truly felt slighted by them when they did something. None of that "you bring shame to the family name." Is that what you really feel, or is that what you thunk you're supposed to feel?! A specific character at the end does this - well and truly speaks their mind and voices their concerns. And, of course, everyone is like "how could you?" 🙄 Anywho...
The ending definitely left me curious about how the characters are going to move forward based on all that has happened, so I will definitely be reading the next book.
Hasta la próxima.