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szuum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Kidnapping, and Abortion
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and War
cognitivedisaster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.75
This is tied as the best read of the year along with Dune
Take everything good about Jade War, and triple it. The characters are amazing. The world is amazing. The plot is amazing. The intrigue is amazing. The character relationships are better than any book I've ever read.
The main characters went from not greatpeople to fucking monsters. Even with their horrible actions, their self-justification makes it even more twisted. Even when you hate them though, you'll still root for them and cry for them*
The world is somehow even better than the last book, with a new country, and with it, new perspectives on how the main charcters affect the world
If Jade War was the godfather in a fantasy setting, this is the godfather 2 in a fantasy setting (especially with the arc of <Shae>)
*except for <Hilo>. Fuck that guy
Take everything good about Jade War, and triple it. The characters are amazing. The world is amazing. The plot is amazing. The intrigue is amazing. The character relationships are better than any book I've ever read.
The main characters went from not greatpeople to fucking monsters. Even with their horrible actions, their self-justification makes it even more twisted. Even when you hate them though, you'll still root for them and cry for them*
The world is somehow even better than the last book, with a new country, and with it, new perspectives on how the main charcters affect the world
If Jade War was the godfather in a fantasy setting, this is the godfather 2 in a fantasy setting (especially with the arc of <Shae>)
*except for <Hilo>. Fuck that guy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping, Car accident, and War
Minor: Hate crime, Rape, and Alcohol
kirstym25'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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Ableism and Rape
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? No
4.75
what. a. trip. jade war does things bigger and is more complex, layered and - an uneasy feat - emotionally brutal than its already great predecessor. its violence, heartbreak, and scheming are further elevated by the nuanced exploration of its themes.
lee delves even deeper into the world of her story by expanding its scope through looking beyond kekon and examining all the intricacies and complex interconnected politics + history of the world she's created. the worldbuilding is starkly vivid, each country and their relationships w/ one another so distinct, realistic, and infuriatingly and familiarly mirrors our world.
the kauls continue to go through a whole lotta shit; there's a lot of ups and downs here but they do their best. never have i ever seen such a strong, complex fictional family and felt so much for their plight. there are certain points in the novel that just made me stop and go, "bruh this shit rly just went there." what i also rly appreciate is how they arent perfect at all; sometimes one can see their decisions' terrible consequences from a mile away, though theyre understandable and even inevitable.
the politicking and scheming, as always, continue to be one of the best things abt this series. idk if it's bc of lee's corporate strategist background, but the diplomatic, furtive, subtle ways the characters talk and act are enjoyably interesting, all imbued w/ an undercurrent msg or tension. i feel smarter reading abt how the characters talk and think lol.
what i most enjoy abt this book, however, is the nuanced, complex exploration of its themes that are hugely relevant in the real world not just on a personal, individual level but also historically and politically, esp how infuriating yts are, how countries and ppl arent black-and-white, diasporas, and how national sentiment borne from traumatic history can get entangled in more immediate, complicated current int'l relations and priorities. lee explores them all w/ gusto and a deft hand, offering persuasive arguments for both sides yet never talking down to the reader. also, reading this in 2022 feels like the book prophesized a lottt of things.
my only major caveat w/ the novel is how a lot of the kauls' scheming amounts to too little - like, all that for nothing compared to the mountain? nevertheless, this is an engrossing, dark, violent, complex, thrilling, and emotionally brutal book, one of a few that can easily make me scream, spooked, tear up, and stressed, and whose sequel i cant wait to devour.
lee delves even deeper into the world of her story by expanding its scope through looking beyond kekon and examining all the intricacies and complex interconnected politics + history of the world she's created. the worldbuilding is starkly vivid, each country and their relationships w/ one another so distinct, realistic, and infuriatingly and familiarly mirrors our world.
the kauls continue to go through a whole lotta shit; there's a lot of ups and downs here but they do their best. never have i ever seen such a strong, complex fictional family and felt so much for their plight. there are certain points in the novel that just made me stop and go, "bruh this shit rly just went there." what i also rly appreciate is how they arent perfect at all; sometimes one can see their decisions' terrible consequences from a mile away, though theyre understandable and even inevitable.
the politicking and scheming, as always, continue to be one of the best things abt this series. idk if it's bc of lee's corporate strategist background, but the diplomatic, furtive, subtle ways the characters talk and act are enjoyably interesting, all imbued w/ an undercurrent msg or tension. i feel smarter reading abt how the characters talk and think lol.
what i most enjoy abt this book, however, is the nuanced, complex exploration of its themes that are hugely relevant in the real world not just on a personal, individual level but also historically and politically, esp how infuriating yts are, how countries and ppl arent black-and-white, diasporas, and how national sentiment borne from traumatic history can get entangled in more immediate, complicated current int'l relations and priorities. lee explores them all w/ gusto and a deft hand, offering persuasive arguments for both sides yet never talking down to the reader. also, reading this in 2022 feels like the book prophesized a lottt of things.
my only major caveat w/ the novel is how a lot of the kauls' scheming amounts to too little - like, all that for nothing compared to the mountain? nevertheless, this is an engrossing, dark, violent, complex, thrilling, and emotionally brutal book, one of a few that can easily make me scream, spooked, tear up, and stressed, and whose sequel i cant wait to devour.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and War
horizonous's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Abortion
◦ Death = Brother, Grandparentpamshenanigans's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
if you can't afford to go to Disneyland or any other theme parks right now, might as well just pick up The Green Bone Saga for the WILD ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF EMOTIONS 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Rape
doodeedoda's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Abortion
Minor: Ableism, Pedophilia, and Rape
additional tw: racism and allusions to the massacre of indigenous peopletalonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Excrement, and Vomit
miak2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
One thing he knew for certain was that stalemates and compromises always broke down. Lasting peace came from unequivocal victory. p. 120
Genuinely the best series I've ever read, and I'm only two thirds of the way through. I wish I could give this more than five stars - Fonda Lee deserves the highest praise in the world.
Jade War took all that was fantastic about Jade City and elevated it to an extreme. The stakes, the family drama, the worldbuilding. Absolutely phenomenal. Middle book syndrome who?
The first book is a relatively contained story, focusing on the street war between the two major clans of Kekon. In contrast, this book was seeped in politics, manipulation and subterfuge. Not only were the stakes raised for those involved in the clan war, but for the world as a whole - as the book zoomed out to look at international politics, and similar turf wars taking place in other countries (all of which affected Kekon in very realistic and terrifying ways). The politics were complex, in the way that real-world politics are, but I could pretty easily follow what was happening and how its effects rippled out to the Kaul family. This touched on corruption and anti-foreigner sentiments, on framing things to influence public perception. Everything that you know and hate about real world politics were here, but done in such a powerful way that I couldn't help but feel immersed. And the final chapters set up a new thread that will likely escalate this even further.
Which leads me to the worldbuilding. Oh my GOD. Similarly, this book stepped it up a notch. First we got insight to Kekonese culture, history, values, and traditions. Here, we got insight into the countries surrounding Kekon. Not just their own culture and ways, but their attitudes towards the Kekonese (and vice versa). We got to see how different Green Bones navigated foreign places, and were perceived there as well. Particularly impactful was Anden's time in Espenia, where he felt trapped between two parts of his identity, but grew to love his new home, which was also caught between Kekon and Espenia.
Lastly, Jade War introduced a bunch of new characters, but still managed to flesh them out with backstories and motivations (and, in turn, make me have strong feelings about almost all of them). The family dynamics were, as always, such a strong focal point in this book. And I'm excited to see where the next one takes us, as several new Kaul family members were introduced. Maybe my one criticism is that I wasn't as invested in some of the new romantic relationships, but they were still well-done all the same.
All in all, though, this was an absolute masterpiece of the book. I tend to love books that make the 'enemy' not only threatening, but understandable as well, and I firmly believe that Lee could have written this entire series from the perspective of Ayt Madashi and the Mountain Clan and I'd be just as hooked. (Which feels like a betrayal to write, since I feel so emotionally bonded to the Kaul family). But mad props to Fonda Lee, that's no easy task! Equally impressive is the fact that I pulled my head out of this book and genuinely had to recalibrate myself into remembering that these are not real places or real people. I'm almost scared to start the next book, because I know how much is at stake and I know I'll lose people I love, but that won't stop me anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Rape