Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Jade War by Fonda Lee

5 reviews

bearystarry's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I think this was the perfect sequel to the first book.

Even though my favourite character died halfway through the first book

these characters are some of my favourites in everything I've ever read. Even when you're frustrated by them you love them. Shae's arc was Heartbreaking. I'm terrified (in the best way, if that's possible) to read the final book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Addiction, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Violence, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Colonisation, Blood, Alcohol, Murder, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Death of parent, Cursing, Excrement, Death, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Pedophilia, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, and War

sarah984'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

5.0

It's pretty rare to find a sequel - especially part 2 in a trilogy - that's as good as the original, but Jade War surpassed all of my expectations. It's got a broader scope this time: many scenes take place in other countries and the Kauls are contending with foreign militaries, expat communities and trade agreements on top of the clan war situation and general family drama. It was easy to romanticize what was going on in Jade City, but Jade War draws back that curtain a bit to show the darker side. The characters are fantastic and unfortunately all of their terrible decisions are absolutely consistent with what you'd expect them to do. I can't wait to read the third book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Addiction, Drug use, Medical content, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Abortion, Blood, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicide, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, and Animal death

talonsontypewriters'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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Gun violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Misogyny, Abortion, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Ableism, Sexism, Suicide, and Kidnapping

Minor: Vomit, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Animal death, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Rape

genny'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

4.0

I enjoyed this more than Jade City. A gripe I had with the previous book was that I couldn't feel attached to any of the characters...while that's still partly true here, we've spent enough time with the main cast that I do care about them more (especially Anden; I'd let them all die for him TBH) but I guess that's obvious with a sequel.  I know there's the looming threat of jade becoming more and more global and the consequences that can ensue, but it feels like an inevitable plot point for the third book, not a...palpable thing? It doesn't feel like there's a big, overarching plot, just us going through the motions with the Kauls and trying to kill off each new problem that arises. That's not to say that it isn't an enjoyable ride! I appreciated Anden's inner monologue about living in Espenia and its familiar-yet-not Kekonese community. And for all of Hilo's faults, it's nice to see him grow into his role as the Pillar.

The timeline kept throwing me off, though. I'll be assuming that a few weeks had passed since a certain event, but then Lee would hit me with a line like "a year had passed since [specific incident]" and I'm like...wait, what? I think it's because the multiple POVs aren't always in the same timeline; we'd be following Shae in the present day, then we'd switch to Anden who'll narrate his life in Espenia for the past x months before catching up to the present, and the next thing I know, Hilo's children have grown by another year. Lol. This might just be a problem with me not processing the passage of time, but I couldn't help but notice it every time it happened.

I knew Anden would have to wear jade again eventually, but I'm glad it happened in a way that let him save a life instead of ending one. Med school sounds like the perfect path for him, I'm so happy 💓 On the other hand, I can't believe we ended the book with a Bero chapter. That boy does not quit, lmao.

Anyway, looking forward to Jade Legacy!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Torture, Violence, Gun violence, Sexual content, Death, Murder, Racism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Blood, and Drug use

Moderate: Misogyny and Abortion

Minor: Pedophilia, Death of parent, Ableism, and Excrement

bookiecharm's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Ableism, Excrement, Sexual assault, Torture, and Xenophobia