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A review by fhirdiad
Jade War by Fonda Lee
5.0
"for Green Bones, the possibility of death was like the weather-- you could make attempts to predict it, but you would likely be wrong, and no one would change their most important plans due to the threat of rain"
Just got done reading a couple of sequels in a different series, one of which I said was one of the best second books I'd ever read. Not to disparage that book (I loved it wholeheartedly) but this second book blew me away, off earth and straight into the sun. Fonda Lee's talent at crafting a living, kicking world with politics and violence and the most unique dynamics is unmatched. And her fight scenes are the icing on the cake.
This book is such a lush, fast paced journey. So far, both books have been a masterclass at crafting dread and foreshadowing violence. There were some chapters that just felt off. Something awful was about to happen, but I never knew what, so even when I was anticipating something I was still always surprised by what transpired. Multiple times this book shocked me into tears; events would take place that were so surprisingly moving or tragic that I would just tear up. The feeling of loss in this book is so visceral and it's really wonderful to read a book that knows what loss and violence means and how characters would behave in the face of it. These books are violent but they understand clearly when violence is needed and when it's not to make a narrative point. It means that deaths and losses are meaningful, and therefore characters surviving and persevering is made even more impactful.
And these characters are fantastic. The main Kaul family is such a dynamic, interesting look at morality. Shae and Hilo are two sides of one coin, to start off. Hilo is loyal to a fault whereas Shae still deals with distancing herself from the clan, but is logical and rational where Hilo is incredibly violent. Watching the rest of the characters fall around them in terms of where their 'lines' are was also so interesting and I ended up being able to very easily picture a scale of what these characters can forgive. Everyone says they love morally grey characters, but no one is doing morally grey like the Kauls. Some of the characters' actions turned my stomach but I would find myself going "but so-and-so did that, so I guess they had it coming".
I also really loved that the "enemies" in this book became more complex. I often found myself questioning whether Ayt Mada was in the wrong, especially in comparison to some of No Peak's violence and political moves. It's what makes these books ones you can't put down. You're constantly trying to figure out who's going to finally push it over the line, which character is going to do something completely unforgivable, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe that's the power of these characters and the writing; they make it so plausible to root for them in the face of their horrendous, messy choices. Everything in these books is clearly meticulously planned and it means that the actions of these characters are solid. You question the ethics of their choices but you never doubt they'd make them. Instead you're just always waiting for the other shoe to drop, because nothing in these books is there without meaning. It's flawless.
I can't do anything but gush over this series, honestly. If you love political fantasy, great fight scenes and genuinely ethically dubious characters, why haven't you read these yet? Now I just have to wait over a year for Fonda Lee to rip my heart out again.
Just got done reading a couple of sequels in a different series, one of which I said was one of the best second books I'd ever read. Not to disparage that book (I loved it wholeheartedly) but this second book blew me away, off earth and straight into the sun. Fonda Lee's talent at crafting a living, kicking world with politics and violence and the most unique dynamics is unmatched. And her fight scenes are the icing on the cake.
This book is such a lush, fast paced journey. So far, both books have been a masterclass at crafting dread and foreshadowing violence. There were some chapters that just felt off. Something awful was about to happen, but I never knew what, so even when I was anticipating something I was still always surprised by what transpired. Multiple times this book shocked me into tears; events would take place that were so surprisingly moving or tragic that I would just tear up. The feeling of loss in this book is so visceral and it's really wonderful to read a book that knows what loss and violence means and how characters would behave in the face of it. These books are violent but they understand clearly when violence is needed and when it's not to make a narrative point. It means that deaths and losses are meaningful, and therefore characters surviving and persevering is made even more impactful.
And these characters are fantastic. The main Kaul family is such a dynamic, interesting look at morality. Shae and Hilo are two sides of one coin, to start off. Hilo is loyal to a fault whereas Shae still deals with distancing herself from the clan, but is logical and rational where Hilo is incredibly violent. Watching the rest of the characters fall around them in terms of where their 'lines' are was also so interesting and I ended up being able to very easily picture a scale of what these characters can forgive. Everyone says they love morally grey characters, but no one is doing morally grey like the Kauls. Some of the characters' actions turned my stomach but I would find myself going "but so-and-so did that, so I guess they had it coming".
I also really loved that the "enemies" in this book became more complex. I often found myself questioning whether Ayt Mada was in the wrong, especially in comparison to some of No Peak's violence and political moves. It's what makes these books ones you can't put down. You're constantly trying to figure out who's going to finally push it over the line, which character is going to do something completely unforgivable, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe that's the power of these characters and the writing; they make it so plausible to root for them in the face of their horrendous, messy choices. Everything in these books is clearly meticulously planned and it means that the actions of these characters are solid. You question the ethics of their choices but you never doubt they'd make them. Instead you're just always waiting for the other shoe to drop, because nothing in these books is there without meaning. It's flawless.
I can't do anything but gush over this series, honestly. If you love political fantasy, great fight scenes and genuinely ethically dubious characters, why haven't you read these yet? Now I just have to wait over a year for Fonda Lee to rip my heart out again.