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elizas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
This short story doesn’t have the character development that the novels have, but the horror of the hero’s visit to a shady house in a bad part of town was pretty intense, and I enjoyed the brief view of Kaul Hilo as a younger man.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
karina_dreamsinwords's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“A man doesn't have to be unkind or unlikable to have enemies. Sometimes, it's good people who are hated for who they are.”
The Jade Setter of Janloon is truly a treasure & a treat while serving just a glimpse of life into this world before the Green Bone Saga takes off in Jade City.
I don't know how else to explain that reading this after the trilogy made my heart soar while also shattering it simultaneously. I am in tears!
I just really love this series and will happily accept any crumbs Fonda wants to give that take place in Janloon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
rheagoveas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual violence
grimdark_dad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Violence, Blood, Death, and Trafficking
city_girl_writer's review against another edition
adventurous
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? N/A
5.0
What...I...how...? Just...amazing. Imma read it again whenever I reread the Green Bone Saga.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Addiction
Minor: Trafficking
maira_h's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
4.5
4.5 stars ✨
I'm probably biased at this point. The Green Bone Saga is, at this moment, my favourite series of all time. I don't know if there's anything that could top this series anytime soon.
This novella was honestly what I wanted it to be. Brief but enough to pull me in. It's nice that we were able to witness the inner workings of a minor and neutral clan like the Haedo Shield Clan as well as how much authority the police has in comparison to the two biggest clans in Janloon like the Mountain clan and the No Peak clan. We also got to meet Hilo and Lan for a little bit, albeit a much younger version of them. But it was enough to make me feel a bit nostalgic.
Reading this novella made me want to reread the whole series again...
I'm probably biased at this point. The Green Bone Saga is, at this moment, my favourite series of all time. I don't know if there's anything that could top this series anytime soon.
This novella was honestly what I wanted it to be. Brief but enough to pull me in. It's nice that we were able to witness the inner workings of a minor and neutral clan like the Haedo Shield Clan as well as how much authority the police has in comparison to the two biggest clans in Janloon like the Mountain clan and the No Peak clan. We also got to meet Hilo and Lan for a little bit, albeit a much younger version of them. But it was enough to make me feel a bit nostalgic.
Reading this novella made me want to reread the whole series again...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Blood
doodeedoda's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Trafficking
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Racism
Minor: Kidnapping and Adult/minor relationship
perpetualpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
CWs: Anti-Indigenous sentiments (challenged); descriptions of drug use/addiction; graphic descriptions of blood, injury, and death; vomit; references to missing Indigenous women and human trafficking
Two things right off the bat. First of all, Fonda Lee has made it abundantly clearly that she doesn’t care about any of our feelings, and I respect that. Secondly, I was super into this. Quite honestly, if Fonda Lee wants to spend the next five years just writing novellas within this established world, I would happily read every single one.
The Jade Setter of Janloon takes all the best parts of the Green Bone Saga and makes it even more genre by adding a twisted mystery element to it. The main trilogy is all about action, politics, and family dynamics, and while this novella certainly encompasses all of that, it also plot that’s much more direct. Part of that is, obviously, because it’s a standalone and it has to be self-contained. But it’s also refreshing because we don’t really get to see any straight-up-and-down murder mysteries in the series, so it's giving us something new using that established society and magic system.
Fonda Lee had me fully invested before the end of chapter one, as she always does. There’s gritty action, there’s political intrigue as this previously-neutral apprentice finds himself in the middle of these two powerful clans, and there’s a sense of desperation that comes from scrambling to solve this case at any cost. It’s pretty intense for a novella, and I think it does a great job of creating an urgent but also satisfying character arc propelled by moral dilemmas and injustice. Because it's a murder-mystery, there's also a sense of gratification that comes with all the puzzle pieces masterfully fall into place at the end.
Additionally, there are some cameos from the Green Bone saga for readers to "enjoy," and they make you feel exactly as you would expect!
My one critique, besides a little bit of convenience at the end, is that there is a female character at the center of this story who is the prime suspect, and I wish that she was a little more involved, because she ends up feeling like a chess piece. That sort of ties into a similar critique of the main trilogy I often see, in that the series definitely showcases female characters—and especially powerful female characters—but they don’t always seem to shine as brightly as the male characters do, and they're also vastly outnumbered by them. That critique is incredibly valid, and that same pattern definitely translates over to this story in which the sole female character is essentially rendered powerless.
So I do wish that had played out differently, but overall I still think this is an incredibly worthwhile addition to the Green Bone Saga. While it's not "essential" to the main trilogy, in terms of plot, it still does a great job of widening the world the the history of the series overall. If you're a fan of the series, you'll most likely enjoy this and you won't want to miss it!
Two things right off the bat. First of all, Fonda Lee has made it abundantly clearly that she doesn’t care about any of our feelings, and I respect that. Secondly, I was super into this. Quite honestly, if Fonda Lee wants to spend the next five years just writing novellas within this established world, I would happily read every single one.
The Jade Setter of Janloon takes all the best parts of the Green Bone Saga and makes it even more genre by adding a twisted mystery element to it. The main trilogy is all about action, politics, and family dynamics, and while this novella certainly encompasses all of that, it also plot that’s much more direct. Part of that is, obviously, because it’s a standalone and it has to be self-contained. But it’s also refreshing because we don’t really get to see any straight-up-and-down murder mysteries in the series, so it's giving us something new using that established society and magic system.
Fonda Lee had me fully invested before the end of chapter one, as she always does. There’s gritty action, there’s political intrigue as this previously-neutral apprentice finds himself in the middle of these two powerful clans, and there’s a sense of desperation that comes from scrambling to solve this case at any cost. It’s pretty intense for a novella, and I think it does a great job of creating an urgent but also satisfying character arc propelled by moral dilemmas and injustice. Because it's a murder-mystery, there's also a sense of gratification that comes with all the puzzle pieces masterfully fall into place at the end.
Additionally, there are some cameos from the Green Bone saga for readers to "enjoy," and they make you feel exactly as you would expect!
My one critique, besides a little bit of convenience at the end, is that there is a female character at the center of this story who is the prime suspect, and I wish that she was a little more involved, because she ends up feeling like a chess piece. That sort of ties into a similar critique of the main trilogy I often see, in that the series definitely showcases female characters—and especially powerful female characters—but they don’t always seem to shine as brightly as the male characters do, and they're also vastly outnumbered by them. That critique is incredibly valid, and that same pattern definitely translates over to this story in which the sole female character is essentially rendered powerless.
So I do wish that had played out differently, but overall I still think this is an incredibly worthwhile addition to the Green Bone Saga. While it's not "essential" to the main trilogy, in terms of plot, it still does a great job of widening the world the the history of the series overall. If you're a fan of the series, you'll most likely enjoy this and you won't want to miss it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Trafficking, Addiction, Drug use, and Racism
Minor: Vomit
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