Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Jade War

While I don't love Jade War as much as I love Jade City, I find it just as enjoyable. There's definitely a bigger emphasis on politics in this book and that's understandable, since there was a whole clan war in the last one. Some political chapters really had me invested in them while the others were a little hard to get through. The political scenes between Hilo and Ayt are easily the best parts of the book and I got so excited when I realized that they were going to go at it.

The family element is much stronger in Jade War and any chapter that had Hilo being with his family were sweet and a nice break from all the tense politics. Speaking of Hilo, I felt as if his character took a much darker tone this book and there's this one scene that had me in shock because I couldn't believe what he did. His actions throughout the story are frustrating yet understandable and I don't know where I stand with my feelings about him now. Shae, on the other hand, was put through the wringer. She was beat down and never given the chance to stand yet by the end of the book, I felt satisfied with where her character was. I felt like I really got to know her more and I applaud Fonda Lee for adding Shae's religious beliefs to her story line.

Even though Anden had only a few chapters, I loved every single one of them. It was nice seeing him become more and more confident with himself and by the end, I felt as if his character was the most developed out of everyone. Also shout out to Wen for not only being an amazing wife, sister-in-law, and mother, but a woman who's made a place for herself in a family where she pales in comparison in skill.

The last ten chapters of this book had me on the edge of my seat and I demand that Fonda Lee pays me for all the emotional damages that she inflicted upon me.

Content Warnings

stonebm's review against another edition

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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

4.25

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genny's review against another edition

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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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leahsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

5.0

Just when I thought this series couldn’t possibly get better, and I couldn’t be more in awe of Fonda Lee’s talents as a writer, I realized quite how wrong I was. Since I did this as a buddy read with Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog, I know I’m not the only one who was blown away by this book and the series.

This book is much more expansive that the last book. I’m talking more POVs, more locations where the action takes place, and more storylines. But somehow, it never felt confusing or cluttered at any point. While Jade City was centered firmly in Janloon, Jade War brought the action out into more areas of the world, taking the characters to various countries where the action only intensifies.

The story picks up 16 months after the events of the last book, and the only time I ever got a little confused was when the timeline sped up unexpectedly. However, once I realized that, I was prepared and didn’t get confused when time sped up in future segments. The main characters from the last book still maintain POVs, with Hilo, Shae, and Anden giving us insight into various areas of clan dealings. But there’s a lot more that we learn from other characters. I don’t want to give away too much, but the story is so spread out that we learn a lot about what is happening, even as there is a war brewing and no shortage of difficulty faced by No Peak. With all of these issues, the clan war has been forced to a back burner.

“The world outside of Kekon was exerting forces that derailed even a blood feud between the Green Bone clans.”

Despite the fact that Hilo, Shae, and the rest of No Peak aren’t exactly “good guys,” I still wanted them to do well. They aren’t your typical heroes, but they’re also better than the Mountain clan, from the POVs that we were shown. They stick to their code of honor, and I found myself rooting for them no matter what. I was especially impressed with how much Hilo has grown into his role as Pillar.

“Hilo was the most hands-on Pillar anyone had ever known. He still left most of the business and political matters to her, but she’d seen him sitting at the kitchen table in the evenings, forcing his ways through industry reports and highlighting the parts he needed to ask her about.”

There’s plenty of violence, but also some romance, even an LGBT romance storyline that had me cheering! The characters were complex and well-developed, even the side characters. I understood their motivations and reasoning, making them feel even more realistic. The world-building and character development were just two of the aspects that made this one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The other was the incredibly engrossing plot. I couldn’t bear to stop reading, and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish the book — just because I had to find out what happened. And the ending? It was completely satisfying, but also left me with the feeling that I need to get my hands on the next book right now. Which is a problem, since it doesn’t come out until September. I have no idea how I’m supposed to wait that long!

Half of the buddy read was Becky and I discussing the actual stuff happening in the book, and the other half was the two of us raving about this book, because yeah, it was seriously just that good. Plus, it never hurts to have someone who is just as excited about it as you to buddy read with. I know what the two of us will be doing when the third book is released … buddy reading it!

Content Warnings

hanz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.0

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