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chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions were so vivid and beautiful and the main cast of characters are so likable. Story-wise, the pacing was set up very well. It contained a lot of time jumps which worked well with this set up. However, character-wise, I feel like the set up stunted the growth you get to see between characters. I think you see this especially with Altan and Ahn’s relationship because they have the chemistry and the tension, and they’re so dumb (in a good way), and you get glimpses of how they slowly start to care for each other, but a lot of it takes place in between time jumps and I really wish I got to see more of their relationship instead. I liked what I read, but I know it had the potential to make me love it so much more.
I also felt like this had the potential to be an epic novel, and along with all the other things it had the potential for, it could’ve easily been done with a much longer length. I know Jade Fire Gold is an homage to xianxia novels, but I think making it only 400~ pages does it a huge disservice because it truly could’ve been extraordinary — so much more rich, captivating, and epic.
I also felt like this had the potential to be an epic novel, and along with all the other things it had the potential for, it could’ve easily been done with a much longer length. I know Jade Fire Gold is an homage to xianxia novels, but I think making it only 400~ pages does it a huge disservice because it truly could’ve been extraordinary — so much more rich, captivating, and epic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Violence, War, Death, Grief, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Animal death and Vomit
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
JADE FIRE GOLD stars Ahn, a peasant girl who finds out that her past is more complicated than she remembers, and Altan, in hiding and making a play for his lost throne.
I loved the first part of the book and then felt like the second half was just okay. It had a tendency to cut away after emotionally intense moments. There felt like too many scenes of watching someone open a door (literally or metaphorically), gasping at what they found inside, then immediately switching to the other character's perspective in a different location and a different emotional beat. A few of these switches were when Ahn and Altan were in the same scenes together. I liked some of those moments where one of them says something and then the perspective switches for the other person's reaction, but it started to feel like a movie with too much cross-cutting. It's a fine technique, but it shouldn't be the only way to edit the scene.
The characters' backstories are conveyed through worries, nightmares, and thoughts about how the present day is shadowed by the past. Because of the empire's use of physical mutilations as punishment followed by shunning, there are complicated layers of ableism established early on which then don't really go anywhere. The audiobook narrators work well as a pair, their performances fit the characters.
I like how there are several queer secondary characters, but it started to feel a bit like both protagonists got their own gay best friend. That thought might just be my irritation in the book as a whole coming out in something pithy, but it’s a thought I couldn’t shake once I had it. At times it feels more like they're queer so that they won't distract from the romance with the main pair, which was so flimsy that even the possibility they could like someone else would be enough to shred it. It felt like Ahn and Altan spent so long dancing around the idea of a relationship that by the time they actually maybe acknowledge their feelings I’d formed the opinion that they wouldn’t be good together. It’s just enough romantic vibes to keep it from being a platonic guy/girl teamup, but not enough romance to matter to the plot. It’s an awkward middle ground which might be setting up something for the clearly intended sequel, but as of this review in 2022 it doesn’t look like that’ll happen.
I loved the first part of the book and then felt like the second half was just okay. It had a tendency to cut away after emotionally intense moments. There felt like too many scenes of watching someone open a door (literally or metaphorically), gasping at what they found inside, then immediately switching to the other character's perspective in a different location and a different emotional beat. A few of these switches were when Ahn and Altan were in the same scenes together. I liked some of those moments where one of them says something and then the perspective switches for the other person's reaction, but it started to feel like a movie with too much cross-cutting. It's a fine technique, but it shouldn't be the only way to edit the scene.
The characters' backstories are conveyed through worries, nightmares, and thoughts about how the present day is shadowed by the past. Because of the empire's use of physical mutilations as punishment followed by shunning, there are complicated layers of ableism established early on which then don't really go anywhere. The audiobook narrators work well as a pair, their performances fit the characters.
I like how there are several queer secondary characters, but it started to feel a bit like both protagonists got their own gay best friend. That thought might just be my irritation in the book as a whole coming out in something pithy, but it’s a thought I couldn’t shake once I had it. At times it feels more like they're queer so that they won't distract from the romance with the main pair, which was so flimsy that even the possibility they could like someone else would be enough to shred it. It felt like Ahn and Altan spent so long dancing around the idea of a relationship that by the time they actually maybe acknowledge their feelings I’d formed the opinion that they wouldn’t be good together. It’s just enough romantic vibes to keep it from being a platonic guy/girl teamup, but not enough romance to matter to the plot. It’s an awkward middle ground which might be setting up something for the clearly intended sequel, but as of this review in 2022 it doesn’t look like that’ll happen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Death of parent, Child death, Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Vomit, and Suicide
kbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.5
As always my reading experiences based on my own perceptions, my own expectations, and my own understanding. I definitely think that this was not as good of a reader as it could’ve been because in my effort one day to see how many pages there were in this book I saw the last line and that colored my perception of what was happening at certain points because I thought there was a note of incest but I was wrong and it makes me sad that my eyes betrayed me like that and messed with my perceptions of the story.There was too much world dumping at the beginning of the book and I spent the entire ready of the book confused which was frustrating and I liked it the lesbian lovers and the representation there and it was a fine read I just spent the majority of it confused and their questions at the end but I almost kind of don’t care about the answers? I don’t know if this was a confusing read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Genocide, Self harm, Child death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
Minor: Animal death
abbyschalupa's review
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, Self harm, Grief, Blood, and Suicide
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Gore, Abandonment, Classism, and Death of parent
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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
3.75
3.75/5
- I have to kill you trope
- elemental magic
- political intrigue
- slow burn romance
- heavily inspired by Chinese mythology
This book had beautiful writing with a rich influence of Chinese mythology, wlw and mlm rep, good world building and magic system, and importantly a balance of light and dark moments.
I do, however, think I would have enjoyed it even more if I went into it with the right expectations. I was recommended Jade Fire Gold as a book similar to Avatar the last Airbender if zutara was endgame, but I think it’s more accurately a book centred in politics and family trauma. The romance is more a slow-burn sub-plot- which I didn’t mind at all as I enjoy a keener focus on the fantasy world over romance- but was surprising based on my expectations going in.
Once I got my head around that, however, you definitely root for the characters- I personally loved Tang Wei and the cluelessness of the main characters when they are around each other- they are lovable and true to their characterisation throughout with good character development.
I believe the book would be perfect as a duology rather than a stand-alone to finish up what happened to Ahn’s mother, what Altan’s sister wants and her story, if Leiye returned Tai Shun’s feelings, how Altan will be as a ruler, how Ahn and Altan’s relationship will develop, and how Ahn will cope with the impact of what she has done. But it is still very enjoyable and a good standalone in its own right.
- I have to kill you trope
- elemental magic
- political intrigue
- slow burn romance
- heavily inspired by Chinese mythology
This book had beautiful writing with a rich influence of Chinese mythology, wlw and mlm rep, good world building and magic system, and importantly a balance of light and dark moments.
I do, however, think I would have enjoyed it even more if I went into it with the right expectations. I was recommended Jade Fire Gold as a book similar to Avatar the last Airbender if zutara was endgame, but I think it’s more accurately a book centred in politics and family trauma. The romance is more a slow-burn sub-plot- which I didn’t mind at all as I enjoy a keener focus on the fantasy world over romance- but was surprising based on my expectations going in.
Once I got my head around that, however, you definitely root for the characters- I personally loved Tang Wei and the cluelessness of the main characters when they are around each other- they are lovable and true to their characterisation throughout with good character development.
I believe the book would be perfect as a duology rather than a stand-alone to finish up
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Self harm, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Moderate: War
Minor: Animal death
drakonreads's review
adventurous
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
3.75 stars
Pace: medium
- the book covers a long timeline (so seems a bit slow paced)
- the book covers the more significant scenes (so kinda on the quick pace side)
Characters:
- Ahn wants to save her grandmother
- Atlan wants revenge (though at times it feels like it could be fleshed out better. For example, exploring why revenge as a societal concept exists. Such as is it expected of sons so he wonders if he really wants revenge or if it's just something expected of him...I might be overthinking this)
- the characters are lovable but at times I feel a bit distant from them
- there's a character that dies and then we get a short flashback about him and it almost feels like it's to make us feel worse about his death. And it fails because I don't think we see that much of him to really care enough about his death. It might have worked if the flashback happened earlier in the book because we don't really see that much of Atlan's life from before his life in the desert.
*Just note on the diversity level. I meant for a Western audience, not in terms of the book. In terms of the book, the characters are not really diverse.
Also though it reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender a bit, in some ways, it also oddly enough reminded me of Shadow and Bone.
Pace: medium
- the book covers a long timeline (so seems a bit slow paced)
- the book covers the more significant scenes (so kinda on the quick pace side)
Characters:
- Ahn wants to save her grandmother
- Atlan wants revenge (though at times it feels like it could be fleshed out better. For example, exploring why revenge as a societal concept exists. Such as is it expected of sons so he wonders if he really wants revenge or if it's just something expected of him...I might be overthinking this)
- the characters are lovable but at times I feel a bit distant from them
-
*Just note on the diversity level. I meant for a Western audience, not in terms of the book. In terms of the book, the characters are not really diverse.
Also though it reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender a bit, in some ways, it also oddly enough reminded me of Shadow and Bone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore and Self harm
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