Scan barcode
aromarrie's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
it's been a little less than two years since i last stepped foot into the world of the green bone saga and yet returning back to it as one of my first reads of the year felt like hardly any time has passed by. i've been highly anticipating this prequel for months now and to get to finally have read it has been quite an experience. while the original trilogy was epic on all counts with its political intrigue and fantastical elements, this novella here is much more tight in focus as we revisit the island of Kekon with completely new characters and a mystery that hangs multiple lives in the air, including that of our main narrator, pulo oritono.
if i may be quite honest, no matter how much time has passed, i came into this novella with a lot of caution after the emotional damage that was reading the trilogy published before then. with that caution, came certain expectations for how the story might turn out, one of them being the possible demise of pulo as when we first meet him, he's not so much arrogant as he seems to be slightly heady with his ambitious vision of the shop that he works in as an apprentice to janloon's most trusted jade setter. that ambition doesn't align well with his master and so they butt heads a little as we see in the beginning, and in all of pulo's bravado of how much more good the business can do if they took to higher ground, i could only think of what trouble he might get mixed up in that i've certainly seen other green bone characters get themselves into, even the major ones.
what actually unfolds was much more enlightening than i could've expected, surprisingly enough. in trying to solve the mystery of a valuable missing item that had been entrusted to this shop by the Mountain clan, the story felt a bit like a character study as we got to witness the way pulo developed in such a short span of 72 hours. his high visions of wanting to be a jade warrior were dashed rather soon in his younger years, despite all his promise, and so him working as an apprentice within a minor clan that plays on neutral ground between No Peak and Mountain feels like a bit of a downgrade to him, personally. that downgrade led him to stew in the hopes that he could still do something grander with his life and have that maybe be tied to this new business he's a part of, but certain external conflicts get in the way and lead him down a stressful path. on that path he runs into some familiar characters from the clans who in their eyes, might not think too much of pulo (i can't even recall if pulo's name is ever mentioned in the trilogy?? or his shop at least??) , but for pulo, it leads him to learn secrets about the higher-ups of Kekon and some of their shady dealings, as well as see the upheaval of what it's like being part of the major clans, all the business & political strings that only hurt those seen to be beneath them.
in his desperation to save those closer to him in the possibility that it might lead to the downfall of a highly-respected worker, there's this side to pulo that made his character more complex, which is something i'm obsessed with. i loved how even as rash as he might have seemed at the beginning and even in later parts of the story, he was clearly passionate and he always kept looking forward rather than wasting away in misery.
partly what made the whole novella so interesting is that we were getting to see through the eyes of someone not involved with the major clans and who doesn't have many strings to pull, so his desperation hit even harder and caught on to me as the reader, his desperation & fear, because i wasn't quite sure what could possibly happen for him and for some other characters. if some of the major characters in the original trilogy aren't invincible, then what hopes does this relatively minor character have in this entire universe? the thing is, though, that while this character might not have as much of a powerful presence, his role in the story working with jade and his ambition helps add to the framework of an entire system where jade is coveted to all of those who are Green Bone; he adds a perspective that as someone who doesn't offer any tokens to the major clans or pick sides, provides neutrality and observations with no bias or high stakes. i've always respected the politics and utter ruthlessness that are played in the original trilogy, but it was nice to hear from someone with a different eye and who gave the streets of Kekon a new perspective.
i even liked meeting this detective who worked in Kekon's local law enforcement, who aren't seen as highly as the Green Bone clans and just seem more like puppets than anything else. that leads a lot of crimes to be thrown under the rug and people shushed over those with more power, and so the detective's pov added even more nuance of what happens when certain justice can't be served. isin's voice--pulo's master--as well gave some important insight that made his relationship with pulo feel a little heartwarming because even in all the odds & ends stacked between them, seeing the way pulo fought so hard to keep isin's reputation pristine made me reflect on how complicated the author's characters really are, and how genius she is in doing that. malla's presence as the assistant of the shop was connected to the mystery in a way that left me with a sinking stomach, and i could only have wished we could've heard more for her being that she's Abukei, and with how low that makes her reputation among Green Bones, her backstory was sad as hell.
overall, i was still so happy to see those familiar characters such as hilo and lan, it meant the absolute world, and it gutted me too because of everything we know that happens after for the both of them. there's some little seeds planted of those future events in this novella here and that just brought me back to the edge like it did almost two years ago, which was both a nostalgic & sad feeling. i would absolutely love to read more novellas set in this world, i'll buy them all!! this book was pretty expensive but still absolutely worth it and i'm really glad i had the chance to read this in its limited edition. this story's made me want to revisit the world of the Kaul family again and the large ensemble of characters who stand for and against them, which was probably a long time coming since i soon have to mark the physical copies eventually. until then, this was such an utter gem and an interesting return to the world of the Green Bones and all those who surround the clans!!
if i may be quite honest, no matter how much time has passed, i came into this novella with a lot of caution after the emotional damage that was reading the trilogy published before then. with that caution, came certain expectations for how the story might turn out, one of them being the possible demise of pulo as when we first meet him, he's not so much arrogant as he seems to be slightly heady with his ambitious vision of the shop that he works in as an apprentice to janloon's most trusted jade setter. that ambition doesn't align well with his master and so they butt heads a little as we see in the beginning, and in all of pulo's bravado of how much more good the business can do if they took to higher ground, i could only think of what trouble he might get mixed up in that i've certainly seen other green bone characters get themselves into, even the major ones.
what actually unfolds was much more enlightening than i could've expected, surprisingly enough. in trying to solve the mystery of a valuable missing item that had been entrusted to this shop by the Mountain clan, the story felt a bit like a character study as we got to witness the way pulo developed in such a short span of 72 hours. his high visions of wanting to be a jade warrior were dashed rather soon in his younger years, despite all his promise, and so him working as an apprentice within a minor clan that plays on neutral ground between No Peak and Mountain feels like a bit of a downgrade to him, personally. that downgrade led him to stew in the hopes that he could still do something grander with his life and have that maybe be tied to this new business he's a part of, but certain external conflicts get in the way and lead him down a stressful path. on that path he runs into some familiar characters from the clans who in their eyes, might not think too much of pulo (i can't even recall if pulo's name is ever mentioned in the trilogy?? or his shop at least??) , but for pulo, it leads him to learn secrets about the higher-ups of Kekon and some of their shady dealings, as well as see the upheaval of what it's like being part of the major clans, all the business & political strings that only hurt those seen to be beneath them.
in his desperation to save those closer to him in the possibility that it might lead to the downfall of a highly-respected worker, there's this side to pulo that made his character more complex, which is something i'm obsessed with. i loved how even as rash as he might have seemed at the beginning and even in later parts of the story, he was clearly passionate and he always kept looking forward rather than wasting away in misery.
partly what made the whole novella so interesting is that we were getting to see through the eyes of someone not involved with the major clans and who doesn't have many strings to pull, so his desperation hit even harder and caught on to me as the reader, his desperation & fear, because i wasn't quite sure what could possibly happen for him and for some other characters. if some of the major characters in the original trilogy aren't invincible, then what hopes does this relatively minor character have in this entire universe? the thing is, though, that while this character might not have as much of a powerful presence, his role in the story working with jade and his ambition helps add to the framework of an entire system where jade is coveted to all of those who are Green Bone; he adds a perspective that as someone who doesn't offer any tokens to the major clans or pick sides, provides neutrality and observations with no bias or high stakes. i've always respected the politics and utter ruthlessness that are played in the original trilogy, but it was nice to hear from someone with a different eye and who gave the streets of Kekon a new perspective.
i even liked meeting this detective who worked in Kekon's local law enforcement, who aren't seen as highly as the Green Bone clans and just seem more like puppets than anything else. that leads a lot of crimes to be thrown under the rug and people shushed over those with more power, and so the detective's pov added even more nuance of what happens when certain justice can't be served. isin's voice--pulo's master--as well gave some important insight that made his relationship with pulo feel a little heartwarming because even in all the odds & ends stacked between them, seeing the way pulo fought so hard to keep isin's reputation pristine made me reflect on how complicated the author's characters really are, and how genius she is in doing that. malla's presence as the assistant of the shop was connected to the mystery in a way that left me with a sinking stomach, and i could only have wished we could've heard more for her being that she's Abukei, and with how low that makes her reputation among Green Bones, her backstory was sad as hell.
overall, i was still so happy to see those familiar characters such as hilo and lan, it meant the absolute world, and it gutted me too because of everything we know that happens after for the both of them. there's some little seeds planted of those future events in this novella here and that just brought me back to the edge like it did almost two years ago, which was both a nostalgic & sad feeling. i would absolutely love to read more novellas set in this world, i'll buy them all!! this book was pretty expensive but still absolutely worth it and i'm really glad i had the chance to read this in its limited edition. this story's made me want to revisit the world of the Kaul family again and the large ensemble of characters who stand for and against them, which was probably a long time coming since i soon have to mark the physical copies eventually. until then, this was such an utter gem and an interesting return to the world of the Green Bones and all those who surround the clans!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, and Self harm
Minor: Trafficking
wrackcity's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Self harm
More...