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pantaruja's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Medical content, Ableism, Kidnapping, Murder, and Death
leanne_miron's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Death, Murder, Violence, Chronic illness, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Suicide, Rape, and Homophobia
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Well, 2022 was the year I finally read the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee, and—having now come out the other side of 'Jade Legacy' with my heart relatively in tact—I'm happy to report it was one of the most thrilling, satisfying, ambitious, epic and unique fantasy stories I've ever read in my entire life. It's not really a trilogy so much as one enormous book split into three parts, and I think that's worth bearing in mind if you find yourself slogging a bit through some of the info-dumps in 'Jade City'. A contemporary-feeling high urban fantasy that encompasses literally ✨decades✨ of time across multiple generations around an entire fictional globe, featuring a myriad of cultures, customs and creeds... Cor blimy, Fonda Lee doesn't like doing things by halves, does she?! From the gang-ridden streets of 'Jade City' all the way up to the geopolitical family melodrama of 'Jade Legacy', the Green Bone Saga had me by the throat even days after finishing. I fear it still does. Reader, I've left my heart in Janloon.
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Child death, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm, Sexism, Animal death, Torture, and Infidelity
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Torture, War, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Car accident, Colonisation, Drug use, Kidnapping, Violence, Child death, Classism, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Racism
jakepasseri's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, War, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm and Cultural appropriation
3arth2kaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Medical content, Body horror, Gore, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexism
Minor: Abortion, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
hanz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Torture, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
like its predecessors, jade legacy drips w/ swagger and filled w/ violence, strategem and emotional impact, feeling both intimate and epic w/ the focus on the kauls against the backdrop of greater outside forces. as always, lee pulls no-holds-barred in this book, cunningly plotting the story while also handling and balancing more story threads, characters, and settings than ever, where things can change dramatically w/ just a sentence (a masterful example of show-not-tell, rly). it's big in scope and ever more complex as many existing characters grow and new ones develop.
it's always an extreme experience being w/ the kauls; there are great triumphs but also terrible, heartbreaking losses (**** U WERE SO CLOSEEEE BARELY 30 PGS LEFT DAMMIT). we see them here w/ changing relationship dynamics, truth-searching, and growing into their own identities. reading this book, i feel aged right along them, filled w/ nostalgia, regret, and cautious optimism still.
the previously mentioned balancing act, however, is also my one main issue w/ the novel: the frequent timeskips can be confusing and sometimes seem unnecessary, and the existence of so many characters and story threads means many of them arent fully explored, w/ a few seemingly abandoned or forgotten halfway through. certain events/actions, for example, couldve happened in the same month or yr as the previous chapter, but somehow it just has to be like 2 or 4 yrs later, which i dont understand why.
the time gaps, while it might be necessary, also mean that there are - obviously - gaps in the story, but readers arent filled in on what happen during the interim yrs, and there def isnt enough time and space for lee to explain either even if she wanted to since it occurs so often; so now we're left w/ 2 chapters that happen like 5 yrs apart but it seems like not much has changed at all. moreover, some characters - like cam for example - initially expected to be more prominent over time are relegated to the background and their relations to the kauls arent mentioned much at all.
even so, it's undeniable that this is a tightly plotted gangster family saga brimming w/ tension, high stakes, violence, cunning, and emotional impact. it's been a rollercoaster of a (figuratively 25-yr) trip w/ the kauls, and the green bone saga is def one of the best series ive ever read.
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Cursing, Violence, Gun violence, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Drug use, Suicide, Rape, Misogyny, and Miscarriage
laguerrelewis's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, War, Alcohol, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia
maira_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can't remember the last I cried so hard– with snot and tissues and everything– while reading a book. I can't remember the last time I stayed up late to finish reading. Not gonna lie, this book and its characters will stay with me for a long, long time.
The plot and its execution was close to perfection. Every action had its consequences. Everything was deliberate. Not to mention, the world building was honestly incredible. To be able to create a universe that is similar to our urban world with its different countries and politics is impressive, honestly. The author's intelligence in business and politics shone bright throughout the book, in my opinion. And I want to watch her action scenes on a television screen someday. I don't know if an adaptation can do this series justice, though.
One thing I would have wanted is probably a much longer epilogue of some sort. I wanted more time with the characters, especially Niko and Jaya. To be honest, since the first page, it already felt like the beginning of the end. So, me asking to add more to this 700++ pages book is honestly pushing it. 😂
I honestly would love to discuss this book with someone. To just talk about the characters and their individual developments, mostly. Because the characters made this series. If we didn't have them, if we had an unmemorable cast of characters with just the plot and the politics, it would be extremely dull.
Probably the best ending to a series I've read in a long, long time.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicide, Hate crime, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Violence, Drug use, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Cursing, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Medical content and Addiction