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theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The most important thing that I need to convey in this review is that while this is a slow book, it is really incredible to read. Typically, I would quickly lose interest in a book that primarily focuses on political intrigue. Not the case with Jade City. Despite each chapter taking somewhere around 30 minutes to read, I was still so hooked by what was taking place that I didn’t want to put it down. I was constantly thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, wondering what would happen next. So, if the size of the book or the intense content is frightening to you, I say give it a try anyway. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was!
There is a lot to follow in this book and I worried about losing track of the many characters or their importance to the story. Sometimes, there are full chapters that are told from the perspective of a side character. Initially, I was confused by this. Why would there be a heavy focus on such random, seemingly unimportant people? But I'm glad I didn't give up on trying to understand what was happening. Every single chapter makes a difference. Every single character furthers the story, no matter how small their role is.
I'm currently under the assumption that the only reason I don't fully understand the jade magic is because this was only the first book and it's meant to come into play later on. However, I would have liked just a little more explanation of that and even the way the shine drug affected those who used it. There were moments that helped me understand bits and pieces, but certain deaths left me reeling because I had no clue what the true cause was.
The political intrigue was what, shockingly, kept my attention the most. I was fascinated by the gang war and what was happening on either side to induce further violence and panic. The ranks of the Green Bones was also really interesting to me and the almost "heirarchy" within each group was equally intriguing. I even enjoyed the chapters with the lore behind the Green Bones and why certain people fell into certain roles - even down to how they approached death or destruction.
While I definitely believe this is the kind of book to read only when you're in the mood for a "thinker," I highly recommend it. I greatly look forward to seeing what comes next!
There is a lot to follow in this book and I worried about losing track of the many characters or their importance to the story. Sometimes, there are full chapters that are told from the perspective of a side character. Initially, I was confused by this. Why would there be a heavy focus on such random, seemingly unimportant people? But I'm glad I didn't give up on trying to understand what was happening. Every single chapter makes a difference. Every single character furthers the story, no matter how small their role is.
I'm currently under the assumption that the only reason I don't fully understand the jade magic is because this was only the first book and it's meant to come into play later on. However, I would have liked just a little more explanation of that and even the way the shine drug affected those who used it. There were moments that helped me understand bits and pieces, but certain deaths left me reeling because I had no clue what the true cause was.
The political intrigue was what, shockingly, kept my attention the most. I was fascinated by the gang war and what was happening on either side to induce further violence and panic. The ranks of the Green Bones was also really interesting to me and the almost "heirarchy" within each group was equally intriguing. I even enjoyed the chapters with the lore behind the Green Bones and why certain people fell into certain roles - even down to how they approached death or destruction.
While I definitely believe this is the kind of book to read only when you're in the mood for a "thinker," I highly recommend it. I greatly look forward to seeing what comes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Torture, Addiction, Blood, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Grief, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
thewrongalice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
narsere's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Animal death and Torture
aargot1's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Torture, Self harm, Suicide, Abandonment, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, War, and Mental illness
sarah984's review against another edition
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
5.0
"She felt, strangely, that it all made sense in a perfect and terrible way. It only confirmed in her mind that the will of the gods was a conspiracy of many things; people laid the tracks of their fate yet were helpless at the same time. They’d all played their part in this—them and their enemies."
This book really just blew me away. It's a family saga, and a gangster novel, and a story about a formerly isolated nation forced to confront the wider world and figure out how to live alongside it. The world (especially the advantages and drawbacks of jade magic and how that is integrated) is fascinating, and all of the characters feel like real people. This book is long but not a single word feels wasted - everything that comes up even once matters.
This book really just blew me away. It's a family saga, and a gangster novel, and a story about a formerly isolated nation forced to confront the wider world and figure out how to live alongside it. The world (especially the advantages and drawbacks of jade magic and how that is integrated) is fascinating, and all of the characters feel like real people. This book is long but not a single word feels wasted - everything that comes up even once matters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Animal death, Medical content, Murder, Xenophobia, Addiction, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: War, Bullying, Homophobia, Slavery, Ableism, Chronic illness, Classism, Confinement, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicide, and Torture
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Racism, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Medical content, Dementia, Torture, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Suicide, Infidelity, Homophobia, Rape, and Colonisation
rebeccaxpaige's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Blood, Death of parent, Torture, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
zoeelizabethk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
I went into Jade City with tempered expectations because of all the hype around this book, but I'm so glad to say that I loved it! I'm discovering that I love family saga dynamics in my books, and it was so well done in this book. I really appreciated the focus on family and loyalty, and it made for really interesting characters and choices. I loved that no character felt too predictable, they felt very real with well developed arcs and motivations. I thought the worldbuilding was really well done, and I loved the magic; although I kept forgetting this was "modern" until I read about TV and skyscrapers. Jade City definitely is adult and gritty, but it doesn't feel hopeless or like it's glorifying violence, it's just the environment of this clan family. I also really appreciated that the stakes felt high. I don't want to say much here, but partway through the book you realize that anything could happen and that really paid off when it came to the ending of the book. I don't normally binge series, but I found myself pausing my current kindle read so I could listen AND read to Jade City, and I'm really wanting to pick up Jade War like right now.
Some possible cons for some people:
- if you are highly character driven, you might not always have quite enough connection with the characters. Not to say that the characters are bad or poorly written at all, but the main characters are not necessarily the most lovable.
- Jade City is somewhat slow paced. It never bothered me and I thought it had a good balance of action, but the book doesn't quite ramp up until maybe halfway through.
- there's a decent bit of "telling" in terms of worldbuilding. And there are sometimes flashback-type sequences to flesh out world or character development. It did not bother me and didn't feel excessive, but I know some people really hate this.
Some possible cons for some people:
- if you are highly character driven, you might not always have quite enough connection with the characters. Not to say that the characters are bad or poorly written at all, but the main characters are not necessarily the most lovable.
- Jade City is somewhat slow paced. It never bothered me and I thought it had a good balance of action, but the book doesn't quite ramp up until maybe halfway through.
- there's a decent bit of "telling" in terms of worldbuilding. And there are sometimes flashback-type sequences to flesh out world or character development. It did not bother me and didn't feel excessive, but I know some people really hate this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Drug use, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity and Kidnapping
abigails_books's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
CW: mention of suicide, rape, violent death of a parent, child abuse, general violence throughout, and a graphic sex scene
Rating: 3.5 stars
Summary: Jade City takes place in the city of Janloon on the island Kekon, a place on the verge of war breaking out among fragile peace between the two Green Bone clans, the Jade warriors, that protect Jade from outsiders and generally keeps life in Janloon moving forward. The two clans, The Mountain and No Peak used to be one under the joint leadership of Kaul Sen (now of No Peak) and Ayt Yugontin (Yu) (of The Mountain at time of death). It's been several years since the two clans separated and began a tentative peace, particularly when Ayt Yu died and his adopted daughter, Ayt Madashi (Mada) killed his former advisors and her own adopted brother in order to take control The Mountain.
Now, Ayt Mada rules The Mountain as Pillar while the eldest grandson of Kaul Sen, Kaul Lan, rules No Peak as Pillar, with his younger brother Kaul Hilo as his Fist, or leader and enforcer of his fighters or Fingers. Kaul Sen is elderly and losing his grip on reality, but he's still sure he is the one who should be in charge. At the start of the story, Kaul Shae, the final and youngest sibling of Lan and Hilo, returns from foreign Espenia, after being away for two years to her grandda's dissapointment.
A fourth important family member of the Kaul's lineage is Emery Anden, an adopted grandson of Kaul Sen, particularly at the behest of Kaul Lan, who originally took Anden in when his mother died a horrific death due to Jade sensitivity, a disease called the Itches that affects those with higher Jade sensitivity causing them to lose their sanity and destroy themselves.
The story really begins as a war between the two clans bubbles to surface in Janloon. Lan struggles to moderate peace while his younger brother Hilo is outward in his rebuke of The Mountain's attempt to take over certain No Peak territories. Through Shae's return and Anden's soon-to-be-graduated from the No Peak training academy, the plot picks up with the loss of one of the Kaul's own, causing Shae, and Anden, to step up in the clan in different ways.
Thoughts:
I gotta say this was a ride. This was not a page-turner for me, in fact, it was very hard to get into. I chose to read this because of a recommendation from a friend who had heard great things about it. After winning the World Fantasy Award I thought I had to try it out — the concept of Asian lore of Jade mixed with gang politics seemed interesting. For the first honestly 300 pages I really struggled to get the draw. I must admit I'm new to adult fantasy, having previously mostly read YA fantasy or sci-fi, but this book didn't feel like fantasy to me — it felt like a modern gang story with a little bit of super-powered elements. The mention of the gods and the allure/disease/addiction of jade and the Itches was interesting to me and is probably the reason I kept reading aside from the development of Shae.
Shae was an incredible character and I loved reading her development from first returning to Janloon determined to remain independent, even to the point of almost ruining her relationship with her brother Hilo, until she simply could no longer deny who she was — a Kaul, and puts her jade back on and returns to the fight.
The major downfall of this book for me was how little of Shae I got, and that's definitely why I preferred the last 200 pages the most because she was finally a dominant pov.
The book ranged from several perspectives — at times we saw what affected a main character like Lan, Hilo, Shae, or Anden, but we also got snippets from characters that we were not attached to at all. I saw the point of doing this — expanding what we understand the story to be and the world in general — but it was so boring to read!
I did enjoy the way traditional eastern Asian culture and lore were woven into this story, I really appreciated it as someone who is familiar with some of it due to the background of my partner. But it was so slow to get into that I can't give it any higher than 3.5 stars.
The ending, however, did win me over. I wasn't sure I would keep reading to find out what happens in the rest of the trilogy, but by the last 100 pages, I was ordering Jade War to pick up the rest of the story. And by the last 30 pages, I was gasping audibly, not expecting some of the turns that came.
I will say this is not an easy read, but it is an interesting read and I believe it was worthwhile. I wouldn't recommend this to someone in a reading slump, and I would recommend it to someone willing to work for the story.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Summary: Jade City takes place in the city of Janloon on the island Kekon, a place on the verge of war breaking out among fragile peace between the two Green Bone clans, the Jade warriors, that protect Jade from outsiders and generally keeps life in Janloon moving forward. The two clans, The Mountain and No Peak used to be one under the joint leadership of Kaul Sen (now of No Peak) and Ayt Yugontin (Yu) (of The Mountain at time of death). It's been several years since the two clans separated and began a tentative peace, particularly when Ayt Yu died and his adopted daughter, Ayt Madashi (Mada) killed his former advisors and her own adopted brother in order to take control The Mountain.
Now, Ayt Mada rules The Mountain as Pillar while the eldest grandson of Kaul Sen, Kaul Lan, rules No Peak as Pillar, with his younger brother Kaul Hilo as his Fist, or leader and enforcer of his fighters or Fingers. Kaul Sen is elderly and losing his grip on reality, but he's still sure he is the one who should be in charge. At the start of the story, Kaul Shae, the final and youngest sibling of Lan and Hilo, returns from foreign Espenia, after being away for two years to her grandda's dissapointment.
A fourth important family member of the Kaul's lineage is Emery Anden, an adopted grandson of Kaul Sen, particularly at the behest of Kaul Lan, who originally took Anden in when his mother died a horrific death due to Jade sensitivity, a disease called the Itches that affects those with higher Jade sensitivity causing them to lose their sanity and destroy themselves.
The story really begins as a war between the two clans bubbles to surface in Janloon. Lan struggles to moderate peace while his younger brother Hilo is outward in his rebuke of The Mountain's attempt to take over certain No Peak territories. Through Shae's return and Anden's soon-to-be-graduated from the No Peak training academy, the plot picks up with the loss of one of the Kaul's own, causing Shae, and Anden, to step up in the clan in different ways.
Thoughts:
I gotta say this was a ride. This was not a page-turner for me, in fact, it was very hard to get into. I chose to read this because of a recommendation from a friend who had heard great things about it. After winning the World Fantasy Award I thought I had to try it out — the concept of Asian lore of Jade mixed with gang politics seemed interesting. For the first honestly 300 pages I really struggled to get the draw. I must admit I'm new to adult fantasy, having previously mostly read YA fantasy or sci-fi, but this book didn't feel like fantasy to me — it felt like a modern gang story with a little bit of super-powered elements. The mention of the gods and the allure/disease/addiction of jade and the Itches was interesting to me and is probably the reason I kept reading aside from the development of Shae.
Shae was an incredible character and I loved reading her development from first returning to Janloon determined to remain independent, even to the point of almost ruining her relationship with her brother Hilo, until she simply could no longer deny who she was — a Kaul, and puts her jade back on and returns to the fight.
The major downfall of this book for me was how little of Shae I got, and that's definitely why I preferred the last 200 pages the most because she was finally a dominant pov.
The book ranged from several perspectives — at times we saw what affected a main character like Lan, Hilo, Shae, or Anden, but we also got snippets from characters that we were not attached to at all. I saw the point of doing this — expanding what we understand the story to be and the world in general — but it was so boring to read!
I did enjoy the way traditional eastern Asian culture and lore were woven into this story, I really appreciated it as someone who is familiar with some of it due to the background of my partner. But it was so slow to get into that I can't give it any higher than 3.5 stars.
The ending, however, did win me over. I wasn't sure I would keep reading to find out what happens in the rest of the trilogy, but by the last 100 pages, I was ordering Jade War to pick up the rest of the story. And by the last 30 pages, I was gasping audibly, not expecting some of the turns that came.
I will say this is not an easy read, but it is an interesting read and I believe it was worthwhile. I wouldn't recommend this to someone in a reading slump, and I would recommend it to someone willing to work for the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, Xenophobia, War, Torture, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia and Rape
raspberrytia's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, and Self harm
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Torture and Mental illness