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widowrites'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
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Bullying
Moderate: Misogyny, Body horror, Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Dementia
trizk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Misogyny
loudmouthbooklover'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Self harm, Torture, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, War, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Toxic friendship
lonelylooper's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Bullying, Addiction, Grief, Murder, Death, Gore, Gun violence, War, Drug use, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Racism
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, Misogyny, and Homophobia
praaliine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Dementia
Minor: Torture and Sexual content
rnbhargava'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
5.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Stalking, Violence, Trafficking, War, Sexual content, Suicide, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Self harm, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Ableism, and Gaslighting
This is the first part of a fantasy tinged saga about a crime family. All the violence and tropes of mafia stories are present here. Certain things are also essentially superpowers. That said, it’s also very gritty with hard hitting violence. There’s mental illness, there’s drug addiction, there’s deteriorating health of the elderly old leader. There’s suggestions that one character is a sex offender and pervert. There’s essentially ableism surrounding certain figures born to Jade user families but can’t use Jade abilities, ableism suggestions. There’s vilification and racism toward certain outside nations albeit because they’re also colonizing forces. Also, certain characters’ relationships with foreign nationals are heavily talked about with racist suggestion. The connection between drug addiction and potential suicide is a major theme in the story because it’s framed within the context of jade ability performance enhancement drug usage. There’s a lot of heavy themes to suggest while reading through this mafia family novel.bubbly_lara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Cursing, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
Minor: Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity
mikarala's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Basically, the Kaul family controls the No Peak clan, one of the two prominent clans in the city of Janloon, the capital of Kekon. The clans are basically cartels than manage the production and distribution of the magical resource of jade, which supplies those who can use it with superhuman abilities. Maintaining control over the clan, we see early on, is not an enviable position. The eldest Kaul sibling, Lan, is struggling after taking over from his legendary grandfather. The way the narrative presents Lan's struggles to live with dignity and honour while being constantly found wanting was incredibly compelling to me, and I felt so much empathy towards the difficulty Lan faces in the position. Matters are not helped by the fact that his younger sister, Shae, is eschewing the Greenbone way of life by refusing to wear any jade, in the process basically disrespecting their family tradition, and his younger brother and right-hand man, Hilo, is a hothead intent on escalating tensions with the only clan more powerful than the No Paek's: the Mountain clan. These conflicting agendas, alongside some suspicious changes to the status quo on the streets of Janloon, make for an incredibly tense and exciting read.
I also just think the world-building is absolutely masterful. Something I really appreciated was that Fonda Lee resists the urge to exposition-dump on every newly introduced aspect of the world, respecting the reader can understand what's going on even if some of the details aren't revealed until later on. She gives you the perfect amount to understand what's going on in each scene, without it ever hampering the action and flow of the narrative. For instance, early on someone wishes as a formality that the old Kaul Sen will live for 300 years. It's not until hundreds of pages later that you get the backstory that this saying originates with the religion of Kekon island (which, itself, is so well entangled with the resource of jade), as there is a mythological Greenbone warrior who lived for 300 years after discovering how to harness the power of jade. It's small things like this that work together to create a fantasy world that feels so vibrant and well-realized and holisitic that you can't help but be immersed in it.
Also, how refreshing to have a modern-ish Asian fantasy setting! Taking inspiration from various Asian metropolises (imo, particularly Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taipei/Taiwan), this universe is so distinctive and stylized.
And, like I said, I loved the characters, despite the fact that they aren't necessarily good guys. I already mentioned Lan, but Shae's somewhat renegade position made for a fascinating perspective on the benefits and drawbacks of jade usage. I appreciated her underlying conflicting feelings about what it means to be an independent woman in this male-dominated world. Hilo was volatile, but I fell in love anyways because of how whole-heartedly he does everything. He gives his all to those he loves, and expects the same in return. Anden, who I haven't mentioned yet, is their adoptive younger, mixed-race brother/cousin, whose imposter syndrome regarding being a member of the powerful Kaul family is so relable and honestly endearing. Overall, I just couldn't help but root for them.
Do yourself a favour and read this book.
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Emotional abuse
jessiereads98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Dementia, Addiction, Drug use, and Gore
Minor: Physical abuse, Ableism, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Gun violence, Alcohol, Grief, Racism, Sexism, War, Animal death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
maregred'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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, War, Sexual content, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Sexism, Homophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia