Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Jade City by Fonda Lee

23 reviews

lonelylooper's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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? No

3.0


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frogbone's review against another edition

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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

4.5

this gets described as an urban fantasy series, but it's more of an eclectic genre bend, like if the Godfather was about the triads and was set on a post-colonial island that is sort of, but not exactly, a riff on Hong Kong. the characters are charming, but really it is the worldbuilding and thematic content that stood out to me. this series has a lot to say - about power and the responsibilities of people who wield it, about colonialism and the clash between the old and the new, and about family and what family means when you're born into an organized crime syndicate. it also poses the question, how much detail is too much detail when you're writing a sex scene (the answer? when you write the words, "she cupped her hands directly around his scrotum." that's too much)

anyway, much of that stuff is still sitting with me now, and if any of that sounds like it's of interest, i highly recommend you check this series out.

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rubybastille's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

Epic, beautiful, incredible. Elements of anime, 80s Hong Kong action flicks, and Eastern religion blended expertly with The Godfather. For a story where I didn't necessarily like or approve of all the leads (Hilo is charismatic and brave, but short-tempered and lowkey sexist), it certainly kept my attention in a way I didn't expect. I'd say this is a slow-burn, chess game of a book for someone comfortable with nuanced, sometimes unlikable protagonists.

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daydream_e's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.75

Amazing characters who are deeply flawed and yet so easy to care about. Excellent portrayal of civil war and the complexities of post-colonial development, as well as international politics - I’m  considering recommending this to my undergraduate comparative politics students as an enjoyable way to consider how natural resources, colonial history, corruption and crime, and international politics interact. Particularly given the author has no academic history/polisci background, it’s incredibly impressive that she was able to create a fictional world with such realistic politics, and it speaks to what must be an incredible grasp of colonial and post-colonial Asian history. 

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bibliomania_express's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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heather667's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad 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


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wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

5.0


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jenna_smuszkiewicz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • 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

I did like the book. I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would. I don't know why. I liked the characters. I thought they were all interesting and I feel for them. I find the worldbuilding to be really cool. I will definitely be reading the next book. I didn't connect as emotionally as I thought I would. 

But, this is still a fun book with a lot of action, some political intrigue, interesting world-building, and cool characters. The biggest twist was definitely
Lan's death. I thought he had plot armor. 
That changed the trajectory of the book big time and I thought that was a great move for Lee to do. 

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nofy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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

4.5


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maregred's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0


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