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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
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
a gritty, cool, stylish story about family, loyalty, duty. gangster stories and their seemingly needless violence have never interested me, so it's an amazing feat indeed that jade city is able to make the aforementioned seem rational--even inevitable--to me.
even more surprising, though at times painful as well, is how much lee is able to make me care abt the characters, their plight, their battles (both external and internal). i also appreciate how much nuance is imbued in both sides of the clan war: the characters' personalities, their motivations, differing ideologies that have both merit and disadvantages, making the central conflict actually seem unavoidable. this book is also full of violence--though none of it is gratuitous--and w/ the startling death of [redacted] halfway thru the book, i was shocked to discover that no one is spared, which is actually realistic, rly.
i also enjoyed the political stuff, esp how much meaning can be conveyed or inferred from even the subtlest words or actions. the third person pov is effectively used to great effect as well. another thing i rly like is the ideas and themes explored in the story. shae is disturbingly relatable w/ her internal warring of stifling expectations and need to escape her present environment; parallels to the real world are reflected in the hubristic foreign presence on kekon, and the latter's rightful desire to take control of its own country, though obvs the means are a contentious point; the seemingly cyclical nature of violence and vengeance spurred on by loyalty and a sense of duty. lee explores the themes w/ aplomb w/o ever seeming preachy or overbearing, and that's not sth many authors can say. im daunted to see how it all further unfolds in the sequel.
even more surprising, though at times painful as well, is how much lee is able to make me care abt the characters, their plight, their battles (both external and internal). i also appreciate how much nuance is imbued in both sides of the clan war: the characters' personalities, their motivations, differing ideologies that have both merit and disadvantages, making the central conflict actually seem unavoidable. this book is also full of violence--though none of it is gratuitous--and w/ the startling death of [redacted] halfway thru the book, i was shocked to discover that no one is spared, which is actually realistic, rly.
i also enjoyed the political stuff, esp how much meaning can be conveyed or inferred from even the subtlest words or actions. the third person pov is effectively used to great effect as well. another thing i rly like is the ideas and themes explored in the story. shae is disturbingly relatable w/ her internal warring of stifling expectations and need to escape her present environment; parallels to the real world are reflected in the hubristic foreign presence on kekon, and the latter's rightful desire to take control of its own country, though obvs the means are a contentious point; the seemingly cyclical nature of violence and vengeance spurred on by loyalty and a sense of duty. lee explores the themes w/ aplomb w/o ever seeming preachy or overbearing, and that's not sth many authors can say. im daunted to see how it all further unfolds in the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Gun violence, and Infidelity
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexism
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
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
- Do you love stories like The Godfather or Succession but wish they included magic? JADE CITY is the book for you! Warring clans with intricate hierarchies and long histories vie for territory as the younger generation jockeys for power. Plus, excellent fight scenes.
- As much as I enjoyed this story, I can't talk about it without discussing the anti-fat bias woven through it, which really dragged everything down for me. Most minor characters weren't given physical descriptions unless they were fat. Then, every time they were mentioned, so was their fatness, and it never had any bearing on what was happening in that scene. Poor Chancellor Son was forever pursing his "thick lips," drumming his "sausage fingers" or heaving himself up on his "heavy elbows." Recruits who clearly weren't going to make it into the ranks of the clans were "clever, but pudgy," or "doughy and insipid." These fat characters were all shown as being lazy or incompetent in one way or another, often described as having once been formidable warriors who now ate and drank too much. If a character was described as being hardworking, loyal, etc., their size usually wasn't mentioned.
- This is not me telling you to cancel this book and this author - I just want to point out how pervasive these stereotypes are, and how often we don't even notice them in our stories (especially in fantasy, where the protagonists are usually thin and able bodied.) Read the book if the story sounds good to you, but go in aware of this aspect of it.
- As much as I enjoyed this story, I can't talk about it without discussing the anti-fat bias woven through it, which really dragged everything down for me. Most minor characters weren't given physical descriptions unless they were fat. Then, every time they were mentioned, so was their fatness, and it never had any bearing on what was happening in that scene. Poor Chancellor Son was forever pursing his "thick lips," drumming his "sausage fingers" or heaving himself up on his "heavy elbows." Recruits who clearly weren't going to make it into the ranks of the clans were "clever, but pudgy," or "doughy and insipid." These fat characters were all shown as being lazy or incompetent in one way or another, often described as having once been formidable warriors who now ate and drank too much. If a character was described as being hardworking, loyal, etc., their size usually wasn't mentioned.
- This is not me telling you to cancel this book and this author - I just want to point out how pervasive these stereotypes are, and how often we don't even notice them in our stories (especially in fantasy, where the protagonists are usually thin and able bodied.) Read the book if the story sounds good to you, but go in aware of this aspect of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Rape
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Fascinating and ruthless, Jade City is a slow-burning, deftly-politicking fantasy which brings you 'round to meet new friends, then coyly remarks that none of them are safe; the best you can hope for is that when your darling dies you'll bury them with their Jade.
I love this book, I love the characters, the setting is great... If you've read very many of my reviews you probably know I love interpersonal politics and heists... and this has all of that, all the time. Lots of discussions, weighing of actions, politicking, and then blades. There's betrayal and subterfuge, a few heists, some capers and a very high body count. Seriously, like, a lot of people die by the end of this (and I suspect even more will die in the sequel, Jade War). For me the two biggest strengths in this book are the world-building and characterization. There are a lot of named characters, but the book is very good at directing attention to minimize the number of names the reader really needs to retain, while still realistically portraying large networks run by a few powerful families. I thought I knew who my favorite character was, but then someone else started giving them a run for their money in my affections and I look forward to seeing how they get on in the sequel.
Sometimes stories introduce their readers to a new (to them) setting by including a character who is also new. Others just drop you in and expect you to keep up. This book had a wonderful blend of both, not by having a character who was wholly new to the setting, but one who was returning after an absence spent in a setting implied to be very much like the real modern world. It also included some who were continually present, but marginalized in different ways from each other. The combination of them meant that different people were naturally able to comment on or explain different parts of the setting and give different views on the principal players involved, without it ever feeling like an infodump. It took me a little bit to get into it because there was a lot of world to build, but once it got going I couldn't read anything else until I was done.
One of the very clever things this book did to center the reader fully in the world was to repurpose various phrases in English which normally have different (sometimes negative) meanings, by recontextualizing them in a fictional country which is organized around this highly prized and quasi-magical substance, Jade. Phrases related to being green are turned from being an indication of new-ness or weakness into expressions indicating strength, prowess, and power. To be "cut" has a new, Jade-specific and differently positive meaning, etc. Early on it made me pause to reconfigure my expectations of these words, but because the context was clear and these new meanings were unmistakable it hastened a kind of immersion into this new world, and that new world is fantastic.
I love this book, I love the characters, the setting is great... If you've read very many of my reviews you probably know I love interpersonal politics and heists... and this has all of that, all the time. Lots of discussions, weighing of actions, politicking, and then blades. There's betrayal and subterfuge, a few heists, some capers and a very high body count. Seriously, like, a lot of people die by the end of this (and I suspect even more will die in the sequel, Jade War). For me the two biggest strengths in this book are the world-building and characterization. There are a lot of named characters, but the book is very good at directing attention to minimize the number of names the reader really needs to retain, while still realistically portraying large networks run by a few powerful families. I thought I knew who my favorite character was, but then someone else started giving them a run for their money in my affections and I look forward to seeing how they get on in the sequel.
Sometimes stories introduce their readers to a new (to them) setting by including a character who is also new. Others just drop you in and expect you to keep up. This book had a wonderful blend of both, not by having a character who was wholly new to the setting, but one who was returning after an absence spent in a setting implied to be very much like the real modern world. It also included some who were continually present, but marginalized in different ways from each other. The combination of them meant that different people were naturally able to comment on or explain different parts of the setting and give different views on the principal players involved, without it ever feeling like an infodump. It took me a little bit to get into it because there was a lot of world to build, but once it got going I couldn't read anything else until I was done.
One of the very clever things this book did to center the reader fully in the world was to repurpose various phrases in English which normally have different (sometimes negative) meanings, by recontextualizing them in a fictional country which is organized around this highly prized and quasi-magical substance, Jade. Phrases related to being green are turned from being an indication of new-ness or weakness into expressions indicating strength, prowess, and power. To be "cut" has a new, Jade-specific and differently positive meaning, etc. Early on it made me pause to reconfigure my expectations of these words, but because the context was clear and these new meanings were unmistakable it hastened a kind of immersion into this new world, and that new world is fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death
Moderate: Sexism, Drug use, Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, Body horror, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Torture
CW for sexual abuse (brief mention), torture (brief mention), sexism, drug use, addiction, mental illness, self harm, body horror, sexual content, massacre, violence, major character death.
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