Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Jade War by Fonda Lee

13 reviews

lunep's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

I am...speechless, like Fonda Lee herself said in the aknowledgments, this was even bigger and more ambitious than Jade City, and Jade City was already very big and ambitious, it was a very tough act to follow, but Jade War did it amazingly. I had no idea what was going to happen in this book, after the events of the first one, considering

the first one is called Jade City but it shows all out clan war, and in Jade War the Pillars make a public truce lmao

, but it had me hooked from the first moment, so much so that I don't know when I'll be able to read Jade Legacy because I'm back at working on my thesis with a class-like schedule and my director gives me deadlines and I can't let myself get obssesed with a book and being incapable of working lmao (same reason why I haven't watched the atla live action)
Also because my last review was long but focused on what I didn't like, I want to give more depth to my positive reviews so I'm gonna make a couple positive comments about what stayed with me the most:

• This book made me absolutely adore Wen. She didn't have too much screen time in the first, and her character at the beggining was clouded by Shae's view of her, so I loved getting to see more of her this book, and what we saw of her. I loved how she was there for Shae when Shae went trough rough patches, and how both of them helped each other and truly became friends and sisters. I loved how she wasn't scared of doing whatever she could to help her clan, and how she knew what her strenghts were and played to them. She's just amazing
  and I hope she gets better on book 3, I was seriously so scared at the end of the book when she, Anden, and Rohn Toro got attacked, I was literally screaming at my ipad
• I also loved Anden's growth, he was already one of my favorite characters from book 1, and I felt so much for him at the end of it and at the beggining of this one, but I'm glad to see he grew onto himself more fully. He's my baby

I'm very intrigued to see what happens now in Jade Legacy, but I'm also terrified lmao. I want the Kauls to be happy but honestly this series gives me very big tragedy vibes, like, how are they going to be able to live happy and in peace after all the bloodshed that has happened? This all started bc of Lan's death, and so many more people have died so far, how can it be possible for one side to survive and have no enemies trying to get revenge without having to wipe the whole side of their enemies? And how could they live in peace afterwards knowing they killed so many people? I can't wait to see how Fonda Lee ties everything up

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Alcohol, Murder, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Racism, Gore, Drug use, Cursing, Torture, Grief, Blood, Death, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Medical content, Suicide, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Abortion, and Rape

Minor: Ableism, Infidelity, Animal death, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Sexism, Pedophilia, Vomit, Cancer, and Excrement

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

It's pretty rare to find a sequel - especially part 2 in a trilogy - that's as good as the original, but Jade War surpassed all of my expectations. It's got a broader scope this time: many scenes take place in other countries and the Kauls are contending with foreign militaries, expat communities and trade agreements on top of the clan war situation and general family drama. It was easy to romanticize what was going on in Jade City, but Jade War draws back that curtain a bit to show the darker side. The characters are fantastic and unfortunately all of their terrible decisions are absolutely consistent with what you'd expect them to do. I can't wait to read the third book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: War, Xenophobia, Addiction, Drug use, Medical content, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racism, Torture, Abortion, Blood, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicide, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, and Animal death

jakepasseri's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

4.5

Amazing read, definitely better than the last one (if that is possible)! The only issue was with

the constant time jumps made it difficult to follow at times

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gun violence, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Suicide, Murder, War, Body horror, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Child abuse, and Colonisation

Minor: Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Self harm

ripxw's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Death

Moderate: Suicide and Drug abuse

Minor: Abortion and Racism

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.75

what. a. trip. jade war does things bigger and is more complex, layered and - an uneasy feat - emotionally brutal than its already great predecessor. its violence, heartbreak, and scheming are further elevated by the nuanced exploration of its themes.

lee delves even deeper into the world of her story by expanding its scope through looking beyond kekon and examining all the intricacies and complex interconnected politics + history of the world she's created. the worldbuilding is starkly vivid, each country and their relationships w/ one another so distinct, realistic, and infuriatingly and familiarly mirrors our world. 

the kauls continue to go through a whole lotta shit; there's a lot of ups and downs here but they do their best. never have i ever seen such a strong, complex fictional family and felt so much for their plight. there are certain points in the novel that just made me stop and go, "bruh this shit rly just went there." what i also rly appreciate is how they arent perfect at all; sometimes one can see their decisions' terrible consequences from a mile away, though theyre understandable and even inevitable. 

the politicking and scheming, as always, continue to be one of the best things abt this series. idk if it's bc of lee's corporate strategist background, but the diplomatic, furtive, subtle ways the characters talk and act are enjoyably interesting, all imbued w/ an undercurrent msg or tension. i feel smarter reading abt how the characters talk and think lol.

what i most enjoy abt this book, however, is the nuanced, complex exploration of its themes that are hugely relevant in the real world not just on a personal, individual level but also historically and politically, esp how infuriating yts are, how countries and ppl arent black-and-white, diasporas, and how national sentiment borne from traumatic history can get entangled in more immediate, complicated current int'l relations and priorities. lee explores them all w/ gusto and a deft hand, offering persuasive arguments for both sides yet never talking down to the reader. also, reading this in 2022 feels like the book prophesized a lottt of things.

my only major caveat w/ the novel is how a lot of the kauls' scheming amounts to too little - like, all that for nothing compared to the mountain? nevertheless, this is an engrossing, dark, violent, complex, thrilling, and emotionally brutal book, one of a few that can easily make me scream, spooked, tear up, and stressed, and whose sequel i cant wait to devour.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Murder, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, and War

horizonous's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Xenophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Abortion, Addiction, Kidnapping, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Rape, and Homophobia

◦ Death = Brother, Grandparent

doodeedoda's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Suicide, Torture, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, War, Abortion, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Vomit, Biphobia, and Blood

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Xenophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Gun violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Misogyny, Abortion, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Ableism, Sexism, Suicide, and Kidnapping

Minor: Vomit, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Homophobia, Animal death, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Rape

thuto's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Suicide, Misogyny, Drug use, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence

rorikae's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• 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

In 'Jade War,' Fonda Lee continues the saga of the Kaul family as we deal with fallout from what happened in 'Jade City' and see how the political machinations, family dynamics, and the future of the clans continue to weave together. 
The middle books in a series tend to not be as strong as the first or final installments but that is not true with 'Jade War.' Lee elevates the pieces that she introduced us to in 'Jade City' and the more time we spend with these characters, the further we get pulled into their lives. I won't touch on any specifics since this is the second book but I will say that we continue to follow the Kaul family and those involved with the different clans. There are high points and even more devastating low points. 
I think the two parts of this story that are the strongest are the complex characters and the political machinations. Each of the characters are deeply flawed but Lee portrays them as so deeply human that it's hard not to care for them. I especially find Hilo a fascinating character. He may be my favorite character in the series but his flaws come out at many points of this book. There is a decision that he makes in this book that I absolutely did not agree with but Lee made me understand it and it didn't harm my care for him.
The twists and turns of this story are more dynamic and emotional than in the first book. I can't even begin to imagine what will happen in 'Jade Legacy' but I am sure that it will be a rollercoaster. I both cannot wait to pick up the final book and also want to put it off so that I always have more of these characters to return to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Torture, Suicide, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Abortion