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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
"Screw you, Hilo. I can kill my ex-boyfriends myself." I love a good out-of-context quote, and this is one of my favorites from a new favorite book. I'm so glad this was chosen as our #ViolentQueensBookClub pick for May, even though I'm shamefully late in reviewing it!
Jade City is a beautiful array of contradictions that defies genre categorization. The description makes this book sound like a sprawling epic fantasy, and while it has plenty of epic elements, it's also an urban fantasy unlike any I've read before. Despite its large cast of characters and constant political intrigue, it's simultaneously an intimate look at the Kaul family and all the complexities that come with growing up as leaders of a crime syndicate—heavy responsibility, competitive relationships, privilege and corruption. The primary antagonist of the rival clan is so well-developed and captivatingly cunning that I can easily imagine the book being told from her perspective instead (and I'd be totally fine with that).
I will say that it took me about 100 pages to wrap my head around the world that Lee has so elegantly designed, but after that I was completely hooked. Everything I learned about the magic, the system of government, the history of Kekon, and the characters' relationships made me want to learn more. There's so much more story to be told here and Jade War is going to be making its way onto my shelves very soon. I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book, but I won't make the same mistake with the rest of the trilogy!
Jade City is a beautiful array of contradictions that defies genre categorization. The description makes this book sound like a sprawling epic fantasy, and while it has plenty of epic elements, it's also an urban fantasy unlike any I've read before. Despite its large cast of characters and constant political intrigue, it's simultaneously an intimate look at the Kaul family and all the complexities that come with growing up as leaders of a crime syndicate—heavy responsibility, competitive relationships, privilege and corruption. The primary antagonist of the rival clan is so well-developed and captivatingly cunning that I can easily imagine the book being told from her perspective instead (and I'd be totally fine with that).
I will say that it took me about 100 pages to wrap my head around the world that Lee has so elegantly designed, but after that I was completely hooked. Everything I learned about the magic, the system of government, the history of Kekon, and the characters' relationships made me want to learn more. There's so much more story to be told here and Jade War is going to be making its way onto my shelves very soon. I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book, but I won't make the same mistake with the rest of the trilogy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Self harm
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Dementia
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, War
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Xenophobia, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, War
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i absolutely loved Jade City and am excited to read the rest of the Green Bone Saga! this was a well-crafted tale involving family, gangs, and complex nationalistic and personal values. the world-building was so intricate and well done. exploring each characters POV was delightful as we got to know each of them and learn their histories and motivations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual content
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, War
Moderate: Gun violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Death of parent