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giulay's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.0
"Under the eyes of all the gods in Heaven, I pledge this. On my honor, my life, and my jade."
TW: violence, blood, gore, mentions of suicide, mentions of rape, self-harm, racism, mentions of child sexual abuse
This feels like the end of an era.
No, for real. I’ve started reading Jade City May 1st 2021 – yes, you can read it again. Yes, you’ve read that correctly.
This book has been in my mind and on my nightstand for eight (8) months – what an obscene and shameful amount of time…
It is time to turn a new leaf.
But please, if you have to take something from this Rather Random Review™️ let it be this: the time it took me to go through this novel does not, and I repeat does not, mirror my enjoyment of the book, my love for the characters and the setting, and my absolute and unquestionable interest in the plot.
Because, sure, it might have taken me eight (8) months, but whenever my mind allowed me to read a bit, I remembered all the action and plot-twists and characters and political intrigue that previously happened. And that is no small feat as Jade City was a beautifully action-packed, intriguing and fast-paced read.
If you know my reading tastes, you know I do love me political intrigue, backstabbing, morally ambiguous characters and discussions around religion/faith. Needless to say, Jade City offered me this and much, much more.
I will not waste your time with a long and winded Rather Random Review™️. The amazing readers on Goodreads have done a far better job that I ever will explaining this book, so if you are curious and want a more in-depth review and summary, I’d suggest go read a couple of said reviews.
Also, because I feel as if I’m late to the party. I mean… it did take me eight (8) months to finish this book.
But believe me when I said this: Jade City deserves every single hyped review it got.
You’ve heard about this book. Everybody and their mother have heard about this book. You know the plot. Everybody and their mother know the plot.
And indeed, for a good reason!
Mafia, clans, war, family bonds, gruesome action, religion, drugs, incredible atmosphere, powers given by jade, complex, unique and three-dimensional characters (Hilo, I love you. Enough said) and fascinating lure.
This is a very simple and short list to give you an idea about what this book can offer you.
It can give you a whole entire world to lose yourself into.
It was nothing short of amazing. It set the basis for what I am sure will be an epic story.
Jade City is a great and stunning beginning to a series that I cannot wait to continue!
…in a while though, because I’ve been staring at this cover for way too long: these past eight (8) months have been rough
TW: violence, blood, gore, mentions of suicide, mentions of rape, self-harm, racism, mentions of child sexual abuse
This feels like the end of an era.
No, for real. I’ve started reading Jade City May 1st 2021 – yes, you can read it again. Yes, you’ve read that correctly.
This book has been in my mind and on my nightstand for eight (8) months – what an obscene and shameful amount of time…
It is time to turn a new leaf.
But please, if you have to take something from this Rather Random Review™️ let it be this: the time it took me to go through this novel does not, and I repeat does not, mirror my enjoyment of the book, my love for the characters and the setting, and my absolute and unquestionable interest in the plot.
Because, sure, it might have taken me eight (8) months, but whenever my mind allowed me to read a bit, I remembered all the action and plot-twists and characters and political intrigue that previously happened. And that is no small feat as Jade City was a beautifully action-packed, intriguing and fast-paced read.
If you know my reading tastes, you know I do love me political intrigue, backstabbing, morally ambiguous characters and discussions around religion/faith. Needless to say, Jade City offered me this and much, much more.
I will not waste your time with a long and winded Rather Random Review™️. The amazing readers on Goodreads have done a far better job that I ever will explaining this book, so if you are curious and want a more in-depth review and summary, I’d suggest go read a couple of said reviews.
Also, because I feel as if I’m late to the party. I mean… it did take me eight (8) months to finish this book.
But believe me when I said this: Jade City deserves every single hyped review it got.
You’ve heard about this book. Everybody and their mother have heard about this book. You know the plot. Everybody and their mother know the plot.
And indeed, for a good reason!
Mafia, clans, war, family bonds, gruesome action, religion, drugs, incredible atmosphere, powers given by jade, complex, unique and three-dimensional characters (Hilo, I love you. Enough said) and fascinating lure.
This is a very simple and short list to give you an idea about what this book can offer you.
It can give you a whole entire world to lose yourself into.
It was nothing short of amazing. It set the basis for what I am sure will be an epic story.
Jade City is a great and stunning beginning to a series that I cannot wait to continue!
…in a while though, because I’ve been staring at this cover for way too long: these past eight (8) months have been rough
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Self harm, Rape, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gun violence
wrenxavier's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, Racial slurs, Racism, Trafficking, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Torture
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
genny'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
3.75
I enjoyed this; it was very readable and the setting was easy to fall into. Even though most of the story was set only in the city of Janloon, the worldbuilding was rich, with just enough history and a glimpse of the world outside Kekon. For a mob story, this wasn't fast-paced; the action sequences were brutal, but they took up less of the story than I anticipated. Instead, nearly the whole book felt like a set-up for the sequel - lots of political maneuvering, shifting of power, planting plot devices whose consequences are to be revealed later on.... All enjoyable and well-written, but I was ~80% into the book before I got truly excited. Even now I'm still not that invested in the characters. I'm interested to see where their paths take them and I care about No Peak as a whole, but would I cry if any of the main characters died? Probably not. Will I still read Jade War right away? Yes, actually! I have a feeling it'll be a lot more exciting now that the chess pieces are in place (fingers crossed).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Grief, Pedophilia, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, and Suicide
Jade acts like a drug, pretty much, with all the consequences of withdrawal or addiction. There's also SN1, a synthetic drug designed to decrease sensitivity to jade.victorianrogue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, and Stalking
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