Reviews with content warning for Violence - Jade City

Five-star read! I enjoyed every part of this book.

Summary

Jade City centers around the Kaul family, which sits at the head of the No Peak clan on the Hong Kong inspired island of Kekon.

Kekon is ruled by two clans, similar to mafia families, that worked together to take back their country from the colonizing Shotarians a generation before this book begins. The Mountain and No Peak have always tolerated each other, but tension mounts after the death of the head of The Mountain and the hostile take over of its’ new leader, called a Pillar, Ayt Mada.

The Kaul family consists of the former Pillar Kaul Sen, his successor Kaul Lan, the clan Horn or the leader of their military force Kaul Hilo, their sister Kaul Shae and their adopted youngest brother/cousin Emery Anden.

These two clans begin a war over the control of the country’s jade supply, a stone thought to be given to the Kekonese by the gods, that grants them abilities far beyond that of mortal people.

Thoughts

Despite the brutal nature of a mafia based story, I really fell in love with the Kaul family and the No Peak clan. This book was so well paced and balanced between character defining moments, political maneuvers and action scenes that reminded me of classic Chinese mafia films.

There really was no “low point” in this book. Each moment built on the one before so seamlessly that I completely devoured this and couldn’t put it down.

The ending tied things up with the Kauls very nicely, while still setting the stage for the next book and next set of challenges for No Peak.

Looking forward to reading Jade War soon!

Content Warnings

ashleykhoffman's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

This is not a book I would have picked up from just reading the description, but it got recommended to me over and over, so I gave it a try. I liked it so much more than I expected to! I think it was a little too political for my taste. (In real life I'm very political, but I use reading as an escape. Even though these politics were different than current world stuff, it was still capitalism and drug-centric so it hit too close to the mark for me.) I really liked the nuanced characters and that the antagonists were fleshed out to the point where I could understand their side too.

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dajul73's review against another edition

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adventurous funny sad tense medium-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

4.5

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pierrereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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? No

4.5

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m00dreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Lawd, that was exhilarating.

Jade City felt like one of those Chinese and Hong Kong action films I thoroughly enjoyed as an eight-year-old, watching the seemingly mystic and preternatural superhuman martial artists on a staticky and oversaturated analog TV, on a hot and sticky Friday afternoon right after I’d changed into my pambahay.

Filo moots, y’all know the vibe.

This book was bait to that impressionable kid. I mean, in all seriousness, this was just so!! cool!! Fonda Lee is a black belter herself, and she delivers her writing chops with the same sharpness and finesse that I assume her um, actual chops do. Heh. The fighting scenes were impeccable, and the resulting adrenaline rush was nothing short of heady–Madam Lee, my seatbelt is buckled, my safety goggles secured! Take me to the skies!! Granted, it’s been a while since my last foray into sci-fi and urban fantasy. But beyond the coolness factor, the dashingly-written combat, Jade City is a sweeping family epic loaded with heaps of intrigue.

Granted, it’s been a while since my last foray into sci-fi and urban fantasy. But beyond the coolness factor, the dashingly-written combat, Jade City is a sweeping family epic loaded with heaps of intrigue.

It packs a loaded punch, for sure.

The world-building was superb—everything from the lore and the politics, to the geography and culture was carved in such careful, meticulous detail. It didn’t feel info-dumpy either, although of course, some level of disorientation at the first few chapters was expected. The world-building didn’t just serve as a backdrop for the plot; as with any epic worth their mettle, it directly informed and shaped the course of events. The eponymous city of Janloon is reminiscent of some of Asia’s most bustling hubs of activity–Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai–and is equally immersed in a history as rich and intricate as its real life inspirations.

The characters being steeped in all this vibrant culture is also part of the reason why Lee’s character work came out god-tier. On the individual level, Lee mentioned that whenever she felt herself favoring one character over the rest, she’d take it as a sign to get back to building up the others even more fervently. It’s not easy to serve A+ characterization across the board in a cast of six, all the while spinning the web for the plot and the overarching politics–and for that we instinctively give writers some concessions. Fonda Lee, however, delivers nothing short of excellence. The characters are this book’s crowning jewels, and oh, how gloriously they shine.

The plot itself was propulsive, straight up addicting. It’s like that one TV series you didn’t expect much from at first, and then next thing you know it’s 4 am and you’re two seasons deep, bloated with sleep deprivation and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The only reason I held back from giving this a full five was the grinding crawl of the first fifty pages or so. The pay-off ended up being more than worth it but it still got me begging to please put some grease on ‘em wheels!!

TLDR: This was everything I could ask for in an urban fantasy: gritty and action-packed, with complex characters fully rooted in the world's macros and micros.

I’ve frantically contacted my local bookstores to inquire about the availability of the next two installments and will be spending the next few days scouring for fanart to tide myself over the wait.

Content Warnings

olympia98's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Ottimo inizio.

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