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pierrereads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: War and Sexual content
m00dreads's review against another edition
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.
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
Graphic: Violence
olympia98's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Dementia, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Car accident, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Blood, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and War
loudmouthbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
The book was rich with description and world building. The characters had so many layers and the plot was wonderful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Self harm, Torture, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, War, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Toxic friendship
noeyy's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Suicide
anni_swanilda's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Xenophobia, Drug use, War, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Confinement, and Addiction
Minor: Racism
squishy_mage42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
camrich's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So I’m finally getting around to this series and WOW. Yea I definitely get the hype over this book. Not gonna lie, the first like 25-30% was a bit slow but there was definitely a lot of interesting clan politics/world building to keep me interested.
I will say that the only 2 reasons this book isn’t a 5 star read for me were 1. I felt like the characters weren’t well-developed enough for me to really care until almost the end of the book (except✨Hilo✨ , but I do understand that there’s gonna be a lot of character development across books 2 and 3; and 2. It felt a bit like a set up book for the next 2 books
Overall REALLY good though and I would def recommend to anyone who likes gritty crime shows like Warrior, Peaky Blinders, Sons of Anarchy, etc. Will absolutely be reading Jade War & Legacy!
I will say that the only 2 reasons this book isn’t a 5 star read for me were 1. I felt like the characters weren’t well-developed enough for me to really care until almost the end of the book (except
Overall REALLY good though and I would def recommend to anyone who likes gritty crime shows like Warrior, Peaky Blinders, Sons of Anarchy, etc. Will absolutely be reading Jade War & Legacy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Sexual content
vnderseelie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The overall setting of Jade City was amazing and the structures of the clans and Kekons society was intriguing. However, most if them were introduced too late in the story for my opinion and that made it difficult to understand them from time to time. As a reader you are treated as if you already know everything about the terms, phrases, gods, etc. that are mentioned in the book and I feel like some points have not been addressed at all and you are forced to accept them as they are.
The characters are really interesting and actually carry a lot of the story, since their flaws and decisions let the events progress and escalate further, which makes them feel alive and well merged with the world Fonda Lee built. Nevertheless, a lot of the actions that the characters took did not make a lot of sense in specific situations or were needlessly cruel, even given the topics the book deals with. Especially the grandfather gave the impression that he just appeared to talk the others down. Additionally, I really disagreed with some scenes and the behavior in them, which made it hard for me to continue the book sometimes.
Some scenes felt a bit too long or they were repeated in almost the same way too often, which made them repetitive to read and it seemed to just add to the page count of the book, without providing a real impact on anything.
All in all the idea of Jade City was really interesting to me, but I think the actual translation into the story was lacking in my opinion.
The characters are really interesting and actually carry a lot of the story, since their flaws and decisions let the events progress and escalate further, which makes them feel alive and well merged with the world Fonda Lee built. Nevertheless, a lot of the actions that the characters took did not make a lot of sense in specific situations or were needlessly cruel, even given the topics the book deals with. Especially the grandfather gave the impression that he just appeared to talk the others down. Additionally, I really disagreed with some scenes and the behavior in them, which made it hard for me to continue the book sometimes.
Some scenes felt a bit too long or they were repeated in almost the same way too often, which made them repetitive to read and it seemed to just add to the page count of the book, without providing a real impact on anything.
All in all the idea of Jade City was really interesting to me, but I think the actual translation into the story was lacking in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Addiction, Child abuse, War, Violence, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Racism, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Cursing, and Death
h4ppycupcake's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Torture, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Dementia, Drug use, Murder, Addiction, Gore, and Violence