Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Jade City by Fonda Lee

7 reviews

rnbhargava's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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


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bubbly_lara's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

This was phenomenal! After starting it last year in summer and just not getting into the story, I picked this up again this year and good thing I did. This is very intriguing story about the island of Kekon, where Jade has been used by the Green Bones, an elite warrior people, to enhance their skills in ordee to protect the people from foreign rule. Two main clans emerged from a previous war and split the island between them. As tensions rise once more between the clans, we get to know the main players and uncover their plans and political intrigues. I'm super excited to continue the series see how everything unfolds. One last info: this is very adult in themes and plot.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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!

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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

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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

4.0


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kinomatica's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

5.0


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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

a gritty, cool, stylish story about family, loyalty, duty. gangster stories and their seemingly needless violence have never interested me, so it's an amazing feat indeed that jade city is able to make the aforementioned seem rational--even inevitable--to me.

even more surprising, though at times painful as well, is how much lee is able to make me care abt the characters, their plight, their battles (both external and internal). i also appreciate how much nuance is imbued in both sides of the clan war: the characters' personalities, their motivations, differing ideologies that have both merit and disadvantages, making the central conflict actually seem unavoidable. this book is also full of violence--though none of it is gratuitous--and w/ the startling death of [redacted] halfway thru the book, i was shocked to discover that no one is spared, which is actually realistic, rly.

i also enjoyed the political stuff, esp how much meaning can be conveyed or inferred from even the subtlest words or actions. the third person pov is effectively used to great effect as well. another thing i rly like is the ideas and themes explored in the story. shae is disturbingly relatable w/ her internal warring of stifling expectations and need to escape her present environment; parallels to the real world are reflected in the hubristic foreign presence on kekon, and the latter's rightful desire to take control of its own country, though obvs the means are a contentious point; the seemingly cyclical nature of violence and vengeance spurred on by loyalty and a sense of duty. lee explores the themes w/ aplomb w/o ever seeming preachy or overbearing, and that's not sth many authors can say. im daunted to see how it all further unfolds in the sequel.

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alouette's review against another edition

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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

4.5

ouch! what a rollercoaster. i had a hard time getting into at first, confused by the rush of new terms and places in a city i obviously wasn't familiar with, but as the book went on the jade city, and by extension the entire intricate world that the book is set in, became easier to understand. seriously, once i got into it the worldbuilding was so immersive that i felt loath to leave. it was just so descriptive, allowing me to visualize every scene. the characters became easier to understand as well. they all have their flaws and intricacies, which could be equal parts frustrating and lovable- just like any real person.
the shock and anger i felt at lan-jen's death was quite visceral because of that.


also, i can't forget to mention that the action sequences were thrilling, keeping the book fast-paced, and the descriptions of the magic system were breathtaking. though i'll definitely need a break before diving into book 2, i'm excited to see where this high fantasy goes next. 

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