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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:
Complicated
I found the first 100 pages slow, but then I slowly realized I was hooked. Great pacing, plot, and characterization. Loved the politics (both macro and micro level) as well as the complex family dynamics. At its core, this book is a gangster drama— the magic elements (though well thought through) are secondary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(Audio)
The first half of this book is filled with world building, character and relationship building and political intrigue. It caught my attention quickly and I burned through this book fast.
The second half of the book was harder for me because there was a lot of death and sadness. Keep that in mind if you're a mood reader.
I really love when a book has a large cast of characters and even better that those characters are written deep-we get a really good sense of who they are and what motivates them. Our author did that really well in this one.
I'm interested to see what comes next for the clans and for Anden, in particular. KEEP MY BOY SAFE AND HAPPY PLEASE.
The first half of this book is filled with world building, character and relationship building and political intrigue. It caught my attention quickly and I burned through this book fast.
The second half of the book was harder for me because there was a lot of death and sadness. Keep that in mind if you're a mood reader.
I really love when a book has a large cast of characters and even better that those characters are written deep-we get a really good sense of who they are and what motivates them. Our author did that really well in this one.
I'm interested to see what comes next for the clans and for Anden, in particular. KEEP MY BOY SAFE AND HAPPY PLEASE.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
adventurous
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:
Yes
Great look into political conflicts and family history/drama. The magic behind jade is also very fascinating as a magic system
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Dementia, Murder, War
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
How do I begin to write a review for this magnificent beginning of the urban fantasy of my dreams!?
Read if you find yourself pulled towards:
-urban high fantasy
-the vibes of Peaky Blinders, The Godfather, Gangs of London, The Originals (also… if you liked Arcane, you’ll like this, I’m 99.9% certain🥹)
-clan warfare (No Peak & Mountain clans take center stage here)
-politics! So! Much! Politics!
-immersive, expansive, and atmospheric world-building (loved learning about the jade magic system)
-character-driven, exposition-heavy first books in a series (I loved getting to know these characters, but I think Anden & Shae stood out to me the most. I also don’t mind when there is a lot of info-dumping in a first book)
-BUT still has plenty of action-packed combat scenes (we love the showcasing of martial arts!)
-themes of familial loyalty, honor, & high-tension power dynamics
My friend @hyperfixatedreader convinced me to read this and here is her review of the series: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBgh1G8AFj-/?img_index=1
How do I begin to write a review for this magnificent beginning of the urban fantasy of my dreams!?
Read if you find yourself pulled towards:
-urban high fantasy
-the vibes of Peaky Blinders, The Godfather, Gangs of London, The Originals (also… if you liked Arcane, you’ll like this, I’m 99.9% certain🥹)
-clan warfare (No Peak & Mountain clans take center stage here)
-politics! So! Much! Politics!
-immersive, expansive, and atmospheric world-building (loved learning about the jade magic system)
-character-driven, exposition-heavy first books in a series (I loved getting to know these characters, but I think Anden & Shae stood out to me the most. I also don’t mind when there is a lot of info-dumping in a first book)
-BUT still has plenty of action-packed combat scenes (we love the showcasing of martial arts!)
-themes of familial loyalty, honor, & high-tension power dynamics
My friend @hyperfixatedreader convinced me to read this and here is her review of the series: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBgh1G8AFj-/?img_index=1
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Minor: Self harm, Suicide
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
The Good:
- I eventually came to really like all of the characters. Their voices were really distinct, and I really liked the dynamic between the siblings.
- The city of Janloon feels rich and lived in. I found the sociopolitical situation interesting and the magic system was unique.
- I enjoyed how deeply flawed each of the characters were, if you're interested in imperfect characters making desperate choices, you're eating good.
- I thought the sex scenes were well written and provided interesting insights into the characters and their relationships.
- The story is delightfully tense. It kept me on the edge of my seat feeling like everything could come crashing down for the characters at any point in time.
- The fights were slick and well choreographed. While the magic system is sometimes a little lightly explained, I never found myself confused about what was happening in an action scene.
The Bad:
- It starts off slow and it took me a while to warm up to the characters. I was very ambivalent about the first 100 or so pages.
- It doesn't feel like a complete story arc to me, I'm invested enough so that I'll probably pick up the other books in the series, but it's definitely not a stand alone book.
- I think the multiple view point characters weaken the overall flow. I really liked Anden as a character, but his sections definitely felt disconnected with the main plot.
YMMV
- It's not a happy story. If you're not interested in angst and morally dubious characters it might not be for you.
- The pacing feels almost like it would be better suited for an episodic TV show than a novel.
- The story explores gender roles in a patriarchal society.
- I eventually came to really like all of the characters. Their voices were really distinct, and I really liked the dynamic between the siblings.
- The city of Janloon feels rich and lived in. I found the sociopolitical situation interesting and the magic system was unique.
- I enjoyed how deeply flawed each of the characters were, if you're interested in imperfect characters making desperate choices, you're eating good.
- I thought the sex scenes were well written and provided interesting insights into the characters and their relationships.
- The story is delightfully tense. It kept me on the edge of my seat feeling like everything could come crashing down for the characters at any point in time.
- The fights were slick and well choreographed. While the magic system is sometimes a little lightly explained, I never found myself confused about what was happening in an action scene.
The Bad:
- It starts off slow and it took me a while to warm up to the characters. I was very ambivalent about the first 100 or so pages.
- It doesn't feel like a complete story arc to me, I'm invested enough so that I'll probably pick up the other books in the series, but it's definitely not a stand alone book.
- I think the multiple view point characters weaken the overall flow. I really liked Anden as a character, but his sections definitely felt disconnected with the main plot.
YMMV
- It's not a happy story. If you're not interested in angst and morally dubious characters it might not be for you.
- The pacing feels almost like it would be better suited for an episodic TV show than a novel.
- The story explores gender roles in a patriarchal society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Even better the second time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely a well written story, but the focus was by far gang/clan politics instead of the "magic" of the jade. I did find the bioenergy of Jade to be really interesting, and it was intertwined with the clans and culture, which was cool. But I guess I didn't realize initially that it ultimately was more of a clan vs clan (aka Mafia style) story. Again, very well written and once I got to know the main characters in the Kaul family, it became more interesting, but less fantasy than I was initially expecting. Regardless, I am still going to continue the series, as it is intriguing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Murder, War
Minor: Sexual harassment