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emmas_reads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i don’t care about any character except anden, and lan when he was alive. i’m not a fan of hilo and shae feels like she has some internalized misogyny to work through even though she’s a woman with power. like this quote?
“Two strong-minded women in a man’s world, if they do not wuickly become allies, are destined to be incurable rivals.” (pg 373)
misogyny coded, i’m sorry. i also felt like doru was made a pedophile solely to make him unlikable, i don’t feel there was any reason otherwise to make him so. it felt kind of out of place and unnecessary.
there was some infodumping, but i thought the way it was worked into the story was clever so i didn’t mind it. there was also some weird indigenous stereotyping that came out of nowhere about the Abukei being drunks, gamblers, and whatever “whor[ing] away their earnings” is as a noun?? not needed. come on.
this book honestly reminds me of that one pride and prejudice review that goes like:
“just a bunch of people going to each other’s houses”
the action scenes were a lot more prevelant than some low reviews made it out to be, but i still felt like this book tried too hard to be political. but fonda lee is so good at writing action scenes, i really enjoyed them!!
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Drug use and Death
bladebailey's review against another edition
- 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
When everyone praises Jade City as a masterclass in epic fantasy, they certainly aren't kidding. Fonda Lee expertly weaves Janloon, Kekon, and the Kaul family into such exquisite detail that Jade City reads more like a historic nonfiction than pure fantasy. Every word has purpose, every constructed piece of culture, economy, organized crime system, city structure, family dynamics, characters you meet for a single sentence to the main characters of the entire book, and especially the combat sequences fly off of the page and into your mind like a field guide meeting an old kungfu flick. The incredibly flawed characters grapple with family life, their own magic, and mortality as the city escalates into open warfare between the No Peak and Mountain clans. I cannot wait to follow Hilo, Shae, Anden and the rest of Kekon in the next book, Jade War.
Graphic: War, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Pedophilia
chrisb913's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Addiction
Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, and Pedophilia
skillyillian's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, War, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Dementia, Drug use, Gore, and Violence
zsanc's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, War, and Violence
marippe's review against another edition
4.5
The world building in this was fun, I felt like I could really imagine the world that's so dedicated to jade! It does feel a little slow to start with but it transitions to action very nicely.
The range of characters is nice, they all felt different and you can understand why each character thinks the way they do. It can be hard to track all the characters so having a list in front of you is a good idea lmao. I like there was a lean into the emotions of war but I wish I felt more connected/emotional. I did like it though, it was a nice start.
I particularly like Bero's thought process
I've heard it just gets better in the next few books so I'm excited to contnue!
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Death of parent, War, Violence, Sexual content, and Murder
pri_lakshmi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: War, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cursing, Grief, Death, Violence, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Dementia, Stalking, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Rape, Racism, and Racial slurs
lejones1785's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Violence, War, Addiction, Blood, Murder, Bullying, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, and Death
dreadspawn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Death, Gore, War, Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Grief, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Body horror
widowrites's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Blood and Bullying
Moderate: Misogyny, Body horror, Addiction, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Dementia