Scan barcode
A review by ngallion
Jade War by Fonda Lee
3.0
I find this book extremely difficult to rate. On the one hand, it’s written in a style that moves along quickly and is exceptionally easy to follow. It has characters that feel distinct and interesting with clear motivations and personalities. In the other hand, this book is sloooooow for something called “Jade War.” Maybe “Jade Cold War” would have been more accurate, because the clan warfare that happens is (mostly) political maneuvering. There are a few memorable fights, and the last 100 or so pages really start to move, so it’s not all characterized by the slow pace.
Here’s my issue, though: A slow paced book is fine with me as long as I’m really getting to know the characters. That does happen here, but because there are multiple POVs, just about the time a slow plot thread involving one character starts to get really interesting, Lee chooses to immediately shift focus to another character, which immediately slows the momentum. In a faster paced book, that would be just fine, but this is not that.
I spent half of the book wishing it was over, but found myself at the end both not wanting to read on AND wanting to know what happens to the characters in the next book. How in the world am I supposed to rate that? It’s probably not objectively a 3 star book, but because of the frustration I felt, that’s where I’m landing.
Here’s my issue, though: A slow paced book is fine with me as long as I’m really getting to know the characters. That does happen here, but because there are multiple POVs, just about the time a slow plot thread involving one character starts to get really interesting, Lee chooses to immediately shift focus to another character, which immediately slows the momentum. In a faster paced book, that would be just fine, but this is not that.
I spent half of the book wishing it was over, but found myself at the end both not wanting to read on AND wanting to know what happens to the characters in the next book. How in the world am I supposed to rate that? It’s probably not objectively a 3 star book, but because of the frustration I felt, that’s where I’m landing.