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A review by plumpaperbacks
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
adventurous
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? No
3.5
My experience with this book was a weird one, because from the very first page, I was intrigued by Tan’s world and story and quickly grew attached to the characters; however, I just… wasn’t in the mood to read. So it took me about a week to trudge through the first half, and then I sped through the second half in a couple of days. And while I did really love the characters and character dynamics, right now I just feel unsatisfied.
The story was great until the last quarter, in which things began to seem too easy. I saw one of the twists coming a mile away, and there was another event that, though it was emotional, didn’t have much of an effect on me because it was fixed two chapters later.
I was rooting for the romance for most of the second half of the story, because not only was it enemies to lovers but it was also an agonizing slow-burn, a.k.a. one of my favorite combinations. But not even that worked out. There was no drama or passion; the whole ordeal ended up being so nonchalant, which was a tad disappointing. It’s like when you’re making food and you turn the heat down too soon, so instead of the delicious meal you saw in the recipe photo, it’s an undercooked, only vaguely recognizable distant relative.
As for the epilogue, I’d heard from the group I was buddy reading this with that it was intense and unexpected, so I was very curious. Yet it evoked absolutely no reaction from me. Sure, it *was* unexpected, but it’s the sort of thing that sets you up for a sequel, and this is a stand-alone. So what was the point, honestly??
I know this hasn’t been the most stellar review, but I swear, I did enjoy this book. Tan’s ensemble cast was brilliant, and I especially loved Tang Wei. What an absolute icon. In broader terms, I liked multiple aspects—the story was intriguing and kept me on my toes even when there wasn’t much action, the world was well-developed, the banter was top tier, and Tan did an excellent job depicting grief and trauma in her protagonists. I’m just conflicted, for the multiple aforementioned reasons, and a bit disappointed as well because I really thought this would end up a new favorite.
This review is all over the place, but I don’t think I could do better if I tried because my feelings are also all over the place. I started out planning to give this book 4.25 stars, then lowered it to 4, and have now settled on 3.5 stars. It’s been less than an hour since I finished reading, but my mind is going a mile a minute and words are hard enough when it’s going at normal speeds. I’ll end by saying this: I don’t think Jade Fire Gold is a bad book by any means. Overall, it was pretty good, and I think Tan has a lot of potential. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Representation
The story was great until the last quarter, in which things began to seem too easy. I saw one of the twists coming a mile away, and there was another event that, though it was emotional, didn’t have much of an effect on me because it was fixed two chapters later.
I was rooting for the romance for most of the second half of the story, because not only was it enemies to lovers but it was also an agonizing slow-burn, a.k.a. one of my favorite combinations. But not even that worked out. There was no drama or passion; the whole ordeal ended up being so nonchalant, which was a tad disappointing. It’s like when you’re making food and you turn the heat down too soon, so instead of the delicious meal you saw in the recipe photo, it’s an undercooked, only vaguely recognizable distant relative.
As for the epilogue, I’d heard from the group I was buddy reading this with that it was intense and unexpected, so I was very curious. Yet it evoked absolutely no reaction from me. Sure, it *was* unexpected, but it’s the sort of thing that sets you up for a sequel, and this is a stand-alone. So what was the point, honestly??
I know this hasn’t been the most stellar review, but I swear, I did enjoy this book. Tan’s ensemble cast was brilliant, and I especially loved Tang Wei. What an absolute icon. In broader terms, I liked multiple aspects—the story was intriguing and kept me on my toes even when there wasn’t much action, the world was well-developed, the banter was top tier, and Tan did an excellent job depicting grief and trauma in her protagonists. I’m just conflicted, for the multiple aforementioned reasons, and a bit disappointed as well because I really thought this would end up a new favorite.
This review is all over the place, but I don’t think I could do better if I tried because my feelings are also all over the place. I started out planning to give this book 4.25 stars, then lowered it to 4, and have now settled on 3.5 stars. It’s been less than an hour since I finished reading, but my mind is going a mile a minute and words are hard enough when it’s going at normal speeds. I’ll end by saying this: I don’t think Jade Fire Gold is a bad book by any means. Overall, it was pretty good, and I think Tan has a lot of potential. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Representation
- full Asian cast
- queer side characters (includes sapphic rep)
- sapphic side couple
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Body horror, Blood, and Gore
All things tagged graphic occurred prior to the story, but are mentioned frequently throughout.