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A review by daumari
Jade City by Fonda Lee
4.0
4.5, but keeping it at 4. A solid start to a trilogy, taking place in what I'm assuming is probably ~1950s given some technology (cassette tapes, phones) and in the aftermath of a world war equivalent alternative southeast Asian island of Kekon (the insular island nature makes me think Taiwan or Singapore), but with jade magic which allows a small country to become a power on the international stage, a lucrative opportunity in the Mountain clan's eyes. Meanwhile, most of our points of view are with No Peak clan characters, young adults trying to live up to the legacy of their patriarch and keep the clan together.
The first part felt slow doing a lot of setup, then about halfway through an event happens that accelerates plot action. There's several pieces that got mention but haven't borne fruit yet- curious to see where they go (Ami's letter, whatever Barrow plans to do, etc.) Listened on audio, so not entirely sure of spellings but I fear googling will lead to spoilers, ha.
With the mafia organization overtones + fight sequences, this could make for a really juicy adaptation!
The first part felt slow doing a lot of setup, then about halfway through an event happens that accelerates plot action. There's several pieces that got mention but haven't borne fruit yet- curious to see where they go (Ami's letter, whatever Barrow plans to do, etc.) Listened on audio, so not entirely sure of spellings but I fear googling will lead to spoilers, ha.
With the mafia organization overtones + fight sequences, this could make for a really juicy adaptation!