A review by frogbone
Jade City by Fonda Lee

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

this gets described as an urban fantasy series, but it's more of an eclectic genre bend, like if the Godfather was about the triads and was set on a post-colonial island that is sort of, but not exactly, a riff on Hong Kong. the characters are charming, but really it is the worldbuilding and thematic content that stood out to me. this series has a lot to say - about power and the responsibilities of people who wield it, about colonialism and the clash between the old and the new, and about family and what family means when you're born into an organized crime syndicate. it also poses the question, how much detail is too much detail when you're writing a sex scene (the answer? when you write the words, "she cupped her hands directly around his scrotum." that's too much)

anyway, much of that stuff is still sitting with me now, and if any of that sounds like it's of interest, i highly recommend you check this series out.
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