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A review by lucybmn
Jade War by Fonda Lee
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was trying to decide between 4.75 and 5, but realized that the only reason I might downgrade it is because some parts of it were slow and über-political. But that's not a complaint or a bad thing. That's just the nature of this series. And by god, the slowness was tempered by outrageous moments of high emotion; not to mention the intrigue throughout that made even the slow parts exhilarating.
So, all that to say... 5 stars it is.
I can't get over just how perfectly-constructed everything about this series is. The world is absolutely airtight. Everything down to the local sports, the naming conventions and cultural slang. The religion and the place of the gods in society. And so on and so forth. It is all SO well-done.
And then the characters... I ask for morally gray characters, and LORDT, did she deliver! So much so that it frequently caused me great distress. 😅 But they are all fully-realized people, and no matter what vile shit they are doing, you truly understand WHY. If there's one person I wish I understood a little more, it's Ayt Mada. Wouldn't mind taking a trip inside her head. Maybe we will in book 3. But anyway. Even she is very well-constructed from the eyes of her enemies.
This is really my first serious foray into the adult epic fantasy era that I know I'm entering. And I couldn't have asked for a better series for that. Absolute perfection.
So, all that to say... 5 stars it is.
I can't get over just how perfectly-constructed everything about this series is. The world is absolutely airtight. Everything down to the local sports, the naming conventions and cultural slang. The religion and the place of the gods in society. And so on and so forth. It is all SO well-done.
And then the characters... I ask for morally gray characters, and LORDT, did she deliver! So much so that it frequently caused me great distress. 😅 But they are all fully-realized people, and no matter what vile shit they are doing, you truly understand WHY. If there's one person I wish I understood a little more, it's Ayt Mada. Wouldn't mind taking a trip inside her head. Maybe we will in book 3. But anyway. Even she is very well-constructed from the eyes of her enemies.
This is really my first serious foray into the adult epic fantasy era that I know I'm entering. And I couldn't have asked for a better series for that. Absolute perfection.