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A review by graculus
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
3.0
I've watched a lot of wuxia and xianxia material in my time, both movies and (especially in the recent couple of years) more c-drama than I care to think about, so it's really good to see the universe I know so well from those reflected in more and more books. To be honest, though I don't read a lot of YA, it was very much the setting and related promised world-building that drew me to Jade Fire Gold as an ARC.
Beyond that, it's a pretty well-trodden story line - a hidden prince and a girl from a poor background join together in search of revenge (not to mention the reclamation of a throne) with a quest for a mythical sword thrown in. The world-building is solid, more so at times than the plot itself, and also definitely more convincing than the inevitable romance sub-plot.
Altan is our prince, who spends the first part of the book bemoaning the loss of his mother and sister and who has also (for a reason I don't actually remember being explained) mutilated himself and cut out his own eye? I think it's supposed to have been because it showed he was the son of the previous emperor, but I don't actually recall it being explicitly stated. Seems a bit extreme, tbh. Meanwhile, Ahn has also been orphaned - seriously, being a parent in a YA story is so high risk! - and is scraping by with her adopted grandmother when their paths cross. She, of course, also has a secret and in her case it's hidden magic that can steal people's souls.
Things wind on to their pretty much inevitable conclusion but I found myself caring more about the fate of the supporting characters than I did about the two main leads - there's some clunky plotting involved for them too, especially in terms of the occasional time jump between scenes. In particular, for me anyway, the romantic sub-plot was contrived and I found myself wishing more than once for a Luke-and-Leia situation, where they fall for each other and then it's revealed they're siblings. That, at least, would have had the virtue of being something a little different.
So, all in all not the worst thing I've ever read but I'm not convinced I would have finished it if I wasn't planning to review it. The world in which it's set deserves more stories being told, that's for certain, but I hope they'll be a little more nuanced than this one turned out to be for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion of this book.
Beyond that, it's a pretty well-trodden story line - a hidden prince and a girl from a poor background join together in search of revenge (not to mention the reclamation of a throne) with a quest for a mythical sword thrown in. The world-building is solid, more so at times than the plot itself, and also definitely more convincing than the inevitable romance sub-plot.
Altan is our prince, who spends the first part of the book bemoaning the loss of his mother and sister and who has also (for a reason I don't actually remember being explained) mutilated himself and cut out his own eye? I think it's supposed to have been because it showed he was the son of the previous emperor, but I don't actually recall it being explicitly stated. Seems a bit extreme, tbh. Meanwhile, Ahn has also been orphaned - seriously, being a parent in a YA story is so high risk! - and is scraping by with her adopted grandmother when their paths cross. She, of course, also has a secret and in her case it's hidden magic that can steal people's souls.
Things wind on to their pretty much inevitable conclusion but I found myself caring more about the fate of the supporting characters than I did about the two main leads - there's some clunky plotting involved for them too, especially in terms of the occasional time jump between scenes. In particular, for me anyway, the romantic sub-plot was contrived and I found myself wishing more than once for a Luke-and-Leia situation, where they fall for each other and then it's revealed they're siblings. That, at least, would have had the virtue of being something a little different.
So, all in all not the worst thing I've ever read but I'm not convinced I would have finished it if I wasn't planning to review it. The world in which it's set deserves more stories being told, that's for certain, but I hope they'll be a little more nuanced than this one turned out to be for me.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This review is my honest opinion of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma