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A review by jessicarose
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
5.0
Jade Fire Gold hooked me from the very first page. I loved the vivid world and the mythology woven through it, the accessible and cinematic writing, and the twists and turns the story took. This is a firm favourite of the year and will definitely be in my top reads of 2021.
‘History is never written by its victims.’
I loved so many things about this book, but my absolute favourite were the characters. They all had really distinct personalities and a backstory that truly shaped them.
We follow the POV of the main characters Ahn and Altan; with 4 major side characters (Leiye, Tang Wei, Tai Shun and Linxi), and several minor side characters.
Occasionally you read a book where the whole cast just ‘fit’ and bounce off each other, this was the case here.
There wasn’t a single relationship dynamic between any of these characters I didn’t enjoy reading. The dialogue was sharp, witty, sarcastic and humorous. It made you feel like you were in on everyone’s inside jokes. I was constantly looking forward to different characters meeting each other throughout the book just so I could see how they’d interact.
Leiye, Tang Wei and Tai Shun are my favourites. I’m a sucker for broody mystery men, badass lesbian assassins and absolute cinnamon rolls, respectively.
I also want to highlight Altan and Tang Wei’s friendship. It’s not often we get a great male/female platonic relationship, and this one was done so well! I loved their back and forth banter and backhanded way of looking out for each other.
The trauma and PTSD representation in this book hit me hard. I feel like it was portrayed really well and the thoughts/emotions just leapt off the page. I loved seeing these character’s develop throughout the story.
“But even in the deepest night, the stars continue to shine.”
I really enjoyed being in this world, it felt nostalgic to me for a reason I can’t quite pinpoint. The descriptions of the palace and festivals in particular were gorgeous- and the food!
The Soul Beast scenes have to be some of the most cinematic I’ve ever read, and they were among my favourite parts of the book.
Jade Fire Gold definitely works as a standalone, but there’s so much more to explore in this world! There are characters I’d love to delve further into, a particular character’s backstory I’m dying to hear about, and after that epilogue… I need to know the fate of what’s to come. I truly hope we get to see a sequel/companion novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
‘History is never written by its victims.’
I loved so many things about this book, but my absolute favourite were the characters. They all had really distinct personalities and a backstory that truly shaped them.
We follow the POV of the main characters Ahn and Altan; with 4 major side characters (Leiye, Tang Wei, Tai Shun and Linxi), and several minor side characters.
Occasionally you read a book where the whole cast just ‘fit’ and bounce off each other, this was the case here.
There wasn’t a single relationship dynamic between any of these characters I didn’t enjoy reading. The dialogue was sharp, witty, sarcastic and humorous. It made you feel like you were in on everyone’s inside jokes. I was constantly looking forward to different characters meeting each other throughout the book just so I could see how they’d interact.
Leiye, Tang Wei and Tai Shun are my favourites. I’m a sucker for broody mystery men, badass lesbian assassins and absolute cinnamon rolls, respectively.
I also want to highlight Altan and Tang Wei’s friendship. It’s not often we get a great male/female platonic relationship, and this one was done so well! I loved their back and forth banter and backhanded way of looking out for each other.
The trauma and PTSD representation in this book hit me hard. I feel like it was portrayed really well and the thoughts/emotions just leapt off the page. I loved seeing these character’s develop throughout the story.
“But even in the deepest night, the stars continue to shine.”
I really enjoyed being in this world, it felt nostalgic to me for a reason I can’t quite pinpoint. The descriptions of the palace and festivals in particular were gorgeous- and the food!
The Soul Beast scenes have to be some of the most cinematic I’ve ever read, and they were among my favourite parts of the book.
Jade Fire Gold definitely works as a standalone, but there’s so much more to explore in this world! There are characters I’d love to delve further into, a particular character’s backstory I’m dying to hear about, and after that epilogue… I need to know the fate of what’s to come. I truly hope we get to see a sequel/companion novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.