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A review by isabellarobinson7
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rating: 5 stars
This is the first real, proper, whole hearted, non-reread-or-franchise-related, five stars I have given out in a long, long time. And man, does it feel good. And MAN, does Jade City deserve it.
I knew it was good from the first few chapters - I was hooked almost straight away by Fonda Lee's vivid descriptions and addicting authorial voice - but then THAT THING happened and my jaw was. On. The. Floor. I did not see that coming. At all. I thought I had a pretty decent idea of what the story was going to be about, the roles each characters would play in the narrative, but I wasn't too mad about the (seeming) predictability because I was really enjoying myself. But then around the 50% mark this one event threw me for a loop and I was just dumbfounded. And we still had half the book left! From that moment on I was well and truly invested in what the book and world had to offer, and was well and truly along for the ride where ever the sequels might go.
And something happened I wasn't actually expecting: I was concerned about the characters. As a largely plot driven reader, I rarely find books where the characters are the main draw-in for me. But the characters in Jade City were so interesting, that I found myself actually wishing that the sequel was more of the same. I just wanted to read about these characters going through in- and external clan strife, and being involved in minor skirmishes, not an actual conflict that would do anything to wider world or story! I know this is a ludicrous demand, (and I knew that when I was making it) as if this actually happened it would probably get old real fast, but that's how absorbed I was by the made up lives of these fake people Fonda Lee was creating with her mind.
It was strange for me, because I related very specifically, but also very differently to all three of the main Kaul siblings. Impulsiveness has, like Hilo, often been sited by others as one of my defining characteristics; but Shae's trepidation when it comes to responsibility, and her running away to just study like a default mechanism... mmmm, I felt that on a personal level. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but while I enjoyed reading about Hilo and Shae, the character I initially latched onto was Lan. Maybe it's because I am also the eldest child, but I was rooting for him. In whatever he was doing, I wanted him to succeed. With all of them, I was deeply invested in their lives and actions, so when that spoilery thing happened (of which I will not disclose any further details) which greatly impacted all the characters' trajectories, I felt that. And the implications of this event... oooooooooo I can't wait to find out more.
I finished the second half of Jade City so fast, I don't have the greatest grasp on the pacing of that part of the story, because my own pacing (as such) was so out of whack that I couldn't hope to keep track of the passing of in-world time. I forgot that events were happening days apart for the characters, because to me it was only hours. I may have also been binging it as an escape to real world problems... but no psychoanalysis today thank you.
Upon finishing Jade City, I think I lasted about an hour and a half before running to grab Jade War from the library and starting it. Now I'm a quarter of the way through it. I'm really patient like that.
This is the first real, proper, whole hearted, non-reread-or-franchise-related, five stars I have given out in a long, long time. And man, does it feel good. And MAN, does Jade City deserve it.
I knew it was good from the first few chapters - I was hooked almost straight away by Fonda Lee's vivid descriptions and addicting authorial voice - but then THAT THING happened and my jaw was. On. The. Floor. I did not see that coming. At all. I thought I had a pretty decent idea of what the story was going to be about, the roles each characters would play in the narrative, but I wasn't too mad about the (seeming) predictability because I was really enjoying myself. But then around the 50% mark this one event threw me for a loop and I was just dumbfounded. And we still had half the book left! From that moment on I was well and truly invested in what the book and world had to offer, and was well and truly along for the ride where ever the sequels might go.
And something happened I wasn't actually expecting: I was concerned about the characters. As a largely plot driven reader, I rarely find books where the characters are the main draw-in for me. But the characters in Jade City were so interesting, that I found myself actually wishing that the sequel was more of the same. I just wanted to read about these characters going through in- and external clan strife, and being involved in minor skirmishes, not an actual conflict that would do anything to wider world or story! I know this is a ludicrous demand, (and I knew that when I was making it) as if this actually happened it would probably get old real fast, but that's how absorbed I was by the made up lives of these fake people Fonda Lee was creating with her mind.
It was strange for me, because I related very specifically, but also very differently to all three of the main Kaul siblings. Impulsiveness has, like Hilo, often been sited by others as one of my defining characteristics; but Shae's trepidation when it comes to responsibility, and her running away to just study like a default mechanism... mmmm, I felt that on a personal level. I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but while I enjoyed reading about Hilo and Shae, the character I initially latched onto was Lan. Maybe it's because I am also the eldest child, but I was rooting for him. In whatever he was doing, I wanted him to succeed. With all of them, I was deeply invested in their lives and actions, so when that spoilery thing happened (of which I will not disclose any further details) which greatly impacted all the characters' trajectories, I felt that. And the implications of this event... oooooooooo I can't wait to find out more.
I finished the second half of Jade City so fast, I don't have the greatest grasp on the pacing of that part of the story, because my own pacing (as such) was so out of whack that I couldn't hope to keep track of the passing of in-world time. I forgot that events were happening days apart for the characters, because to me it was only hours. I may have also been binging it as an escape to real world problems... but no psychoanalysis today thank you.
Upon finishing Jade City, I think I lasted about an hour and a half before running to grab Jade War from the library and starting it. Now I'm a quarter of the way through it. I'm really patient like that.