A review by mariedaniella
Jade City by Fonda Lee

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

(raised from 4.5 stars to 5 after my reread—I love it so much!) 

It’s hard for me to write a review for my favorite books that would make any sense since most of my thoughts are just me incoherently screaming. So instead, I’m going to list down what I liked most about this book. These thoughts are mostly from my second time reading Jade City. 

— The intricacies of the world and the story. The story, world, and plot were intricately crafted. The characters and their relationships were complex. Everything felt abundant and vivid. There was so much to take in from this book and yet, it never felt so messy or for any of the details like throwaways. Everything was crafted very well that it was so immersive. 

— The subtle control. This was most apparent to me in my reread. The author had control over all parts of the book but subtly. Again, the details were never messy and although there were a lot of other moving parts, you could still feel it all going in one direction accordingly. I was deeply impressed. More so when it all comes together towards the end. But the best thing is that this control came off as very subtle. It was still very easy to engage with the story and the world without feeling the presence of the author if that makes any sense. 

— The dry and detached narrator. I think the control coming off as subtle and leaving room for the author was because the narrator sounded so monotonous and detached. It does get some time to get used to, especially during my first read. I was disconnected for almost the entire first half of the book without really understanding why—I liked the world, the magic, and the characters and I was actually focused but just couldn’t get into it until I saw Daniel Greene’s spoiler-free review of the next book in The Green Bone Saga. He explains Fonda Lee’s narration in regards to creating a connection between the characters and the reader, “[…] also having what can only be described as like a dry dispassionate voice in some way.” I’m most used to a narration that is more or less direct with its readers about the emotions and meaning but I really learned to like the style in Jade City. I thought it worked so well with the careful details. It left room for me to make my own impressions and amplified the book for me because it felt like I was absorbing the book and not just being told about it.

— The ultimate heart of the story: the Kaul Family. The core of this book is the Kaul family. The other elements of this book are very awesome, don’t get me wrong, but what truly captured me was the Kaul family. From Lan, Hilo, Shae, and Anden’s individual stories to their dynamics with each other, it was so fun getting to know them the first read and then understanding them some more by rereading. Everything else honestly took a step back for me because I just wanted the inner workings of the family.

— The magic system and the action scenes. The magic system was really good. It was filled with lore and history but it was easy to absorb. Likewise, the action scenes were easy to imagine. I usually have a hard time running fight scenes in my mind when reading books but Jade City’s were fairly easier to. It was written in a direct, explosive way and my small worm brain is deeply grateful. I also liked that while the magic (jade) was an integral part of the plot, it didn’t seem as it is to me. I thought it blended well in the world and the plot that it was just there and everywhere with a strong presence but not really needing any spotlight. I also liked that Jade City is inspired by many Asian cultures and not just one. It feels familiar as an Asian myself while still being entirely unique. 

Overall, Jade City easily became one of my favorite books. It’s a fantastic read, even became more special the second time reading it. I’m excited to continue the series (I have to pause because I’m currently in a slump and I just don’t have any brainpower for Jade War) and I will be forever recommending this one!